Who was ann radcliffe? – ann radcliffe, then and now

Born in Holborn, London on 9 July , Radcliffe published five novels in her lifetime, however it was the success of The Mysteries of Udolpho - the story of a young woman kidnapped by a heartless villain and forced to endure the terrors of the Castle of Udolpho - that saw her popularity skyrocket in the s. Contemporary reviewers compared Radcliffe to Shakespeare, with some hinting at the idea that she might be better than the bard at creating a sense of terror and suspense.

They were sought out by some of the major publishers of the s - commanding remarkable sums. Through the huge popularity of her writing, Radcliffe became a central figure in British literature in the late 18th and early 19th centuries and firmly established the Gothic as a literary genre - one of the most popular genres in world literature today.

However, despite her success and lasting legacy, Radcliffe is now relatively unknown and her novels are not widely read outside of academic circles. The project, led by the University of Sheffield, and sponsored by the Arts and Humanities Research Council AHRC , is aiming to change this by publishing her complete works as well as producing a new series of podcasts, public lectures and outreach programmes with schools.

Her popularity continued into the Victorian period, too.

Ann Radcliffe, Then and Now is

Why she faded into relative obscurity in the 20th century is intriguing, but this project seeks to reinstate her at the heart of Gothic and Romantic literary culture, by producing the first major edition of her works and acknowledging her major influence upon those authors, such as Jane Austen and Walter Scott, who followed in her wake.

Above all, though, they are a brilliant read, keeping you on the edge of your seat as you read them. The researchers will oversee the production of The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Ann Radcliffe , a major new edition of her complete works. The eight volumes will be published between , and will also appear in a more accessible paperback format, from onwards.

An accompanying volume, Ann Radcliffe in Context , is also set to be published and will highlight the conditions that made her distinctive in the period as well as some of the challenges that come with editing and reading Radcliffe in the 21st century. Her work was regularly celebrated by critics and used to measure the skill of other writers, and her success inspired an array of imitators.

More information on the project. English Literature at the University of Sheffield.