The Italian

I have a particular love for Mysteries of Udolpho, but The Italian is another wonderful book. I read it in one day, and couldn't put it down. The only sad part about it, is there is so few books of hers to read! A must read for gothic literature!

Timely delivery...and I saved money by buying here than at the campus book store!

I had never heard of Ann Radcliffe until I read Northanger Abbey by Jane Austin. Northanger Abbey is a paraody that "makes fun" of the gothic type novels that were popular at that time. Ann Radcliffe and some of her writings are mentioned by name in Northanger Abbey. So...off I went to find out more about Ann and get one her novels. Ann was really the first gothic writer and set the scene for the other gothic writers that followed her in the late 1700's and early 1800's. Another reviewer accuses her of copying the novel The Monk - but it is actually the opposite. The author of The Monk copied her! Anyhow...I loved this book! Vivaldi and Ellena fall in love but Vivaldi's mother is against the match because Ellena is not from a "proper" family. The mother and a monk initiate a plot to keep them from marrying each other. I don't want to say much more, because there are so many interesting plot twists that I don't want to give anything away. It is a great story line that keeps you guessing. There is romance, suspense, mystery, intrigue, evil villians, evil plots, creepy landscapes, and more! It is a long book that took me several weeks to read but was more than worth my time!

The Italian was Radcliffe's last novel. It is about a nobleman who falls in love with a woman whose identity is unknown to herself and the reader throughout her sufferings. She is oppressed by many people in whose hands she falls as she is snatched away from the nobleman Vivaldi to prevent their marriage. Like all of Radcliffe's heroines, her character is marked by an amazing fortitude despite the horrifying things to which she is frequently subjected. Vivaldi faces the powers of the Inquisition and Radcliffe gives the reader some idea of their dealings with offenders and their ways of making prisoners "confess." There are many turns of events which are delightful until another perilous event disappoints and grieves the reader. This is certainly what most reviewers call a page-turner. The sentiments are by no means modern. For a reader who is looking for modern unrestrained "romance," none of Radcliffe's novels is a good choice. Her stories are for true romantics.

Let it first be said that Lewis's "The Monk" is heavily influenced by Radcliffe. Reading "The Monk" first would throw the reader off the track. This novel is an excellent selection from the genre of Gothic novel, and is indeed a masterpiece. The Gothic novel had a great impact on Romanticism, and on the literature of the absurd. Overall, an enjoyable read!