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amyheap's review against another edition
4.0
Obviously, I was keen to read the book that Harriet Smith recommended to her Mr Martin in Emma. In many ways it is as artless and simple as Harriet. Not simple in terms of plot, that is outrageous, but simple in the sense that the virtuous are truly and utterly so, and the villain is irredeemable. The Romance of the Forest is over the top gothic, with an enormous amount of crying and fainting, extraordinary coincidences, plot twists and turns and the most beautiful scenery. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
betanianne's review against another edition
4.0
This was my second Radcliffe novel. I enjoyed the twists and the ending. The damsel in distress annoyed me, but that might be typical of the genre? I think I preferred The Italian, though this was an enjoyable, mysterious read.
charlottemarston's review against another edition
dark
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
robert_wmg's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
While fleeing Paris, conman La Motte is forced to take under his wing Adeline, on the run from her father, who is trying to force her into becoming a nun.
Although the effects of scenery on people's moods are important all through the book, the author really goes overboard with the travelogue sections of the third volume, apparently based on travel books of the time. This striving for geographical realism is odd given how unrealistic the people are.
Although the effects of scenery on people's moods are important all through the book, the author really goes overboard with the travelogue sections of the third volume, apparently based on travel books of the time. This striving for geographical realism is odd given how unrealistic the people are.
qoldfinch's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
chairmanbernanke's review against another edition
4.0
An entertaining and well-written novel, but so long.
pbella3's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Death, Incest, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Classism
suburbanfoxes's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
(this review contains mild spoilers)
Ann Radcliffe’s The Romance of the Forest is dense, winding, and easy to get lost in, much like the sequestered woods of Fontangville that serve as the center of the story.
Ann Radcliffe’s The Romance of the Forest is dense, winding, and easy to get lost in, much like the sequestered woods of Fontangville that serve as the center of the story.
“‘This abbey well suits the purpose; it is shut up from the eye of observation; any transaction may be concealed within its walls; the hour of midnight may witness the deed, and the morn shall not dawn to disclose it; these woods tell no tales.’” (p. 223)
Radcliffe’s third novel, published in 1791, brought her fame and ushered in a surge of popularity for the gothic novel. The novel is clearly evident of her heightened maturity as an author, and features her most complex cast of characters and plotting to date, along with allusions to philosophical debates, aesthetic theory, and social commentary.
“...and she lamented again the effects of an arbitrary government, where the bounties of nature, which were designed for all, are monopolized by a few, and the many are suffered to starve tantalized by surrounding plenty.” (p. 281)
Side note: Isn’t it grand how a government critique from a novel written in the 1790s, and set in the 1650s, is still relevant today!?
On the title pages of The Romance of the Forest and Radcliffe’s 1794 masterpiece, The Mysteries of Udolpho, both books are described as romances “interspersed with some pieces of poetry.” In the Introduction of the Oxford’s World Classics edition of Forest, Chloe Chard explains that Radcliffe’s incorporation of poetry helped legitimize her use of horror and terror in the novel, as the two have long-since been a tradition of English poetry (p. xxii). Additionally, poetry serves to elevate these novels to a higher “literary and intellectual status” than gothic works typically received credit for (p. xix). It’s not surprising, then, that Forest – being the first time Radcliffe would label one of her works as “interspersed with some species of poetry” – would showcase her poetic prose now fully-formed. This novel includes her lavish and heavy descriptions of sublime scenery, as well as her signature long sentences that she ornaments with punctuation — especially commas. Ann Radcliffe loves commas.
A striking aspect of The Romance of the Forest that is apparent from the beginning is its unique plot. From my experience, it seems most gothic novels spend their openings setting the scene and establishing the characters — both the villainous and the virtuous. For example, A Sicilian Romance — Radcliffe’s second novel — quite literally introduces each of its characters one by one. However, The Romance of the Forest begins with a scene of compelling tumult: Monsieur and Madame La Motte, and their two servants, are fleeing Paris on a stormy night. It is quickly revealed that Monsieur La Motte has squandered his family’s fortune and is escaping the pursuit of his creditors and the law. Already, the novel has our attention fixed on a morally ambiguous character; not a hero, but not a villain either.
“...though the image of virtue, which Nature had impressed upon his heart, was sometimes obscured by the passing influence of vice, it was never wholly obliterated.” (p. 2)
That same night, the family attempts to seek shelter at an old, desolate house, wherein Monsieur La Motte accidentally stumbles upon a horrific scene. Dwelling inside the house are several ruffians who the Monsieur believes want to rob and kill him. Instead, they thrust a mysterious young woman upon him and state that they will let him go safely if he agrees to take the girl with him, and in the process, ensure they never have to see her again. This serves as our introduction to Adeline, the heroine of this story.
