The Italian (Tales of Mystery & The Supernatural)

Written in 1797 this was the last novel published by Ann Radcliffe before she died. Believed to be written as a response to Matthew Gregory Lewis' "The Monk". More poetic than Lewis and in this reviewers opinion, a better writer, Radcliffe seems to chooses power as the cause rather than Lewis' thoughts which are about sexuality. "The Italian" is a blockbuster of a gothic novel and with an introduction by Kathryn White this book is implausibly cheap as well as fantastic.

Published in 1797 this was the final novel from one of the early initiators of Gothic Romance - and many would say the genre's queen. The story begins as a Romeo and Juliet type affair: Vivaldi has fallen for Ellena, an enigmatic orphan, but his family strongly oppose the match. The plot moves fast, with lots of gorgeous descriptions of travel in the Alps and across Italy, and it takes in along the way many of the deliciously overwrought staples of the genre: ghostly appearances, deathbed confessions, evil priests, sequestered monasteries and even the Inquisition. But the main attraction is surely the dark character of Father Schedoni, the confessor of Vivaldi's mother, who, once drawn in to oppose the match using any means possible, finds his own shady past and web of deceit begins to unravel.This is well worth a read, particularly if you are interested in the early history of the Gothic novel. Sadly the Kindle edition is riddled with typos, which - even for 77p - was a real shame.

Really good book for an English Lit class

A good book, cover makes it seem much, much scarier than the book actually is. Arrived quickly and a good quality too.

Nicely done although disappointingly it misses out the introductory section which in my view is an integral part of the novel..

Book was in very good condition. Thumbs up.

Imagine my surprise when I came to Chapter 5 of the book and found that it is missing! Just to be sure, I checked out a print copy of the book and chapter 5 is there - it details Vivaldi's investigation into Lady Bianchi's death.<Groan> As they say, if you buy cheap, you buy twice! I still cannot understand how they could have missed out a whole chapter??? Now I have to buy again...

Rear the monk too if you haven't read it..

The book came on time and in a perfect condition. One of the BEST climaxes I have ever read. Very high tension, great suspense and right at the highest point of the distress of the reader (and of the female protagonist, of course), the climax comes - one single word - and it changes the entire tone of the work completely, bringing tears tears to our eyes. A book in which until the end you never suspect that the identities of the fictitious characters might not be real. Some of our greatest emotion when reading the book is produced by secondary characters, something none of us expects either. This is another MUST of English literature and especially of the Gothic genre!

Verglichen mit den früheren Romanen dieser Autorin erscheint "The Italian" von Sprachbeherrschung und Wortschatz her ungleich besser. Jedoch sind die "Kehrtwendungen" nicht genügend verdeckt und die Aufrechterhaltung der Spannung gelingt nicht in allen Abschnitten des Romans. So wirkt z.B. die Gefangeschaft des Hauptprotagonisten künstlich in die Länge gezogen. Insgesamt kann ich aber diesen Roman sowie alle anderen der Autorin sehr empfehlen.23.12.2012 C. H.

A few minor typos here and there, but overall very a good reading experience on the Kindle.

酷く汚れた商品が届きました。返送しようかと考えたけれど、発送元の書店名がありません。Undeliveredの場合の住所は入っていましたが、それで代金を返してもらえるかもわかりません。まだ郵送された包装の中に入れたままにしてあります。販売者がわからないので、以後は英国アマゾンの古書は買わないことにします。英国にいた当時よく古書店に行ったし、大学生協でもバーゲンをしていましたが、その時でもこんな本は1ポンドセールにだって出ていなかったと思います。　きっと東洋に送るのだからこの程度でいいと思った知識のない本屋が売ったのでしょう。おかげで、ラドクリフの作品、読む気がうせました。

I have read many classic stories and picked this one up on the suggestion of a friend. This is not a bad book but it is not a great classic either. It is a good story that begins quickly into the plot and does not stop. However, the first half of the book does plot along but the second half moves at a much quicker pace. One is left wondering where the story will end or how the story will end. One wonders what is going to be the story of the leading lady and leading bad guy. Not much in the way of information comes in the first half of the book, but the answers come very quickly near the end. In fact, that is one of the drawbacks of the book - the book ends rather quickly. The characters are not much developed nor are there tangent story lines. This is a one dimensional story but a good one at that. The ending is easy to figure out but it does take a long way to get there. There are some twists and turns that are very good and unexpected. The stories by Willkie Collins are much better - Moonstone, Lady in White, No Name, Armadale and Basil. I would suggest those books over this one. With that being said, this is not a bad book to read if you have some extra time.

