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Romanzo siciliano
Verso la fine del XVI secolo, sulla sponda settentrionale di una Sicilia fosca e cupa, circondato da amene colline e fitti boschi, si erge il castello di Mazzini, un maniero di antica magnificenza appartenente a Ferdinando, quinto marchese di Mazzini, uomo dal carattere altero e una violenta passione per le donne. Dopo aver sposato in seconde nozze una donna dalla bellezza non comune, amante dei piaceri, del divertimento e dell’indipendenza, il marchese stabilisce la sua dimora a Napoli, dove è raggiunto dal figlio avuto dall’infelice prima moglie.
Confinate nel castello, in cui la signora Menon, una lontana parente, e un uomo di età avanzata, Vincenzo, affezionato da molti anni al marchese, provvedono alla loro educazione,
Emilia e Giulia, le due figlie del marchese, vent’anni la prima e diciotto la seconda, conducono la loro vita in una profonda oscurità e sognano invano di uscire dai possedimenti del loro padre.
Dotate delle migliori attrattive che caratterizzano le fanciulle allo sbocciare della loro giovinezza, le due ragazze trascorrono le belle sere dell’estate siciliana a conversare con la signora Menon nel casino che dà sulla parte meridionale del castello, una parte abbandonata dalle cui finestre traspare a volte una luce misteriosa.
Un giorno il vecchio Vincenzo cade ammalato. Sentendo che il corso naturale della sua vita è giunto al termine, chiede insistentemente di vedere il marchese, poiché deve confessare ciò che da tempo lo tormenta e gli lacera l’anima.
Al cospetto della signora Menon, il vecchio però spira senza poter rivelare la fonte dei suoi rimorsi e delle sue pene.
Il ritorno in Sicilia del marchese, accompagnato dalla nuova moglie, dal figlio Ferdinando e da tutto il suo turbolento corteo, provvederà a riportare a galla le verità sepolte e i segreti inconfessabili custoditi tra le mura dell’antico maniero.
Con quest’opera, che ebbe un’eco enorme nell’Inghilterra di fine Settecento, Ann Radcliffe sancì il successo del «gothic novel» fatto di trame complesse, dense di suspense, e impregnato di quel «culto del sud» che aveva caratterizzato il Grand Tour dei giovani dell’aristocrazia inglese sin dal XVII secolo.
Confinate nel castello, in cui la signora Menon, una lontana parente, e un uomo di età avanzata, Vincenzo, affezionato da molti anni al marchese, provvedono alla loro educazione,
Emilia e Giulia, le due figlie del marchese, vent’anni la prima e diciotto la seconda, conducono la loro vita in una profonda oscurità e sognano invano di uscire dai possedimenti del loro padre.
Dotate delle migliori attrattive che caratterizzano le fanciulle allo sbocciare della loro giovinezza, le due ragazze trascorrono le belle sere dell’estate siciliana a conversare con la signora Menon nel casino che dà sulla parte meridionale del castello, una parte abbandonata dalle cui finestre traspare a volte una luce misteriosa.
Un giorno il vecchio Vincenzo cade ammalato. Sentendo che il corso naturale della sua vita è giunto al termine, chiede insistentemente di vedere il marchese, poiché deve confessare ciò che da tempo lo tormenta e gli lacera l’anima.
Al cospetto della signora Menon, il vecchio però spira senza poter rivelare la fonte dei suoi rimorsi e delle sue pene.
Il ritorno in Sicilia del marchese, accompagnato dalla nuova moglie, dal figlio Ferdinando e da tutto il suo turbolento corteo, provvederà a riportare a galla le verità sepolte e i segreti inconfessabili custoditi tra le mura dell’antico maniero.
Con quest’opera, che ebbe un’eco enorme nell’Inghilterra di fine Settecento, Ann Radcliffe sancì il successo del «gothic novel» fatto di trame complesse, dense di suspense, e impregnato di quel «culto del sud» che aveva caratterizzato il Grand Tour dei giovani dell’aristocrazia inglese sin dal XVII secolo.
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1790
274 people are currently reading
7682 people want to read
About the author
Ann Radcliffe
588 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 - 30 of 540 reviews
August 12, 2020
And they say this is one of her worst books?! Ann Radcliffe was the J.K. Rowling of the late 1700s. She churned out bestsellers so popular they made her the highest paid author for an entire decade. Her atmospheric gothic mystery/romances entranced the reading public similar to how Rowling immersed us in rich worlds of wizards and magic. Critics and fans alike could not get enough of Radcliffe. And yet today she is rarely read outside of a small slice of literary academia and hardcore gothic buffs. If it weren’t for Jane Austen’s incessant references to her in Northanger Abbey she might have been forgotten completely. What a shame! A Sicilian Romance—allegedly her least impressive effort—is a marvelous adventure from beginning to end.
Like classic fairytales, the story is a bit of a morality play where the characters are pure good or pure evil. Specifically, there’s a rather nasty ruler who rampages after his daughter challenges his choice of husband for her. As the daughter flees for her life, we follow along for endless rides through gorgeous countryside, confrontations with bandits, and ghostly moaning within the recesses of haunted castles.
Sounds are a particular strength to Radcliffe’s writing. She uses noise to create mystery or confusion, and to induce terror in her characters. It’s a clever strategy, since sound is a classic source for misinterpretation and fodder for the imagination.
Acclaimed as the “Shakespeare of romance writers” there’s a long history of praise for her prose in general, which is well-deserved. She’s not an especially verbose writer—her language isn’t meant to draw attention to itself—but her vocabulary often exceeds brilliant. It’s easy, succinct reading, but not a text to breeze through because she can pack a full scope of emotion and plot development into a short sentence. Blink and you might miss a huge twist, major reveal, character motivation, or lovely turn of phrase at least.
The pace is brisk. Arguably too brisk. The number of unexpected surprises and chance encounters crammed into a mere 200 pages is staggering. I am certainly interested to read her much longer works to see if she slows down any, or if the number of shocks is just exponentialized.
My hypothesis for why modern readers have largely lost interest in her bibliography is probably due to her “tell” rather than “show” style. The imagery is vivid, but the style doesn’t invite the reader into the experience. There’s no effort to expand on how exactly a character is feeling when she says they are stupefied by sheer terror. The scenes are described using summary rather than a lived-through narration. Dialogue is a scarce rarity, but always pitch perfect when it occurs.
Basically, she writes the opposite of where literary trends are today. I don’t consider that a bad thing, however. By avoiding lengthy internalized dramatization, she allows space for a much longer list of surprising plot elements. Had all the scenes in this book been given Stephen King-like levels of description, it would be 10,000+ pages.
In any case, the pleasure of reading a classic is to depart from modern times and immerse yourself in a bygone era, a different style of writing, and new realization about what are timeless conflicts. Familiar themes of jealousy, pride, obsession, fear, corruption, family and many others make up a compelling page-turner which managed to keep me on the edge of my seat just as it did for audiences who read it 230 years ago.
Like classic fairytales, the story is a bit of a morality play where the characters are pure good or pure evil. Specifically, there’s a rather nasty ruler who rampages after his daughter challenges his choice of husband for her. As the daughter flees for her life, we follow along for endless rides through gorgeous countryside, confrontations with bandits, and ghostly moaning within the recesses of haunted castles.
Sounds are a particular strength to Radcliffe’s writing. She uses noise to create mystery or confusion, and to induce terror in her characters. It’s a clever strategy, since sound is a classic source for misinterpretation and fodder for the imagination.
Acclaimed as the “Shakespeare of romance writers” there’s a long history of praise for her prose in general, which is well-deserved. She’s not an especially verbose writer—her language isn’t meant to draw attention to itself—but her vocabulary often exceeds brilliant. It’s easy, succinct reading, but not a text to breeze through because she can pack a full scope of emotion and plot development into a short sentence. Blink and you might miss a huge twist, major reveal, character motivation, or lovely turn of phrase at least.
The pace is brisk. Arguably too brisk. The number of unexpected surprises and chance encounters crammed into a mere 200 pages is staggering. I am certainly interested to read her much longer works to see if she slows down any, or if the number of shocks is just exponentialized.
My hypothesis for why modern readers have largely lost interest in her bibliography is probably due to her “tell” rather than “show” style. The imagery is vivid, but the style doesn’t invite the reader into the experience. There’s no effort to expand on how exactly a character is feeling when she says they are stupefied by sheer terror. The scenes are described using summary rather than a lived-through narration. Dialogue is a scarce rarity, but always pitch perfect when it occurs.
Basically, she writes the opposite of where literary trends are today. I don’t consider that a bad thing, however. By avoiding lengthy internalized dramatization, she allows space for a much longer list of surprising plot elements. Had all the scenes in this book been given Stephen King-like levels of description, it would be 10,000+ pages.
