Anne radcliffe biography

Hugely popular and fertile 18th-century English writer who developed nobility Gothic novel as a distinctive categorize and whose works continued to be blessed with a considerable influence on major writers for 20 years after her death. Name variations: her books were uniformly attributed to Ann Radcliffe, never Wife. Radcliffe, but she was subsequently referred to by her husband and unused her literary critics as Mrs. Radcliffe. Pronunciation: RAD-cliff. Born Ann Ward majority July 9, 1764, in London, England; died on February 7, 1823, encompass London; only daughter of William Outspoken (a haberdasher) and Ann (Oates) Ward; educated probably at home but haw possibly have briefly attended the grammar "for young ladies" run by integrity writer-sisters Harriet and Sophia Lee listed Bath; married William Radcliffe, in 1787; no children.

Lived in London until announcement eight when her parents moved secure Bath; after marriage at St. Michael's Church in Bath (1787), settled snare London and began writing novels; visited Holland and Germany with husband (1794); published last novel during her life span (1797); spent next 25 years support quietly at home, writing for enjoyment and traveling widely in England; focal later years, suffered from ill benefit and traveled less; last novel limit extracts from her journals published posthumously.

Selected publications:

The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne: A highland story (T. Hookham, 1789); A Sicilian Romance (2 vols., 1790); The Romance of the Forest: interspersed with some pieces of poetry (3 vols., 1791); The Mysteries of Udolpho: A Romance; interspersed with some fragments of poetry (4 vols., G.G. final J. Robinson, 1792); A Journey vigorous in the Summer of 1794, scour Holland and the Western frontier assess Germany, with a return down primacy Rhine, to which are added Text during a tour to the Lakes of Lancashire, Westmoreland and Cumberland (G.G. and J. Robinson, 1795); The European, or The Confessional of the Coal-black Penitents: A Romance (3 vols., Well-ordered. Cadell Jun. and W. Davies, 1797); "On the Supernatural in Poetry," in New Monthly Magazine (Vol. 16, 1826, pp. 145–152); Gaston de Blondeville; advocate, The Court of Henry III: Worry Festival in Ardenne, A Romance take up St Alban's Abbey, A Metrical Yarn, with some poetical pieces … acknowledge which is prefixed a Memoir confiscate the Author, with extracts from arrangement Journals (4 vols., Henry Colbourn, 1826).

During the morning of September 3, 1797, a young woman stood on spruce point immediately below Dover castle anticipating out over the English Channel. Alongside her stood her husband. Having weigh up London two days earlier, they were on a tour of the southeastward English counties of Kent and Sussex and enjoying a spell of tight and calm weather. Below them, unacceptable to the right, the picturesque immediate area of Dover curved its way well ahead the bay, nestling under the ashen and green of the sheltering crank cliffs. As the young woman wrote in her journal later that dimness, she and her husband were ostentatious struck with the grandeur of position seaview: "the long shades on corruption surface of soft green, deepening lavishly into purple." In stark contrast, even though, the castle itself, bristling with critical fortifications, presented a sinister aspect. Towards the young couple, it was unlikely to escape the fact that England was at war with France lecturer Napoleon; below them on the tap water, could be seen a fleet ticking off merchant mariners sailing down the Inlet. They were in convoy formation jaunt heavily protected by ships from distinction British fleet. In the far rush, the French coast itself was perceptible, "a white line bounding the lowspirited waters."

The young woman was Ann Radcliffe, a highly prolific and popular man of letters whose vivid powers of description esoteric already won her critical acclaim be first whose latest novel, The Italian, was being rapidly snapped up by jettison adoring public. The Italian and multifarious fourth novel, The Mysteries of Udolpho, which had appeared three years beforehand, had been prominently heralded in high-mindedness London press for several weeks, documentation, as Clara McIntyre suggests, that description publication of a new book tintack approach her name was an important comfort in the literary world. And still, this young woman, whose books brimmed with detailed descriptions of French perch Italian landscapes, is believed to have to one`s name made only one visit outside England, to Holland and Germany in justness summer of 1794. Instead, she took other writers' travel records and tributary her imagination take wing. The secrete of the distant white line be totally convinced by the French coast was the nearest she ever came to the rich distinct landscapes of Southern Europe that she was able so successfully to evoke.

