Gothic Literature: The Italian and Northanger Abbey Compared

Introduction to the Gothic Tradition

A darkened room and a secret passage, a beautiful heroine in a flowing nightgown, candles that go out and doors that mysteriously open are all trademarks of the gothic literary tradition. Dark and stormy nights where a young woman is trapped in an unfamiliar place with individuals who have nefarious purposes are the norm, and unfortunately for a heroine in a gothic novel, it is unlikely that she will make it out of the story unscathed. So ingrained are the icons and stereotypes of the gothic tradition that they are still found in horror and suspense fiction to this day, as well as in works that parody the style.

In works of gothic literature, there are characteristics which clearly classify novels into the genre, and without these trademark criteria, a novel cannot be claimed to be part of the gothic branch of literary works. Both Ann Radcliffe's The Italian and Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey are stories which utilize these trademarks to tell a specific story — one of great suspense and intrigue in the former, and one which serves to mock the characteristics of the gothic tradition in the latter.

Literature is a reflection of humanity, of human beings and the culture in which they live. Each period has a unique culture, and this is indicated historically by the works of fiction which originated in that same era. There are certain themes in literature which are always present, the fear of death being one of the most common. Through the lens of a historical period, the understanding and perception of death can also be understood.

Death, the Sublime, and the Appeal of Gothic Fiction

Death appears frequently in gothic literature. Characters die from natural causes, are murdered, or die mysteriously. Some stories have only a few deaths, and some have bodies piled up quite high. Horror and the gothic were very popular during their time period and have maintained their popularity since their publication, because the fear of death is a universal one that spans time and place. People read stories about death and murder because they can live vicariously through the hero — or the heroine, more commonly in the gothic tradition. Yet when the story is over, no matter what has happened to the protagonist, the reader still sits in their chair. They have fought death alongside the heroine but have lived through the experience even if she was not so fortunate.

Author Edmund Burke, in A Philosophical Inquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful, explains:

"Most of the ideas which are capable of making a powerful impression on the mind, whether simply of pain or pleasure, or of the modifications of those, may be reduced very nearly to these two heads, self-preservation, and society; to the ends of one or the other of which all our passions are calculated to answer. The passions which concern self-preservation, turn mostly on pain or danger. The ideas of pain, sickness, and death, fill the mind with strong emotions of horror; but life and health, though they put us in a capacity of being affected with pleasure, make no such impression by the simple enjoyment. The passions therefore which are conversant about the preservation of the individual turn chiefly on pain and danger, and they are the most powerful of all the passions" (I.Vi).

The sublime — those things in this world that we cannot understand, like death and the afterlife — consists of intangible mysteries which cannot be truly explained. Gothic fiction allows the reader to explore these mysteries without endangering the self. Burke makes the point that self-preservation is one of the most important aspects of human existence. People will go to any means in order to protect themselves and stay alive. Through gothic fiction, the reader can face the potential of death and either survive or perish without actually putting themselves in the slightest danger.

Gothic Conventions in Ann Radcliffe's The Italian

The Italian by Ann Radcliffe is an early example of a work in the gothic literary tradition. Written in 1797, the story displays all of the attributes which would become hallmarks of the gothic novel, including concealment of truths, hiding in darkened passageways, and the heightened fearful emotions of the main character as she approaches the climax of the narrative. The sense of foreboding and fear which is necessary for a story to qualify as a gothic work begins in The Italian at the very start.

An Englishman approaches an Italian friar and inquires about a man hiding himself in a dark passage — visible but obviously trying to be secretive about himself and his intentions. This proves logical when the Englishman and the reader learn that the man is an assassin who has killed others. Radcliffe writes, "They perceived the person who had appeared upon the steps, passing towards a confessional on the left, and, as he entered it, one of the party pointed him out to the friar and enquired who he was" (8–9). Concealment and hidden truths are a major part of the gothic tradition. Literary critic Elizabeth Broadwell observes:

"In all her novels Ann Radcliffe capitalizes on the typically Gothic theme of concealment and revelation. Placed in a 'physical setting which corresponds to an aroused emotional state,' Mrs. Radcliffe's heroines wind their way through the secret passageways and labyrinths of Gothic castles laden with mysterious persons, and they eventually gain their freedom only after all the mysteries and hidden identities have been resolved" (76).

The reasons behind the assassin's actions and his presence in the monastery are highly mysterious and set the tone for the rest of the novel. Had Radcliffe chosen to tell the story chronologically, the image of a man of death would not be so influential on the reader's interpretation of the plot. By including this framing device, the author forces the reader to understand that murder and death will be involved in the story and to anticipate their occurrence throughout. The Englishman is never referenced again; the novel ends with the characters presented in the letter addressed to him, proving that his only function is to distance the reader chronologically from the events and to introduce the mysterious assassin — a character who is also never fully explored or exposed.

Mysteriousness and uncertainty about identity continue when the protagonist Vincentio di Vivaldi encounters a monk who warns him away from a certain location. The monk is otherworldly in his warnings, predicting danger if the young man violates his counsel and continues his quest to find his beloved. He is revealed at the novel's end to be not the villainous Father Schedoni — whose crimes are only hinted at until the conclusion — but a good man trying to help. When they meet the monk, Vivaldi and his followers find him extremely unsettling and therefore part of the intangible world of curiosity and the sublime. The narrator says, "As he emerged from the dark arch of a ruin, that extended over the road, his steps were crossed by a person in the habit of a monk, whose face was shrouded by his cowl, still more than by the twilight" (Radcliffe 21). Vivaldi's impression of the mysterious monk is to regard him as someone everyone suspects of wickedness, even though they have yet to pinpoint exactly what he has done wrong.

Conclusion: Gothic Ideals and Their Satirical Undoing

The gothic novel was an extremely popular form in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. The hallmarks of the novel included mystery and death and the endangerment of a young woman who most often required saving from the precarious position she had been placed in. Ann Radcliffe's The Italian is a perfect example of the gothic novel. It contains an opening designed to intrigue the audience and prepare the reader for the rest of the tale. From there, the reader is introduced to a stalwart and brave young man and his gorgeous and perfect beloved. They face mortal peril and isolation but are brought back together by their own virtue and are allowed to live happily ever after.