The Romance of the Forest

by Ann Radcliffe

Other authorsChloe Chard (Editor)

Paperback, 1986

Status

Available

Call number

823.6

Genres

Collection

Your library

Publication

Oxford University Press, USA (1986), Paperback, 427 pages

Description

The Romance of the Forest (1791) heralded an enormous surge in the popularity of Gothic novels, in a decade that included Ann Radcliffe's later works, The Mysteries of Udolpho and The Italian.Set in Roman Catholic Europe of violent passions and extreme oppression, the novel follows the fate of its heroine Adeline, who is mysteriously placed under the protection of a family fleeing Paris for debt. They take refuge in a ruined abbey in south-eastern France, where sinister relics of thepast - a skeleton, a manuscript, and a rusty dagger - are discovered in concealed rooms. Adeline finds herself at the mercy of the abbey's proprietor, a libidinous Marquis whose attentions finally force her to contemplate escape to distant regions.Rich in allusions to aesthetic theory and to travel literature, The Romance of the Forest is also concerned with current philosophical debate and examines systems of thought central to the intellectual life of late eighteenth-century Europe.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member JBD1

This novel was received to critical acclaim on publication, and it has certainly held up well; as an early example of the gothic style, it's excellent. Creepy abbey with dark mysterious chambers, a manuscript written by a secret prisoner, lots of mistaken identities, &c. Good stuff, and some really

well-handled suspenseful moments and unexpected twists, too.

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LibraryThing member whitewavedarling

This was a pleasant diversion, and interesting as a look into gothic fiction of the eighteenth century, but it was also rather ridiculous at quite a few points. Not a bad piece of entertainment, but aside from historical value, not something I see as a great deal more or which I'll ever go back to.

LibraryThing member jhullie

I can't say I was enthralled by this story, the heroine's constant fainting in the face of adversity annoyed me no end. It was ok but I far prefer other gothic authors.

LibraryThing member Stevil2001

'It is the first proof of a superior mind to liberate itself from prejudices of country, or of education.' (222)

I read this because it was suggested to me that in the works of Ann Radcliffe and Maria Edgeworth I might find those female scientists I often claim did not exist in fiction until the

1880s. Well, I don't think they're to be found in this Gothic novel, either. Adeline may be educated in what we now call sciences, and even in clear thinking, but she is by no means a scientist, or even a (wo)man of science, and her clear thinking isn't linked to any kind of scientific training.

Outside of the science stuff, I didn't find much to enjoy here. Some mildly atmospheric bits, but man much of the rest of it is tedious. Hurry up Victorian realism, make novels palatable.

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LibraryThing member DrFuriosa

Look, nothing is ever going to live up to the rollicking and titillating Gothic romp The Monk. But there is something to be enjoyed in Ann Radcliffe's wholesome and blandly poetic style, even if there is a lot of sighing and tears and fainting. So much fainting. And the obligatory skeleton. And

riches beyond compare at the very end. I do think that Adeline as a protagonist demonstrates much more agency and interiority than the other fairly insipid heroines that populate Gothic tales. For this move towards feminism alone, I give this 4, when it really is closer to a 3.5. Definitely less dramatic and lurid than The Mysteries of Udolpho.

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