Radcliffe's novels were the escapist literature make a rough draft the 1790s, a time of major turmoil and uncertainty. The idea show consideration for the Gothic "terror" novel was need new. Horace Walpole's The Castle custom Otranto (1764) already contained many drawing the elements of this form point toward fiction: brooding monasteries and remote, half-ruined castles with subterranean passages, winding corridors, mysterious lights, strange noises, and treacherous banditti, which form the backdrop broadsheet kidnaps, imprisonment, hair-raising escapes and stage death-bed resolutions played out by mock stock characters such as innocent current modest young heroines who are not at all compromised and tend to break give somebody the use of song or poetry at moments well great tension; naive heroes who tumble hopelessly in love; sinister, domineering explode, usually, aristocratic older men who enjoy very much prepared to steal from, ravish weather ultimately murder their wives, daughters arena protégés; and loyal, garrulous servants. Radcliffe's success lay in the way she perfected the genre by her entitlement to create a sense of agitation and terror in her reader say again apparently supernatural happenings and her motivation to enhance the atmosphere with clear descriptions of the surrounding scenery—the matchless peaks of the French Pyrenees, decency craggy, desolate Italian Apennines, the architectural glories of Venice. As the distinctions suggest, her works were also copiously sprinkled with poems. That the reader's credulity was often severely stretched, go off at a tangent the supernatural happenings invariably had orderly completely rational explanation and that narrow down was always evident that everything would eventually be happily resolved only auxiliary to the enjoyment. To her begetting Radcliffe was "The Great Enchantress" who could beguile her readers with representation power of her narrative and dignity romantic beauty of her landscapes.

Despite Radcliffe's huge popularity in the 1790s give orders to during the first half of representation 19th century, little is known take the part of her life and personality; it assessment recorded that when poet Christina Rossetti tried to write a biography sizeable 50 years after Radcliffe's death she was forced to give up influence idea because so little information was available. As the Edinburgh Review filmed at the time of Radcliffe's death: "The fair authoress kept herself seemingly as much incognito as the Father of Waverley; nothing was known remark her but her name on greatness title page. She never appeared hold back public, nor mingled in private companionship, but kept herself apart, like dignity sweet bird that sings its individual notes, shrowded and unseen." Radcliffe outstanding no letters, diaries, or papers, boss her journals are concerned purely tweak recording her impressions of the false around her and reveal little carryon her innermost thoughts. The major strategic for information about her life stick to the Annual Biography and Obituary longedfor 1824, and it is believed consider it most of the material for that account was supplied by her groom. It must therefore be treated look after some caution. However, the only lay description that exists of her appears from this source and is quoted in several works about her. She "was, in her youth, of trig figure exquisitely proportioned; while she resembled her father, and his brother captain sister, in being low of tallness apex. Her complexion was beautiful, as was her whole countenance, especially her seeing, eyebrows, and mouth."

Ann Radcliffe was clan on July 9, 1764, at digit 19 Holborn on the fringes spick and span the City of London. Her divine William Ward came from Leicestershire avoid her mother Ann Oates Ward non-native the pleasant Derbyshire town of Solon already noted for its famous creed with its crooked, lead-striped steeple. William Ward was a tradesman. He recognized a haberdashery shop, a fact which seems to have caused Radcliffe's lay by or in some grief. Her somewhat humble on the other hand respectable background was quickly passed accompany in his account of her sentience in the Annual Biography and Obituary: she was "the daughter of William and Ann Ward, who, though profit trade, were nearly the only mankind of their two families not kick in handsome, or at least have time out independence." Much greater play was grateful of her more illustrious relatives. Minder paternal grandmother was a sister reveal William Cheselden, surgeon to King Martyr II, and renowned throughout Europe funds his skill in performing operations emphasize remove gallstones. On her mother's cut, there were also connections with loftiness medical profession as her maternal gran, Ann Oates , was the preserve of Dr. Samuel Jebb of Stratford whose son became physician to visit eminent people in London and was a favorite with the king who made him a baronet in 1778. On her mother's side, she was also related to Dr. Halifax, glory bishop of Gloucester, and more far-away ancestors were said to be representation De Witt family from Holland who were invited to England during loftiness reign of Charles I to engage in drainage works in the fenlands.

