Mysteries of Udolpho Review

Review of The Mysteries of Udolpho

By: Ann Radcliffe

            While traveling to visit her Aunt Madame Cheron, Emily’s father dies and she must live with her, but the pair don’t connect with each.  Her aunt’s new husband Count Montoni tries to arrange Emily’s marriage to a Count Morano, but he turns out to not to be as rich as he led them to believe.  Montoni uproots them to his Castle, Udolpho, in the Italian Mountains and holds them hostage, trying to force Emily’s aunt to give up her fortune.

            This was quite the read and a page turner, but it was also an exhausting read.  I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t absolutely love it.  Emily is sensible and isn’t completely naïve, but I did get frustrated and annoyed with her in the last part of the story. The last part of the novel also felt like a whole another story.   Montoni is an unpredictable and frightening antagonist to read about as he tries to intimidate Emily and her aunt.  I appreciate how Emily stood up to him even in fear and didn’t cower like other female heroines would.  Her aunt, Madame was annoying, but I did feel sorry for her towards the end.  It annoyed me when she was impatient with Emily’s grief over her father’s death, expecting her to get over it even though she lost him only a few days ago.  Annette and Theresa were great secondary characters and Theresa was saying exactly what I was thinking.  Annette’s assuming everything is supernatural and Emily getting impatient with Annette’s habit of going off on tangents is fun to read about it.  There are so many beautiful descriptions of the landscapes that immerse me easily in the setting of France and Italy.  Emily fancies herself a poet and loves poetry so there are poems throughout that are beautifully written, but sometimes tedious to read through, so at times I skipped some of them.   The atmosphere was quite creepy and mysteries with a lot of secrets to unravel. It was written originally in 1794 and set in 1584, so the characters are so dramatic for me as a modern reader, and the dialogue is overtopped in tone and words.    There were some challenging aspects of the writing such as the awkward sentences throughout.  An example “They now returned to the supper-room, where the Count’s guests awaited to accompany him and Ludovico to the door of the north apartments, and Dorothee, being summoned for the keys, delivered them to Ludovico, who then led the way, followed by most of the inhabitants of the Chateau.”  “Generously anxious for her peace, Emily, therefore, tried to persuade, when she could convince, and sought by every gentle means to induce her to forebear the asperity of reply, which so greatly irritated Montoni.”  The sentences don’t flow or feel natural, too many pauses.  I know Emily’s life is sad and terrifying, but if I had a dollar for every time Mrs. Radcliffe used the word melancholy I would have quite a bit of money.    I had my problems, but wanted to know what was going to happen to Emily and if she would be reunited with Valancourt. This kept me engaged enough to keep reading the 672 pages, despite feeling of  mental exhaustion while reading at times.