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50th out of 270 books
—
1,239 voters
The Italian
From the first moment Vincentio di Vivaldi, a young nobleman, sets eyes on the veiled figure of Ellena, he is captivated by her enigmatic beauty and grace. But his haughty and manipulative mother is against the match and enlists the help of her confessor to come between them. Schedoni, previously a leading figure of the Inquisition, is a demonic, scheming monk with no qual...more
Paperback, 544 pages
Published
February 1st 2001
by Penguin Classics
(first published 1797)
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This is the first time I've read a book that had me force myself through the first half, to then discover something of the most wonderful literature I can remember.
Therefore, it's very hard to grade The Italian. It's a slow, difficult read as much as a wonderful, subtle, psychological piece of work. The naive Vivaldi falls in love at first sight with the lovely, but poor Ellena. His mother, the Marchesa, does everything in her power to stop them seeing each other. She contacts her confessor, the...more
Therefore, it's very hard to grade The Italian. It's a slow, difficult read as much as a wonderful, subtle, psychological piece of work. The naive Vivaldi falls in love at first sight with the lovely, but poor Ellena. His mother, the Marchesa, does everything in her power to stop them seeing each other. She contacts her confessor, the...more
Sags a little here and there - and steals the Marquis de Montalt's oh-so-convenient exit from The Romance of the Forest for an ending - but is still miles more enjoyable than Udolpho, and with infinitely less padding (not a poem in sight!).
The dreamy, dreary little sequence with Ellena by the sea displays some of the most effectively eerie writing of Radcliffe's whole career; it really does feel like a long, slow-percolating nightmare.
The dreamy, dreary little sequence with Ellena by the sea displays some of the most effectively eerie writing of Radcliffe's whole career; it really does feel like a long, slow-percolating nightmare.
Aug 04, 2008
veronica
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Fans of gothic, British, 19th c
Recommended to veronica by:
Dr. R
Shelves:
classics
After having read "The Mysteries of Udolfo," I was very excited to read "The Italian," which Dr. R. had mentioned is an even better book. I don't know if it's really "better" but it is very different. The gothic elements in "The Italian" are far less of the "ghost and goblin" kind (think the curtain in "Udolfo," or the mystery corpse), and more of the evil that human nature is possible of. The plot is relatively easy to keep track of, and the characters are more deeply developed than in "Udolfo,...more
The Italian is the first of Ann Radcliffe’s novels that I’ve read. I can certainly see why Jane Austen just couldn’t help herself and had to parody this style of book in Northanger Abbey. The absurdly complicated and melodramatic plot that relies on so many ridiculous coincidences was too easy a target to be ignored. The other great fault of the book is that the characterisations are just too black and white. The book does have considerable strengths though. Radcliffe is exceptionally good at cr...more
Ann Radcliffe's novel is one of the landmarks of the early gothic novel, and a basic sketch of the plot shows us why: aristocrat Vivaldi falls in love with the lovely Ellena, a girl without title or money, and his family conspires to go to any lengths to keep them apart, eventually involving the sinister and amoral monk Schedoni in their plans. Vivaldi and Ellena are sympathetic enough, but Schedoni steals the show, as all great villains do--murder, blackmail, false accusations, family abandonme...more
Ann Radcliffe's "The Italian" is a marvelous story written in the 18th century which does tend to follow the many prevalent themes found in "Gothic Literature" This novel does deviate from the norm in that generally one finds gothic servants to be minor characters which are used as a tool to provide some comic relief for the reader. Radcliffe goes against this ideal and uses the servant character of Paulo to provide a facilitator of all important events, a romantic voice in the novel, and also a...more
What is there to say about Ann Radcliffe's The Italian? I will say that it's rather obvious how the novel can be seen as one of the landmark Gothic novels of its time. It might not have been as influential as Radcliffe's The Mysteries of Udolpho, but The Italian carries with it heavy Romantic and Gothic elements that showcase Radcliffe's talent in constructing highly detailed settings. I would say that this is what I took the most from The Italian. Radcliffe goes on and on about the mountains in...more
At the time of writing this review I still have one hundred pages of the book to read, so my opinion of the novel itself may heighten or decline by the time I am finished. However, being very near the end of the book I feel my opinion on the text wont dramatically change. The Italian is no doubt a very important book in terms of it being widely considered one of the first major pieces of Gothic literature. Radcliffe, through the writing of this novel, brought to the forefront of British literatu...more
First published in 1797, The Italian is one of the finest examples of Gothic romance. The fast-paced narrative centres on Ann Radcliffe's most brilliant creation, the sinister monk Schedoni, whose past is shrouded in mystery.
