Wireland of the Transformation was published in 1798 and is considered to be the first American gothic novel. The novel takes place in rural Pennsylvania in the 1760's. It is based on a true story of a murder committed by an insane farmer. A flash of light killed the farmer's fanatic father and the farmer is commanded to sacrifice his wife and children by an unearthly voice. This sacrifice will be a sign of his obedience to heaven. This is not a book for the faint of heart containing such gothic elements as spontaneous combustion, ventriloquism, and religious fanaticism