The Mysteries of Udolpho

“Parents could control their children’s ability to marry before the age of twenty-one. Those who disliked their children’s choices might withhold permission or, if the children were of age, leave them out of a will,” (History). Throughout The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe, Emily Aubert is denied permission to marry her love, Valancourt. Although both of her parents had passed, Emily was under the care of her aunt, Madame Cheron, who controlled every aspect of Emily’s

actions? Pre-dash, the elements of Gothic fiction permeate and resonate throughout the Romantic era and are included in analysis of many such fiction and prose. The Mysteries of Udolpho, Frankenstein, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, etc. display said aspects and can be considered works of true Gothic horror. Emily St. Aubert (from Udolpho) acts in the Gothic fashion when, examining the secret chambers of the deceased Marchioness, she witnesses the supernatural apparition rising above the resting place

Elizabeth Bohls, in her study Women Travel Writers and the Language of Aesthetics, 1716-1818, argues that aesthetic theories of the eighteenth century served to support the social and political hierarchy of the time. The observer, the viewing subject - the educated, wealthy male - is defined by what is constructed as opposite and antithetical to him - the labouring class, the female, and the non-European. The language of aesthetics thus also becomes the language of social exclusion. She notes "the

Below is a passage from I.2 of Radcliffe's The Mysteries of Udolpho concerning the concept of "precepts" in relation to the characters of St. Aubert and his daughter Emily: I have attempted to teach you from your earliest youth, the duty of self- command […] not only as it preserves us from the various and dangerous temptations that call us from rectitude and virtue, but as it limits the indulgences which are termed virtuous, yet which, extended beyond a certain boundary are vicious…All excess

This passage is taken from Ann Radcliffe’s 1794 novel ‘The Mysteries of Udolpho’, which is a self-proclaimed gothic ‘romance’ that details the, later explained, supernatural experiences of Emily St. Aubert at the hands of Montoni. Situated at the beginning of third volume, this passage details Emily’s imprisonment in the chamber by Bernardine and the unveiling of a ‘corpse’. In this close analysis I will focus on the ways in which Radcliffe uses literary devices in order to mislead the reader and

to analyse Gothic elements. The Mysteries of Udolpho is presented first, since it is an exemplary novel regarded as a model of Female Gothic literature. Furthermore, four Northanger novels are compared to this model analysis to show whether it is possible to label them as copies of Radcliffe. The analysis focuses on several elements: setting, nature, supernatural, suspense and characters. 2.1 The Mysteries of Udolpho Ann Radcliffe published The Mysteries of Udolpho in 1794. Emily St. Aubert, a young

are inhabitants around, but not seen or directly noticed. The element of isolation in nature is demonstrated in The Mysteries of Udolpho and The Turn of the Screw by Udolpho and the House at Bly through their setting in isolated landscapes with weak tethers to the rest of civilization. The idea of overcoming this isolation is also present in the novels. Emily in The Mysteries of Udolpho escapes the isolation to safety. The Governess in The Turn of the Screw hopes to do the same by connection with the

This section will investigate the history and advancement behind paranormal sentimental fiction. Paranormal sentimental fiction had its beginnings in the eighteenth century. An early noticeable novel in this class was The Castle of Otranto composed by Horace Walpole. Walpole began an artistic development somewhere down in riddle that increased quick drama and various imitators. He is by and by for the most part associated with Strawberry Hill, the home he worked in Twickenham, South-West London where

genre is soaked in. It is one of the main elements. Authors use literary devices to make a reader feel, think, and react in a certain way. Mary Shelley and Ann Radcliffe are both prominent gothic writers, with the works Frankenstein and The Mysteries of Udolpho respectively. They are both works that are thought of as key reads in the genre and both have a pervasive theme of fear throughout. The two women portray these very well using literary devices. Both authors explore fear as a theme. Mary Shelley’s

hour asleep” (Austen 388). This line is explained in the annotations; “This sentence echoes the conclusion of the chapter in Mysteries of Udolpho” (Shapard 389 #57). Unsurprisingly, the line was not the only one Austen had mimicked, in fact, the entirety of Chapter 8 follows the plot summary the Shapard has described in his annotation; “[I]n which the heroine arrives at Udolpho. After describing her fear and wonder as she lies in her room, it ends, ‘The castle clock struck one before she closed her