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Os Mistérios De Udolpho - Vol. 1
This gothic horror by Radcliffe is considered an evolutionary work between the enlightenment and idealism, as it is an established horror story. Emily, the protagonist is a young woman of mature thoughts and has deep love for the sublimity of nature. The novel pursues her struggle as she tries to resolve her father's teachings of reserve and temperance with the reckless passions of love and fear. Thrilling!
316 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1794
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About the author
Ann Radcliffe
579 books714 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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January 28, 2016Have to admit, I didn’t finish it. Maybe someday.
I was interested in (trying to) read The Mysteries of Udolpho because of its influence on Northanger Abbey. What did Jane Austen find so mockworthy? What I found was that yes, there’s plenty to mock, but there was also plenty to interest me.
The interesting: At the beginning of the book, there are extended lyrical passages that evoke a kind of Arcadia for the young heroine—living in a loving home with two perfect parents, isolated from the evils of the world, surrounded by the sublimities of nature and the pleasures of the intellect. This world was described in terms I could only describe as “campy,” which clued me in that the book would base its appeal on situations able to tap into deep-rooted feminine hopes and fears. Sentimental bombast heightened the sensory experience of the reading, opening up a connection to the reader’s feelings rather than her or his analytical mind.
As that Arcadia is lost and the heroine goes out into the world unprotected, we see everything she experiences through the veil of that vanished world, which has the effect of magnifying the threats she encounters; the doom that threatens her seems, well, doomier. Everything takes on an exaggerated emotionality.
But here’s the thing: although the settings of the novel are melodramatic and unrealistic, they ape and echo the reality for eighteenth-century Englishwomen. Young women were the property of their fathers until they were married, when they became the property of their husbands. They were schooled in obedience and punished with the direst economic and social consequences if they showed disobedience. From the Arcadian promise of early childhood, they all too soon were inducted into a world where they found themselves at the mercy of the goodwill of those around them. They were physically vulnerable and forced to be dependent.
So The Mysteries of Udolpho became a metaphorical echo of the fears and frustrations everyday women felt in their everyday lives. It was wildly improbable in a literal reading, but completely realistic in a psychological one. In her own way, Ann Radcliffe was speaking truth to power.
The mockworthy: First of all, the poetry. Everybody, but especially the heroine, is forever bursting out in song or spontaneously composing pages of mediocre couplets. This happens while riding in a carriage or sitting on a rock in the Alps. Then there’s the fainting and crying. This is supposed to be a heroine, for crissakes! Maybe I’m just too modern, but I’d have appreciated a little more pluck. The heroine has flashes of back-sassing, but otherwise is a very limp noodle, which sends a mixed message to the reader: yes, you’re completely vulnerable in the world, but no, you shouldn’t do anything about it. And that, I’m afraid, is why I ultimately stopped reading.
I was interested in (trying to) read The Mysteries of Udolpho because of its influence on Northanger Abbey. What did Jane Austen find so mockworthy? What I found was that yes, there’s plenty to mock, but there was also plenty to interest me.
The interesting: At the beginning of the book, there are extended lyrical passages that evoke a kind of Arcadia for the young heroine—living in a loving home with two perfect parents, isolated from the evils of the world, surrounded by the sublimities of nature and the pleasures of the intellect. This world was described in terms I could only describe as “campy,” which clued me in that the book would base its appeal on situations able to tap into deep-rooted feminine hopes and fears. Sentimental bombast heightened the sensory experience of the reading, opening up a connection to the reader’s feelings rather than her or his analytical mind.
As that Arcadia is lost and the heroine goes out into the world unprotected, we see everything she experiences through the veil of that vanished world, which has the effect of magnifying the threats she encounters; the doom that threatens her seems, well, doomier. Everything takes on an exaggerated emotionality.
