“That delicious melancholy which no person […] would resign for the gayest pleasure”: A Study of Ann Radcliffe’s Gothic Melancholy in The Mysteries of Udolpho and The Italian

Abstract

Melancholy or melancholia is a condition that has always attracted the attention of several experts belonging to different fields of knowledge over the centuries. Initially limited to the domain of medicine, the issue of melancholy acquired more and more relevance in the fields of art and literature. By the end of the eighteenth century, melancholy was a central theme in English literature, which inspired both poets and novelists. In line with the most important studies on that theme, this thesis focuses on Anne Radcliffe’s representation of melancholic affliction in The Mysteries of Udolpho and The Italian. In particular, after delivering a brief introduction on the history of melancholy concerning both the medical and cultural knowledge, this work demonstrates that Radcliffe not only was fully aware of the past legacy of atrabiliar affliction, but that she also actively exploited it in order to deliver an accurate characterization of her protagonists. Characters such as Emily St. Aubert, Ellena di Rosalba, Vincentio di Vivaldi, and Father Schedoni exhibit clear symptoms of humor melancholicus, which can be traced back both to personal inclinations and circumstances. Indeed, landscape can exalt tender feelings of despondency, while gloomy settings such as Catholic places of worship or imposing castles provoke negative reactions such as terror and hallucinations. This thesis will explore the importance of melancholy in Ann Radcliffe’s novels by exhibiting the strengths and weaknesses of that much desired, though dreaded, condition.