A review by smithel
The Romance of the Forest by Ann Radcliffe

3.0

I read this book primarily because it is mentioned in \Emma\ - and the more Mrs. Radcliffe novels I read, the more I appreciate Jane Austen! I have trouble imagining this book to be anything that Mr. Knightley would condone, but I can see the appeal for Harriett Smith, and can imagine Emma reading it as a guilty pleasure. For me, I have a typically modern difficulty digsesting the sickly sweet heroines and heroes of the early gothic novel, but I can see the appeal of the murky, sinister settings, the drawn-out romances, the implausibly elaborate disasters that befall the heroine, and the inevitable happy ending. I can well imagine the gently-reared Regency miss becoming enthralled in a world of adventure and drama.