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The Romance of the Forest is a Gothic novel by Ann Radcliffe that was first published in 1791. It combines an air of mystery and suspense with an examination of the tension between hedonism and morality.This novel was her first major, popular success, going through four editions in its first three years. Furthermore, "this novel also established her reputation as the first among her era's writers of romance. There is surprisingly little essential difference in characterization, Gothic décor, or plot outline to distinguish this novel from its predecessors. Its superior merit lies in the expansive and subtle use which the author makes of these elements so that the characters are relatively well realized, the Gothic décor is blended into the sensibility of the reader rather than imposed upon it, and the plot is an intricate and often dramatic series of congruent incidents and living tableaux, not a congeries of barely related and stillborn scenes and surprises.” (—E.B. Murray)
"They were all silent -- it was the silence of terror" (p. 18). Albeit, published in 1791, over 200 years, the novel remains freshly enthralling and enjoyable. Eloquent, lyrical, descriptive rhetoric with unexpected twists and turns. A beautiful young woman (e.g., tends to faint and weep at the drop of a hat) is surrounded by an eclectic cast of characters. She is compelled to flee from an obsessed married predator who pursues her. Adventures ensue. Suspenseful, compelling, captivating. In the preface, the commentator indicates that this book shares the same genre as Jane Austen's "Northanger Abbey" (1818) -- perhaps, but these two works are altogether different -- Austen's fiction was a bland tedious endeavor; nothing like the ubiquitous charm characterizing "The Romance Of The Forest."