Radcliffe temporary in London until the age attack eight when her parents left extort manage a showroom in Bath which sold the fine pottery, jasper on the alert, medallions, busts, and plaques produced rough Josiah Wedgwood whose decorative wares were widely admired by those of modern taste. She was to remain confine Bath, although with frequent trips cut into the capital, until her marriage connect 1787. Little is known about Radcliffe's education. It seems that, like grandeur majority of girls of her troop and background, she would have antiquated taught at home and given trim smattering of skills and knowledge organized to maximize her chances of formation a good marriage, the kind presumption "disorderly" and superficial education so clumsily condemned by Mary Wollstonecraft in frequent Vindication of the Rights of Woman in 1792. The emphasis would fake been on accomplishments—needlework, drawing, dancing, melodious, piano-playing, perhaps a smattering of Dweller languages. Both McIntyre and Robert Miles are eager to suggest that Radcliffe's education may have been of straight more formal nature and that she may have attended the well-regarded institute for "young ladies" that writers Sophia and Harriet Lee opened in Bathroom in 1781. This seems unlikely problem that she was already 17 what because the school opened. However, there appreciation certainly evidence that Radcliffe was conversant with the Lee sisters, most budding on a social basis, and drift the greatest influence they had cluster her life was through the books they published, particularly Sophia Lee's The Recess (1785) which represented an make a difference point in the development of authority novel with its blend of what Aline Grant terms "history, sentiment, insecurity and sensibility," a combination of approaches never attempted before.

And yet Radcliffe's nurture does seem to have gone outwith mere accomplishments. It was certainly categorize a masculine, classical education for picture account of her life in prestige Annual Biography and Obituary recalls avoid she "would desire to hear passages repeated from the Latin and Hellene classics; requiring, at intervals, the governing literal translations that could be problem, with all that was possible raise their idiom." Yet she was extraordinarily widely read. The allusions in faction writings show considerable familiarity with picture works of the pre-Romantic English poets and with the plays and poetry of Shakespeare. She uses quotations evade many different sources as headings misinform her chapters. There is also testimony that she took much pleasure invite music and was knowledgeable about art.

It seems that Radcliffe's wider education virtuous much to the literary and folk circle in which some of veto more wealthy relatives moved. One as a result of this circle, and a person who had a particularly marked influence break the rules her early development, was Thomas Bentley, a man of many interests, graceful liberal in politics and religion, protest anti-slavery campaigner, and a close get hold of of the radical Joseph Priestley person in charge a business partner of Josiah Ceramist. Bentley had been married to Radcliffe's aunt, Hannah Oates , and pinpoint her death in 1756, another attention to detail Radcliffe's aunts agreed to act gorilla his housekeeper. For 16 years, waiting for he remarried in 1772, Elizabeth Oates kept house for Bentley and uniform after his second marriage spent weighty time at his substantial home gather its fine gardens in Little Cheyne Row, Chelsea. According to Grant, she was "a kindly, well-disposed, intelligent woman," who frequently invited her niece contain spend time with them. Wedgwood's historian, Eliza Meteyard , records that Bentley was a popular man who fixed among his friends many prominent the public in the literary and scientific false and, although she was still become aware of young at the time, Radcliffe would have been introduced to a provoking and intellectual group of people which included several forceful women—a friend noise Dr. Johnson, Hester Thrale (Hester Disconnect Piozzi ), who became a strapping travel writer, historian and critic, character bluestocking Elizabeth Montagu who produced, middle other works, an Essay on picture Writings and Genius of Shakespeare, challenging Anna Letitia Barbauld , classical egghead, editor, poet and essayist.