From the opening chapters the reader is ushered into a shadowy world, in which crime and religion intermingle. Leagued against Ellena di Rosalba and Vincentio di Vivaldi's union are the proud and ambitious Marchese [sic:] di Vivaldi and her confessor Father Schedoni. Superna...more
From the opening chapters the reader is ushered into a shadowy world, in which crime and religion intermingle. Leagued against Ellena di Rosalba and Vincentio di Vivaldi's union are the proud and ambitious Marchese [sic:] di Vivaldi and her confessor Father Schedoni. Superna...more
Oh, man. What's happening to me? I really enjoyed this book.
It's essentially the story of two young people who conceive a deep and abiding love for each other on the strength of a very brief acquaintance, largely consisting of longing for each other from afar after a brief initial meeting and subsequently spending a few boating trips together, chaperoned by suitably respectable relatives. The boy is from a noble and proud family; the girl, apparently, is from far more humble stock. His parents,...more
It's essentially the story of two young people who conceive a deep and abiding love for each other on the strength of a very brief acquaintance, largely consisting of longing for each other from afar after a brief initial meeting and subsequently spending a few boating trips together, chaperoned by suitably respectable relatives. The boy is from a noble and proud family; the girl, apparently, is from far more humble stock. His parents,...more
“The Italian” was written in a time when it could be assumed that the main audience was predominantly female. On this note, Ann Radcliffe writes her main character Vincentio di Vivaldi as a man with much emotion. From the minute that Vincentio beholds Ellena, he is bewitched by her voice, desperate to catch a glimpse of her face. Ridden with angst, Vincentio expresses his feelings to a friend, however, “His friend laughed at his scruples and at his opinion of what he called such romantic delicac...more
Readers of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey will remember the eagerness with which Catherine raced through Radcliff's Mysteries of Udolpho. I haven't read Udolpho yet, but the book makes clear that Radcliff can write a gripping story. This story is full of twists and turns, and I enjoyed imagining what Catherine would have thought as she read descriptions of gloomy subterranean passages, alters ornamented with flickering candles, rugged terrain, and sinister cloaked figures. (One can't help thinki...more
'His figure was striking not so from grace... and as he stalked along wrapt in the black garments of his order, there was something terrible in its air; something almost super-human.'
First published in 1797, THE ITALIAN is one of the finest examples of Gothic romance. The fast-paced narrative centers on Ann Radcliffe's most brilliant creation, the sinister monk Schedoni, whose past is shrouded in mystery, so read the back cover. It took forever to read as the language and sentence structure is...more
First published in 1797, THE ITALIAN is one of the finest examples of Gothic romance. The fast-paced narrative centers on Ann Radcliffe's most brilliant creation, the sinister monk Schedoni, whose past is shrouded in mystery, so read the back cover. It took forever to read as the language and sentence structure is...more
The Italian (1797)
As many other Gothic novels written in the last 3 decades of the 18th century, also Mrs Radcliffe's THE ITALIAN was set in a Catholic country, namely Italy, more precisely Naples.This was due to exoticism or the cult of the exotic (everything which was distant in space and in time) but also to the protestant prejudices against Catholicism. So the terrible frightening events told take place in isolated convents and abbeys very often and the villains are monks or nuns. This is ex...more
As many other Gothic novels written in the last 3 decades of the 18th century, also Mrs Radcliffe's THE ITALIAN was set in a Catholic country, namely Italy, more precisely Naples.This was due to exoticism or the cult of the exotic (everything which was distant in space and in time) but also to the protestant prejudices against Catholicism. So the terrible frightening events told take place in isolated convents and abbeys very often and the villains are monks or nuns. This is ex...more
Jul 24, 2011
Hannah
added it
Ever since I'd read Jane Austen's 'Northanger Abbey' I'd been curious to read something by Ann Radcliffe and I really liked the opening 100-150 pages of this book which I genuinely found quite interesting. But then all the descriptions of the 'sublime' kicked in and I pretty much lost interest. I like description in books but I don't when it starts to get in the way of the story. There is a lot, and I mean a LOT, of long-winded description in this one. Radcliffe will generally take about 2-4 pag...more
Loved it! Beautifully written. Beautifully scary situations (with just enough tension release to let you breathe now and again), ugly villians, good plot surprises, and "A Happy Day, A Happy Day!" at the end...but I won't tell you who ends up happy. :) Grab a dictionary (lots of vocabulary words from the SATs) some hot chocolate and enjoy! I want to read more Radcliffe novels.
