Being my first read of the First Lady of Gothic fiction, I can say that I'm a bit underwhelmed. The story has some occasionally excellent descriptions, lots of emotion, and generally moody atmosphere. However, often the descriptions are generic (must every single sea view have sails?) and the characters so overwrought that either they're fainting or they're failing to communicate, and because of this lack of communication, many trials and sorrows result. There's also a lot of deus-ex-machina going on which leaches away the gothic atmosphere. Must everything be of human origin that at first seems supernatural? Radcliffe seems to think so. However, with all that said, I learned a few new words and the story had enough complexity and emotion to propel me towards its close. Strangely, there's also quite a bit of profane oaths which generally reflect the syncrenistic view of Christianity the author possesses -- that is, having a form of godliness but denying its true power, and that is most disappointing of all. ( )

Not only is it on the 1,001 Books list but also referenced in The Jane Austen Book Club and I wanted to understand more fully what the references meant and how they applied.
Udolpho is this mysterious castle hidden away from the world and everyone is scared of it, including Emily, who is also intrigued by the nature of this forbidden place. At first I wasn’t sure if I would actually enjoy the story, not one for ghosts in castles, but the more I read the more I wondered what was going on and the stories, plus all the little hints to the past and Emily’s father. By the time the story ended I felt fulfilled by the revelations and not at all let down by the workings of Udolpho and other mysteries within the story.

Not only is it on the 1,001 Books list but also referenced in The Jane Austen Book Club and I wanted to understand more fully what the references meant and how they applied.
Udolpho is this mysterious castle hidden away from the world and everyone is scared of it, including Emily, who is also intrigued by the nature of this forbidden place. At first I wasn’t sure if I would actually enjoy the story, not one for ghosts in castles, but the more I read the more I wondered what was going on and the stories, plus all the little hints to the past and Emily’s father. By the time the story ended I felt fulfilled by the revelations and not at all let down by the workings of Udolpho and other mysteries within the story. ( )

The Mysteries of Udolpho is a fantastic book for lovers of a great gothic romance. Austen's reference to The Mysteries of Udolpho in Northanger Abbey was intriguing and led me to Radcliffe's work. Her writing is full of beautiful landscape descriptions and her character development in the first half of the novel captivates you. It is a long novel, but it keeps you in suspense until the very end and takes you on a rollercoaster ride throughout the last 100 -150 pages! The romance, gothic castles, horror, intrigue and mystery are everything you could wish for in a novel of this genre. It is a really great read and I recommend it to all. ( )

This is a very long and sometimes very boring book, but I think it's well worth reading - especially in a group setting! (because it's fun to complain about the long and boring bits with other people, or to laugh at how silly Emily is.) I think the Gothic novel genre is fascinating, and of course Radcliffe's The Mysteries of Udolpho is one of the earlier and more well-known examples.

Fans of Austen, especially Northanger Abbey, will find that familiarity with Udolpho provides a greater richness to Austen's novels. But more than that, Udolpho gives insight to 18th century thought regarding Deism, Sensibility, Benevolence, patriarchy, feminism &c &c and it comments upon philosophy that came out of the Enlightenment, such as Rousseau's idea that man is naturally good (as compared to Locke's statement that man is naturally wicked).

Beyond the academic worth, I still think the Mysteries of Udolpho is fantastic and it is something that I'm glad to have read and will likely find myself reading again in the future. ( )