04-18-2009, 05:30 AM
In my study of the older "classic" Gothics, I have discovered a wonderful treat. Unlike the "originals", which were a little difficult sometimes to read, I had no trouble with "Lady Audley's Secret", though there were literary references that I was unfamiliar with.
Mary Braddon was a Victorian novelist, much admired by the public and many other authors, including Dickens, Thackeray and Stevenson. However, she also had many critics who accused her of pandering to "diseased appetites" for sensation novels.
"Lady Audley's Secret" was Braddon's first major success and was written rather hurriedly, yet I would never have suspected it. I had read the novel before reading its introduction. Despite occasional prosaic ramblings, I felt the book moved very well and was quite a page-turner. It was not very long, and I felt, as I sometimes feel after reading a long Dickens novel, that I wished it would go on. A lot of things were revealed in the last few pages, winding up everyone's lives, but it never felt rushed.
For those who have never read it or ever heard of it, the story centers around Lady Audley, the young second wife of Sir Michael Audley. She is loved by all around her, except Sir Michael's daughter, Alicia. Alicia is upset when her cousin, Robert, whom she is in love with, appears to have fallen under Lady Audley's spell. However, Robert is more concerned about his friend, George Talboys, who has disappeared after they visit Audley Court. It is Robert's investigation into George's disappearance that moves the story along and eventually reveals Lady Audley's secret.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is a student of the genre as it reminds me a little of "Jane Eyre". It is that intermediary between the older Gothic novels and the modern-day reinvention of Gothics.
Mary Braddon was a Victorian novelist, much admired by the public and many other authors, including Dickens, Thackeray and Stevenson. However, she also had many critics who accused her of pandering to "diseased appetites" for sensation novels.
"Lady Audley's Secret" was Braddon's first major success and was written rather hurriedly, yet I would never have suspected it. I had read the novel before reading its introduction. Despite occasional prosaic ramblings, I felt the book moved very well and was quite a page-turner. It was not very long, and I felt, as I sometimes feel after reading a long Dickens novel, that I wished it would go on. A lot of things were revealed in the last few pages, winding up everyone's lives, but it never felt rushed.
For those who have never read it or ever heard of it, the story centers around Lady Audley, the young second wife of Sir Michael Audley. She is loved by all around her, except Sir Michael's daughter, Alicia. Alicia is upset when her cousin, Robert, whom she is in love with, appears to have fallen under Lady Audley's spell. However, Robert is more concerned about his friend, George Talboys, who has disappeared after they visit Audley Court. It is Robert's investigation into George's disappearance that moves the story along and eventually reveals Lady Audley's secret.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is a student of the genre as it reminds me a little of "Jane Eyre". It is that intermediary between the older Gothic novels and the modern-day reinvention of Gothics.