Ann Radcliffe published her first three novels anonymously. The first two came and went with little notice among the public. The third—The Romance of the Forest—proved to be quite successful, however. It was so popular, in fact, that the unprecedented advance of 500 pounds was extended as an offer to publish her fourth novel under her own name in 1794. That novel would become The Mysteries of Udolpho, and it would transform the formerly anonymous author of unsuccessful fiction into the most famous and widely-read storyteller of her day.
The Mysteries of Udolpho would also be a cornerstone text in the evolution and development of the Gothic novel. Thousands of stories would appear in its...
