fév.27
Gothic novel presentation - Murasaki
dans la catégorie The Gothic
The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794)
A few words about the author :
Ann Radcliffe (1764-1823), was an English author and pioneer of the gothic novel. Her works were really popular at her time and the readers were mostly aristocrats young women. She included a romantic sensibility in scenes of terror and suspense, that’s what makes her novels stand out in the genre of the gothic .
She wrote The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne (1789), A Sicilian Romance (1790), The Romance of the Forest (1791), The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794) and The Italian (1797). Years after her death, in 1833, her husband published some of her poems and Gaston de Blondville, an historical romance.
Summary of the plot :
The story is about Emily St. Aubert, a young French woman. At the beginning of the novel, her mother dies. With her father, with who she shares a love for nature, she goes on a journey in which they meet Valancourt, a man who also loves nature. Emily and him quickly fall in love, but when her father dies, she has to go to live with her aunt, who is getting married with an Italian nobleman. After that, they move to Venise and the husband decides to confine Emily and his wife at his castle called Udolpho. But after a few adventures, Emily is finally reunited with her lover.
A presentation of a few characters :
Emily St-Aubert : Almost the entire novel is written from her point of view. It’s a beautiful girl who loves books, nature, poetry and music. She is courageous, obedient, vertuous, resourceful, sensitive, and self-reliant.
Mr. St-Aubert : It’s Emily’s father. He dies early in the novel, during their travel. He warns Emily on his death bed to not become a victim of her feelings but to acquire command over her emotions. His relationship with the Marchioness de Villeroi is one of the main mysteries of the story.
Valancourt : He is the younger brother of the Count Duvarney. He falls in love with Emily. He is a beautiful and enthusiastic young man with a noble character.
Mrs. Cheron (Montoni) : She is the sister of the dad of Emily. She is selfish and only think about the material aspect of life and of his appearance. She is cold to Emily at the beginning, but near her death, when Emily aids and comforts her, her character softens gradually.
Montoni : He is the villain of the story and the second husband of Mrs.Cheron. He is a cruel man towards his wife and Emily.
What makes this story gothic ?
Supernatural inexplicable events : During her stay at Udolpho, many bizarre and seemingly supernatural occurrences frighten Emily.
Emotion / Women in distress : in the story, there is a moment about a black veil and the reader doesn’t know what is behind it. At this moment, the reader isn’t afraid because of the description Emily does about what she sees, but by her reaction : she faints.
Women threatened by a powerful, impulsive, tyrannical male : At the beginning, Montoni wants to marry Emily with one of his friend. Of course, Emily doesn’t love him. After, he confines Emily and her aunt in his castle.
The imaginary
The imaginary insn’t really present in the novel because of the religious beliefs of the author, which prohibit her to encourage superstition. Indeed, the surnatural events are all explained at the end of the novel.
But even if there isn’t a lot of imaginary in the book, it’s present, like we can see with this quotes : «imaginary fears», «imaginary terrors», «imaginary evils».
The imaginary is also present with the black veil mystery because the reader doesn’t know what there is behind it, so he has to use his imagination because even Emily doesn’t reveal what there is behind. Indeed, we only learn that there is «no picture».
A few words about the author :
Ann Radcliffe (1764-1823), was an English author and pioneer of the gothic novel. Her works were really popular at her time and the readers were mostly aristocrats young women. She included a romantic sensibility in scenes of terror and suspense, that’s what makes her novels stand out in the genre of the gothic .
She wrote The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne (1789), A Sicilian Romance (1790), The Romance of the Forest (1791), The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794) and The Italian (1797). Years after her death, in 1833, her husband published some of her poems and Gaston de Blondville, an historical romance.
Summary of the plot :
The story is about Emily St. Aubert, a young French woman. At the beginning of the novel, her mother dies. With her father, with who she shares a love for nature, she goes on a journey in which they meet Valancourt, a man who also loves nature. Emily and him quickly fall in love, but when her father dies, she has to go to live with her aunt, who is getting married with an Italian nobleman. After that, they move to Venise and the husband decides to confine Emily and his wife at his castle called Udolpho. But after a few adventures, Emily is finally reunited with her lover.
A presentation of a few characters :
Emily St-Aubert : Almost the entire novel is written from her point of view. It’s a beautiful girl who loves books, nature, poetry and music. She is courageous, obedient, vertuous, resourceful, sensitive, and self-reliant.
Mr. St-Aubert : It’s Emily’s father. He dies early in the novel, during their travel. He warns Emily on his death bed to not become a victim of her feelings but to acquire command over her emotions. His relationship with the Marchioness de Villeroi is one of the main mysteries of the story.
Valancourt : He is the younger brother of the Count Duvarney. He falls in love with Emily. He is a beautiful and enthusiastic young man with a noble character.
Mrs. Cheron (Montoni) : She is the sister of the dad of Emily. She is selfish and only think about the material aspect of life and of his appearance. She is cold to Emily at the beginning, but near her death, when Emily aids and comforts her, her character softens gradually.
Montoni : He is the villain of the story and the second husband of Mrs.Cheron. He is a cruel man towards his wife and Emily.
What makes this story gothic ?
Supernatural inexplicable events : During her stay at Udolpho, many bizarre and seemingly supernatural occurrences frighten Emily.
Emotion / Women in distress : in the story, there is a moment about a black veil and the reader doesn’t know what is behind it. At this moment, the reader isn’t afraid because of the description Emily does about what she sees, but by her reaction : she faints.
Women threatened by a powerful, impulsive, tyrannical male : At the beginning, Montoni wants to marry Emily with one of his friend. Of course, Emily doesn’t love him. After, he confines Emily and her aunt in his castle.
The imaginary
The imaginary insn’t really present in the novel because of the religious beliefs of the author, which prohibit her to encourage superstition. Indeed, the surnatural events are all explained at the end of the novel.
But even if there isn’t a lot of imaginary in the book, it’s present, like we can see with this quotes : «imaginary fears», «imaginary terrors», «imaginary evils».
The imaginary is also present with the black veil mystery because the reader doesn’t know what there is behind it, so he has to use his imagination because even Emily doesn’t reveal what there is behind. Indeed, we only learn that there is «no picture».