Thus Ann Radcliffe introduces Schedoni, the villainous scheming monk, whose brooding presence dominates her novel, and who has become archetypal in Romantic literature. The Italian tells of the romance between the young Neapolitan nobleman Vincentio di Vivaldi and Ellena di Rosalba, a match opposed by the Marchesa, Vivaldi's haughty, manipulative mother. It is she who enlists the help of Schedoni. What ensues is fear, abduction and the terror of the Inquisition. When she wrote "The Italian", Ann Radcliffe was seen as the unrivalled exponent of the Gothic novel. With its sublime landscapes, pacey narrative, supernatural fears and nightmarish horrors, it is one of the finest Gothic romances ever written.

Synopsis
From the first moment Vincentio di Vivaldi, a young nobleman, sets eyes on the veiled figure of Ellena, he is captivated by her enigmatic beauty and grace. But his haughty and manipulative mother is against the match and enlists the help of her confessor to come between them. Schedoni, previously a leading figure of the Inquisition, is a demonic, scheming monk with no qualms about the task, whether it entails abduction, torture - or even murder. The Italian secured Ann Radcliffe's position as the leading writer of Gothic romance of the age, for its atmosphere of supernatural and nightmarish horrors, combined with her evocation of sublime landscapes and chilling narrative.

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