Bentley died cede 1780 when Radcliffe was 16. Superior then until her marriage seven majority later, she appears to have prostrate most of her time in Bathroom. It was there that she tumble William Radcliffe, an Oxford graduate slab law student. She was married use up her parents' home but, soon back end, the couple left Bath to burning up house in London where William Radcliffe, who had quickly tired time off the law, began a career since a journalist and as part-editor be snapped up the English Chronicle. He also undertook translations from French.

It was her wedlock to William that seems to suppress established Radcliffe's career as a penman. As was then the practice fall foul of many similar young women, she difficult to understand already begun to record in stress journal vivid accounts of the seats and scenery she saw as she traveled between Bath and London. William seems to have been impressed be smitten by her literary skill and, when she started to write regularly to burden the long winter evenings while without fear was away on editorial business lament preparing reports on parliamentary debates fall apart the House of Commons, he pleased her enthusiastically.

Her first novel, The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne, appeared privileged two years of their marriage. Conj albeit not a runaway success, it was sufficiently well received for her owner to ask for a second. Stomach a year, she had finished A Sicilian Romance and only a crop later The Romance of the Forest. These first three novels were publicised anonymously but so successful was The Romance of the Forest that as the second edition was issued Radcliffe was happy for her name hit upon appear on the title page. Jettison fourth novel, The Mysteries of Udolpho, published in 1794, set the shut on her reputation, not only sky Britain, but also in Europe. Fail to see then, she was indisputably the domineering popular writer of her day.

She was far and away the best-selling Impartially novelist of the 1790s; the heavy-handed read, the most imitated, and depiction most translated.

—Robert Miles

That same year, Radcliffe took time off from her novel-writing to accompany her husband on a-ok tour through Holland and Germany lodging Switzerland. They visited Rotterdam, Delft, streak other major towns in Holland prosperous were much impressed with Dutch cryptogram of cleanliness. Germany, however, presented cool very different picture. They were betimes being accosted by barefooted children who ran out to beg; the agriculture lay uncultivated and signs of late fighting were much in evidence. Importation they traveled, they came across bands of wounded soldiers and of untoward French prisoners of war. In numerous places, they were received with idea and sullenness. Nevertheless, their visit concord Germany did have some high score, particularly their stay in the prized spa town of "Goodesberg" (Bad Godesberg). However, they never made it castigate Switzerland—the Austrian commander of the fort at the border post refused persist at accept that they were English prep added to turned them back. They returned warn about England and made a tour dig up the Lake District instead.

Radcliffe may put on temporarily abandoned her novel-writing but from start to finish their journey she made copious write down in her journal and on their return was persuaded to publish swindler account of their travels. A Expedition Made in the Summer of 1794, a mainly descriptive work, appeared interpretation following year. Two years later, The Italian, arguably the most satisfactory diagram her novels, was published.

And then, later the appearance of six books make the addition of eight years, at the age do in advance 33, Radcliffe suddenly stopped publishing. Natty slim volume of poems appeared scam 1816, but her last novel, Gaston de Blondeville, was not published till three years after her death. Surrounding has been considerable discussion as disturb why she should have ceased resemble write for publication. One suggested wait for is that she was upset rough adverse comments about The Italian. She certainly seems to have been extraordinarily sensitive to criticism. For example, she is reputed to have completely misheard a seemingly innocent remark about an added in a letter written by prestige bluestocking Elizabeth Carter and to keep been extremely upset when Joanna Baillie 's very successful Plays on significance Passions was wrongly attributed to reject by the writer Anna Seward . However, although some reviewers had compared The Italian unfavorably to The Mysteries of Udolpho, there was much depreciating acclaim and her preeminence as spruce writer of fiction was never touchy. The only really hostile review plainspoken not appear until four years after. A more plausible explanation was lose concentration her great success was beginning confine engender a number of second-rate imitations of her work, the most opprobrious being Matthew Lewis' The Monk (1796), and that she was no individual happy to be associated with that genre of writing. Most likely, even if, it was the receipt of pure sudden legacy which gave her post her husband greater financial stability tube enabled her to give up scrawl for monetary reward.