In any case, the pleasure of reading a classic is to depart from modern times and immerse yourself in a bygone era, a different style of writing, and new realization about what are timeless conflicts. Familiar themes of jealousy, pride, obsession, fear, corruption, family and many others make up a compelling page-turner which managed to keep me on the edge of my seat just as it did for audiences who read it 230 years ago.
April 8, 2021
Aslında çoğu yerde göz devirilecek sahneler vardı ama sıkılmadığım için 4 vermeyi uygun buldum. Başından sonuna kadar bir koşuşturmaca içinde geçiyor ve olayların bağlanışı çok ütopik gelse de belki de biraz bu yüzden bir hayli hoşuma gitti.
March 12, 2012
Ann Radcliffe (1764-1823) was considered the pioneer of gothic literature. The Castle of Otranto (1764) by Horace Walpole came first but Radcliffe legitimized the genre by her brilliant use of the supernatural elements and thorough handling of the inexplicable phenomena that, critics said, made readers accept and love gothic works. This work, A Sicilian Romance was parodied by Jane Austen in her Northanger Abby. Radcliffe influenced not only Austen’s works but also those of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca and Willie Collins’ The Woman in White. Since I will be reading those soon, I thought I should read this book first. And oh, obviously, this book also influenced one of my top 10 favorite novels, Wuthering Heights by Emilie Bronte.
Now you are getting the idea of what this book is all about. It’s "romance," among others, in the dark. The dark here has implied ghosts and spirits. The setting is an old castle, the house of Manzinni, whose stoned walls have many, many secrets. This is similar to the castle of Otranto in Walpole’s novel that came out the year Radcliffe was born. The writing is poetic, luminous and descriptive. Radcliffe took her time in explaining the landscapes and the feelings of her characters. In the forefront were the sisters, Emilia and Julia. They are similar to Jane Austen’s Elinor (reserved, quiet, prudent) and Marianne (outgoing, alive, frank) in her 1811 book, Sense and Sensibility. However, the comparison ends there. Just like A. S. Byatt’s Possession: A Romance, that word is also misleading readers here. This book is far from romance in the current definition of it. It is full of intrigue, suspense, tyranny, and drama. The main villain of the novel is Ferdinand, the fifth marquis of Mazzini, who is so ruthless for a husband that, for him to get another wife, has to imprison his first wife, Louisa in the southern wing of the castle and declare her dead. Louisa is not Emilia and Julia’s mother, as they are among the children of the marquis and his second wife, Maria. What happens next is too much of a spoiler but I can tell you that there are many interesting characters – heroes and villains – that you will truly empathize with or hate to the core of your bones.
The use of the frame story is very effective. The story is told by a tourist who becomes intrigued by the tales of a monk he meets in the ruins of the doomed castle. You’ll have the feeling of walking inside a European old castle and you wonder what’s the history behind the place and then suddenly an old monk appears and tells you what happened in that place, many, many years ago.
There is not too many information about Ann Radcliffe in the internet. Critics noted that she was aloof and elusive at the height of her fame. This reminded me of J. D. Salinger and Thomas Pynchon. What is it with these good writers that they hide when they are already famous? We also have Bob Ong here in the Philippines whose works are selling like hotcakes but he is neither granting interviews and public appearances nor, more importantly, making his true identity known. Oh, maybe that’s one of the perks of being brilliant. Or they are busy writing their next masterpieces. They don’t want other writers to know about them as they are afraid of being copied. But for sure, they would be happy and proud to having influenced next generations of writers much like in the case of Ann Radcliffe and the likes of Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, Emilie Bronte, A. S. Byatt, etc.
Now you are getting the idea of what this book is all about. It’s "romance," among others, in the dark. The dark here has implied ghosts and spirits. The setting is an old castle, the house of Manzinni, whose stoned walls have many, many secrets. This is similar to the castle of Otranto in Walpole’s novel that came out the year Radcliffe was born. The writing is poetic, luminous and descriptive. Radcliffe took her time in explaining the landscapes and the feelings of her characters. In the forefront were the sisters, Emilia and Julia. They are similar to Jane Austen’s Elinor (reserved, quiet, prudent) and Marianne (outgoing, alive, frank) in her 1811 book, Sense and Sensibility. However, the comparison ends there. Just like A. S. Byatt’s Possession: A Romance, that word is also misleading readers here. This book is far from romance in the current definition of it. It is full of intrigue, suspense, tyranny, and drama. The main villain of the novel is Ferdinand, the fifth marquis of Mazzini, who is so ruthless for a husband that, for him to get another wife, has to imprison his first wife, Louisa in the southern wing of the castle and declare her dead. Louisa is not Emilia and Julia’s mother, as they are among the children of the marquis and his second wife, Maria. What happens next is too much of a spoiler but I can tell you that there are many interesting characters – heroes and villains – that you will truly empathize with or hate to the core of your bones.
The use of the frame story is very effective. The story is told by a tourist who becomes intrigued by the tales of a monk he meets in the ruins of the doomed castle. You’ll have the feeling of walking inside a European old castle and you wonder what’s the history behind the place and then suddenly an old monk appears and tells you what happened in that place, many, many years ago.
There is not too many information about Ann Radcliffe in the internet. Critics noted that she was aloof and elusive at the height of her fame. This reminded me of J. D. Salinger and Thomas Pynchon. What is it with these good writers that they hide when they are already famous? We also have Bob Ong here in the Philippines whose works are selling like hotcakes but he is neither granting interviews and public appearances nor, more importantly, making his true identity known. Oh, maybe that’s one of the perks of being brilliant. Or they are busy writing their next masterpieces. They don’t want other writers to know about them as they are afraid of being copied. But for sure, they would be happy and proud to having influenced next generations of writers much like in the case of Ann Radcliffe and the likes of Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, Emilie Bronte, A. S. Byatt, etc.
January 21, 2024
2023/16
A Sicilian Romance is what a great gothic novel should be: a simple, yet powerful story, with a mysterious, ominous atmosphere throughout the whole book, strong characters who usually have to get away from some places, a mystery that will be solved by the end of the novel, a love story, castles as well as ghosts, a forest, a dungeon, suspicious events that might lead the reader to wrong conclusions, and of course, lots and lots of descriptions (actually, there is almost no dialogue in this story). If you are into everything I just mentioned before, then you will love this book; otherwise, it might become a disappointing, overwhelming experience.
Ann Radcliffe definitely pulled it off here, she wrote a typical gothic novel with all its elements in only 200 or so pages, a novel that will live up to your expectations unless you don't like this genre at all. Besides, the prose was rather simple, straightforward, yet it is complex since the more you read, the better the storyline gets. For instance, there is one part when Julia's life—who is our protagonist—is possibly in danger as someone is chasing after her; at this point, the book becomes unputdownable, and the author manages to make the story even more compelling by adding other gothic elements to the story. It is not as if there were too many gothic tropes to the point where the story turns into a ridiculous and ordinary journey, so to speak, but rather a thrilling, fascinating one.
Finally, I would like to recommend you listen to the audiobook version of this marvelous book that you can find on LibriVox. I must say it is not perfect, there are sometimes noises in the background while the narrator is reading—as a cat person myself, I did love hearing her cats constantly meowing in the middle of the audiobook—and yet it is mostly clear and enjoyable. In a nutshell, A Sicilian Romance is a novel for those who love reading classic literature (especially novels from the eighteenth century/the beginning of the nineteenth century), gothic tales, and also who want to discover Radcliffe's works for the very first time. Trust me, you can't go wrong with this one.
My rating on a scale of 1 to 5:
Quality of writing [4.5/5]
Pace [4.5/5]
Plot development [5/5]
Characters [5/5]
Enjoyability [5/5]
Insightfulness [4/5]
Easy of reading [4.5/5]
Photos/Illustrations [N/A]
Total [32.5/7] = 4.64
A Sicilian Romance is what a great gothic novel should be: a simple, yet powerful story, with a mysterious, ominous atmosphere throughout the whole book, strong characters who usually have to get away from some places, a mystery that will be solved by the end of the novel, a love story, castles as well as ghosts, a forest, a dungeon, suspicious events that might lead the reader to wrong conclusions, and of course, lots and lots of descriptions (actually, there is almost no dialogue in this story). If you are into everything I just mentioned before, then you will love this book; otherwise, it might become a disappointing, overwhelming experience.
Ann Radcliffe definitely pulled it off here, she wrote a typical gothic novel with all its elements in only 200 or so pages, a novel that will live up to your expectations unless you don't like this genre at all. Besides, the prose was rather simple, straightforward, yet it is complex since the more you read, the better the storyline gets. For instance, there is one part when Julia's life—who is our protagonist—is possibly in danger as someone is chasing after her; at this point, the book becomes unputdownable, and the author manages to make the story even more compelling by adding other gothic elements to the story. It is not as if there were too many gothic tropes to the point where the story turns into a ridiculous and ordinary journey, so to speak, but rather a thrilling, fascinating one.