I find it fascinating that the book begins with two of our central characters shrouded in mystery, which is unlike Radcliffe’s first four novels. In Udolpho, for example, the reader spends the beginning of the story getting to know the heroine, Emily, very intimately. With Adeline, it is soon revealed that her mother passed away when she was young, and she has since been abandoned to the evils of the world by her cruel and unfeeling father. This renders her, in spite of a living relative, a friendless orphan.
Adeline is presented as a victim, but throughout the novel strengthens her fortitude and overcomes her victimhood. She also denounces her father early on, which is the first sign of her strength.
“‘Since he can forget,’ said I, ‘the affection of a parent, and condemn his child without remorse to wretchedness and despair — the bond of filial and parental duty no longer subsists between us — he has himself dissolved it, and I will yet struggle for liberty and life.’” (p. 37)
Adeline is warmly welcomed into the La Motte family, and as this group of forlorn outcasts continue their journey, they eventually discover a ruinous abbey, tucked away in the forest of Fontangville.
“As [Monsieur La Motte] walked over the broken pavement, the sound of his steps ran in echoes through the place, and seemed like the mysterious accents of the dead, reproving the sacrilegious mortal who thus dared to disturb their precincts.” (p. 16)
The abbey, while frightening, appears safe, and the group reluctantly spends the night in the ruin. The next day, things look a little more welcoming in the morning light. From the nearby village, they learn that the abbey has been abandoned by its owner, and due to a rumored murder that occurred within its walls, it is also reportedly haunted, and no villager willingly goes near it. With all that in mind, Monsieur La Motte recognizes that the abbey provides the perfect isolation for his family to secrete themselves.
I adore this setup. It’s intriguing, fast-paced, and perfectly spooky. From here, the novel focuses on the reprieve the family feels upon finding their asylum, but also the paranoia they face out of a fear of being discovered. Additionally, the abbey itself is a source of tension and excitement. There is the aforementioned rumored murder, which seems legitimate because a skeleton is discovered inside, along with secret rooms and passageways, a rusty dagger, and a tragic manuscript. This manuscript, specifically, must be the starting point for the horror video game trope where the player discovers an obscured note written by an unfortunate soul who previously traversed the area.
“‘O dire extremity! O state of living death! What dreadful stillness! All around me is dead; and do I really exist, or am I but a statue? Is this a vision? Are these things real?” (p. 133)
“...the time is awful, but to me the silence of noon is as the silence of midnight: a deeper gloom is all in which they differ. The still, unvarying hours are numbered only by my sufferings.” (p. 139)
Another common horror trope makes its appearance here as well: the bad dream. Adeline is plagued with prophetic nightmares, and Radcliffe does a fantastic job in depicting them in an arresting, eerie, and otherworldly manner.
“...the dying Chevalier she had seen in her former dream: his features were sunk in death, but they were yet serene. While she looked at him, a stream of blood gushed from his side, and descending to the floor, the whole chamber was overflowed.” (p. 109-110)
These nightmares also serve for a small, but great, “fake-out” later on. Long after the nightmares occur, a small detail is revealed which recalled them to my mind. This detail made me certain of what the dreams are meant to foreshadow — only for Radcliffe to demonstrate her sleight-of-hand and prove me wrong. It was a satisfying twist…one of many that occur within the story.
With all the classic spookiness that is found in The Romance of the Forest, I was actually surprised to find that the supernatural elements take a backseat. They are certainly present, but not to the magnitude of A Sicilian Romance and The Mysteries of Udolpho.
It is also noteworthy to point out that, for at least the first third of the novel, there is no active villain, nor is it the common “good versus evil” story. I love this because, once again, it differentiates this novel from other works of gothic fiction. Once the villainous Marquis de Montalt becomes an active threat, the novel functions similarly to other gothic works: an unwanted marriage is forced upon the heroine and it becomes a story of “good versus evil.” Although, here we still see unique differences. For example: the Marquis, at first, is presented as an agreeable and noble figure. The book slowly reveals how depraved he actually is.
“The character of [The Marquis] has been already delineated in his actions; its nicer shades were blended with some shining tints; but these served only to render more striking by contrast the general darkness of the portrait.” (p. 343)
To me, The Marquis feels like one of the first iterations of the “nice-guy” stereotype, where a man’s friendly exterior disguises his predatory traits underneath. He’s a genuine threat, and his looming presence is felt once his villainy is made clear. Several of his conversations with other characters are genuinely suspenseful.
