The Mysteries of Udolpho
Book description
`Her present life appeared like the dream of a distempered imagination, or like one of those frightful fictions, in which the wild genius of the poets sometimes delighted. Rreflections brought only regret, and anticipation terror.'
Such is the state of mind in which Emily St. Aubuert - the orphaned heroine…
Why read it?
2 authors picked The Mysteries of Udolpho as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Gothic novels took the romance genre and added elements of death, inheritance, gloomy locations, and supernatural twists. Ann Radcliffe's Mysteries of Udolpho is the canonical example of this style.
The book features a detailed rendering of the many locations featured in the book, one of which is the oppressive castle named in the title. Radcliffe conjures entire moods in this story, and you'll be whisked along in the footsteps of Emily St. Aubert as she's spirited away by the villainous Montoni.
The book also features in Jane Austen's Northanger Abby, as Catherine and Isabella both read it.
From Steve's list on classic Gothic that are still amazing today.
The groundbreaking Gothic novel that invented many of the conventions of Gothic literature today is still as breathtaking today as it was when it was first published.
From star-crossed lovers to crumbling castles to stumbling upon skeletons, this has everything you could ask for in a macabre tale. Montoni is a deliciously evil villain whom readers will love to hate, while Emily navigates a cold, unforgiving world bathed in shadows and conspiracies.
The varied environments give the story plenty of ground to cover, and plenty of horrors to wrest with, as circumstances grow ever more dire for our heroine. This…
From David's list on Gothic with dark and haunting family secrets.
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