A Sicilian Romance: A Gothic Novel Review
I've read all of Mrs. Radcliffe's novels, except for her last one. I must admit that this novel is not as good as The Mysteries of Udolpho. But I think when reading this novel it's important to keep in mind why Ann Radcliffe wrote it in the first place.
It's impossible to appreciate Ann Radcliffe's intentions in writing this book and the complexities of The Italian without having first read Matthew "Monk" Lewis' The Monk. Lewis was so inspired by The Mysteries of Udolpho that he wrote The Monk, which has characters engaging in activities that are horrifying. (Lewis became so identified with his book that he was nicknamed Monk Lewis.) Mrs. Radcliffe was very upset that Lewis was inspired by her book to write his. In response to The Monk, Mrs. Radcliffe wrote The Italian. Mrs. Radcliffe "corrected" in The Italian what she felt was wrong and horrifying about The Monk.
For anyone who finds The Italian lacking at all, I highly recommend he or she read The Monk to gain a better understanding of what Ann Radcliffe was trying to accomplish. And for anyone who has not read The Italian yet, read The Monk first- then I'm sure you will find The Italian a much more enjoyable read.
A Sicilian Romance: A Gothic Novel Overview
A Gothic novel by Ann Radcliffe, "A Sicilian Romance" was published anonymously in 1790. The plot revolves around the turbulent history of the fallen aristocrats of the house of Mazzini who lived in a castle on the northern shore of Sicily. The tale is told by a tourist who becomes intrigued by stories he hears from a monk he runs into while exploring the ruins of the old castle. The story itself is set in the late 1500s with the main characters being Julia and her sister Emilia, who are daughters of the Fifth Marquis of Mazzini, a haughty, cruel man. The girls mother had been a charming beauty of a woman that died quite suddenly. The girls are left in the care of their mother's friend and spend their entire childhood on the father's estate with no company except an occasional visit from their father. The girls grow to be talented, beautiful young women. When one of the servants dies, the father returns to the castle and decides to throw a lavish party. There Julia meets and falls in love with a young count and they decide to attempt to escape and elope. The rest of the tale revolves around the good and evil characters with clever twists and turns. This was the second book by Ann Radcliffe who was the most popular writer of her day and was almost universally known.
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