Finally, I would like to recommend you listen to the audiobook version of this marvelous book that you can find on LibriVox. I must say it is not perfect, there are sometimes noises in the background while the narrator is reading—as a cat person myself, I did love hearing her cats constantly meowing in the middle of the audiobook—and yet it is mostly clear and enjoyable. In a nutshell, A Sicilian Romance is a novel for those who love reading classic literature (especially novels from the eighteenth century/the beginning of the nineteenth century), gothic tales, and also who want to discover Radcliffe's works for the very first time. Trust me, you can't go wrong with this one.
My rating on a scale of 1 to 5:
Quality of writing [4.5/5]
Pace [4.5/5]
Plot development [5/5]
Characters [5/5]
Enjoyability [5/5]
Insightfulness [4/5]
Easy of reading [4.5/5]
Photos/Illustrations [N/A]
Total [32.5/7] = 4.64
July 10, 2014
The Classics Club Spin spun me A Sicilian Romance,and I’m very pleased that it did.
I’ve always hoped that I would fall in love with Ann Radcliffe’s novels, with the coming together of the gothic and the romantic, but I was scared to take the first step and so I needed that spin.
It was love, of course it was.
The opening chapter was wonderfully readable and it set the stage for what was to come. A traveller was struck by a sight on the north coast of Sicily: a ruined castle that had clearly once been grand. He met a monk, he asked him what he knew of the history, and he was guided to a manuscript that told the story of why the Castle Mazzini had been abandoned.
Late in the sixteenth century, Julia and Emilia, the daughters of the first marriage of fifth marquis of Mazzini lived there. They lived with their governess – a poor relation of their mother – and a manservant. Because their father had left, to live in another of his homes, much nearer society, to please his second wife.
They were isolated but they were happy. Until one night they saw a light in a part of the castle that was unoccupied. Until they began to hear noises that they couldn’t explain …..
And then the Marquis came home. His son, Ferdinand, was happy to be reunited with his sisters, and they with them. His wife was not pleased but he placated her by throwing parties, inviting guests.
Why had he come back?
Julia fell in love, with a dear friend of her brother. That did not endear her to her step-mother, who wanted him in her retinue, as a young lover. And her father was planning another marriage for her, a marriage that would be advantageous to him but that would be anathema to her.
Julia rebelled, but that made her – and her supporters – very, very vulnerable.
That was just the beginning of a story that had everything you might hope to find in a gothic romance: family secrets, locked doors, narrow escapes, banditti, isolated monasteries, betrayal, underground tunnels, confused identities, wild weather ….
The characters were simply drawn. Two heroines, one spirited, one quiet, and both inclined to faint. A governess, with a tragic story of her own, who would do everything she could for them. Two heroes, one a brother and one a lover. A tyrannical father. A wicked step-mother. It was predictable, but it worked.
I had an idea where the story was going very early on, and I was right, but I loved the journey though the story, living though it with the characters, hearing the stories that were told along the way.
The descriptive writing was lovely, and it pulled me right into the story. The authors style was lovely too. Her prose didn’t feel dated at all, it felt like classical English by somebody who knew how English should be written and spoken.
I think the logic worked. There were extraordinary coincidence, and of course the story was ridiculous, was predictable, went round in circles – but living through it with the characters, through all of the highs and lows, was wonderful.
I’m glad I came to this book having read some of the great 20th century writers of romantic suspense – Daphne Du Maurier, Mary Stewart, Victoria Holt – because I can imagine that they loved and were influenced by Ann Radcliffe’s writing.
One aspect of the plot even made me think of D E Stevenson.
It’s a particular kind of writing for a particular reading mood, and I could very easily read more of Ann Radcliffe’s writing when that mood strikes again.
I’ve always hoped that I would fall in love with Ann Radcliffe’s novels, with the coming together of the gothic and the romantic, but I was scared to take the first step and so I needed that spin.
It was love, of course it was.
The opening chapter was wonderfully readable and it set the stage for what was to come. A traveller was struck by a sight on the north coast of Sicily: a ruined castle that had clearly once been grand. He met a monk, he asked him what he knew of the history, and he was guided to a manuscript that told the story of why the Castle Mazzini had been abandoned.
Late in the sixteenth century, Julia and Emilia, the daughters of the first marriage of fifth marquis of Mazzini lived there. They lived with their governess – a poor relation of their mother – and a manservant. Because their father had left, to live in another of his homes, much nearer society, to please his second wife.
They were isolated but they were happy. Until one night they saw a light in a part of the castle that was unoccupied. Until they began to hear noises that they couldn’t explain …..
And then the Marquis came home. His son, Ferdinand, was happy to be reunited with his sisters, and they with them. His wife was not pleased but he placated her by throwing parties, inviting guests.
Why had he come back?
Julia fell in love, with a dear friend of her brother. That did not endear her to her step-mother, who wanted him in her retinue, as a young lover. And her father was planning another marriage for her, a marriage that would be advantageous to him but that would be anathema to her.
Julia rebelled, but that made her – and her supporters – very, very vulnerable.
That was just the beginning of a story that had everything you might hope to find in a gothic romance: family secrets, locked doors, narrow escapes, banditti, isolated monasteries, betrayal, underground tunnels, confused identities, wild weather ….
The characters were simply drawn. Two heroines, one spirited, one quiet, and both inclined to faint. A governess, with a tragic story of her own, who would do everything she could for them. Two heroes, one a brother and one a lover. A tyrannical father. A wicked step-mother. It was predictable, but it worked.
I had an idea where the story was going very early on, and I was right, but I loved the journey though the story, living though it with the characters, hearing the stories that were told along the way.
The descriptive writing was lovely, and it pulled me right into the story. The authors style was lovely too. Her prose didn’t feel dated at all, it felt like classical English by somebody who knew how English should be written and spoken.
I think the logic worked. There were extraordinary coincidence, and of course the story was ridiculous, was predictable, went round in circles – but living through it with the characters, through all of the highs and lows, was wonderful.
I’m glad I came to this book having read some of the great 20th century writers of romantic suspense – Daphne Du Maurier, Mary Stewart, Victoria Holt – because I can imagine that they loved and were influenced by Ann Radcliffe’s writing.
One aspect of the plot even made me think of D E Stevenson.
It’s a particular kind of writing for a particular reading mood, and I could very easily read more of Ann Radcliffe’s writing when that mood strikes again.
June 29, 2020
A Sicilian Romance is Ann Radcliffe’s second novel. A Gothic Romance Novel with a Castle, crumbling stairs, locked doors and family secrets. We are in a Castle owned by the girl’s father Marquis Mazzini, he is simply barbaric, the castle has many caverns and passages and filled with strange noises, lights in a section that is abandoned and death by the abundance.
The two main characters are sisters Emilia the one that follows the rules, so much so she thinks she deserves pity and has no real self. Julia who allows her passion to take over wanting to marry, but not her father’s choice. Maria the Stepmother has cunningness and intuition that can grasp your attention while reading. Unlike many of the female characters Maria is not a victim, she does seem to lack sensibility except for…
The story line is very predictable full of Coincidences and Escapades, at times lots of melodrama and seems like a Soap Opera. The Drama is to the point of disbelief as nobody in their right mind would find themselves in these dilemmas. I found that there is no real character development as in most Classics we adore. So, in the end it is just a fun read.
The two main characters are sisters Emilia the one that follows the rules, so much so she thinks she deserves pity and has no real self. Julia who allows her passion to take over wanting to marry, but not her father’s choice. Maria the Stepmother has cunningness and intuition that can grasp your attention while reading. Unlike many of the female characters Maria is not a victim, she does seem to lack sensibility except for…
The story line is very predictable full of Coincidences and Escapades, at times lots of melodrama and seems like a Soap Opera. The Drama is to the point of disbelief as nobody in their right mind would find themselves in these dilemmas. I found that there is no real character development as in most Classics we adore. So, in the end it is just a fun read.
June 25, 2024
More like 2.5 stars, but it did get better as it went...
This is the first (published) novel of one of the initiators of an entire genre, though, and it it is almost as if she is learning how to be a writer as she proceeds.
The focus on the (imagined/second-hand: Radcliffe knew the land in which her novel is set only through books, but so what?) nobility-patriarchy nexus of 17C Sicily was fascinating, as was her interest in Burke's Sublime (whom she had read), though it's painful to see her try to "inject" it into the story, and then via merely invoking it with universal abstract nouns, vs. Mrs. Inchbald's much more adroit particularization.
