Zofloya (Broadview Literary Texts Series) [Paperback]

Charlotte Dacre (Author), Adriana Craciun (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1551111462 | ISBN-13: 978-1551111469 | Publication Date: June 10, 1997 | Edition: New edition

The protagonist of Charlotte Dacre's best known novel, Zofloya, or the Moor (1806) is unique in women's Gothic and Romantic literature, and has more in common with the heroines of Sade or M.G. Lewis than with those of Ann Radcliffe, Charlotte Smith or Jane Austen. No heroine of Radcliffe or Austen could exult, as Victoria does in this novel, that "there is certainly a pleasure...in the infliction of prolonged torment." The sexual desires and ambition of Dacre's protagonist, Victoria, drive her to seduce, torture and murder. Victoria is inspired to greater criminal and illicit acts by a seductive Lucifer, disguised as a Moor, before she too is plunged into an abyss by her demon lover. The text's unusual evocations of the female body and feminine subject are of particular interest in the context of the history of sexuality and of the body; after embarking on a series of violent crimes, Victoria's body actually begins to grow stronger and decidedly more masculine. Among the documents included as appendices to this volume are a selection of Dacre's poetry and excerpts from Bienville's Nymphomania, a medical treatise of the time aimed at a lay audience that focuses largely on the dangerous powers of women's imagination; inspired by improper novels, it is alleged that women may plunge into madness, violence and death—much as does the protagonist of Zofloya herself.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Through Victoria, the femme fatale heroine of her powerful Gothic novel, Charlotte Dacre revels in the uninhibited expression of female desire; for sexual consummation, for psychological and political power, for religious transgression. This novel is superbly edited and introduced by Adriana Craciun." (Anne K. Mellor )

"Like other editions in this fine series, this one provides an informative critical introduction, as well as several appendixes featuring notable sources for Dacre's novel and selections from the reviews it received in 1806." (Nineteenth-Century Literature )

From the Back Cover

The protagonist of Charlotte Dacre's best known novel, Zofloya, or the Moor (1806) is unique in women's Gothic and Romantic literature, and has more in common with the heroines of Sade or M.G. Lewis than with those of Ann Radcliffe, Charlotte Smith or Jane Austen. No heroine of Radcliffe or Austen could exult, as Victoria does in this novel, that "there is certainly a pleasure...in the infliction of prolonged torment." The sexual desires and ambition of Dacre's protagonist, Victoria, drive her to seduce, torture and murder. Victoria is inspired to greater criminal and illicit acts by a seductive Lucifer, disguised as a Moor, before she too is plunged into an abyss by her demon lover. The text's unusual evocations of the female body and feminine subject are of particular interest in the context of the history of sexuality and of the body; after embarking on a series of violent crimes, Victoria's body actually begins to grow stronger and decidedly more masculine. Among the documents included as appendices to this volume are a selection of Dacre's poetry and excerpts from Bienville's Nymphomania, a medical treatise of the time aimed at a lay audience that focuses largely on the dangerous powers of women's imagination; inspired by improper novels, it is alleged that women may plunge into madness, violence and death—much as does the protagonist of Zofloya herself.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Broadview Press; New edition edition (June 10, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1551111462
• ISBN-13: 978-1551111469
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #165,766 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 'there is certainly a pleasure...in the infliction of prolonged torment', March 10, 2010

By 

Autumn - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zofloya (Broadview Literary Texts Series) (Paperback)

Zofloya is both fascinating to study and a really good read. The main character, Victoria, is a strikingly unusual protagonist and very much subverts the conventions of what was thought to be appropriate 'women's literature' at the time Dacre was writing. It works on a bunch of levels - you can analyse the moral structure of the novel, the images of violence, look at it in context of orientalist writing, compare it to Sade...or just enjoy the great writing that compels you to turn the pages as quickly as any modern Gothic novel would. This is one of my favourite books. I normally just buy the cheapest edition of a book, but in this case I'd highly recommend the Broadview copy for the interesting introductions and helpful contextual materials at the back.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Two novels in one, November 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Zofloya: or The Moor (World's Classics) (Paperback)

This actually seems like two separate novels. The first section describes Victoria, a spoiled woman who's mother leaves her father for a libertine. The first Volume and a half describe her life and her attempts at becoming her own woman. But the telling is quick and boring. The second half tells of only a few months of Victoria's life, and her strange love for Zofloya, the moorish servant of her husband's brother. Fromt his point on, the novel becomes a harrowing tale of murder and revenge. Intensely violent, and very entertaining, the second half almost makes of for the rather lackluster beginning.

6 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Poisoned Pages, March 26, 2001

By 

kimberly oliva (chicago, illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zofloya (Broadview Literary Texts Series) (Paperback)

The text is of particular interst for its depiction of "subtle poison that which is extracted from and administered by books" (Dacre)The act of writing and reading are "sovereign poisons," an interesting notion from a woman writer in the early 19th century.