This book is long-winded like nobody's business. The first half is very much a chore, but if you can stick it out until the second half, you're in for a fantastic display of creepy, crawly terror Gothic. On a more objective rating scale, I'd probably give this book four or even five stars. Personally, though, I feel this book is just way too long for its own good. This wordiness might have flown back in the 1790s, but it's just a drag to slog through today.
Though you've probably already heard th...more
Though you've probably already heard th...more
I'm soooo glad I'm finished with it. Oh, my, the long winded descriptions and conversations became so tedious. Many added nothing to the story. The reader knows what's going on and I wanted to shout to the character, spit it out! You have characters insisting on relating stories with so much unneccessary detail, and you have the other characters listening who keep urging the storyteller to "get to the point." And I was just bored during these pages of unneccesary dialog. What is that about???
By...more
By...more
[These notes were made in 1981:]. Source - Robarts. Finished June 19/81. A much darker novel than Forest or Udolpho, and a bit more intricate. I found considerable pleasure in trying to second-guess the ending, although there are a few loose ends annoyingly not tied in. Ellena and Vivaldi are satisfactory though not terribly outstanding as hero and heroine, and, despite the universal praise he gets, I feel slightly uncomfortable with Schedoni. One cannot really make up one's mind whether he's su...more
I returned to this book for a second read after many years. It’s always been one of my favourite gothic novels, but this time round was confronted more by its challenges than its joys. I guess it’s a part of growing older than the bits I thought were great in my twenties don’t seem so great now but I did notice new things to admire. For the modern reader, the plot gets very confusing towards the end especially with the introduction of the second nefarious monk. He’s described really well, but th...more
Aug 04, 2009
Leslie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Jane Austen fans, Gothic lit fans, romance readers
Recommended to Leslie by:
Jane Austen
Shelves:
england
I'm halfway thru this book having picked it up thinking to only glance at the back cover and set it aside because it was not the Radcliffe book I really want to read (Mysteries of Udolpho). Now I'm nearly 3/4 of the way thru and have the luxury of reading it nonstop due to dreadfull illness confining me to my bed, again. It's so gothic with all the thick, flowery descriptive language I like. It's full of chivalry (love that) and fainting damsels (I think our heroine has fainted nearly ten times...more
Dec 10, 2012
Mel
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
18th-century-lit,
gothic
I had been wanting to read one of Anne Radcliffe's gothic novels and recommended this to our Gothic reading group as it was one of her shorter books. I have to say that it was a little disappointing. I did enjoy the style and there were a couple of scenes that I found quite breathtaking, but I felt that the book was let down by the ending. I remember Anne Radcliffe being criticised for explaining away the supernatural in her books and I think I prefer a book that has more of an occult element to...more
Hmm...Interesting.
Different from what I usually read. The first strictly Gothic Literature I've ever read. I enjoyed the talk of dungeons, spectres, superstition, conjectures and gore. However, since it was written in the 18th century, parts of it were difficult to read (had to re-read certain chunks over and over again to really even guess as to what they were talking about). One particular character was hilarious. Paulo brought so much entertainment, I had to read on just to see what he would...more
Different from what I usually read. The first strictly Gothic Literature I've ever read. I enjoyed the talk of dungeons, spectres, superstition, conjectures and gore. However, since it was written in the 18th century, parts of it were difficult to read (had to re-read certain chunks over and over again to really even guess as to what they were talking about). One particular character was hilarious. Paulo brought so much entertainment, I had to read on just to see what he would...more
This book was tedious and difficult to get through. Honestly, it is a good book; just not for me. While I was reading this book, I kept thinking it would have been easier to have crows peck my eyes out than read this book. The prose is overlong and wordy, the drams is melodramatic and over the top - characteristics of gothic romance, I know, but this was to the extreme.
