The publication in 1717 of a French translation of The Thousand and One Nights sparked the creation of numerous fantastic narratives set in Arabia and the Orient. Among these are Voltaire’s philosophic fantasy Zadig (1747) and Samuel Johnson’s Rasselas (1759). Beckford’s contribution to the genre of the Oriental fantasy was to combine the exotic setting of Arabia with an emphasis on sensual depravity and demoniac obsession that was associated with another emerging literary genre, the gothic tale.

Vathek received favorable reviews when it was first published and has gained in reputation with the passage of time. Early reviewers emphasized the power and inventiveness of the novel’s fantastic episodes, especially the dramatic conclusion in the subterranean realm of Eblis. Modern critics have stressed Beckford’s ability to fuse fantastic episodes with an underlying moral theme. Despite its lurid descriptions and emphasis on horrible events, Vathek is essentially a cautionary moral tale about the dangers of self-indulgent sensuality.

The work invites a psychological interpretation. The subterranean kingdom of Eblis may be intended to represent the realm of the unconscious mind. Vathek’s decision to renounce his religion, abandon his palace, and commit the most heinous acts of sacrilege in order to gain access to the power and wealth of a subterranean kingdom implies a willingness to follow his darkest desires wherever they may lead. Beckford makes his moral point clear when he concludes the novel with the comment that the damnation of Vathek, his lover, and his mother is an appropriate punishment for their unrestrained passions, blind curiosity, and restless ambition.

Vathek also has a strong autobiographical element. The caliph himself reflects several aspects of Beckford’s complicated personality, especially his temper and his devotion to sensual pleasures. Carathis is based on Beckford’s domineering and strong-willed mother. Beckford even imitated the novel in his own life by constructing a lofty tower on his property at Fonthill.

Vathek exerted a strong influence on later fantasy, particularly the related genres of gothic and horror fiction. Beckford’s emphasis on the demoniac was imitated in Matthew Lewis’ brilliant novel The Monk (1796), a work that helped set the course of gothic fiction for the next century. Vathek has been praised by writers as diverse as Oscar Wilde and H. P. Lovecraft. Wilde used Vathek as a literary model for his The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), and Lovecraft’s famous horror story “Rats in the Walls” (1924) is a gothic fantasy whose subterranean setting reflects the author’s admiration for Beckford’s dark but alluring novel.