Valperga: Or, the Life and Adventures of Castruccio, Prince of Lucca (Oxford World's Classics) [Paperback]

Mary Shelley (Author), Michael Rossington (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Oxford World's Classics | Publication Date: July 20, 2000

Valperga (1823), the novel Mary Shelley wrote after Frankenstein, is based on the life of Castruccio Castracani (1281-1328), Prince of Lucca. A brilliant soldier and cruel tyrant, he successfully commanded Ghibelline forces in Tuscany against the Guelphs. Woven into the story of this factional conflict are the tragic destinies of two heroines, fictional creations of the author. Ethanasia, Countess of Valperga, finds herself increasingly torn between loyalty to her Guelph roots and her lifelong affection for Castruccio. Beatrice, whom the author's father, William Godwin, described as 'the jewel of the book', is a heretical Paterin with whom Castruccio falls in love only to abandon. This meticulously researched historical novel combines a narrative of suspense with a remarkable reconstruction of manners in the Middle Ages. Set in the period of Dante's lifetime, it is also suffused with a poetic spirit which evokes the beauties of Italy's physical environment and points to the melancholy inevitability of change. This edition provides a clear account of the circumstances in which Valperga was composed and published.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Shelley followed up Frankenstein with this 1823 novel that tells the story of a 14th-century Italian prince and the women in his life. This scholarly edition offers the full text plus useful extras such as maps, textual notes, a chronology, and an introduction. A lot for the price.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

",,,Curran's edition is an excellent resource for scholarly study and an affordable alternative for the classroom....Curran's footnotes are useful, learned and tactful...[and] he provides a suggestive and illuminating chronology and selective bibliography."--The Wordsworth Circle

"Curran dazzles us with the meticulous and thorough editing that we have come to expect from him....an excellent resource for scholarly study....At every step, Curran quietly and thoroughly immerses readers in the complex historical, political, and biographical context of the novel."--Romantic Circles

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (July 20, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192832891
• ISBN-13: 978-0192832894
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,429,187 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read, July 31, 2007

By 

LR (Somewhere in the world) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Valperga: Or, the Life and Adventures of Castruccio, Prince of Lucca (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

Valperga is Shelley's 1823 historical and fictional account of the life of Castruccio Castracani who lived in the 14th century. You don't need to know anything about Italian history to become immersed and interested in this political novel. Shelley's story is exciting, and the Oxford edition provides numerous notes to clarify the historical figures and situations that are a part of the story. The novel follows the life of Castruccio, from his birth and the exiling of his Ghibelline family by the Guelphs to his rise as a commanding, powerful and tyrannical prince. Shelley writes about Castruccio's political and social endeavors which intertwine with the prince's relationships with two women, the devout, loyal, and powerful Guelph, Euthanasia, and the eccentric and heretical Beatrice. This novel of loyalty, love, war, religion, politics, and the desire for power is a novel that anyone seeking out more work by Mary Shelley should read.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars started out below average, but got better, November 29, 2005

By 

Butro78 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Valperga: Or, the Life and Adventures of Castruccio, Prince of Lucca (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

I was disappointed with the beginning of the book. It made me think that the whole story would revolve around the struggles of an exiled prince that sought to reclaim his "rightful" seat of power in his native town. Pretty worn out material.

The book got more interesting as Euthanasia and Beatrice were added to the plot. It seemed though that the women of the story were too much influenced by Castruccio throughout their lives. He lied to and scorned both of them, and seemed to never put them ahead of his addiction to power, yet they were enthusiastically driven mad by the memory of him.

Being that the book was written by a revolutionary female English author who grew up in the early and mid 19th century, I thought the women characters in the novel would reflect a sense of triumphant independence. Maybe back then her characters were exceedingly strong, but not very by today's standards.

I can say that Shelley's writing was enjoyable, and her descriptions were wonderful. I also like the references throughout to Dante and various other historical personalities.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Unfortunately boring, June 13, 2009

By 

Amadeus (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Valperga: Or, the Life and Adventures of Castruccio, Prince of Lucca (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

I was very excited to read this novel as both a great lover of Italy history and of Shelley's Frankenstein. However, this book really lost my interest about half way through. Shelley's writing is not up to par with her more famous work and the novel is hardly about the "Life and Adventures of Castruccio" and much more about two female characters. Oh well, it was worth a try.