About
Ann Radcliffe, née Ward in London in 1764, is a major figure of the Gothic novel. She published her first novel, The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne, in 1789. Her breakthrough came with The Romance of the Forest (1791), followed by The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794), which made her famous throughout England. Her last novel, The Italian (1797), is considered her masterpiece. She stopped writing at age 33 and lived in seclusion until her death in 1823. Her work influenced Jane Austen, the Brontë sisters, and Edgar Allan Poe. She distinguished 'terror' from 'horror', a key idea in Gothic aesthetics.
* 1764-07-09 — † 1823-02-07
Major works
- The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne (1789)novel
- The Romance of the Forest (1791)novel
- The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794)novel
- The Italian (1797)novel
- On the Supernatural in Poetry (1826)essay
Key milestones
- 1794Publishes The Mysteries of Udolpho, which makes her famous throughout England.
- 1797Stops publishing novels at age 33, at the height of her fame.
- 1826Posthumous publication of her essay 'On the Supernatural in Poetry', where she distinguishes 'terror' from 'horror'.
Themes
The GothicMysteryThe sublimePersecuted innocenceThe supernatural
Sources: oxfordreference.com · britannica.com · id.loc.gov