Description

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A Gothic novel by Ann Radcliffe, "A Sicilian Romance" was published anonymously in 1790. The plot revolves around the turbulent history of the fallen aristocrats of the house of Mazzini who lived in a castle on the northern shore of Sicily. The tale is told by a tourist who becomes intrigued by stories he hears from a monk he runs into while exploring the ruins of the old castle. The story itself is set in the late 1500s with the main characters being Julia and her sister Emilia, who are daughters of the Fifth Marquis of Mazzini, a haughty, cruel man. The girls mother had been a charming beauty of a woman that died quite suddenly. The girls are left in the care of their mother's friend and spend their entire childhood on the father's estate with no company except an occasional visit from their father. The girls grow to be talented, beautiful young women. When one of the servants dies, the father returns to the castle and decides to throw a lavish party. There Julia meets and falls in love with a young count and they decide to attempt to escape and elope. The rest of the tale revolves around the good and evil characters with clever twists and turns. This was the second book by Ann Radcliffe who was the most popular writer of her day and was almost universally known. (Timeless Classic Books)

About the Author

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Not too many people realize that Ann Radcliffe, born in London in 1764, was the most popular writer of her day and was admired around the world. Some called her the "Shakespeare of romance writers". Others called her the "Mighty Enchantress". Keats referred to her as "Mother Radcliffe". Ann Radcliffe's father was 70 years old when she was born and he left her a considerable fortune. Unfortunately, her kindly, but alcoholic husband, squandered the fortune and they were left destitute. She had seven children, two of whom died at a young age. Since her husband was unemployed, it was up to Ann to find a way to support the family. That was when she started publishing her writing. Since Ann Radcliffe led a very private existence, little was or is known about her. Because of this, numerous stories sprung up about her throughout and after her life. Some said her vivid, dreadful imagination had driven her mad and she had been confined to an asylum. Others said she was a spy and had been captured in Paris. One story had her eating rare pork chops just before bed in order to stimulate nightmares that she could use in her writing. There is no explanation as to why Ms. Radcliffe suddenly stopped publishing at the age of 32 when she was the most popular writer in the world. Ann Radcliffe died in 1863 at the age of 61.