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Encyclopedia > The Mysteries of Udolpho
The Mysteries of Udolpho, A Romance; Interspersed with Some Pieces of Poetry
Title page from first edition.
Title page from first edition.
Author Ann Radcliffe
Country England
Language English
Genre(s) Gothic novel
Publisher G. G. and J. Robinson
Publication date 1794
Media type Print (Hardcover), 4 volumes
ISBN NA

The Mysteries of Udolpho, by Ann Radcliffe, was published in the summer of 1794 by G. G. and J. Robinson of London in 4 volumes. Her fourth and most popular novel, The Mysteries of Udolpho follows the fortunes of Emily St. Aubert who suffers, among other misadventures, the death of her father, supernatural terrors in a gloomy castle, and the machinations of an Italian brigand. Often cited as the archetypal Gothic novel, The Mysteries of Udolpho plays a prominent role in Jane Austen's novel Northanger Abbey, in which an impressionable young woman, after reading Radcliffe's novel, comes to see her friends and acquaintances as Gothic villains and victims with amusing results. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 379 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1000 × 1580 pixel, file size: 208 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This is a scan I made of a reproduction of the cover page from the first edition of Radcliffes novel The Mysteries of Udolpho. The... This article is about the 19th-century author. ... In political geography and international politics, a country is a political division of a geographical entity, a sovereign territory, most commonly associated with the notions of state or nation and government. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto)1 Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Monarch Queen Elizabeth II... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Strawberry Hill, an English villa in the Gothic revival style, built by seminal Gothic writer Horace Walpole The gothic novel was a literary genre that belonged to Romanticism and began in the United Kingdom with The Castle of Otranto (1764) by Horace Walpole. ... A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ... See also: 1793 in literature, other events of 1794, 1795 in literature, list of years in literature. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... ISBN-13 represented as EAN-13 bar code (in this case ISBN 978-3-16-148410-0) The International Standard Book Number, ISBN, is a unique[1] commercial book identifier barcode. ... This article is about the 19th-century author. ... 1794 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Strawberry Hill, an English villa in the Gothic revival style, built by seminal Gothic writer Horace Walpole The gothic novel was a literary genre that belonged to Romanticism and began in the United Kingdom with The Castle of Otranto (1764) by Horace Walpole. ... 1873 engraving of Jane Austen, based on a portrait drawn by her sister Cassandra. ... For films named Northanger Abbey, see Northanger Abbey (1986 film). ...

Contents

Plot introduction

The Mysteries of Udolpho is a quintessential Gothic romance, replete with incidents of physical and psychological terror; remote, crumbling castles; seemingly supernatural events; a brooding, scheming villain; and a persecuted heroine. To this mix Radcliffe adds extensive descriptions of exotic landscapes in the Pyrenees and Apennines. Set in 1584 in southern France and northern Italy, the novel focuses on the plight of Emily St. Aubert, a young French woman who is orphaned after the death of her father. Emily suffers imprisonment in the castle Udolpho at the hands of Signor Montoni, an Italian brigand who has married her aunt and guardian Madame Cheron. Emily's romance with Valancourt, the younger brother of Count Duvarney, is frustrated by Montoni and others. Emily also endeavors to discover an explanation for the mysterious relationship between her father and the Marchioness de Villeroi, a mystery which appears to have connections to the castle Udolpho. Strawberry Hill, an English villa in the Gothic revival style, built by seminal Gothic writer Horace Walpole Gothic fiction is a genre of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. ... The Apennine Mountains (Greek: Απεννινος; Latin: Appenninus--in both cases used in the singular; Italian: Appennini) is a mountain range stretching 1000 km from the north to the south of Italy along its east coast, traversing the entire peninsula, and forming, as it were, the backbone of the country. ...


Plot summary

The Mysteries of Udolpho, set in 1584, tells the story of Emily St. Aubert, the only child of a landed rural family whose fortunes are now in decline. Emily and her father share an especially close bond, due to their shared appreciation for nature. After her mother's death from a serious illness, Emily and father grow even closer. She accompanies him on a trip to Switzerland, where they encounter Valancourt, a handsome man who also feels an almost mystical kinship with the natural world. Emily and Valancourt quickly fall in love.


Emily's father succumbs to a long illness. Emily, now orphaned, is sent to live with her aunt, Madame Cheron (later known as Madame Montoni), who shares none of her interests and shows her little affection. Madame Cheron marries Montoni, the villain of the story. Montoni brings Madame Montoni and Emily to Udolpho (therefore separating Emily from her suitor Valancourt), where Montoni threatens Madame with violence in order to force her to sign over her properties in Toulouse, which upon her death would otherwise go to Emily. Many frightening but coincidental events happen within the castle, and in the end, Emily takes control of her property and is reunited with Valancourt. New city flag (Occitan cross) Traditional coat of arms Motto: (Occitan: For Toulouse, always more) Location Coordinates Time Zone CET (GMT +1) Administration Country Region Midi-Pyrénées Department Haute-Garonne (31) Intercommunality Community of Agglomeration of Greater Toulouse Mayor Jean-Luc Moudenc  (UMP) (since 2004) City Statistics Land...