Having read Lampedusa's The Leopard (set some 70 years after Radcliffe's nacent career, at the twilight of Sicily's ancien regime) recently, and having just finished Burke's defense of inherited property rights in his Reflections on the Revolution in France (as well as partly due to my guesstimation that Yanis Varoufakis is right, and that we are now in or rapidly heading toward a neo-feudalist political reality), the following feels somewhat strangely poignant to me, though no lover of hierarchy
This is the first (published) novel of one of the initiators of an entire genre, though, and it it is almost as if she is learning how to be a writer as she proceeds.
The focus on the (imagined/second-hand: Radcliffe knew the land in which her novel is set only through books, but so what?) nobility-patriarchy nexus of 17C Sicily was fascinating, as was her interest in Burke's Sublime (whom she had read), though it's painful to see her try to "inject" it into the story, and then via merely invoking it with universal abstract nouns, vs. Mrs. Inchbald's much more adroit particularization.
Having read Lampedusa's The Leopard (set some 70 years after Radcliffe's nacent career, at the twilight of Sicily's ancien regime) recently, and having just finished Burke's defense of inherited property rights in his Reflections on the Revolution in France (as well as partly due to my guesstimation that Yanis Varoufakis is right, and that we are now in or rapidly heading toward a neo-feudalist political reality), the following feels somewhat strangely poignant to me, though no lover of hierarchy
The Marquis, you know, has not only power to imprison, but also the right of life and death in his own domains [...] He knew his power would then place him beyond the reach of censure, in a country where the people are accustomed to implicit subordination, and seldom dare to scrutinize the actions of the nobility.
October 6, 2017
I am sure that the eagle-eyed amongst you are noticing a theme here, but I have wanted to read Radcliffe’s work for such a long time, and thought that placing A Sicilian Romance onto my Classics Club list would be a nudge in the right direction. First published in 1790, the novel is firmly implanted within the Gothic tradition and veers toward the melodramatic almost from its beginning.
As is often the case with my Classics Club reviews, the following blurb of the Oxford World Classics edition illustrates the story perfectly, without giving too much away: ‘This early novel explores the cavernous landscapes and labyrinthine passages of Sicily’s castles and covents to reveal the shameful secrets of its all-powerful aristocracy. Julia and Emilia Mazzini live secluded in an ancient mansion near the Straits of Messina. After their father’s return to the island a neglected part of the house is haunted by a series of mysterious sights and sounds. The origin of these hauntings is only discovered after a series of breathless pursuits through dreamlike pastoral landscapes. When revelation finally comes, it forces the heroines to challenge the united forces of religious and patriarchal authority.’
A Sicilian Romance is most engaging from the first. I found myself immediately spellbound, drawn as I was into the Sicilian setting. Radcliffe moves the plot along beautifully, and the whole has been so tenderly written. Much emphasis has been placed upon the senses and the general feel of the whole. Radcliffe’s descriptions are often sumptuous, and the way in which she weaves in the imagined history of the castle and the Mazzinis who inhabit it is a definite strength, adding another layer to the whole. It certainly has shades of Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto about it.
As one might expect from a Gothic novel, particularly one at the relative beginning of the canon, A Sicilian Romance is rather dramatic, even to Shakespearean heights in places; characters are taken prisoner and confined to dungeons, ‘cruel fate’ awaits, there are elopements, and strange goings on prevail. The story is rather predictable in places, particularly as it nears its climax, and it certainly relies heavily upon melodramatic incidents. A lot of opposites manifest themselves within the plot, from bravery and cowardice to the disparities between rich and poor, and from a social perspective, I found this fascinating.
A Sicilian Romance is rich and well-paced. The third person perspective and use of the past tense which Radcliffe has made use of both work well; it is so over the top in places that the two together do not really act as distancing devices. Whilst I was not too enamoured with the convenient ending of this moral novel, I am most looking forward to reading more of her work in future. Ann Radcliffe’s work is a wonderful choice for existing fans of Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters; her writing is just as rich and descriptive, and I feel that she should certainly be more widely read.
As is often the case with my Classics Club reviews, the following blurb of the Oxford World Classics edition illustrates the story perfectly, without giving too much away: ‘This early novel explores the cavernous landscapes and labyrinthine passages of Sicily’s castles and covents to reveal the shameful secrets of its all-powerful aristocracy. Julia and Emilia Mazzini live secluded in an ancient mansion near the Straits of Messina. After their father’s return to the island a neglected part of the house is haunted by a series of mysterious sights and sounds. The origin of these hauntings is only discovered after a series of breathless pursuits through dreamlike pastoral landscapes. When revelation finally comes, it forces the heroines to challenge the united forces of religious and patriarchal authority.’
A Sicilian Romance is most engaging from the first. I found myself immediately spellbound, drawn as I was into the Sicilian setting. Radcliffe moves the plot along beautifully, and the whole has been so tenderly written. Much emphasis has been placed upon the senses and the general feel of the whole. Radcliffe’s descriptions are often sumptuous, and the way in which she weaves in the imagined history of the castle and the Mazzinis who inhabit it is a definite strength, adding another layer to the whole. It certainly has shades of Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto about it.
As one might expect from a Gothic novel, particularly one at the relative beginning of the canon, A Sicilian Romance is rather dramatic, even to Shakespearean heights in places; characters are taken prisoner and confined to dungeons, ‘cruel fate’ awaits, there are elopements, and strange goings on prevail. The story is rather predictable in places, particularly as it nears its climax, and it certainly relies heavily upon melodramatic incidents. A lot of opposites manifest themselves within the plot, from bravery and cowardice to the disparities between rich and poor, and from a social perspective, I found this fascinating.
A Sicilian Romance is rich and well-paced. The third person perspective and use of the past tense which Radcliffe has made use of both work well; it is so over the top in places that the two together do not really act as distancing devices. Whilst I was not too enamoured with the convenient ending of this moral novel, I am most looking forward to reading more of her work in future. Ann Radcliffe’s work is a wonderful choice for existing fans of Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters; her writing is just as rich and descriptive, and I feel that she should certainly be more widely read.
November 2, 2015
Not much to say. Except in the Librivox recording I listened to, a cat could be heard in the background of some of the chapters. :)
February 8, 2021
I’m finished! I read this for my British Lit class in the spring semester of 2021.
I enjoyed the gothic atmosphere and the haunting beauty and intensity. I also enjoyed the storyline. The flamboyant style of writing is not to my usual taste, but I found it somewhat charming. However, there were times when the story felt cheap because of the overwrought shock factor.
I enjoyed the gothic atmosphere and the haunting beauty and intensity. I also enjoyed the storyline. The flamboyant style of writing is not to my usual taste, but I found it somewhat charming. However, there were times when the story felt cheap because of the overwrought shock factor.
March 19, 2011
There is a massive difference between reading something for fun and reading something for class. This is the second book I have read for my Gothic Literature course and I am having trouble finding the words to describe this book without it sounding like an essay.
I really enjoyed reading this book purely for the fact that it kept me entertained. Gothic Literature back in its day was seen as a popular yet low-cultured novel and after reading this book I kind of know why that was. A Sicilian Romance is a plot-driven tragedy with twists and turns throughout the whole book. You don't need to think about what's going on (unless you are reading it for a Literature course), you just follow the adventure and see where it takes you. It's the kind of book you read just because you feel like indulging a little bit. This makes it sound vapid and shallow but I found it a really interesting novel.
The villainous Marquis of Mazzini returns to his original Castle after a long absence when he one of his servants, Vincent, passes way. His daughters, Julia and her sister Emillia, live there under the guidance and love of their carer Madame de Menon as their mother has died. He brings with him his second wife the Marchioness and his son, Ferdinand, who becomes quite close to his sisters (especially Julia.) From there, we follow Julia, the more interesting sister, and watch as her quiet and happy life gets turned upside down.
I recommend this book to anyone who is happy to get caught up in an adventure-filled story no matter how crazy the plot gets.
I really enjoyed reading this book purely for the fact that it kept me entertained. Gothic Literature back in its day was seen as a popular yet low-cultured novel and after reading this book I kind of know why that was. A Sicilian Romance is a plot-driven tragedy with twists and turns throughout the whole book. You don't need to think about what's going on (unless you are reading it for a Literature course), you just follow the adventure and see where it takes you. It's the kind of book you read just because you feel like indulging a little bit. This makes it sound vapid and shallow but I found it a really interesting novel.
The villainous Marquis of Mazzini returns to his original Castle after a long absence when he one of his servants, Vincent, passes way. His daughters, Julia and her sister Emillia, live there under the guidance and love of their carer Madame de Menon as their mother has died. He brings with him his second wife the Marchioness and his son, Ferdinand, who becomes quite close to his sisters (especially Julia.) From there, we follow Julia, the more interesting sister, and watch as her quiet and happy life gets turned upside down.
