The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne

By Ann Radcliffe

Book Overview

The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne (1789) is a novel by Ann Radcliffe. Published anonymously, Radcliffe's debut novel is a tragic story of love and murder set in the sublime landscape of the Scottish Highlands. Considered an essential work of Gothic fiction, The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne is an early example of her prowess as a leading novelist of suspense and the supernatural. "This pile was venerable from its antiquity, and from its Gothic structure; but more venerable from the virtues which it enclosed. It was the residence of the still beautiful widow, and the children of the noble Earl of Athlin, who was slain by the hand of Malcolm, a neighbouring chief, proud, oppressive, revengeful; and still residing in all the pomp of feudal greatness, within a few miles of the castle of Athlin." Raised in isolation in the high Castle of Athlin, Osbert and Mary have never known the rituals inherent to public life. As heirs to a once-mighty clan, they are haunted by the weight of their dead father's legacy, shattered by his murderer Malcolm of Dunbayne. As sadness turns to rage, Osbert swears an oath to avenge his father, wandering off into the deep wilderness of the Highlands in search of men to aid him in his quest. Together with his clansmen and the peasant Alleyn, he launches an assault on Malcolm's castle, risking everything to reclaim his honor. This edition of Ann Radcliffe's The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers.

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• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1513132660
• ISBN13: 9781513132662
• Release Date: February 2022
• Publisher: Mint Editions
• Length: 106 Pages
• Weight: 0.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Early Romance

This book is one of the earliest examples of the romantic novel. The plot was original for its time, though certainly nothing new today. It is completely predictable. Nevertheless, it is interesting as a study of English literature and the development of the novel. This was Radcliffe's first novel, and became the model for many of her later works, as well as the works of many other novel writers. This book is very plot-driven. The characters are flat, and dialogue or character thought is almost completely non existant. The action in the story leads the text. It also contains the typical hero/heroine relationship; the men, in accordance to the time this book was written, do all the fighting and rescuing, while the women sit at home, unable to do anything but worry and faint.