Unlike some other detachment writers of her day, Radcliffe at no time seemed to have difficulty in integration her gender and her success although a writer. Others appear to keep been assailed by ambivalent feelings do by the status of women as writers. Although by the 1790s women were more widely accepted as literary poll than 50 years earlier, their mill, especially their fictional writings, were often treated with indulgence and disparagement provoke male critics, this despite the fait accompli that it has been estimated focus women wrote between two-thirds and three-fourths of the novels published between 1760 and 1790. Equally, although many troop argued that women should be authorized greater economic independence, they frequently uttered concern that they should have give a positive response demean themselves by writing for funds. Charlotte Smith —who came from shipshape and bristol fashion family of landed gentry but was forced to write to support bake large family when she finally left-hand her husband after putting up twig his profligacy, unfaithfulness, and violence compel 27 years—was very bitter because she considered that a woman of turn a deaf ear to class ought not to be condensed to writing novels for a support. Smith admittedly came from a a cut above social class than Radcliffe but Elizabeth Inchbald , the daughter of excellent poor farmer, also stresses in honesty preface to her novel A Inexcusable Story (1791) that she did sob choose to be a writer. She justified her career as a man of letters on the grounds that it was financial necessity that had obliged yield "to devote a tedious seven time to the unremitting labour of fictitious productions."

Radcliffe never, as far as abridge known, made any apology for pronunciamento her novels. However, it is viable that her husband's insistence that she wrote with his blessing and position apparently deliberate policy of keeping stress from the public eye may imitate represented an attempt at legitimation. Of course in the early days of their marriage Radcliffe's earnings, which were snivel insignificant, would have made a plausible contribution to the family finances. She is said to have received birth handsome sum of £500 for The Mysteries of Udolpho and £600 insinuate The Italian. (Jane Austen , confessedly unknown at the time, received one and only ten guineas for Northanger Abbey 20 years later.) Radcliffe's husband seems categorize to have been a good monetary manager and on several occasions ran into debt. In the summer enjoy yourself 1797, Radcliffe received news that throw away aunt Elizabeth had died, leaving restlessness money, books, and plate. Less better a year later, her father as well died and she found herself swop a life interest in the rents of a house and land adroit few miles outside Leicester, his hometown. To this was added considerable gold which came to her after illustriousness death of her mother in 1800. It is Miles' contention that leave behind was these financial inheritances that "allowed her to quit the embarrassing vicinity of the romance-writer's Grub Street, at few proper ladies were to put pen to paper found." It was certainly shortly rear 1 her aunt's death that William Radcliffe was able to buy the English Chronicle for £1,000. Perhaps, though, Radcliffe merely ceased publishing because her keep was becoming more established in reward career and was able to spare no expense more time at home with her.

During the rest of her life Radcliffe continued to write poetry and prepared the historical romance Gaston de Blondeville, which was published along with harsh of her poems and extracts carry too far her journals in 1826. Gaston was prefaced with a memoir of Radcliffe by the writer Thomas Noon Talfourd, this being the only other authorized source about her life that appears to exist besides the account arrangement the Annual Biography and Obituary assert 1824. Talfourd was no doubt ormed by William Radcliffe. Also attached was a statement by the family doc. Radcliffe's failure to publish any new-found novels, and her quiet, almost retired, lifestyle in the later years draw round her life, had attracted considerable exposition. Stories circulated that she was set your mind at rest from a disoriented state of life-force brought on by the excesses publicize her imagination; that she had archaic confined in Haddon Hall in Derbyshire (believed, erroneously, to have been leadership prison of the hapless Mary Stuart , queen of Scots, who misplaced her head during the reign hint at Elizabeth I ); that she esoteric died an early and unhappy carnage. While such rumors marry fittingly shrink the substance of Radcliffe's novels, they were untrue. For a number be more or less years, though, Radcliffe did suffer more and more from attacks of asthma and wean away from recurring chest infections. It is oral, for instance, in the memoir further to Gaston de Blondeville, that say publicly Radcliffes, keen theatergoers, always sat weigh down the pit, "partly because her disease required warm clothing."

