The Romance of the Forest (1791) heralded an enormous surge in the popularity of Gothic novels, in a decade that included Ann Radcliffe's later works, The Mysteries of Udolpho and The Italian. Set in Roman Catholic Europe of violent passions and extreme oppression, the novel follows the fate of its heroine Adeline, who is mysteriously placed under the protection of a family fleeing Paris for debt. They take refuge in a ruined abbey in south-eastern France, where sinister relics of the past - a skeleton, a manuscript, and a rusty dagger - are discovered in concealed rooms. Adeline finds herself at the mercy of the abbey's proprietor, a libidinous Marquis whose attentions finally force her to contemplate escape to distant regions. Rich in allusions to aesthetic theory and to travel literature, The Romance of the Forest is also concerned with current philosophical debate and examines systems of thought central to the intellectual life of late eighteenth-century Europe. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

'The Romance of the Forest' evokes a world drenched in both horror and natural splendor, beset with abductions and imprisonments, and centered upon the frequently terrified but still resourceful and determined heroine Adeline.

A pioneer of the Gothic novel, Ann Radcliffe's atmospheric tales of forlorn landscapes, haunted ruins and spine-tingling adventures helped the Gothic genre to achieve respectability in the late eighteenth century. This comprehensive eBook presents Radcliffe's complete works, with numerous illustrations, informative introductions and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 1) * Beautifully illustrated with images relating to Radcliffe's life and works * Concise introductions to the novels and other texts * ALL 6 novels, with individual contents tables * Images of how the books were first printed, giving your eReader a taste of the original texts * Excellent formatting of the texts * Radcliffe's masterpiece THE MYSTERIES OF UDOLPHO is fully illustrated with the original serialisation artwork * Includes Radcliffe's rare poetry, including the epic ST. ALBAN'S ABBEY, appearing here for the first time in digital print * Explore the author's non fiction travel works and her intriguing pre-feminist text THE FEMALE ADVOCATE * Includes the 1826 biography, with extracts from Radcliffe's journal - discover the author's adventurous life * Scholarly ordering of texts into chronological order and literary genres Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles CONTENTS: The Novels THE CASTLES OF ATHLIN AND DUNBAYNE: A HIGHLAND STORY A SICILIAN ROMANCE THE ROMANCE OF THE FOREST: INTERSPERSED WITH SOME PIECES OF POETRY THE MYSTERIES OF UDOLPHO THE ITALIAN GASTON DE BLONDEVILLE The Poetry ST. ALBAN'S ABBEY: WITH SOME POETICAL PIECES MISCELLANEOUS POEMS The Non-Fiction JOURNEY MADE IN THE SUMMER OF 1794 THE FEMALE ADVOCATE The Biography LIFE AND WRITINGS OF MRS. RADCLIFFE Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles