Northanger's "Horrid" Novels
"[...] But, my dearest Catherine, what have you been doing with yourself all this morning? Have you gone on with Udolpho?"
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"Yes, I have been reading it ever since I woke; and I am got to the black veil."
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"Are you, indeed? How delightful! Oh! I would not tell you what is behind the black veil for the world! Are not you wild to know?"
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"Oh! Yes, quite; what can it be? But do not tell me—I would not be told upon any account. I know it must be a skeleton, I am sure it is Laurentina's skeleton. Oh! I am delighted with the book! I should like to spend my whole life in reading it. I assure you, if it had not been to meet you, I would not have come away from it for all the world."
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"Dear creature! How much I am obliged to you; and when you have finished Udolpho, we will read the Italian together; and I have made out a list of ten or twelve more of the same kind for you."
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"Have you, indeed! How glad I am! What are they all?"
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"I will read you their names directly; here they are, in my pocketbook. Castle of Wolfenbach, Clermont, Mysterious Warnings, Necromancer of the Black Forest, Midnight Bell, Orphan of the Rhine, and Horrid Mysteries. Those will last us some time."
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"Yes, pretty well; but are they all horrid, are you sure they are all horrid?"
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"Yes, quite sure; for a particular friend of mine, a Miss Andrews, a sweet girl, one of the sweetest creatures in the world, has read every one of them. [...]"
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The protagonist of Northanger Abbey, Catherine Morland, loves to read and has a particular fondness for gothic novels. The novel itself is a satire of gothic literature of the time. Below are novels and works that are mentioned in Northanger Abbey, which Jane may have taken inspiration from.
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Mysteries of Udolpho (1794) - Ann Radcliffe
A large four volume novel, Mysteries of Udolpho was one of the most popular gothic novels of the time. The novel follows Emily St Aubert, who, recently orphaned, becomes imprisoned by Signor Montoni at the Castle of Udolpho where supernatural terrors await her.
The novel has a heavy influence on Northanger Abbey. Catherine Morland reads the novel during the story and we see her draw conclusions about the Abbey based on events that she has read about Udolpho.
Though the novel is (and was) well received, it is extremely long and often criticised for Emily fainting/collapsing at least once every 40pages. I have read this novel and I started off really enjoying the style of writing, but it does become irritating and you think "there she goes again".
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The Italian (1797) - Ann Radcliffe
Another Ann Radcliffe gothic novel, which is referred to in Northanger Abbey. The novel is complex and follows on a very similar theme to Udolpho. Ellena Rosalba and Vincentio di Vivaldi (not Vivaldi the composer!) meet in the church of Santa Maria del Pianto in Naples, but of course their love does not run smooth with the proud, ambitious Marchese di Vivaldi and Father Schedoni against them. Ellena vanishes after the death of her guardian and Vivaldi set out to find her across the mountain regions of southern Italy before falling prey to the Holy Inquisition.
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The Monk (1796) - Matthew Gregory Lewis
Lewis wrote The Monk in 10 weeks, which is very quick to finish a novel, but it is a standout gothic novel of the period and has been adapted for stage and screen. The novel tells the downfall of monk Ambrosio who gives in to temptation and breaks his vows, descending into a hell of his own creation.
An edition on Amazon describes the novel as a Gothic festival of sex, magic and ghastly, ghostly violence rarely seen in literature. This may be an exaggerating marketing ploy, but even so it would be quite shocking for a woman to read something like that in Jane Austen's day. Catherine Morland doesn't actually read the novel, but John Thorpe, who doesn't really like reading, has read it. Presumably because, like many at the time, he wanted to see if it really was as horrid as people described it.
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Romance of the Forest (1791) - Ann Radcliffe
Whilst not referred to in Northanger Abbey, it is worth a mention here. Romance of the Forest is Radcliffe's first major published novel and was very popular, going through four editions in its first few years.
Again the novel is very similar with its gothic themes and supernatural occurrences. It focuses on the heroine Adeline who is placed under the protection of a family fleeing Paris because of debt. They takes refuge in a ruined abbey in southern-eastern France, where mysterious objects are discovered in concealed rooms and Adeline finds herself at the mercy of Iibidinous Marquis. Similarities here can be seen with Northanger Abbey.
The following are seven works of fiction recommended by Isabella Thorpe to Catherine Morland, and often described as Northanger's Horrid Novels. They were once thought to have been of Jane Austen's imagination but research by Michael Sadleir and Montague Summers in the early 20th Century confirmed that they did exist.
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Castle of Wolfenbach (1793) - Eliza Parsons
This novel was an important early work pre-dating Mysteries of Udolpho and The Monk. It follows the story of Matilda Weimar, who flees her lecherous uncle and seeks refuge in the Castle of Wolfenbach (castles are a common theme in Gothic literature it would seem). Like Udolpho, the Castle holds mysteries for Matilda and she plays the woman in peril.
Clermont (1798) - Regina Maria Roche
The story follows the beautiful Madeline, who lives in seclusion with her father Clermont. On a stormy night (of course) they are visited by a mysterious Countess from Clermont's past. Madeline ends up completing her education with the Countess but her life spirals downwards following a series of assaults. She then unravels mysteries from her father's past.
The Mysterious Warning, a German Tale (1796) - Eliza Parsons
A four volume novel following the lives of two brothers Rhodophil and Ferdinand. After the death of their father, Count Renaud, Rhodophil is made his heir, disinheriting Ferdinand who married against his father's wishes. A mysterious voice from beyond the grave warns Ferdinand to escape from his brother and wife to save himself. He obeys the warning and sets off only to be imprisoned by the Turkish army. He has to try and get back to discover the mysterious truth about his wife and brother.
The Necromancer or Romance of the Black Forest (1794) - Ludwig Flammenberg (pseudonym for Carl Friedrich Kahlert)
The novel follows the adventures of Hermann and Helfried, and the mysterious wizard Volkert the Necromancer, who has seemingly come back from the dead. The novel is set in the Black Forest in Germany (hence the alternate title) and consists of a series of tales of hauntings, violence, killings and again the supernatural.
The Midnight Bell (1798) - Francis Lathom
Alphonsus Cohenburgh finds his mother covered in blood and she tells him that his uncle has murdered his father, and orders him to flee to Cohenburgh Castle to save himself. In his exile, Alphonsus becomes a soldier, then a miner, and finally a sacriston of a church. He marries his love Lauretta, but his happy future is dashed when she is kidnapped. Alphonsus then has to solve the mystery of his wife's disappearance and his mother's riddles, and yes... there's a castle.
The Orphan of the Rhine: A Romance (1798) - Eleanor Sleath
Another four volume novel, part of a popular vogue of German tales. I can find very little information about this one, though I do know that the novel follows two orphans Laurette and Enrico, who have set out to the, oh yes, Castle of Elfinbach to solve the mystery regarding their parentage.
Horrid Mysteries: A Story From the German of The Marquis of Grosse (1796) - Carl Grosse
Again another with very little information available. The Marquis de Grosse becomes involved in a secret revolutionary society, which supports murder and mayhem. Grosse creates a rival society to oppose them and becomes trapped between the two forces. The novel is full of sex and violence, which it has been praised and criticized for.
Looking at all these gothic novels, it's quite shocking that a lady of the gentry would read or know what these novels were. It gives us a hint at just how extensive Rev George Austen's library was and what Jane had access to, or maybe she had just heard of some of the above from her family or acquaintances.
And the secrets to a successful gothic novel it would seem are supernatural occurrences, mystery, perhaps sex and violence, maybe a tyrannical uncle or relative, and of course a mysterious castle!