I recommend this book to anyone who is happy to get caught up in an adventure-filled story no matter how crazy the plot gets.
September 10, 2021
the level of plot in this novel is truly insane. behind every locked door and inside every cavern, it is revealed: MORE PLOT. the ravages of these plot twists have changed me in less than a week from a maiden to a crone. stunned by the amount of explanatory and baffling and exceedingly unlikely plot in this book, i swooned and fainted, fell down a very old Gothic staircase, and lay at the bottom, dreaming of a world with no events in it
December 23, 2024
I know I probably shouldn't judge a book that was written in 1790 too harshly, but holy crap this was terrible. The number of times the women in the book 'fainted with fright' or 'swooned with fear' was absolutely ridiculous – to the point where it actually became funny.
June 25, 2019
SICILIAN ROMANCE is a tiny Gothic jewel. But I'm an Ann Radcliffe fangirl, so that's just my opinion. ;)
She's not for everyone. I'm well aware of this--yet I still remember That Moment when her flamboyant, overblown prose clicked in my brain. I'd just begun exporing Old Skool "trash" literature, & Radcliffe's MYSTERIES OF UDOLPHO was one of 4** that I picked up at the university bookstore.
Truthfully, I nearly DNF'd.
But after loving the other 3, I decided to give it another chance. At first my brain flailed beneath the onslaught of commas & semicolons, lengthy (often ludicrous) dialogue, & the random insertions of poetry that her long-suffering, oft-fainting protagonists are prone to spout when confronted with nature. It was like learning a foreign language. One page I was slogging along, battling the weird commas & half-afraid I'd overstepped my puny powers of comprehension--but the next, I was hooked. A door opened, a Versailles-like garden was revealed, & my mental self was frolicking in the gloriously unrepentant Capital-G Gothic that Radcliffe is known for. I was completely enthralled.
...I also learned from the scholarly intro & footnotes. My TBR grew exponentially, thanks to other titles & authors referenced therein. I became familiar with the concept of The Sublime. I mulled over the fascination with Catholic rites. I began to identify the duality of terror vs horror. I considered the symbolism & indirect allusions that must be used to explore Old Skool taboo topics like feminine subjugation, literal & metaphorical rape, violent abuse of power, & female utopias.
And, most importantly, I had fun doing it. (Why is Gothic so rarely taught outside college speciality courses? WHY?! Stupid canon. -__-)
Anyway. Perhaps YOU, gentle reader, are interested in The Gothic, but the prospect of whole-page paragraphs & extraneous commas is alarming. (UDOLPHO itself is an intimidating 600+ pages. So yes, I jumped off the deep end.) In that case, please try A SICILIAN ROMANCE. Though only Radcliffe's second novel, it's a fine sampling of tropes, language, themes, & visuals--understandable, since she practically invented the genre***--with everything packed into 200 tidy pages. Enjoy the politely-worded threats of rape, fainting virgins, noble suitors, horrid parents, slutty OW, clueless servants, moldering castles, romantic scenery, murderous banditti, vaulting caverns, & symbolic battles of masculine vs feminine. There's even some poetry tossed in for good measure. So there. ;)
AR isn't perfect--sometimes her pacing is wonky, plot threads get forgotten, or the story jolts with weird anachronisms--but she's still one of my favorite authors. She knew how to write; her words flow across the page, leapfrogging from beautiful scenery to overwrought gloomth to lolzy, sprawling plots. Bless you, Mother Radcliffe.
**DRACULA, UNCLE SILAS, & THE WOMAN IN WHITE were the others, & all 4 remain amongst my most beloved reads to this day. If only every bookstore binge was so successful. >__>
***Technically, that honor belongs to Horace Walpole. But AR took his ideas & ran with them, putting a feminine spin on the terror & expanding characters beyond cardboard standups.
She's not for everyone. I'm well aware of this--yet I still remember That Moment when her flamboyant, overblown prose clicked in my brain. I'd just begun exporing Old Skool "trash" literature, & Radcliffe's MYSTERIES OF UDOLPHO was one of 4** that I picked up at the university bookstore.
Truthfully, I nearly DNF'd.
But after loving the other 3, I decided to give it another chance. At first my brain flailed beneath the onslaught of commas & semicolons, lengthy (often ludicrous) dialogue, & the random insertions of poetry that her long-suffering, oft-fainting protagonists are prone to spout when confronted with nature. It was like learning a foreign language. One page I was slogging along, battling the weird commas & half-afraid I'd overstepped my puny powers of comprehension--but the next, I was hooked. A door opened, a Versailles-like garden was revealed, & my mental self was frolicking in the gloriously unrepentant Capital-G Gothic that Radcliffe is known for. I was completely enthralled.
...I also learned from the scholarly intro & footnotes. My TBR grew exponentially, thanks to other titles & authors referenced therein. I became familiar with the concept of The Sublime. I mulled over the fascination with Catholic rites. I began to identify the duality of terror vs horror. I considered the symbolism & indirect allusions that must be used to explore Old Skool taboo topics like feminine subjugation, literal & metaphorical rape, violent abuse of power, & female utopias.
And, most importantly, I had fun doing it. (Why is Gothic so rarely taught outside college speciality courses? WHY?! Stupid canon. -__-)
Anyway. Perhaps YOU, gentle reader, are interested in The Gothic, but the prospect of whole-page paragraphs & extraneous commas is alarming. (UDOLPHO itself is an intimidating 600+ pages. So yes, I jumped off the deep end.) In that case, please try A SICILIAN ROMANCE. Though only Radcliffe's second novel, it's a fine sampling of tropes, language, themes, & visuals--understandable, since she practically invented the genre***--with everything packed into 200 tidy pages. Enjoy the politely-worded threats of rape, fainting virgins, noble suitors, horrid parents, slutty OW, clueless servants, moldering castles, romantic scenery, murderous banditti, vaulting caverns, & symbolic battles of masculine vs feminine. There's even some poetry tossed in for good measure. So there. ;)
AR isn't perfect--sometimes her pacing is wonky, plot threads get forgotten, or the story jolts with weird anachronisms--but she's still one of my favorite authors. She knew how to write; her words flow across the page, leapfrogging from beautiful scenery to overwrought gloomth to lolzy, sprawling plots. Bless you, Mother Radcliffe.
**DRACULA, UNCLE SILAS, & THE WOMAN IN WHITE were the others, & all 4 remain amongst my most beloved reads to this day. If only every bookstore binge was so successful. >__>
***Technically, that honor belongs to Horace Walpole. But AR took his ideas & ran with them, putting a feminine spin on the terror & expanding characters beyond cardboard standups.
February 6, 2017
Ufff, I have done it. I have finished it. I wasn't sure of this to the end. I am sure that I will not read more of Ann Radcliffe.
I can imagine that she was famous and loved in her times. Her novels were something new then. And I can simply believe that she was extremely popular.
Nonetheless, two centuries later, a narration, the way she wrote a story is too much boring for me. I had to skip many descriptions, otherwise I would not finished this book at all.
The plot, the adventure, the mystery is interesting. I can imagine that if it had been written in a different way I would have been more engaged.
Still, I don't regret that I have read. Now I know what it is an original Gothic novel.
I can imagine that she was famous and loved in her times. Her novels were something new then. And I can simply believe that she was extremely popular.
Nonetheless, two centuries later, a narration, the way she wrote a story is too much boring for me. I had to skip many descriptions, otherwise I would not finished this book at all.
The plot, the adventure, the mystery is interesting. I can imagine that if it had been written in a different way I would have been more engaged.
Still, I don't regret that I have read. Now I know what it is an original Gothic novel.
Read
December 7, 2011Only part way through this one. Oh, how I love gothic romance.
P.S. Wondering what exactly the most common cover picture has to do with the plot. I looked it up and it turns out it's a picture of Julia after she was banished to the island (you know, after Augustus found out she was sleeping around with just about every other man in Rome, and went all, "Family values, my dear!" on her, even though he was part of one of the most dysfunctional, sex-crazy families in history. The moment was immortalized two thousand years later by Brian Blessed ("IS THERE ANYONE IN ROME WHO HAS NOT SLEPT WITH MY DAUGHTER?!?" etc.), by the way.) ANYWAY, I suppose it's a 'romantic' picture and all, but so far there are no grottoes and no roman ships. There is a character called Julia, but her primary concern in the novel is avoiding "sullying the purity of that reputation, which was dearer to her than existence" so if she were going to be banished for anything I'm inclined to doubt it would be for sleeping around. Maybe some well-meaning publisher at Oxford University Press just punched in some keywords from the novel, like "Julia" and "Italy" and "Romance" and got this. Or maybe it will all be explained later in the novel. And the best way to find out would probably be to stop this inane ramble and go read it.
