Downloads & Free Reading Options - Results

1Mysteries of Udolpho

By Ann Radcliffe

Considered a change agent in early Gothic romance; oft-referenced in later literary works or paid homage to by such authors as Jane Austen (influential novel ready by her heroine, Catherine Morland, in <i>Northanger Abbey</i>); Edgar Allen Poe (borrowed plot elements for the short story <i>The Oval Portrait</i>); and Sir Walter Scott. - In <i>The Mysteries of Udolpho</i>, one of the most famous and popular gothic novels of the eighteenth century, Ann Radcliffe took a new tack from her predecessors and portrayed her heroine's inner life, creating an atmosphere thick with fear, and providing a gripping plot that continues to thrill readers today. - <i>The Mysteries of Udolpho</i>, set in Europe in the year 1584, is the story of orphan Emily St. Aubert, who finds herself separated from the man she loves and confined within the medieval castle of her aunt's new husband, Montoni, after being forced to travel through France and Italy. Inside the castle, she must cope with an unwanted suitor, Montoni's threats, and the wild imaginings and terrors that threaten to overwhelm her. - The mysterious happenings in the story always have a natural and probable explanation because Radcliffe was a very rational person and did not believe in the supernatural. Radcliffe's strengths in writing were in describing scenery as well as suspense and terror. Many critics have called the work "dreamlike" and "suggestive of the cinematic technique of slow-motion." (Summary by Wikipedia/Michelle Crandall)

2Sicilian Romance

By Ann Radcliffe

A Sicilian Romance is a Gothic novel by Ann Radcliffe. It was her second published work, and was first published anonymously in 1790. The plot concerns the turbulent history of the fallen aristocrats of the house of Mazzini, on the northern shore of Sicily, as related by a tourist who becomes intrigued by the stories of a monk he meets in the ruins of their doomed castle.<br /><br /> The introduction to the 'Worlds Classics' edition notes that in this novel "Ann Radcliffe began to forge the unique mixture of the psychology of terror and poetic description that would make her the great exemplar of the Gothic novel, and the idol of the Romantics". The novel explores the "cavernous landscapes and labyrinthine passages of Sicily's castles and convents to reveal the shameful secrets of its all-powerful aristocracy" (Summary from Wikipedia)

The love story between a nobleman and a beautiful lady whom he meets in church leads both of them to unexpected places, as many people would not put up with their love. This novel is considered to be one of the best Gothic novels ever written, by one of the first (and best) writers of the genre. How does an "indecent" love story become a Gothic tale? What is the outcome of this love story? If you want to know, read this book. (Summary by Stav Nisser)<p> NOTE: There was no chapter 30 in the edition used in this project. The chapter numbers skip from 29 to 31. Chapter 5 was added on 28/Aug/2020.

In Edwy, Ann Radcliffe gives us a delightful piece of poetic moonshine, whose eponymous hero seeks assistance from the world of faerie in order to spy on his girlfriend, Aura, and see if she really loves him. He does this by venturing unseen into Windsor Forest at night to trap the love-fay, Eda, who, once spellbound, must reveal all and let him remotely view Aura's activities by means of a magic mirror cut from crystal. <br /><br /> In addition to this early form of cyberstalking, Edwy, on his night-journey into the forest gets to witness a royal procession of the Fairie Queen, followed by midnight revels of elves and spirits. What seems like a mid-summer night's dream turns into a comedy of errors, though, as Edwy suffers memory loss, makes a false start, and unintentionally looses a mischievous wood sprite in the course of his romantic quest. <br /><br /> Puckishly playful, Mrs. Radcliffe imbues her tale with a remarkable sense of the glimmering feyness of the nighttime forest, making a principal appeal of the poem's dreamlike world the inscrutability and ultimate indeterminacy of events glimpsed by moonlight. (Summary by Grant Hurlock)

A Gothic novel famously mentioned by Jane Austen in "Northanger Abbey" as an inspiration for the romantic ideals and supernatural fears of Catherine. Ann Radcliffe has been called the "Great Enchantress" of her age and this is one of her finest novels. Supernatural eerie thrills, midnight explorations of draughty corridors and mysterious partly burned notes all play their parts. There are noblemen in disguise, a duel, a trial, a dangerous illness, a deathbed confession and, of course, a dark and handsome hero with a fatal secret! - Summary by Beth Thomas <br><br> <i>This project was proof-listened by <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/3220">Betty M.</a> and <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/7078">Mary in Arkansas</a>.</i>

Ann Radcliffe is the founder of the gothic novel. This novel is no exception. The wicked baron murdered the good earl's father twelve years before the novel began. Only twelve years later, free from his mother's wishes, can the earl seek revenge. Meanwhile, Mary, the earl's beautiful sister is falling in love with a peasant. Yet her brother was abducted by the baron and he wants to marry her. She may have to wed him in order to secure his return. We see Mary's conflict along with a description of her brother's captivity. This book has everything: murder, revenge, battles, damsels in distress, aristocrats, captives, secrets, and, most of all, love. It is a love story in every sense: the love to the Scottish highlands in which it is set, the family love that binds almost above all else, and of course the love between men and women. This short work would later influence Radcliffe's other works. Radcliffe had an influence on Jane Austen, Mary Shelley, and many others who wrote popular gothic novels. - Summary by Stav Nisser and Wikipedia