Mrs Radcliffe wrote 'Gothic' novels which were very fashionable and popular light reading at the time - 'Mysteries of Udolpho' is perhaps her best known and I think this was the one which Austen satirized in N.A.

I read a couple of her books millions of years ago, in conjunction with Jane Austen, when I was reading English at university and now I can't remember a thing about them, I'm afraid.

Dido

I've never opened "The Italian," but I found her "Mysteries of Udolpho" online somewhere and read a few random excerpts awhile back. As Dido said, this is the book that Catherine Morland and company celebrated with such morbid fascination in Austen's "Northanger Abbey." I guess sensibilities must have been different back then. It struck me as dull and anything but spine-tingling.

A bit off topic, but along the same lines, I also read "Lovers' Vows" -- the bawdy, inappropriate play that was acted by the "Mansfield Park" crew. It was cute in a grange-hall production sort of way, but utterly harmless. Yes, I guess sensibilites have changed.

Did anyone else watch the old gothic "Dark Shadows" TV series? I tuned in faithfully when I was a very small child. I had to sneak to watch it, and quickly change channels when my custodial grandmother entered the room. I think she would have shivered over Mrs. Radcliffe.

All of the popular gothic romance novels I read in the 1960's referred over and over to The Mysteries of Udolpho, so of course I had to read it for myself. I found a copy in my college library. (I also found Lady Chatterly's Lover, but that's another story.) I'm with the rest of you. It was pretty dreary, with long, soulful descriptive passages that would have benefitted greatly from a ruthless editor. They had to pad it out to three volumes somehow. (Actually, I think certain modern fantasy writers have much the same problem, and with a similar result.) Anyway, I must admit to having skimmed a lot of passages, and I pretty much forget the story. I remember stories by Victoria Holt and Mary Stewart much better, superficial creature that I am.

Rosefolly

Rosefolly, Mary Stewart is wonderful! She's just the best of her kind. Victoria Holt I used to read, too, but she's not so good.

I never managed to get hold of a copy of 'Lovers' Vows',musicmom, and I suppose I wasn't altogether sorry. If J.A. knocked it, then it must be bad, I think. I have every respect for that woman's judgement.

Dido

The play the girls act in the beginning of Little Women was also modeled on Udolpho-style writing-but in that case, Jo was TRYING to emulate the "drama and angst" as she, as a creative adolescent, thought it was WONDERFUL!
Loved Dark Shadows, used to hurry home with my neighbor best friend and curl up on the couch to be terrified of Barnabas, and to warn that dope Vicky...who never listened...my DD and I stumbled across a re-showing recently and died laughing. The bat fluttering by-complete with hanging filament and boom shadow-the set wall that shook when the door was slammed-very fun. My mother used to come in, see Elizabeth Bennett, sigh and say "she was a wonderful stage actress once, I wonder how she stuck got on THAT show."
I agree that Mary Stewart is a better writer, but Victoria Holt is the perfect middle school girl's "grown-up" writer.

Hmm... I am beginning to think I shall give it a go, but not feel terribly guilty if I toss it aside in favor of the other book waiting for me, Nathaniel Hawthorne's The House of Seven Gables.

PAM

Well, I think you are all being unduly harsh to poor Mrs. Radcliffe. Lord knows the lady had enough trouble, what with being a wealthy but mad recluse. Seriously though, I would defend The Mysteries of Udolpho, in spite of its many flaws. I would be the first to admit that large sections of the book are wearingly slow. The novel, however, really becomes weirdly compelling during the heroine's imprisonment at the remote castle of a near satanic male relative. The heroine struggles to retain her senses as she faces a nightmarish daily routine of menace and oppression.

The book may not be the taste of most modern readers, but it is not without aspects which still make worth reading.

I haven't read Radcliffe but I did read Northanger Abbey - and if Austen was satirizing Radcliffe, then I suspect even then there was some trouble with the author. But obviously many people then, and now, like her for what ever reason. And now I am wanting to read NA again.

>Did anyone else watch the old gothic "Dark Shadows" TV series?

Oh gawd yes, religiously. I was in love with Quentin, and remember that theme song? I can still hum it. Then like you ccr, I rented a DVD and showed it to my DH - oh did we roar. Oh my. But it was fun, and even scary, in its time.

Just in case anyone is interested, here's Radcliffe's Mysteries of Udolpho online (opens a new browser window):

Mysteries of Udolpho

Victoria Holt !! Mary Stewart!! mmmmmm two of my favorites from my youth.