So. Bye.
UPDATE: Done! Much more satisfying ending than Udolpho, and much, much easier a slog. Recommend you start with this one if new to Radcliffe.
The grotto thing still makes no sense. Well, I guess, a little; there are caves, but they aren't full of water. And that other cover, with the two naked people making out hardly makes more sense. There is no nakedness in Radcliffe. There is no making out in Radcliffe. There is barely even holding of hands. I know, I really need to stop letting these covers bug me.
P.S. Wondering what exactly the most common cover picture has to do with the plot. I looked it up and it turns out it's a picture of Julia after she was banished to the island (you know, after Augustus found out she was sleeping around with just about every other man in Rome, and went all, "Family values, my dear!" on her, even though he was part of one of the most dysfunctional, sex-crazy families in history. The moment was immortalized two thousand years later by Brian Blessed ("IS THERE ANYONE IN ROME WHO HAS NOT SLEPT WITH MY DAUGHTER?!?" etc.), by the way.) ANYWAY, I suppose it's a 'romantic' picture and all, but so far there are no grottoes and no roman ships. There is a character called Julia, but her primary concern in the novel is avoiding "sullying the purity of that reputation, which was dearer to her than existence" so if she were going to be banished for anything I'm inclined to doubt it would be for sleeping around. Maybe some well-meaning publisher at Oxford University Press just punched in some keywords from the novel, like "Julia" and "Italy" and "Romance" and got this. Or maybe it will all be explained later in the novel. And the best way to find out would probably be to stop this inane ramble and go read it.
So. Bye.
UPDATE: Done! Much more satisfying ending than Udolpho, and much, much easier a slog. Recommend you start with this one if new to Radcliffe.
The grotto thing still makes no sense. Well, I guess, a little; there are caves, but they aren't full of water. And that other cover, with the two naked people making out hardly makes more sense. There is no nakedness in Radcliffe. There is no making out in Radcliffe. There is barely even holding of hands. I know, I really need to stop letting these covers bug me.
November 29, 2014
Oh, how I enjoy a good gothic story in autumn and winter!
Although I like the genre I haven't read much of Ann Radcliffe. I used to read these kind of novels when I was a teenager, but at the time my English wasn't fluent enough and I had to rely on translations. The local bookstore or library didn't have a proper gothic section.
So here I am, 25 years after, trying to close the gap between Ms Radcliffe and me. She's an excellent storyteller. She managed to put a lot into this short novel: love, hate, poison, runaways, banditti (the correct Italian spelling is "banditi"), convents, secret prisons under the castle, secret stairs and doors, secrets in general, avidity, and of course a happy ending. Because you just know that everything will be solved in the end.
My favourite character? The Abate. Not because I liked the man, on the contrary. But I liked the way Radcliffe depicted him and his (many) flaws.
Although I like the genre I haven't read much of Ann Radcliffe. I used to read these kind of novels when I was a teenager, but at the time my English wasn't fluent enough and I had to rely on translations. The local bookstore or library didn't have a proper gothic section.
So here I am, 25 years after, trying to close the gap between Ms Radcliffe and me. She's an excellent storyteller. She managed to put a lot into this short novel: love, hate, poison, runaways, banditti (the correct Italian spelling is "banditi"), convents, secret prisons under the castle, secret stairs and doors, secrets in general, avidity, and of course a happy ending. Because you just know that everything will be solved in the end.
My favourite character? The Abate. Not because I liked the man, on the contrary. But I liked the way Radcliffe depicted him and his (many) flaws.
June 4, 2022
Yes, The Mysteries of Udolpho had a more interesting heroine, but I genuinely did not see the plot twist at the end of A Sicilian Romance . I genuinely would prefer this be made into a BBC mini-series. I only wish the sister had more screen time and her own romance so I'll be re-reading Sense and Sensibility next. If you like much more descriptive, gothic mysteries, this breezy, atmospheric read is a good choice.
July 12, 2023
One may justly assume that I didn’t particularly enjoy this book, for it took me so long to read, but I honestly did. A combination of general grumpiness/tiredness and far too much sport on caused this. Therefore I’ve written an overly long review to exculpate myself:
There are simply too many flights! The novel is, simply put, one long flight of Julia from her designated husband. However, she escapes from too many places/people and is then captured again. I have lost count and more importantly, lost the plot a tad. There are quite a few circumstances I view with some disbelief, obviously included to proceed the plot, such as people urged by a sudden, yet fortunate, impulse; or someone, unconscious of their direction as they were lost in melancholy ruminations, just so happened upon a scene which proved beneficial for their plight, or at least the plot. That being said I think the plot had good pacing to it, steadily speeding up throughout the book, with the occasional lull- possibly displaying Julia having been lured into a false sense of security. The ending was slightly contrived in my view, and in one detail almost completely nonsensical- a door completely fastened unable to be opened from the side of the imprisoned, was opened by them with no explanation as to how- but did keep my attention, was somewhat satisfying though overly and unrealistically happy.
It was replete with brilliant poetic descriptions. When the description in question was in reference to a place, she focuses rather heavily on the impression the scene evokes in the holder as a pose to weighing on the particulars of the landscape. I also really enjoyed the descriptions of the characters’ emotions and thoughts leading to their actions. However I do believe there were some inconsistencies with the characters, namely Julia being described from the get go as having an “excess of sensibility” and unable to hide the immediate effects an event occasions within her, then a couple of times near the beginning being able to immediately maintain an air of dignity immediately after something caused particular despair or joy. Not to mention this comparison between the sisters, which is said to have inspired Sense and Sensibility, really lacked any exploration due to the scarcity of writing concerning the other sister, Emilia.
As blatant sexism can be expected of authors in the 18th century I didn’t mention it when reviewing the Castle of Otranto, but as this was written by a woman I hoped for better female characters and was assured of it by some writings on the book. I must say I was disappointed. Yes Julia openly defies her father by fleeing, but honestly, there is too much swooning, fainting, weeping, almost collapsing due to her trembling feeble frame for my liking- though perhaps this could be attributed to her “excess of sensibility”? It is hard to tell as there is very little time spent on any other female characters, but Madame de Menon does seem a tad less delicate, though that could also be attributed to her age and experience and Julia’s lack of prior exposure to the world. Emilia much of the latter stages of the book being confined in indisposition due to the goings on doesn’t help this either.
As a gothic book, it contains all the elements that were still becoming the (almost regimented) components. A tyrannical king and father attempting to force marriage on his daughter when her heart belonged to another, a powerful and perfidious religious figure imbued with inveterate pride, ample fleeing through subterraneous passages and seeking concealment in caves, hateful bandits and a grand revelation relating to a paternal figure along with the evocation of horror through the vessel of pity, combine to make this book a good read.
P.S I quite enjoyed the verses of poetry interspersed in the novel.
There are simply too many flights! The novel is, simply put, one long flight of Julia from her designated husband. However, she escapes from too many places/people and is then captured again. I have lost count and more importantly, lost the plot a tad. There are quite a few circumstances I view with some disbelief, obviously included to proceed the plot, such as people urged by a sudden, yet fortunate, impulse; or someone, unconscious of their direction as they were lost in melancholy ruminations, just so happened upon a scene which proved beneficial for their plight, or at least the plot. That being said I think the plot had good pacing to it, steadily speeding up throughout the book, with the occasional lull- possibly displaying Julia having been lured into a false sense of security. The ending was slightly contrived in my view, and in one detail almost completely nonsensical- a door completely fastened unable to be opened from the side of the imprisoned, was opened by them with no explanation as to how- but did keep my attention, was somewhat satisfying though overly and unrealistically happy.
It was replete with brilliant poetic descriptions. When the description in question was in reference to a place, she focuses rather heavily on the impression the scene evokes in the holder as a pose to weighing on the particulars of the landscape. I also really enjoyed the descriptions of the characters’ emotions and thoughts leading to their actions. However I do believe there were some inconsistencies with the characters, namely Julia being described from the get go as having an “excess of sensibility” and unable to hide the immediate effects an event occasions within her, then a couple of times near the beginning being able to immediately maintain an air of dignity immediately after something caused particular despair or joy. Not to mention this comparison between the sisters, which is said to have inspired Sense and Sensibility, really lacked any exploration due to the scarcity of writing concerning the other sister, Emilia.
As blatant sexism can be expected of authors in the 18th century I didn’t mention it when reviewing the Castle of Otranto, but as this was written by a woman I hoped for better female characters and was assured of it by some writings on the book. I must say I was disappointed. Yes Julia openly defies her father by fleeing, but honestly, there is too much swooning, fainting, weeping, almost collapsing due to her trembling feeble frame for my liking- though perhaps this could be attributed to her “excess of sensibility”? It is hard to tell as there is very little time spent on any other female characters, but Madame de Menon does seem a tad less delicate, though that could also be attributed to her age and experience and Julia’s lack of prior exposure to the world. Emilia much of the latter stages of the book being confined in indisposition due to the goings on doesn’t help this either.
