Latitudinarianism and the Novels of Ann Radcliffe

Abstract

Criticism of the novels of Ann Radcliffe has traditionally focused on their relationship with the generic norms of Gothic fiction. This has been the case since the earliest biographical writings, namely Sir Walter Scott's assessment and the memoir attached to Radcliffe's posthumously published novel, Gaston de Blondeville. 1 Criticism developing this interpretation has seen Radcliffe in the forward-looking context of subsequent developments in the format of the Gothic novel. Radcliffe is accepted to have been an important innovator in the Gothic genre, but is also seen as falling short of fully realizing its potential for several reasons, most notably thanks to her penchant for explaining away supernatural events by naturalistic means. The overall assessment of this mode of criticism is well summarized in its first instantiation:

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