Ann Radcliffe’s last novel,

was first published posthumously in 1826, three years after her death. It appeared in four volumes, along with a “Memoir” (which included extracts from her travel journals) written by Thomas Noon Talfourd, a series of explanatory notes accompanying the

novel, a lengthy metrical poem called

, and several other previously unpublished poems of varying themes, lengths and quality.

Until the publication of the posthumous works, the last the reading public had heard of Mrs Radcliffe was almost thirty years earlier, when The Italian was published in 1797. At this point, Radcliffe was well respected and successful, and yet, at the height of her career,

1719 words

Citation: Webber, Caroline. "Gaston de Blondeville". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 10 May 2007 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=5010, accessed 27 November 2024.]