The Mysterious Warning: A German Tale (Northanger Abbey Horrid Novels) (Gothic Classics) [Paperback]

Eliza Parsons (Author), Karen Morton (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Gothic Classics | Publication Date: December 5, 2007

The good old Count Renaud is dead, and his will makes the degenerate Rhodophil his heir, disinheriting his other son Ferdinand, who has married against his father's wishes. Rhodophil promises to share his new riches with his younger brother and his wife Claudina, but Ferdinand hears a mysterious voice from beyond the grave, warning him to flee his brother and his wife to save himself from sin and death!

Ferdinand obeys the supernatural warning and sets out to find fortune and adventure. In the course of his quest he will encounter a recluse in a ruined castle with a horrible secret, find himself captured and imprisoned by the Turkish army, and encounter one of Gothic literature's most depraved female characters, the monstrous Fatima. And if he survives all these dangers, Ferdinand must return to Renaud Castle to solve the mystery of the ghostly voice and uncover the terrible truth about his wife and his brother!

This edition includes the unabridged text of the four volume 1796 edition, with a new introduction and notes by Karen Morton, and reproductions of illustrations from the 1796 and 1824 editions.

Product Details

• Paperback: 420 pages
• Publisher: Valancourt Books (December 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1934555347
• ISBN-13: 978-1934555347
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,579,936 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "fly, fly from her arms...", October 25, 2010

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This review is from: The Mysterious Warning: A German Tale (Northanger Abbey Horrid Novels) (Gothic Classics) (Paperback)

That's just one of the warnings that Frederick hears from the mysterious voice of his dead father. His half-brother Rhodophil hears the voice, too, much to his horror.

Our hero is Frederick, an upright young man with a melancholy air. He's been banished from his father's castle and disinherited because of marrying against his father's wishes. His half-brother promises to supply all Frederick's wants, but there's something fishy about his protestations of friendship. Rhodophil is strangely anxious to enlist Frederick in the army and get some alone time with Frederick's wife.

Frederick is a charming combination of masculine and feminine qualities. Calamities reduce him to tears and fainting, but he's fearless in dangerous situations and quite adept at rescuing people from terrible plights.

The novel purports to caution young people not to marry against their parents' wishes, and parents not to coerce children into repulsive marriages. This gives the author the opportunity to portray the dire consequences of several unfortunate unions.

The Mysterious Warning (1796) is one of the seven "horrid novels" satirized by Jane Austen in Northanger Abbey. It is indeed satisfyingly "horrid," filled with hideous misdeeds by profligate nobles, abductions, murders and banditry. Multiple subplots keep the action hot, and Frederick escapes death with remarkable frequency. The smartest character in the book is an admirable servant who foils evil plots and watches over Frederick's interests.

Eliza Parsons took up writing at age fifty to support her eight children after the death of her husband. Another of her novels, The Castle of Wolfenbach, is also on the "horrid" list. Both are great fun to read and good examples of the Gothic novel. The introduction, which is best read after the novel, is excellent.