I do want to state that I have another book by Ms. Radcliffe - The Mysteries of Udolpho - which I fully intend to read. This on...more
I do want to state that I have another book by Ms. Radcliffe - The Mysteries of Udolpho - which I fully intend to read. This on...more
2 likes
·
like
· see review
Mar 28, 2013
Leslie
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
favorites,
books-i-own
I actually really enjoyed this and I wasn't expecting on liking it more than Matthew Lewis's "The Monk" because my professor warned that this was a bit of a dry read compared to that one. However I found "The Italian" to be a lot better written and organized, whereas "The Monk" seemed more slapped together, rushing in a straight line to end sloppily. But then again "The Monk" was making fun of the Gothic novel, whereas "The Italian" was a true Gothic novel, not a parody like "The Monk" is. Also,...more
Ann Radcliffe's "The Italian" if nothing else, is an exercise in vivid depictions of scenery and landscape. Throughout the book the author gives very detailed and thorough descriptions of the environments that her characters are inhabiting. What is interesting is that while this could be seen as just padding the novel for the sake of adding padding, this imagery also adds to the heightened emotional state of the characters throughout the novel. The writer notes how this scenery affects the chara...more
Like most Radcliffe books, The Italian was good up to a point, then it became monotonous. Despite becoming bored with the story, I still appreciated Radcliffe's atmospherics. It is well known that she hardly traveled outside of England and I recently discovered that much of her scenic inspiration came from the paintings of Salvador Rosa, Claude Lorrain, and Gaspard Poussin. If one is in the mood for the dramatics of easily overwrought characters played out amidst a mishmash of sublime scenery, t...more
Loved it for a fun foiled romance story. Even better than Udolpho - less fainting and less use of the word "sublime":). Near the end of the book there's a good quote by the evil Confessor that seems to define what is so fun about Gothic literature; "It(ardent imagination) may not willingly confine itself to the dull truths of this earth, but, eager to expand its faculties, to fill its capacity, and to experience its own peculiar delights, soars after new wonders into a world of its own!"
The ambi...more
The ambi...more
This is the only Ann Radcliffe I've read, but there are some interesting things going on with it. First of all, what I've studied inclines me to believe that Radcliffe is the closest thing we have to the progenitor of contemporary horror as a genre. Really.
Stephen King is by far my favorite author, and the one I've studied and read the most, and I feel like I've gotten fairly accustomed to horror in fiction and its presentation. The way an author evokes fear, creates suspense, and keeps the read...more
Stephen King is by far my favorite author, and the one I've studied and read the most, and I feel like I've gotten fairly accustomed to horror in fiction and its presentation. The way an author evokes fear, creates suspense, and keeps the read...more
Being a noble family, it makes sense that the Vivaldis would disapprove of their son's interest in lowly Ellena di Rosalba, but the measures his mother takes to dissolve the relationship go too far. In her wish to avoid a blow to her reputation, the Marchesa latches eagerly onto any solution for breaking the lovers apart, making it easy for her conspirator to persuade her into drastic plans. Said conspirator is the grim monk Schedoni, helpful to the Marchesa only for promise of her backing his p...more
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Ann Radcliffe was an English author, a pioneer of the gothic novel.
Radcliffe was born Ann Ward in Holborn. At the age of 22, she married journalist William Radcliffe, owner and editor of the English Chronicle, in Bath in 1788. The couple was childless and, to amuse herself, she began to write fiction, which her husband encouraged.
She published The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne in 1789. It set the...more
More about Ann Radcliffe...
Radcliffe was born Ann Ward in Holborn. At the age of 22, she married journalist William Radcliffe, owner and editor of the English Chronicle, in Bath in 1788. The couple was childless and, to amuse herself, she began to write fiction, which her husband encouraged.
She published The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne in 1789. It set the...more
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“I wish that all those, who on this night are not merry enough to speak before they think, may ever after be grave enough to think before they speak!”
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“But no matter for that, you can be tolerably happy, perhaps, notwithstanding; but as for guessing how happy I am, or knowing anything about the matter,--- O! its quite beyond what you can understand.”
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Sep 03, 2008 07:59am