But here’s the thing: although the settings of the novel are melodramatic and unrealistic, they ape and echo the reality for eighteenth-century Englishwomen. Young women were the property of their fathers until they were married, when they became the property of their husbands. They were schooled in obedience and punished with the direst economic and social consequences if they showed disobedience. From the Arcadian promise of early childhood, they all too soon were inducted into a world where they found themselves at the mercy of the goodwill of those around them. They were physically vulnerable and forced to be dependent.
So The Mysteries of Udolpho became a metaphorical echo of the fears and frustrations everyday women felt in their everyday lives. It was wildly improbable in a literal reading, but completely realistic in a psychological one. In her own way, Ann Radcliffe was speaking truth to power.
The mockworthy: First of all, the poetry. Everybody, but especially the heroine, is forever bursting out in song or spontaneously composing pages of mediocre couplets. This happens while riding in a carriage or sitting on a rock in the Alps. Then there’s the fainting and crying. This is supposed to be a heroine, for crissakes! Maybe I’m just too modern, but I’d have appreciated a little more pluck. The heroine has flashes of back-sassing, but otherwise is a very limp noodle, which sends a mixed message to the reader: yes, you’re completely vulnerable in the world, but no, you shouldn’t do anything about it. And that, I’m afraid, is why I ultimately stopped reading.
February 12, 2020
Oare ce se va mai întâmpla în volumul al doilea?
"- M-am străduit încă de cînd erai un copil să-ți statornicesc în suflet datoria stăpînirii de sine; ți-am arătat cîtă însemnătate are ea în viață, nu numai fiindcă ne ferește de atîtea ispite primejdioase care ne pot abate de la onestitate și virtute, dar și fiindcă îngrădește indulgența socotită virtute, dar care, dincolo de un anumit punct, e un cusur, căci urmările ei sînt dăunătoare."
"- Orice exces e dăunător; pînă și durerea, justificată la origine, devine o patimă egoistă și nedreaptă, dacă te lași în voia ei în detrimentul datoriei - prin datorie înțeleg atît datoria față de noi înșine, cît și față de ceilalți."
"O durere excesivă, îngăduită prea multă vreme, moleșește mintea și aproape că îi răpește capacitatea de a lua parte vreodată la diferitele bucurii nevinovate desemnate a fi razele de soare ale vieții noastre."
"- Nu vreau să-ți distrug sentimentele, copila mea, vreau doar să te învăț să ți le stăpînești; căci, oricare ar fi relele care își au izvorul într-o inimă prea simțitoare, de la una nesimțitoare nu te poți aștepta la nimic; pe de altă parte, acesta e un viciu - un viciu a cărui sluțenie nu e îndulcită și de ale cărui ușurări nu se poate mîngîia nimic."
"Așa se întîmplă întotdeauna cînd încercăm să descriem emoțiile mai gingașe ale inimii, căci sînt prea gingașe pentru a fi deslușite și pot fi doar trăite; de aceea un observator indiferent le trece cu vederea, în timp ce acela care e interesat simte că orice descriere e imperfectă și inutilă, putînd doar dovedi sinceritatea celui care scrie și alinîndu-i suferința."
"- M-am străduit încă de cînd erai un copil să-ți statornicesc în suflet datoria stăpînirii de sine; ți-am arătat cîtă însemnătate are ea în viață, nu numai fiindcă ne ferește de atîtea ispite primejdioase care ne pot abate de la onestitate și virtute, dar și fiindcă îngrădește indulgența socotită virtute, dar care, dincolo de un anumit punct, e un cusur, căci urmările ei sînt dăunătoare."
"- Orice exces e dăunător; pînă și durerea, justificată la origine, devine o patimă egoistă și nedreaptă, dacă te lași în voia ei în detrimentul datoriei - prin datorie înțeleg atît datoria față de noi înșine, cît și față de ceilalți."
"O durere excesivă, îngăduită prea multă vreme, moleșește mintea și aproape că îi răpește capacitatea de a lua parte vreodată la diferitele bucurii nevinovate desemnate a fi razele de soare ale vieții noastre."