As a gothic book, it contains all the elements that were still becoming the (almost regimented) components. A tyrannical king and father attempting to force marriage on his daughter when her heart belonged to another, a powerful and perfidious religious figure imbued with inveterate pride, ample fleeing through subterraneous passages and seeking concealment in caves, hateful bandits and a grand revelation relating to a paternal figure along with the evocation of horror through the vessel of pity, combine to make this book a good read.
P.S I quite enjoyed the verses of poetry interspersed in the novel.
February 19, 2023
Julia falls in love with the dashing young Hippolitus, but her father insists that she must marry the evil Duke. Julia's brother tries to help her escape from the clutches of her ruthless father by arranging an elopement, but their plans are betrayed and Julia is caught. Julia goes through every kind of disaster and terrifying mishap, fleeing for her life and weeping along the way.
This is Gothic melodrama at its best! Julia dissolves into tears, is frozen with terror, collapses under the strain of horror, and is prostrate with grief in every single chapter. Several other ladies, not to be outdone, also fainted on several occasions. Everyone is constantly exclaiming some version of "Alas, woe is me!"
Everything that possibly can go wrong for Julia does go wrong in the plot. It's one catastrophe after another for the entire book! There are so many lucky coincidences and timely misfortunes that it became funny, and when that plot twist finally arrived, it was so obvious that I didn't bat an eye.
The writing is laboriously descriptive and extravagant, peppered with pompous poetry which various characters recite or compose on the spot. I started skimming over the descriptive passages, and skipped the poetry altogether.
I was both charmed and frustrated with Julia. She's sweet and virtuous and adorable. I was glad to see that she really takes action when she has the choice. She doesn't sit around weeping and fainting all the time, only most of the time.
Despite the wild plot and the sensational melodrama, I really enjoyed reading this book! It's so mournful and terrifying that I found it funny!
This is Gothic melodrama at its best! Julia dissolves into tears, is frozen with terror, collapses under the strain of horror, and is prostrate with grief in every single chapter. Several other ladies, not to be outdone, also fainted on several occasions. Everyone is constantly exclaiming some version of "Alas, woe is me!"
Everything that possibly can go wrong for Julia does go wrong in the plot. It's one catastrophe after another for the entire book! There are so many lucky coincidences and timely misfortunes that it became funny, and when that plot twist finally arrived, it was so obvious that I didn't bat an eye.
The writing is laboriously descriptive and extravagant, peppered with pompous poetry which various characters recite or compose on the spot. I started skimming over the descriptive passages, and skipped the poetry altogether.
I was both charmed and frustrated with Julia. She's sweet and virtuous and adorable. I was glad to see that she really takes action when she has the choice. She doesn't sit around weeping and fainting all the time, only most of the time.
Despite the wild plot and the sensational melodrama, I really enjoyed reading this book! It's so mournful and terrifying that I found it funny!
September 7, 2016
The only interesting part was when the father and the priest verbally batted it out, auguring who had the most power over Julia via morality. So who had the most power? The father or The Father? Of course while they argued, she escaped, so the real answer is neither of them.
September 28, 2020
“Romanzo siciliano” di Ann Radcliffe fa parte del genere gotico che proprio questa autrice ha contribuito a fondare.
La Radcliffe scrisse il ben più famoso “I misteri di Udolpho” e il padre del romanzo storico, Walter Scott, la definii la prima scrittrice inglese di un genere che sommava in sé tradizioni e retaggi della poesia inglese da Shakespeare a Milton, ed elementi letterari nuovi come l’horror misto al sentimentale.
Il successo ottenuto dalla scrittrice fu enorme. All’epoca ( fine settecento / inizi ottocento ) il fascino dell’Italia come luogo magico era molto forte. Ben pochi potevano recarsi in Italia per viaggiare e quasi nessuno arrivava in Sicilia. Proprio in Sicilia è ambientato il romanzo che ho letto. Il racconto ha tutti gli elementi più evocativi del genere, un luogo misterioso, un castello, una famiglia nobile, una storia di fantasmi, tetri segreti, genitori crudeli, fanciulle in fuga da violenze ineccepibili.
Per quanto riguarda la costruzione dei luoghi, si nota che la scrittrice non aveva mai messo piede in Italia e tanto meno in Sicilia. Eppure il risultato è lo stesso attraente, nonostante le lacune sugli spostamenti dei personaggi che sembrano muoversi da una parte all’altra dell’isola come trottole impazzite. Spero di leggere presto I misteri di Udolpho per scoprire se sarà tutto maggiormente approfondito. Mi riferisco ai personaggi ma anche alle descrizioni di luoghi e avvenimenti.
La Radcliffe scrisse il ben più famoso “I misteri di Udolpho” e il padre del romanzo storico, Walter Scott, la definii la prima scrittrice inglese di un genere che sommava in sé tradizioni e retaggi della poesia inglese da Shakespeare a Milton, ed elementi letterari nuovi come l’horror misto al sentimentale.
Il successo ottenuto dalla scrittrice fu enorme. All’epoca ( fine settecento / inizi ottocento ) il fascino dell’Italia come luogo magico era molto forte. Ben pochi potevano recarsi in Italia per viaggiare e quasi nessuno arrivava in Sicilia. Proprio in Sicilia è ambientato il romanzo che ho letto. Il racconto ha tutti gli elementi più evocativi del genere, un luogo misterioso, un castello, una famiglia nobile, una storia di fantasmi, tetri segreti, genitori crudeli, fanciulle in fuga da violenze ineccepibili.
Per quanto riguarda la costruzione dei luoghi, si nota che la scrittrice non aveva mai messo piede in Italia e tanto meno in Sicilia. Eppure il risultato è lo stesso attraente, nonostante le lacune sugli spostamenti dei personaggi che sembrano muoversi da una parte all’altra dell’isola come trottole impazzite. Spero di leggere presto I misteri di Udolpho per scoprire se sarà tutto maggiormente approfondito. Mi riferisco ai personaggi ma anche alle descrizioni di luoghi e avvenimenti.
September 17, 2020
The commission of one crime often requires the perpetration of another. When once we enter on the labyrinth of vice, we can seldom return, but are led on, through correspondent mazes, to destruction. -- Chapter XV
Ruinous castles, subterranean passages, tempest-tossed shipwrecks, bloodthirsty bandits, damsels in distress, villainous rulers, picturesque scenery, murder most foul -- if anything defines the Gothick novel it is a selection of these features. And A Sicilian Romance, one of the early examples of this genre, has these in bucket loads.
In addition, setting her story in the island of Sicily allowed Ann Radcliffe full rein to indulge in the frissons of horror and bewilderment that her readership expected, gleaned from travellers' tales and from the dramatic pictorial landscapes that proliferated during the 17th and 18th centuries.
In this, her second ever novel -- this text is that of the 1821 edition -- the author produced a fine novel in the Gothick tradition which, despite a few infelicities in factual detail and unlikely coincidences, still thrills the reader with its account of moral retribution.
As the opening frame narrative tells us, this story concerns the castle of Mazzini, now in ruins, which stood on the northern coast of Sicily. Here once lived the orphaned sisters Emilia and Julia with their mother's confidante Madame de Menon; their father, the fifth Marquis of Mazzini, is distant by nature and distant by abode, living the high life with his new wife Maria de Vellorno in Naples, attended by his son Ferdinand. Somewhat unexpectedly, the marquis returns to Sicily with wife, son and a large entourage, amongst which is Hippolytus, Count of Vereza, whom second daughter Julia falls in love with, and he with her.
However, the new marchioness has also set her cap at the Count; the ambitious marquis has plans to marry Julia to the Duke de Luova; and the servants are in a flap about the possibility of ghostly visitations to the disused and inaccessible southern castle buildings. Following these triggers events are set in train which will result in deaths and disappearances and the eventual dissolution of the castle edifice.
This is an eccentric historical romance, especially considering those we're more used to a couple of centuries later. By turns sedate then frantic, realistic then improbable, with plot twists and turns the labyrinthine nature of which is meant to confuse and obfuscate, A Sicilian Romance hammers home three key concepts: the sublime, the picturesque and the romantic. The sublime, which meant tending towards the spiritually elevated, referred to the natural landscapes of Sicily, principally prospects afforded from a particular vantage point. These landscapes were frequently picturesque, which usually meant that the action had to be suspended so that the viewer could contemplate the scene much as one might stop in front of a painting in a gallery. Finally, romantic in a more archaic sense indicated tales of action and adventure, of a kind developed from ancient Roman legends and epics which the medievals called romans.
