Svetlana's Reads and Views

Name of Book: The Italian Author: Ann Radcliffe ISBN: http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/ Publisher: http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/ Type of book: Gothic novel, late 1700s, young adult to adult, conspiracy, Inquisition, Italy, monk, hidden identities Year it was published: 1796 Summary: 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 qualms about the task, whether it entails abduction, torture—or even murder. The Italian secured Ann Radcliffe's position as the leading writer of Gothic romance of the age, for its atmosphere of supernatural and nightmarish horrors, combined with her evocation of sublime landscapes and chilling narrative. Characters: T...

Name of Book: The Monk Author: Matthew Lewis ISBN: Project Gutenberg Publisher: Project Gutenberg Type of book: 1400s, Inquisition, religion, Catholic, death, incest, demon, temptations, Spain Year it was published:  1796 Summary: Set in the sinister monastery of the Capuchins in Madrid, The Monk is a violent tale of ambition, murder, and incest. The great struggle between maintaining monastic vows and fulfilling personal ambitions leads its main character, the monk Ambrosio, to temptation and the breaking of his vows, then to sexual obsession and rape, and finally to murder in order to conceal his guilt. The only edition of this key gothic novel available, The Monk now offers a new introduction and notes that make it especially accessible to the modern reader.. Characters: There is no depth to the characters, although the author tries to create depth, especially in Ambrosio the monk. He tries to link all the characters together but none of them are interestin...