Ann Radcliffe, the mother of the English Gothic novel, used her tales of terror to look at feminist themes like inheritance and the dangers of marriage. Unfortunately, her own biography demonstrates that she was confined by what was expected of women writers and is still missing form Gothic 101 syllabi.

[1:22] “As a fun fact to start us off: if you’re a Jane Austen fan, you may recognize the title The Mysteries of Udolpho.”

[5:52] “In fact, there is an argument to be made that even though female protagonists are threatened, scared, and locked away, they find a way to endure throughout the story.”

[13:48] “She was an incredibly popular novelist during her lifetime—some believing *the* most popular of the era."

Books mentioned in this episode:

• Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole
• The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe
• The Italian by Ann Radcliffe
• Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
• Maria: or, The Wrongs of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft
• The Romance of the Forest by Ann Radcliffe
• Waverly by Sir Walter Scott
• Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
• A Sicilian Romance by Ann Radcliffe

More resources for you:

• See what books are on the virtual literary salon schedule.
• Follow me on Instagram @lesalonreads and Twitter @lesalonreads.
• Visit my website.