"- Nu vreau să-ți distrug sentimentele, copila mea, vreau doar să te învăț să ți le stăpînești; căci, oricare ar fi relele care își au izvorul într-o inimă prea simțitoare, de la una nesimțitoare nu te poți aștepta la nimic; pe de altă parte, acesta e un viciu - un viciu a cărui sluțenie nu e îndulcită și de ale cărui ușurări nu se poate mîngîia nimic."
"Așa se întîmplă întotdeauna cînd încercăm să descriem emoțiile mai gingașe ale inimii, căci sînt prea gingașe pentru a fi deslușite și pot fi doar trăite; de aceea un observator indiferent le trece cu vederea, în timp ce acela care e interesat simte că orice descriere e imperfectă și inutilă, putînd doar dovedi sinceritatea celui care scrie și alinîndu-i suferința."
November 16, 2021
In one hand the part one of The Mysteries of Udolpho, was intriguing story to read. But in the other it was a bit to slow and wasn't a book i rushed to pick up when I had put it down. After DNFing the first time, I forgot about it. I only picked up again because I was so far in and needed to return it from the library soon
May 19, 2019
If you like the long descriptions of nature and the sublime, that's a book for you. If not, well you will have difficulty reading the 600 pages. Too slow for me.
September 10, 2019
A generous 3 stars for historical significance. I’m reading this to better understand Jane Austen’s satire in Northanger Abbey. But seriously, dialog like this: 'Farewell, my love!' said he, in a voice of solemn tenderness—' trust me we shall meet again—meet for each other—meet to part no more!”, is NOT my cup of tea.
On to volume 2 (!) of this four volume melodrama...
On to volume 2 (!) of this four volume melodrama...
December 25, 2022
A young woman crying in various beautiful places in southern Europe. All in all, amazing.
April 11, 2019
Very good first part (a bit slow in the beginning though) but it's such a shame that the translation is so bad. I have no ideia about how the story will end! All my theories about what happened in Udolpho didn't make sense anymore. Let's see in volume II.
February 8, 2021
My heart was shattering with each page in this book. Extremely melancholic yet addictive. The descriptions of the landscape sceneries were overwhelming and there were plenty of them.
March 23, 2022
Pe încântătoarele maluri ale fluviului Garonne, în Gasconia, se înăla, în anul 1584, castelul domnului St. Aubert. De la ferestrele castelului se zăreau peisajele idilice ale Guyennei şi Gasconiei, ce se întindeau de-a lungul fluviului, cu culorile vii ale pădurilor luxuriante, ale viţei de vie şi ale plantaţiilor de măslini. La sud, priveliştea era. Mărginită de maiestuoşii Pirinei, ale căror piscuri învăluite de nori, sau ivindu-se în forme impresionante, întrezărite şi apoi dispărând din nou, pe măsură ce pâclele rare se vălătuceau prin dreptul lor, erau când golaşe, strălucind în văzduhul albăstriu, când întunecate de pădurile mohorâte de pini, ce se întindeau spre poale.
Genurile înfricoşătoare contrastau cu verdele desfătător al păşunilor şi pădurilor de la marginea lor, unde, printre turme, cirezi şi căsuţe modeste, ochiul se. Odihnea cu plăcere, după ce se căţărase pe vârfurile de deasupra.
Către nord şi către răsărit, câmpiile din Guyenne şi Languedoc se pierdeau în negura depărtărilor; la apus, Gasconia era mărginită de apele golfului Biscaya.
Tare îi mai plăcea domnului St. Aubert să hoinărească, împreună cu soţia şi fiica sa, de-a lungul ţărmului Garonnei şi să asculte muzica valurilor! Cunoscuse şi alte aspecte ale vieţii, în afară de simplitatea idilică, căci trăise în mijlocul lumii pline de veselie şi agitaţie; dar imaginea încântătoare despre omenire, pe care şi-o făurise în fragedă tinereţe, fusese prea dureros modificată de experienţă. Cu toate acestea, „n mijlocul priveliştilor schimbătoare ale vieţii, îşi păstrase principiile nezdruncinate, iar bunăvoinţa nealterată; şi se retrăsese din mijlocul mulţimilor „mai mult cu compasiune decât cu supărare1', îndreptându-se către simplitatea naturii, către plăcerile curate ale literaturii şi către exercitarea virtuţiilor casnice.
