ANN
RADCLIFFE
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It is a curious coincidence of literary history that the stars that reigned in the year of the nativity of The Castle of Otranto (1764) saw the birth of Mrs. Ann Radcliffe (Ward), in whose works we perceive the Gothic fiction approaching its meridian. Not much is known about her life, except that she was the wife of an Oxford graduate, and that she wrote her weird and mysterious tales beside a blazing fire in a quiet room to enliven her long, solitary winter evenings. Extraordinary fascinating stories flowed from her pen which, with all their faults, unmistakably bear the stamp of genius. The name of this potent enchantress, who touched the secret springs of fear and extended the domain of romance, was felt as a spell by her admirers, and to this day her blood-curdling terrors freeze many a midnight reader. Yet she was known only
by her works. The Edinburgh Review (May 1823) declares: "She never
appeared in public, nor mingled in private society, but kept herself apart,
like the sweet bird that sings its solitary notes, shrouded and unseen."
She spent a life in the quiet shade of domestic seclusion, unheeded amidst the
bustle of the world, confining her activities to domestic duties and homely
pleasures. "She was more than repaid by the enjoyments which were
fostered in the shade; and perhaps few distinguished authors have passed a
life so blameless and so happy." . . . She probably attended Sophia Lee's
school at Bath, and perhaps the only reference we get about her person is
given by Charles Bucke in an interesting footnote to a curious work, On
the Beauties, Harmonies, and Sublimities of Nature, stating that
"her countenance indicated melancholy. She had been, doubtless, in her
youth, beautiful." We are not yet made aware of any of those amusing
foibles which usually chequer the lives of successful authors: "here are
no brilliant conversational triumphs; no elaborate correspondence with the
celebrated, or the great; no elegant malice; no anecdotes of patrons or
rivals; none of the fashion's idle pastime, nor of controversies, nor idle
business". . . "At the same time The
Italian appeared, probably no author was so generally admired and
so eagerly read as this young woman," says Clara Frances McIntyre in Ann
Radcliffe in Relation to her Time, but in the high period of her
fame she chose to lay by her pen. Probably she was disgusted to see her mode
of composition profaned by a host of servile imitators, who, unable to achieve
her merits, rendered her defects more obvious.
The Castles of Athlin and
Dunbayne - 1789
As interest in Gothic Literature grows, devotion
to Ann Radcliffe continues to increase, yet resources about this author and
her influence are slow to come. Here a number of links devoted to Ann
Radcliffe and her influence on literature. Ann
Radcliffe Online Forum and Resources Ann
Radcliffe: An Overview Ann
Radcliffe Poems The
Gothic: Materials for Study The
Gothic: Materials for Study "On
the Supernatural in Poetry" Radcliffe-related
Student Essays Review
of The Mysteries of Udolpho and The Italian Udolpho-Castle
of Horror
VoS
English Literature: Romantics Ann
Radcliffe, The Italian Exerpts
from Ann Radcliffe's The Italian Ann
Radcliffe 1764-1823. |