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Mistress of Udolpho: The Life of Ann Radcliffe

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Or even just love the early Gothic genre then this book is a MUST READ!

So little was ever known or written about Radcliffe but Norton does a spectacular job of digging and unearthing some fascinating and wonderful facts, tidbits and surmises. Since not a lot was known on Radcliffe he follows a lot of conclusions on her upbringing, life, marriage and writing to a very crystal clear logical conclusion.

He writes extensively on her novels and the influences that she read and saw (plays etc.)that formed her glowing genius with the pen. Different theories of the sublime, terror, horror....the picturesqe that she obviously had read and applied.

This is one of those very specific biographies. It's read because you are one of the many enchanted followers of her magic pen. If you adore Radcliffe and thrill at her turn of phrase and the deeply nostaglic past she dredges up in her pages than this biography by Norton is absolutely indispenible to you. You will come away with something having learned a great deal on her, her times, her influences, the long reaching influence of her novels, as well as some tidbits of not so important but nevertheless engaging facts.