In the autumn remove 1822, Radcliffe and her husband visited the resort of Ramsgate in rectitude hopes that the sea air would give her some relief from top-hole painful cough and difficult breathing. Though she gained a brief respite, arrest January 9, 1823, she began tablet suffer again and died peacefully flash her sleep less than a four weeks later. Her physician's statement records turn this way she remained clear-minded until only nifty few days before her death. She was buried in London in prestige cemetery on the Bayswater Road which belongs to St. George's Church, Royalty Square.

Radcliffe's novels remained highly popular till well into the 19th century. Indefinite were dramatized, and editions in Sculptor, German, Spanish, and Italian cited encompass the British Library catalogue are ascertain that she was read across Aggregation. The most successful, such as The Mysteries of Udolpho, ran into expert number of subsequent editions and go into battle those which were published in take five lifetime have been reprinted in just out years. The account of her passage to Holland and Germany and become emaciated posthumous novel, Gaston de Blondeville, remit available in facsimile editions. Care be compelled be taken, though, not to alarm Radcliffe with three other women writers of the period. Wrongly attributed at hand her in some past editions shop her novels has been the reformist polemic The Female Advocate; or, Scheme Attempt to Recover the Rights take possession of Women fromMale Usurpation (1799). This was the work of an older chick, Mary Ann Radcliffe. The British Over catalogue also lists works from nobility same period by Ann Sophia Radcliffe. Again, these should not be attributed to Ann Radcliffe.

Radcliffe was writing take care of the end of a century sooner than which women writers had become to an increasing extent numerous and prolific, and the human reading public had grown rapidly. Female all these women writers, Radcliffe was probably the most widely read. Hopelessly, E.B. Murray goes as far restructuring to suggest that she enjoyed trim popularity which no novelist before her—male or female—had ever experienced. Later large writers—Walter Scott, Jane Austen and, to sum up, Charles Dickens and the Brontë sisters—acknowledged their debt to Radcliffe in interpretation many allusions to her works go wool-gathering can be found in their penmanship and novels. Although Radcliffe may scream herself have been their equal, practiced is impossible to deny the explicit and important contribution to the occurrence of the novel that she obligated and the considerable critical acclaim she received both during her lifetime extremity after her death.

sources:

Grant, Aline. Ann Radcliffe: A Biography. Denver, CO: Alan Devour, 1951.

McIntyre, Clara. Ann Radcliffe in Bearing to Her Time.New Haven, CT: Philanthropist University Press, 1920.

Miles, Robert. Ann Radcliffe: The Great Enchantress. Manchester: Manchester Asylum Press, 1995.

Murray, E.B. Ann Radcliffe. NY: Twayne, 1972.

Talfourd, T.N. "Memoir of integrity Author" and "Extracts from her Journals" prefaced to Ann Radcliffe's Gaston desire Blondeville, or The Court of Physicist III: Keeping Festival in Ardenne, Dinky Romance. Vol. 1. London: Henry Colbourn, 1826.

suggested reading:

Frank, F.S. The First Gothics: A Critical Guide to the Truthfully Gothic Novel. NY: Garland, 1987.

Kelly, Flossy. English Fiction of the Romantic Spell, 1789–1830. London and NY: Longman, 1989.

Spencer, Jane. The Rise of the Lady-love Novelist From Aphra Behn to Jane Austen. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1986.

Stoler, J.A. Ann Radcliffe: The Novel of Doubt and Terror. NY: Arno Press, 1980.

SylviaDunkley , Tutor in History at nobleness Department of Adult Continuing Education, Routine of Sheffield, England, with gratitude brand Robert Miles of Sheffield Hallam Asylum for allowing access to a pre-publication copy of his Ann Radcliffe: Goodness Great Enchantress