The Mysteries of Udolpho

The Mysteries of Udolpho By Ann Radcliffe A quintessential Gothic romance with crumbling castles; supernatural events; physical and psychological terror and a scheming villain. Author Ann Radcliffe, who inspired Jane Austen among others, also added extensive descriptions of exotic landscapes in the Pyrenees and Apennines. The story is set in 1584 in southern France and northern Italy and focuses on the plight of young French woman Emily St. Aubert. The orphaned Emily is imprisoned in the castle Udolpho at the hands of Italian Signor Montoni. Emily's romance with dashing Valancourt is frustrated by Montoni and others. Fans of Jane Austen will be delighted to know that Austen parodied Radcliffe's novel in Northanger Abbey.