A Sicilian Romance

by Ann Radcliffe

Overview

In A Sicilian Romance (1790) 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. This early novel explores the cavernous landscapes and labyrinthine passages of Sicily's castles and convents to reveal the shameful secrets of its all-powerful aristocracy.

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Product Details

ISBN-13:	9788829583706
Publisher:	anamsaleem
Publication date:	12/02/2018
Sold by:	StreetLib SRL
Format:	eBook
File size:	354 KB

About the Author

Ann Radcliffe (1764-1823) was an English novelist. Born in London, she moved with her family to Bath in 1772 and was known as a shy girl in her youth. In 1787, she married Oxford graduate William Radcliffe, who owned and edited the English Chronicle. While he worked late to supervise the publication of the evening paper, Ann remained at home working on stories for her own entertainment. Eventually, with William’s encouragement, she began publishing her novels and soon became one of the bestselling writers of her time. Recognized as a pioneering author of Gothic fiction, Radcliffe first found acclaim with The Romance of the Forest (1791) and published her magnum opus, The Mysteries of Udolpho, just three years later. By the end of the eighteenth century, Radcliffe found herself at odds with the growing popularity of Gothic fiction and withdrew from public life almost entirely. While several biographers, including Christina Rossetti and Walter Scott, have attempted to piece together the story of her life, a lack of written correspondence and her overall pension for privacy have made her a figure whose mystery mirrors that of her novels.

Table of Contents

About the Author ......... vi

Character List .......... ix

A Sicilian Romance .......... 1

Poem: Sonnet .......... 25

Poem: Evening .......... 45

Poem: Song .......... 88

Poem: Superstition - An Ode .......... 124

Editorial Reviews

[A Sicilian Romance] attracted in no ordinary degree the attention of the public…far excelling the ordinary meagerness [of contemporary fiction].”

Sir Walter Scott

'Every Romantic or post-Romantic author you can think of imitated, discussed or cited her.' - John Dugdale, The Guardian

'It was particularly Radcliffe's deft manipulation of the experience or terror and wonder that, together with her superlative skills in the rendition of visual, almost pictorial natural landscapes, most pleased her early readers.' - Dale Townshend, British Library.

From the Publisher