Read this book for one of my college English classes and really enjoyed it. I was very skeptical at first because I havnt read very many classics. When first reading the book I didn't like it. The language was very hard to read and understand. However, after getting through the first fifty pages I got used to the writing style and actually started to really enjoy the story. There was so much mystery and supernatural elements and suspense throughout the book that kept my interest. The story was filled with evil characters and good characters fighting for their own gain. The characters were also tightly interwoven in politics and relation that they were not wholly in the know about. Overall once you get used to the language it's a great read and I would recommend it.

The life of young nobleman Vicentio de Vivaldi isn't the same the moment he catches a glimpse of a woman in a black veil. Ellena is beautiful, graceful and, in spite of her status as an impoverished orphan under her aunt's care, she has class and poise. But that is not enough for Vivaldi's parents. The son of a marquis cannot possibly take such a girl for his wife. When putting Ellena's reputation in question isn't enough, the marchioness takes some drastic measures to ensure a permanent separation. So she gets the help of Schedoni, a well-respected but corrupt monk, to lock Ellena up at a monastery against her will. Before and during these occurrences, a mysterious apparition in a monk's habit often warns Vivaldi. Is it a ghost? Is it friend or foe? And, more to the point, is it Schedoni? Is he playing some sort of sick game with Vivaldi? Twists and turns and big revelations abound.Set in mid-eighteenth century Naples, this gothic story is about two star-crossed lovers who have to beat an unfair and corrupt system to be together. But this isn't just a romantic gothic tale. The Italian is also a demonstration of the political powers and corrupted religions of its time. It is social commentary, a very insightful and literary one at that. First published in 1796, The Italian is Ann Radcliffe's last and most accomplished novel. To think that she began her writing career because she was bored while her husband traveled for work-related reasons! Well, she did her research and devoted a great deal of time to developing some good stories. This novel is better than her previous two because it doesn't contain as many poems and sonnets as her previous efforts. It's more straight-to-the-point, more showing than telling, much more action-packed and suspenseful. The gothic elements are awesome. You'll love this novel if you're a fan of the genre, especially if you're a fan of classic gothic stories. Take the plunge and read Radcliffe. You won't regret it.

Ann Radcliffe – The Italian*** -- Written ca. 1800 by the woman credited to be the originator of the Gothic novel. Mentioned very favourably by Jane Austin in Northanger Abbey. Love story where heroine is below social status of hero whose parents, especially the evil mother, plot to keep them apart. The villain is a monk who is the mother’s confessor and together they plot first to make the heroine a nun then to murder her. The story is quite gripping but it’s interspersed with so much description of scenery and buildings (in beautiful prose) that one skims half the book looking for the next bit of action.

Because I was spending 3 months teaching in Italy, I decided to read a number of books set there. Before choosing The Italian, I read about it, and about its author, Ann Radcliffe. I learned she was a contemporary of Jane Austen, is considered the founder of the gothic genre, and that Austen purportedly wrote Northanger Abbey as a parody of Radcliffe's gothic novels. That was enough to make me want to read The Italian. The writing is florid and overblown, and it took me about the first third to half of the book to really start to enjoy it. From that point forward, I became swept up in the story, and fascinated by historical details of the plot. Instead of irritated, I started to feel charmed by the language and style of writing. This book is definitely not for everyone, but if you enjoy historical fiction, romance, and the writing style of a different era, it may be for you.

Ann Radcliffe invented Gothic that inspired Mary Shelley and Frankenstein. The Italian is dark and mysterious. The monk is freaky. The inquisition is terrifying. GREAT LITERATURE!!!

Good gothic literature and free!

Yea! Enjoyed - with these old classics I commit to the lengthy character and plot development and I am always rewarded ! Not for everyone, but it is as these old stories should be- sneaking back into your thoughts long after he book is closed.

"Optimized for Kindle?" Hardly. First of all, this version is missing the opening sequence. Second, it is missing Chapter 5, Volume 1. Third, there are numerous typographical errors, some of which aren't easy to gloss over. This was my very first Kindle purchase, and it makes me wonder why I bought this silly gadget at all.

Rich, romantic, the triumph of good over evil, full of lush descriptions of the times and the geography of Italy. A wonderful story! I loved it!

There are numerous editing mistakes.