The Mysteries of Udolpho – Anne Radcliffe
This was first published in 1794, but is set much before this. It follows the story of orphaned heroine Emily St Aubert whom, through a rather unfortunate set of events ends up imprisoned in a mysterious Castle under the guardianship of an evil guy, Montoni.
There are ghosts, supernatural, jump scares, sword fights, blood, bones, cemeteries, monks, weird nuns, screaming, passageways, dark tunnels and something that any eighteenth century novel wouldn't be complete without….the heroine swooning!!!
Whilst the time period of this novel may deter people, the story is exciting and excellently mysterious right to the final pages of this 600 page book! The language is slightly antiquated, but not unmanageable for more confident readers.
This novel has great importance to the History of Literature. Ask any literature student and they have probably heard of this book,( not read it !).
Anne Radcliffe was a prolific female author in her period, in a time when rights for women were few. In this novel, Radcliffe establishes herself as the front pioneer of Gothic Literature.
Understanding the ‘Gothic’
You don’t need to have a massive understanding of Gothic Literature before reading this. I think it helps to know it, if you want to understand why this book is so important.
Gothic Literature can be generally understood as literature that employs dark motifs, imagery, writing and themes for the effect of melodrama, fear and mystery. Today, it could be argued that writers like Stephen King write ‘gothic’ novels. Although this type of Gothic is still a fair distance from definition of Radcliffe’s style. As I am too much of a scaredy Cat to actually read King, I can imagine there are still similarities to be drawn from his style/themes and Radcliffe’s.
Silly Novels, for Silly Women ….?
Famously satirised by Jane Austen in Northanger Abbey, The Mysteries of Udolpho, I think in literary circles has for far too long been the butt of a joke, Austen began. These ‘scary’ novels are large dark castles with dark passages were insanely popular in the eighteenth century, with female readers. Austen trivialises these ‘silly’ women who read these books, she thinks so much so that they begin to see these scares in real life.
I used to shamelessly think this too about Udolpho, believing the old, pretty patriarchal book that these new fangled novels were not good reading material. Well, I have read it now and I gladly stand corrected !
Well, call me silly!
Udolpho, has surprised me, entertained me and re-educated me on what female authors were doing in the period. It was more than creating a fright. Going into it expecting a scare you may be disappointed as I was, that the first 250 pages or so read as travelogue around the Pyrenees mountain range. There is much of the Romantic sublime in these vast descriptions of endless countryside and mountains and views. But the sublime is also a feature of Gothicism, so although not scary in this instance, there is a eeriness to these observations.
I have sought to focus much of my Masters cause on Eco-criticism in Literature. This is the study of the Environment and landscape in literary works. I enjoyed the pages of gorgeous mountains and scenery, the sense of freedom given to Emily in these moments, becoming increasingly important more scarce as the novel proceeds.
I’m an Eighteenth Century Gall xx
Emily St Aubert is the central character, and she is everything I wanted and more from what I knew about this book. She is talented in a range of activities; she paints, she sews, sings, plays instruments and writes beautifully, everything I’m sure I would have been in the C18th (joke).
The best bit of all the novel, is when completely out the blue, the narrator describes Emily as ‘writing down these lines as she looked out on the view’. Then there proceeds an incredibly well written, 10 stanza poem, complete with Iambic pentamer and imagery of the scene on which she is observing. It is quite magical, our Emily is so talented.
Of course they are the work of Anne Radcliffe, but jokes aside I did enjoy the interweaving of narrative and poetry in the same work, it was seamless and never detracted from the main plot, but only added to the atmosphere and state of mind of the character composing it.
A touch of Shakespeare
I also read about this book, that this novel was the first time an author choose to use postscripts on as chapter titles. Radcliffe was a massive fan of Shakespeare and there is constant plot allusions to his plays.
The choice quotes to begin chapters (postscripts), was varied but I enjoyed thinking about what might be their relevancy to what takes place in the chapter. Radcliffe along with her use of poetry in the novel, was the first English novelist to use poetic fragments/play fragments as embellishments to her texts, as she thought they provided a ‘mood-enhancing effect’.
Female ownership and property
I cannot tell too much of the plot without giving away, but a lot of the dangers Emily and her Aunt face are due to them holding onto ownership of their property.
I do not know eighteenth century ownership laws, but I believe women were beginning to be able to inherit property in their own name in the 1700s but still once married a lot of their property and wealth could be taken by their husband by law. Radcliffe was clearly a supporter of women’s right to property ownership and inheritance, and follows this theme through Emily, and through the histories of the various castles in the novel.
Reading long books
Once I was close to finishing it my boyfriend asked me whether I thought the story justified its 650 page size.
It made me think. The first 250-300 pages, unlike what I expected, Emily was not at Udolpho Castle ! There was no screaming, no ghosts, or strange noises. NO, the first 250-300 pages are a beautiful travelogue over Emily and her father travelling across the Pyrenees admiring the scenery.
Back to the question, does the novel need this bit? I think so. The whole title is called ‘The Mysteries of Udolpho’. The beginning bit, is long but it develops the foundations of the mystery Radcliffe puts Emily in when she arrives at Udolpho. It is important knowing Emily, and the relationship with her father, before she arrives at Udolpho. Once she arrives she sees that the mysteries are not so much about the castle, but about herself, and her history.
Radcliffe is a fantastic writer, and despite little hints, she manages to keep the whole secret of or like the title, the ‘mystery’ of Udolpho a secret, which I think not many authors have successfully done. To keep the main crux, the mystery of your book a secret until the last page… that takes some doing !
If you fancy some advice about reading fat books, check out my blog on Losing the Plot, under ‘Book Help’
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