Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

8-1999

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

English

Major Professor

John Zomchick

Committee Members

Laura Howes, Nancy Goslee, David Lee

Abstract

In this study, the function of Ann Radcliffe's use of the sublime, the beautiful, and the picturesque is explored for the purpose of developing a religious aesthetic that will guide the reading of her works. Chapter One presents background and argument. Chapter Two first explores the sublime in nature and in the man-made ruin; then it examines the male antagonists within Radcliffe's romances as examples of the false sublime. Chapter Three continues this examination of the sublime but in relation to the supernatural--specifically in worship, Catholicism, and the supernatural occurrences within Radcliffe's works. ChapterFour explores Radcliffe's use of the beautiful in nature,within her heroines' persons and sensibilities and in relation to cities, as well as defining what constitutes false beauty. Chapter Five discusses Radcliffe's use of the picturesque as a tool to transcend traditional gender boundaries and to provide the heroines with a hard-won,Utopian ending for their travails. Chapter Six exploresRadcliffe's use of Milton's A Mask and biblical eschatology in the final chapters of The Mysteries of Udolpho and The Italian.

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