Here is the synopsis of our sample research paper on Ann Radcliffe/ 'The Italian'. Have the paper e-mailed to you 24/7/365.
Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 5 page analysis of Ann Radcliffe's eighteenth century novel of Gothic romance, 'The Italian.' The writer examines Radcliffe's concepts of good and evil as portrayed in the novel. No additional sources cited.
Page Count:
5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_00arad.doc
Buy This Term Paper »
Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
In this novel, good and evil, as well as retribution and punishment appear to be allocated according to whether or not someone belongs to one or the other of several
cultural enclaves that are connected by aspects of culture. In this work, things Italian appear to disrupt societal stability based on such negative attributes as superstition, power, lawlessness or murder.
In other words, Radcliffe appears to contrast the English norm against the chaotic nature of Italy with things English being "good" and
things Italian being "bad." The Italian demonstrates this aspect in the way that Radcliffe creates and faces cultural "otherness." First of all, the title of the book and its subtitle,
"The Confessional of the Black Penitents," are indicative of the pivotal part that Italy and Catholic practices play within the overall plot structure. The action in the novel begins
in southern Italy only forty years prior to its date of publication (1797). The prologue opens with a group of travelers exploring the tourist attractions in Naples in 1764. The
English travelers are appreciating the fa?ade of a church when a striking figure appears out of dark portico and runs into the building. Radcliffe writes that there was "something too
extraordinary in the figure of this man, and too singular in his conduct to pass unnoticed by the visitors" (5). The travelers
enter the church and ask a monk about the mans identity. To their extreme shock, they find out that the man is an assassin who is legally protected by the
church. The Italian gentleman explains "if we were to shew no mercy to such unfortunate persons, assassinations are so frequent, that our cities would be half depopulated" (Radcliffe 2-3). The
...