Era descendentul ramurii secundare a unei familii ilustre, şi pentru viitorul lui se presupusese că va împlini lipsa unei bunăstări moştenite fie printr-o strălucită alianţă matrimonială, fie printr-o reuşită în afacerile publice.
Genurile înfricoşătoare contrastau cu verdele desfătător al păşunilor şi pădurilor de la marginea lor, unde, printre turme, cirezi şi căsuţe modeste, ochiul se. Odihnea cu plăcere, după ce se căţărase pe vârfurile de deasupra.
Către nord şi către răsărit, câmpiile din Guyenne şi Languedoc se pierdeau în negura depărtărilor; la apus, Gasconia era mărginită de apele golfului Biscaya.
Tare îi mai plăcea domnului St. Aubert să hoinărească, împreună cu soţia şi fiica sa, de-a lungul ţărmului Garonnei şi să asculte muzica valurilor! Cunoscuse şi alte aspecte ale vieţii, în afară de simplitatea idilică, căci trăise în mijlocul lumii pline de veselie şi agitaţie; dar imaginea încântătoare despre omenire, pe care şi-o făurise în fragedă tinereţe, fusese prea dureros modificată de experienţă. Cu toate acestea, „n mijlocul priveliştilor schimbătoare ale vieţii, îşi păstrase principiile nezdruncinate, iar bunăvoinţa nealterată; şi se retrăsese din mijlocul mulţimilor „mai mult cu compasiune decât cu supărare1', îndreptându-se către simplitatea naturii, către plăcerile curate ale literaturii şi către exercitarea virtuţiilor casnice.
Era descendentul ramurii secundare a unei familii ilustre, şi pentru viitorul lui se presupusese că va împlini lipsa unei bunăstări moştenite fie printr-o strălucită alianţă matrimonială, fie printr-o reuşită în afacerile publice.
July 31, 2024
Vi befinner oss i Frankrikes 1580-tal där vi får stifta bekantskap med den unga flickan Emily, vars familj tillhör över- eller övre medelklass. Ganska snabbt i handlingen avlider hennes mor. Efter detta gör fadern och Emily en resa tillsammans med ledsagaren Vallancourt, en resa där fadern insjuknar och avlider. Tycke mellan Emily och Vallancourt har uppstått men då Emily hamnar under förmyndare (fastern) så får inte de tu varandra. Istället väljer fastern att försöka hitta en passande make åt henne – alltså, en med tillfredsställande ekonomiska tillgångar.
Under denna jakt hittar även fastern en man som hon gifter sig med. En person som också visar intresse för att få Emily bortgift. Emily och hennes förmyndare förflyttar sig från Frankrike till Italien och Venedig. Under visst tumult och förvecklingar färdas de mot ett slott som heter Udolpho som fasterns man under mystiska omständigheter fått i sin ägo. När de ankommer till detta slott rullas slottets historia upp och mystiska saker börjar ske.
Den svenska översättningen har undertiteln ”en romantisk berättelse, interfolierad med några poetiska stycken”, vilket är en rättvisande beskrivning. Detta sägs vara en gotisk roman, men det mystiska och gotiska inträffar först 300 sidor in i denna del. Jag antar att del två innehåller det som kan benämnas skräck. För här ser man inte mycket av det.
Ändock får man säga att det är en trivsam roman med romantik i överflöd. Förutom olycklig kärlek får vi målande beskrivningar av landskap och poetiska passager.
Och visst vill jag fortsätta läsa, men jag väntar nog en stund med att ge mig i kast med andra delen.
Under denna jakt hittar även fastern en man som hon gifter sig med. En person som också visar intresse för att få Emily bortgift. Emily och hennes förmyndare förflyttar sig från Frankrike till Italien och Venedig. Under visst tumult och förvecklingar färdas de mot ett slott som heter Udolpho som fasterns man under mystiska omständigheter fått i sin ägo. När de ankommer till detta slott rullas slottets historia upp och mystiska saker börjar ske.