Thus, in A Sicilian Romance we have individuals and lovers fleeing pursuit by authority figures or brigands through wild countryside or desolate mansions or monasteries, caverns or tunnels, pausing occasionally to experience sublimity or meditate on their misfortune before the chase recommences. Does this hinder one's appreciation overmuch? I think once the reader relaxes into the conventions of this style, its verbosity and its emotionalism, it rattles along very comfortably.
The reader doesn't need to be reminded of the fondness that Jane Austen's heroine Catherine had for Radcliffe to recognise her influence in Northanger Abbey (the owner of which residence was believed to have done away with his wife), or that Elinor and Marianne in Sense and Sensibility are remarkably good matches in terms of temperament with Emilia and Julia. In addition, Radcliffe signals her debt to Shakespeare with a direct quote from the ghost's speech at the start of Hamlet, sepulchral words suggesting that violence may have been done. Editor Alison Milbank also gives a passing reference to The Winter's Tale as a suitable parallel to A Sicilian Romance: both works are set in Sicily and involve a jealous ruler, a loyal confidante and the passing away of a mother, a 'lost' daughter and a shipwreck, and a final restoration. The first play explicitly cites a restless spirit haunting a castle while the other, though only in a veiled way, suggests subterfuge is involved before the resolution.
The introductory notes (which as always should only be read after the work) are quite enlightening as to what Radcliffe brings to the Gothick genre, though I am leery of the overt Freudian interpretations Milbank offers us. However she does note the apparent paradoxes the novel explores, such as the more the pursuers pursue the less likely they are to find what they're looking for, while random wanderings may lead some to find what they're unconsciously seeking. This paradox principle also seems to guide the accelerated activity that characterises the final third of the novel, with blocks and obstacles -- however unlikely or coincidental the outcomes -- providing as many spills and thrills as a blockbuster action movie.
As I proceeded I was struck by how this novel -- with suitable adaptations of course -- could work well as a stage play or a filmed period drama. Despite it supposedly being set in the late 1500s, however, anachronisms (such as the mention of a pianoforte) and inaccuracies (a religious house like St Augustin's would never have an unsegregated mixed community of monks and nuns) mean that it's better to see this as a fantasy set in a notional late medieval or early modern era. That would be fitting considering that Radcliffe's experience of Italian landscapes would have been limited to romanticised engravings and paintings and writings arising from aristocratic Grand Tours: these are the backdrops I imagined when I followed the fortunes of the principal protagonist, the brave and put-upon Julia, and those of her family and friends; these also are 'labyrinths of vice' that the schemers and the banditti inhabited, in which they preyed on the innocent and good.
May 26, 2024
Ann Radcliffe is not the indisputable queen of the Gothic Romance for nothing! I adore the way she borrows from older romances such as the tales in the Decameron, and the way she crafts the tales for a modern (late 1700s) audience. Her stories feature bold heroines who drive much of the action, and there are many twists and turns and surprises. Also, as in many older tales, there are stories nested within stories, and a large and colorful cast of characters, including some extremely dastardly villains and villainesses. Her language is also quite delicious, including her dialogue. Some things about this book have not dated well—mainly the snippets of insipid poetry, and the small amount of time spent on the most interesting characters, which are the villains—but the psychology and revelations about human nature are as timely and relevant as ever, and the narrative is diverting and full of charm. (For fully fleshed-out Radcliffe villains, I recommend her magnum opus The Mysteries of Udolpho).
August 2, 2025
This somehow got deleted off of my Read shelf. Double checked with Storygraph. I think many would like this. Very gothic-y feeling. I thought it was fine. It was a "me" thing at the time I read it.
September 20, 2021
"You will always be the sister of my heart — may you never be the partner of my misfortunes!"
October 20, 2014
I picked up A Sicilian Romance on a whim. I'd read and enjoyed Udolpho, and I wanted to experience more of Radcliffe's work. This was a new offering from Librivox, it was relatively short (well, compared to
Udolpho
), and though I didn't know much about it I figured it was worth a try.
The first quarter of the novel didn't do much for me. "Oh," I kept thinking. "It's a partially run-down castle, and a young lady who is in love with one man but being forced to marry another." And so on and so forth. It seemed like a more compressed version of Udolpho. And the compression was doing it no favors; it was losing the complexity and the texture and the dreamy poetic descriptions that made Udolpho for me.
And then Julia makes the choice Emily St. Aubert wouldn't, and everything goes all to pieces, and suddenly Udolpho is but a distant memory. Everything got much more interesting after that point. It certainly wasn't a masterpiece by any means, but it was a nice fun read. If emotions were sometimes a little too often "not to be described" (or imagined) when they were very strong, if the constant change in viewpoint was a little jarring, if some parts of the narrative were a little too predictable and others a little too coincidental... Well, you know, the first part of the book lowered my expectations enough that I was just happy it hadn't turned out to be the Udolpho clone I'd expected it to be. (Or, er, vice-versa, given that this one predates Udolpho.)
Besides, sometimes it's fun to talk back to the characters. "Never believe anyone is dead unless you've seen the body! SEE? I told you so! Well, if it can't be opened from this side, clearly it was opened from the other!" Etc., etc.
It was fun. I might read it again sometime when I need a short book that doesn't require too much thought. It's not anything particularly special, though, honestly, so I have to restrict it to three out of five stars.
The first quarter of the novel didn't do much for me. "Oh," I kept thinking. "It's a partially run-down castle, and a young lady who is in love with one man but being forced to marry another." And so on and so forth. It seemed like a more compressed version of Udolpho. And the compression was doing it no favors; it was losing the complexity and the texture and the dreamy poetic descriptions that made Udolpho for me.
And then Julia makes the choice Emily St. Aubert wouldn't, and everything goes all to pieces, and suddenly Udolpho is but a distant memory. Everything got much more interesting after that point. It certainly wasn't a masterpiece by any means, but it was a nice fun read. If emotions were sometimes a little too often "not to be described" (or imagined) when they were very strong, if the constant change in viewpoint was a little jarring, if some parts of the narrative were a little too predictable and others a little too coincidental... Well, you know, the first part of the book lowered my expectations enough that I was just happy it hadn't turned out to be the Udolpho clone I'd expected it to be. (Or, er, vice-versa, given that this one predates Udolpho.)
Besides, sometimes it's fun to talk back to the characters. "Never believe anyone is dead unless you've seen the body! SEE? I told you so! Well, if it can't be opened from this side, clearly it was opened from the other!" Etc., etc.
It was fun. I might read it again sometime when I need a short book that doesn't require too much thought. It's not anything particularly special, though, honestly, so I have to restrict it to three out of five stars.
September 29, 2013
I so enjoyed reading this work which just typified Gothic excess at its very best. What we have here is the story of Julia and Emelia and their brother Ferdinand, children of the autocratic Marquis Mazzini who is every bit as diabolic a villain as Radcliffe's more famous Count Montoni. The children are motherless and live in a castle (in the same sublime species of landscape as Udolpho) which has an entire ruined southern hall which is reputed to be haunted. Of course, this is Radcliffe, so we know there aren't any real ghosts and there's going to be a rational explanation (even if it is more unlikely than if there had been actual ghosts). The story mainly concerns Julia, who falls in love with the courtly Hippolitus. However, the evil Marquis has other ideas and tells Julia that she must marry the evil Duke of Luovo. There then follows a series of adventures whereby Julia escapes, ends up in a convent, is given the choice between marrying the Duke or taking the veil, escapes again, gets captured by banditti, caught up in a shipwreck, escapes again, gets caught up in another shipwreck and all kinds of adventures before the inevitable happy ending. In the meantime, the ghostly groans in the castle are explained and everyone (except those who had it coming i.e. the Marquis and his evil adulterous wife) get what they deserved. This is a brilliant example of Gothic fiction with fainting heroines, sword fights, shipwrecks (x 2) and lots of sublime rocky rugged scenery. I loved it so much although I've got to say I was exhausted by the end of it all. Poor old Julia really does go through the wringer to get where she needs to be. It's not too long - certainly not as long as the more famous Mysteries of Udolpho and is a brilliant introduction to the excesses of the gothic genre.
January 16, 2026
as i walked over the loose fragments of stone, which lay scattered and surveyed the sublimity and grandeur of the ruins, i recurred, by a natural association of ideas, to the times when these walls stood proudly in their original splendor, when the halls were the scenes of hospitality and festive magnificence, and when they resounded with the voices of those whom death had long since swept from earth. "thus," said i, "shall the present generation - he who now sink in misery - and he who now swim in pleasure, alike pass away and be forgotten."
June 21, 2018
This was both the first book I studied during my university degree and my introduction to the female Gothic genre. Despite the infuriating swooning damsels that frequent this, I really enjoyed my experience of reading it.
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