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mysteries of udolpho
BBC radio 4 extra adaptation of Ann Radcliffe's Gothic novel. Broadcast for Halloween 2014.
Audiobook
Published October 28, 2014
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About the author
Ann Radcliffe
587 books722 followersAnn Ward Radcliffe of Britain wrote Gothic novels, including
The Mysteries of Udolpho
(1794).
This English author pioneered.
William Radcliffe, her father and a haberdasher, moved the family to Bath to manage a china shop in 1772. Radcliffe occasionally lived with her uncle, Thomas Bentley, in Chelsea in partnership with a fellow Unitarian, Josiah Wedgwood. Although mixing in some distinguished circles, Radcliffe seemingly made little impression in this society, and Wedgwood described her as "Bentley's shy niece."
In 1787, she married William Radcliffe, the Oxford graduate and journalist. He often came home late, and to occupy her time, she began to write and read her work when he returned. They enjoyed a childless but seemingly happy marriage. Radcliffe called him her "nearest relative and friend". The money she earned from her novels later allowed them to travel together, along with their dog, Chance.
She published The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne in 1789. It set the tone for the majority of her work, which tended to involve innocent, but heroic young women who find themselves in gloomy, mysterious castles ruled by even more mysterious barons with dark pasts.
Her works were extremely popular among the upper class and the growing middle class, especially among young women. Her works included A Sicilian Romance (1790), The Romance of the Forest (1791), The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794), and The Italian (1796). She published a travelogue, A Journey Through Holland and the Western Frontier of Germany in 1795.
The success of The Romance of the Forest established Radcliffe as the leading exponent of the historical Gothic romance. Her later novels met with even greater attention, and produced many imitators, and famously, Jane Austen's burlesque of The Mysteries of Udolpho in Northanger Abbey, as well as influencing the works of Sir Walter Scott.
Stylistically, Radcliffe was noted for her vivid descriptions of exotic and sinister locales, though in reality the author had rarely or never visited the actual locations. Shy by nature, she did not encourage her fame and abandoned literature as a pursuit.
She died on February 7, 1823 and was buried in Saint George's Church, Hanover Square, London.
This English author pioneered.
William Radcliffe, her father and a haberdasher, moved the family to Bath to manage a china shop in 1772. Radcliffe occasionally lived with her uncle, Thomas Bentley, in Chelsea in partnership with a fellow Unitarian, Josiah Wedgwood. Although mixing in some distinguished circles, Radcliffe seemingly made little impression in this society, and Wedgwood described her as "Bentley's shy niece."
In 1787, she married William Radcliffe, the Oxford graduate and journalist. He often came home late, and to occupy her time, she began to write and read her work when he returned. They enjoyed a childless but seemingly happy marriage. Radcliffe called him her "nearest relative and friend". The money she earned from her novels later allowed them to travel together, along with their dog, Chance.
She published The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne in 1789. It set the tone for the majority of her work, which tended to involve innocent, but heroic young women who find themselves in gloomy, mysterious castles ruled by even more mysterious barons with dark pasts.
Her works were extremely popular among the upper class and the growing middle class, especially among young women. Her works included A Sicilian Romance (1790), The Romance of the Forest (1791), The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794), and The Italian (1796). She published a travelogue, A Journey Through Holland and the Western Frontier of Germany in 1795.
The success of The Romance of the Forest established Radcliffe as the leading exponent of the historical Gothic romance. Her later novels met with even greater attention, and produced many imitators, and famously, Jane Austen's burlesque of The Mysteries of Udolpho in Northanger Abbey, as well as influencing the works of Sir Walter Scott.
Stylistically, Radcliffe was noted for her vivid descriptions of exotic and sinister locales, though in reality the author had rarely or never visited the actual locations. Shy by nature, she did not encourage her fame and abandoned literature as a pursuit.
She died on February 7, 1823 and was buried in Saint George's Church, Hanover Square, London.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 21, 2022
I found myself enjoying this book. There was a lot of description of nature and some parts of the novel could have been shortened, but overall it was a page-turner, again, surprised about that. I was worried I wouldn't have been able to associate with this novel. I never thought of myself as liking anything Gothic (not a fan of Gothic architecture), but I guess I didn't know what to expect. It held intrigue, suspense, and romance. There were a few storylines going on throughout the piece. The male love interest was a bit too sappy for me, but that kind of grabbed my attention. The protagonist, Emily, has one bad, sad thing happen to her after another and at some points, I wondered if all that was necessary, but it was a page-turner and it kept me up late as I wanted to keep on reading.
Some words were spelled differently, but that made it interesting, the language was impressive, and the dialogue was written differently than I am accustomed to. It was difficult at times to determine which character stopped speaking or that someone else began speaking because it all took place within the same paragraph.
Overall, it was nice to read something that was written by an author that influenced/was read by Jane Austen.
Some words were spelled differently, but that made it interesting, the language was impressive, and the dialogue was written differently than I am accustomed to. It was difficult at times to determine which character stopped speaking or that someone else began speaking because it all took place within the same paragraph.
Overall, it was nice to read something that was written by an author that influenced/was read by Jane Austen.
January 5, 2021
Thrilling book! I'm not used to 18th century literature so it took me a few (hundred) pages to really get into it, but then I could not put the book down. I read many disappointed reviews from Austen readers because it was not what they expected, so warning to future readers: this is NOT a Jane Austen style of book, despite being mentioned by her! But it is captivating, beautiful, and full of suspense.
June 21, 2021
The descriptive passages were far too long and numerous for me. I listened to this on audiobook and could zone out for 20 minutes at a time and not miss anything - particularly in the first half of the book. The way that all the plot lines were wrapped up together at the end seemed too convenient.
October 29, 2022
Slow beginning...stick with it through about 10th chapter, then it picks up.
June 14, 2023
This was ridiculously long, but it's an important book that influenced many future Gothic novels.
June 21, 2024
only read this to read northanger Abbey.
i totally recommend reading this first to really see janu austen roast the living daylights out of this.
i totally recommend reading this first to really see janu austen roast the living daylights out of this.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews