I posted last week about the rapid pace that this book took.
I was surprised when I opened it and right off the bat the plot was quickly
advancing. As Elise noted, this fast pace diminished the amount of suspense
that Radcliffe could have built which was slightly disappointing. This pace was
also problematic for me, as a (neurotic) reader. With a plot already so imaginative, I hated that almost
anything could have happened next. Radcliffe’s style of writing and the gothic
novel in general are not the style for me. I was constantly afraid that she was
going to throw in some random plot point to throw everything off track. I have
a terrible habit of reading the ends of books first, so I knew how it would
end… but closing in on the ending, I had no idea how we were going to get
there. Even if Radcliffe was not terribly good at building suspense, she
certainly knew how to keep the reader on their toes. In the last volume, we
were treated to a plot to murder Adeline, multiple characters spending time in
jail, various illnesses, surprise paternal relations, as well as a case of
assumed identity. While it made for interesting reading, did the ending fit the
story? I am not so sure that it was a satisfying happy ending because of the
enormous number of unrealistic twists and turns it took to get there.
I do not think that you will ever be satisfied by the conclusion of our novels. In Sense and Sensibility you complained that the novels conclusion was too cliché, in Romance of the Forests you complain that there is too much going on. I also dislike Gothic novels, but I did like Austen’s employment of Gothic novel conventions in her novel, Northanger Abbey. I thought Austen’s incorporation of Gothic ideas made Catherine and the plot much more interesting. I thought it was funny when Catherine acted like she was in a Gothic novel, and I think it added dimension and interest to her character. Catherine’s life becomes fantastic when she imagines her life as a gothic novel. Unlike the protagonist in her Radcliffe novel, Catherine is plain and naïve. I thought this brought life to Austen’s novel and made it much more enjoyable. In addition, I liked Austen’s defense of the novel in Chapter Five. One noticeable difference between Austen and Radcliffe’s texts is the setting of the story. While both texts contain scenes in abbeys, Radcliffe’s setting includes secret rooms with trap doors that imply imposing danger for the characters. I think Austen’s novel does not have the imposing dangers that make me uncomfortable and I think that is why I like her “Gothic” novel. Otherwise, I don’t like Gothic novels….at all…Austen takes the creative elements out of Radcliffe's novel to create a much more cohesive work. I'll be intrigued to see if this "Gothic" novel gets to have a happy ending.
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