Characters in "The Mysteries of Udolpho"

Emily St. Aubert: Emily is the novel's protagonist and much of the action takes place from her point of view. She is unusually beautiful and gentle with a slight and graceful figure. As for her character, she is virtuous, firm, sensitive, and self-reliant.


St. Aubert: Emily's father dies early in the novel while he, Emily, and Valancourt are traveling. He warns Emily on his death bed to not become a victim of her feelings but to acquire command over her emotions. His unaccountable relationship with the Marchioness de Villeroi is one of the novel's central mysteries.


Valancourt: The younger brother of the Count Duvarney, Valancourt forms an attachment to Emily while traveling with her and her father through the Pyrenees. He is a dashing young man with a noble character but inclined to overexuberance. St. Aubert considers Valancourt a desirable match for Emily but Valancourt lacks wealth.


Madame Cheron: St. Aubert's sister and Emily's aunt. Madame Cheron is a selfish, wealthy widow living on her estate near Toulouse when Emily becomes her ward after St. Aubert's death.


Montoni: Brooding, haughty, and scheming, Montoni is the prototypical Gothic villain. He masquerades as an Italian nobleman to gain Madame Cheron's hand in marriage then imprisons Emily and Madame Cheron in Udolpho in an attempt to acquire control over Madame Cheron's fortune.


Count Morano: Count Morano is introduced to Emily by Montoni who commands that she marry Morano. Emily refuses but Morano continues to pursue her in Venice and later Udolpho.


Annette: A maid who accompanied Madame Cheron from France, Annette is inclined to exaggeration and superstition but is faithful and honest.


Ludovico: Ludovico is one of Montoni's servants. He falls in love with Annette and provides assistance to Emily.


The Mysteries of Udolpho is important because frightening and apparently supernatural events are ultimately given rational explanations by Radcliffe, and the novel was one of the works parodied in Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey. Though recognized for Austen's mocking, The Mysteries of Udolpho was popular in its day and praised by personages such as Sir Walter Scott, author of the Waverley Novels. 1873 engraving of Jane Austen, based on a portrait drawn by her sister Cassandra. ... For films named Northanger Abbey, see Northanger Abbey (1986 film). ... For the first Premier of Saskatchewan see Thomas Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott (August 14, 1771 - September 21, 1832) was a prolific Scottish historical novelist and poet popular throughout Europe. ... The Waverley Novels are a long series of books by Sir Walter Scott. ...


Trivia

  • According to Radcliffe's contract for The Mysteries of Udolpho, which is housed at the University of Virginia Library, she was paid £500 for the manuscript.
  • The Mysteries of Udolpho plays a small part in Tom Stoppard's play Arcadia, as one of its characters describes a garden as worthy of Udolpho (Faber and Faber edition, page 13).
  • Henry James mentions the "mystery of Udolpho" in The Turn of the Screw, at the beginning of Chapter IV: "Was there a 'secret' at Bly--a mystery of Udolpho or an insane, an unmentionable relative kept in unsuspected confinement?"
  • The Veiled Picture; or, The Mysteries of Gorgono, published in 1802, is a chapbook edition of The Mysteries of Udolpho. It preserves most of the characters and plot elements from Udolpho but dispenses with details and descriptions.

This article is about the 19th-century author. ... Sir Tom Stoppard, OM, CBE (born as Tomáš Straussler on July 3, 1937)[1] is an Academy Award winning British playwright of more than 24 plays. ... Arcadia is a play by Tom Stoppard which first opened at the Royal National Theatre in London on 13 April 1993 and has played at many theatres since. ... For other uses of this name, see Henry James (disambiguation). ... The Turn of the Screw is a novella written by Henry James. ...

External links


  Results from FactBites:
 
The Very Best Books : The Mysteries of Udolpho (222 words)
Of these Udolpho is by far the most famous, and may be taken as a type of the early Gothic tale at its best.
It is the chronicle of Emily, a young Frenchwoman transplanted to an ancient and portentous castle in the Apennines through the death of her parents and the marriage of her aunt to the lord of the castle -- the scheming nobleman, Montoni.
Mysterious sounds, opened doors, frightful legends, and a nameless horror in a niche behind a fl veil all operate in quick succession to unnerve the heroine and her faithful attendant, Annette; but finally, after the death of her aunt, she escapes with the aid of a fellow-prisoner whom she has discovered.
Description and Narration in Ann Radcliffe's Mysteries of Udolpho (1397 words)
In this passage from The Mysteries of Udolpho.
Emily gazed with melancholy awe upon the castle, which she understood to be Montoni's; for, though it was now lighted up by the setting sun, the gothic greatness of its features, and its mouldering dark grey stone, rendered it a gloomy and sublime object.
As a servant brought the lamp nearer, partial gleams fell upon the pillars and the pointed arches, forming a strong contrast with their shadows, that stretched along the pavement and the walls.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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