Ann Radcliffe (1764–1823) was one of the most popular, acclaimed, and remunerated writers of the eighteenth century. Dubbed ‘the Shakespeare of Romance Writers’ in her own time, she pioneered a tradition of Gothic fiction that focused on suspense and character psychology. Her genius for representing affective experience made her a favourite of many Romantic writers, including Jane Austen, Thomas De Quincey, John Keats, and Walter Scott, who admired both her storytelling and the power of her poetry, landscapes, and descriptions of travel. This Cambridge Edition of the Works of Ann Radcliffe is the first to cover the full range of her writing and achievement, providing authoritative texts, full scholarly apparatus, and in-depth explanatory notes. Introductory essays chronicle each work’s composition, publication, critical reception, and later revisions and variants. It will be an essential resource for all those interested in Radcliffe’s work, whether scholars, students, or fans of the Gothic.
