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3.28 AVERAGE
3.28 AVERAGE
If you took a carnival creep show and mixed it with a classic Disney princess film you’d have The Mysteries of Udolpho. From my 21st century perspective, I found it odd, silly, occasionally scary, and only modestly satisfying. But I can imagine readers in 1794 turning the pages in the gloom of candlelight anxious to discover what would become of the star-crossed heroine and her chevalier, peering wide-eyed over their shoulders every time they heard a sound.
Regardless of my own lukewarm experience, I say hats off to Ann Radcliffe for this crazy creation. She was the mother of gothic literature and therefore I have much to thank her for – the Brontës and Poe most of all. Even Dostoyevsky was a fan.
Regardless of my own lukewarm experience, I say hats off to Ann Radcliffe for this crazy creation. She was the mother of gothic literature and therefore I have much to thank her for – the Brontës and Poe most of all. Even Dostoyevsky was a fan.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
This has been on my TBR for years. Finishing The Mysteries of Udolpho is an accomplishment. I first became fascinated with this book after reading Northanger Abby and The Italian. Of the three, The Italian is still the best.
dark
slow-paced
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Oh god, I found this book to be torture. I realize it is not a book of our time, but 2/3 of it is descriptions of mountains, the heroine is insipidly virtuous and the outcome of the mysteries, irrelevant. I am proud of myself for finishing though, even if i did skim quite a but. Hated it!
slow-paced
This was my second time reading Udolpho. It's super long and I was impatient the first time. I enjoy gothic fiction for the atmosphere and Udolpho has tons, but Radcliffe is soooo listless with the plot - spending pages and pages describing scenery, for example - that I got frustrated.
Sometime after that, I realized that the problem was partly me. I was focusing so much on the mysteries and revelations that I wasn't allowing myself to become immersed in the story. I decided to try again. And it worked better this time. It took me over a year to get through it, but I let myself enjoy each paragraph on its own merits and just generally appreciate spending time in the world.
I still don't love it though. Radcliffe sets up cool, spooky mysteries and then sort of makes fun of you for getting wrapped up in them. It's not enough for her to reveal that nothing is supernatural; she makes the explanations so mundane and normal that I feel let down.
Sometime after that, I realized that the problem was partly me. I was focusing so much on the mysteries and revelations that I wasn't allowing myself to become immersed in the story. I decided to try again. And it worked better this time. It took me over a year to get through it, but I let myself enjoy each paragraph on its own merits and just generally appreciate spending time in the world.
I still don't love it though. Radcliffe sets up cool, spooky mysteries and then sort of makes fun of you for getting wrapped up in them. It's not enough for her to reveal that nothing is supernatural; she makes the explanations so mundane and normal that I feel let down.
The old-fashioned longwinded style was hard to get through, but I liked the story.
Read Harder Challenge 2023: Read one of your favorite author’s favorite books (Jane Austen).
Read Harder Challenge 2023: Read one of your favorite author’s favorite books (Jane Austen).
Primo Victorian melodrama.
Would've been improved by removing about 2/3 of the commas though.
Would've been improved by removing about 2/3 of the commas though.