The Romance of the Forest does explore the typical themes of gothic novels, such as oppression, hedonism, and morality, but two other themes are prominently explored through satisfying character arcs: redemption through Monsieur La Motte, and togetherness/belonging through Adeline. I don’t believe that these themes are present in other gothic novels I have read, adding to their uniqueness here.
Monsieur La Motte is one of Radcliffe’s most complex characters and is depicted as both selfless and selfish. Without going into major spoilers, near the middle of the novel, he ends up betraying the trust of Adeline.
“[La Motte] had been led on by passion to dissipation — and from dissipation to vice; but having once touched the borders of infamy, the progressive steps followed each other fast, and he now saw himself the pander of a villain, and the betrayer of an innocent girl, whom every plea of justice and humanity called upon him to protect.” (p. 209)
What I love about his character arc is how he slowly succumbs to villainy through wrong decisions that become increasingly more sinister. The human drama at play here is so complex because Adeline is disgusted by La Motte’s actions, but she also recognizes how he compassionately saved her life at the start of the novel. She feels indebted to him, which only makes his treachery all the more shocking and painful.
“‘You once saved me from destruction,’ cried she; ‘O save me now! Have pity upon me — I have no protector but you.’” (p. 231)
La Motte’s redemption begins when he realizes the folly of his actions and attempts to repair the damage he has caused. His character arc feels complete and earned by the end of the novel.
“‘To save you…I have risked my life…I hope you will be happy; and remember, when you think of me, that I am not quite so bad as I have been tempted to be.’” (p. 232)
As for Adeline, her journey finds her restoring her faith in humanity by discovering a sense of belonging. The novel makes frequent references to her being “abandoned to strangers.”
“To Adeline, who from her earliest infancy had been abandoned to strangers, a forlorn and helpless orphan” (p. 349)
Because Adeline has had her trust broken many times throughout her life, she often refers to people as “strangers.” She is often subjected to the kindness of strangers, or lack thereof.
“‘Is this human nature?’ cried she. ‘Am I doomed to find every body deceitful?’” (p. 118)
“‘Alas! Shall I never find a friend; am I destined still to trust and be deceived?’” (p. 166)
As her story progresses, she ends up inspiring compassion out of the strangers she meets. Her arc comes full circle when she meets a man who is “reluctant to meet other strangers” (p. 283) wherein she becomes a source of comfort to him. It adds depth to her character and plays a role in how she rises above her victimhood, and forms healthy, non-transactional friendships.
Like other Radcliffe heroines, Adeline faints…a lot. But she is also smart, resourceful, and brave. Her lover, Theodore, rescues her at one point in the novel, and she returns the favor by saving his life from an incompetent surgeon who actively makes his illness worse. She cleverly gains information on a better physician, whom she then hires to treat Theodore instead. If she had not done this, Theodore would have died then and there.
The Romance of the Forest also brings up the idea of the “found family” — an idea well-known to many queer individuals, such as myself. Adeline does eventually find the La Lucs, who “now considered [her] as a part of the family” (p. 259). I will say, though, that this is where the novel slows down and loses its momentum. In all honesty, it feels a bit boring. Additionally, the heavenly La Luc family feel almost too virtuous in comparison to the more rugged characters of the rest of the novel. The family does play a significant role in the end of the novel, though, so at least the time is not spent on throwaway characters. You do grow to care for the La Lucs as well.
The novel does eventually regain its pace, and its conclusion with a court trial also felt interesting to me, and different from the works before it. Overall, I think this is a superb work of classic fiction. I annotated this book to smithereens and had fun doing it. While it’s not as mysterious or as compelling as The Mysteries of Udolpho, it is no surprise that Radcliffe would follow up this novel with her masterpiece.
Bonus Quotes (that I love but did not fit in the review):
“Several of the pillars, which had once supported the roof, remained the proud effigies of sinking greatness, and seemed to nod at every murmur of the blast over the fragments of those that had fallen a little before them. La Motte signed. The comparison between himself and the gradation of decay, which these columns exhibited, was but too obvious and affecting. ‘A few years,’ said he, ‘and I shall become like the mortals on whose reliques I now gaze, and, like them too, I may be the subject of meditation to a succeeding generation, which shall totter but a little while over the object they contemplate, ere they also sink into the dust.’” (p. 16)
Opening line of the novel: “‘When once sordid interest seizes on the heart, it freezes up the source of every warm and liberal feeling; it is an enemy alike to virtue and to taste – this it perverts, and that it annihilates. The time may come, my friend, when death shall dissolve the sinews of avarice, and justice be permitted to resume her rights.’” (p. 1)