Den svenska översättningen har undertiteln ”en romantisk berättelse, interfolierad med några poetiska stycken”, vilket är en rättvisande beskrivning. Detta sägs vara en gotisk roman, men det mystiska och gotiska inträffar först 300 sidor in i denna del. Jag antar att del två innehåller det som kan benämnas skräck. För här ser man inte mycket av det.
Ändock får man säga att det är en trivsam roman med romantik i överflöd. Förutom olycklig kärlek får vi målande beskrivningar av landskap och poetiska passager.
Och visst vill jag fortsätta läsa, men jag väntar nog en stund med att ge mig i kast med andra delen.
November 9, 2024
A slow starter, with the first three or four chapters giving the impression that you're reading a nature documentary rather than a novel with characters and lives. Eventually, through tragedy, the pace picks up, and the story begins to focus on the series of unfortunate events that befall the protagonist, Emily St. Aubert.
Once the focus shifted from the beautiful French countryside to Emily's misfortunes, I found myself hooked—wanting to see her overcome the obstacles and obtain happiness despite the horrid people in her life who would rather see her suffer. However, Volume 1 ends with a cliffhanger. Being a four-volume series, more sorrow is to befall Emily before her fate is revealed.
I picked up this book to learn more about the origins of the gothic novel genre. It has been fun yet challenging to read through a book written in archaic English. It truly feels like traveling through time. Thankfully, I have the internet to help me distinguish the words and syntax of the era.
I have enjoyed this book and look forward to starting Volume 2 shortly.
Once the focus shifted from the beautiful French countryside to Emily's misfortunes, I found myself hooked—wanting to see her overcome the obstacles and obtain happiness despite the horrid people in her life who would rather see her suffer. However, Volume 1 ends with a cliffhanger. Being a four-volume series, more sorrow is to befall Emily before her fate is revealed.
I picked up this book to learn more about the origins of the gothic novel genre. It has been fun yet challenging to read through a book written in archaic English. It truly feels like traveling through time. Thankfully, I have the internet to help me distinguish the words and syntax of the era.
I have enjoyed this book and look forward to starting Volume 2 shortly.
July 31, 2021
I know this was published in 1794, but there are many 'classic' writers from long ago, whose works have more than survived the passing of time . . . this, I think, was not a classic from the start.
Described as a 'romance', I would describe it as a melodrama. I can see it as a silent movie or perhaps a Music Hall melodrama.
It is filled with villainy, ghosts and spectres, tragedy, tears, fainting away. . . the characters are shallow (including the main protagonist Emily and Valancourt) and the story complicated (though not complex), long winded and predictable interspersed with lengthy descriptions and poetry. It seems the aim of Radcliffe's work was to highlight that goodness and innocence will, with patience, triumph over evil and injustice.
I am really loathe to give up on a book but nearly did with this lengthy read so many times! *
Described as a 'romance', I would describe it as a melodrama. I can see it as a silent movie or perhaps a Music Hall melodrama.
It is filled with villainy, ghosts and spectres, tragedy, tears, fainting away. . . the characters are shallow (including the main protagonist Emily and Valancourt) and the story complicated (though not complex), long winded and predictable interspersed with lengthy descriptions and poetry. It seems the aim of Radcliffe's work was to highlight that goodness and innocence will, with patience, triumph over evil and injustice.
I am really loathe to give up on a book but nearly did with this lengthy read so many times! *
August 27, 2020
Ho letto solo il primo volume: sinceramente mi è bastato. Non so se è la pessima traduzione che avevo, non so se tende a migliorare con i prossimi volumi ma è stato davvero faticoso arrivare in fondo. Mi incuriosiva l'idea del mistero in chiave gotica e sebbene ci siano degli elementi che mettono i brividi ma non vengono sviluppati (forse lo saranno in seguito?).
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