The Italian, Volume 1

The Italian, Volume 1 by Ann Ward Radcliffe

The Italian, Volume 1, follows Vincentio di Vivaldi, the only son of a powerful Neapolitan family, after he falls in love with Ellena Rosalba, an orphan living quietly with her aunt, Signora Bianchi, at the villa Altieri. He is first captivated by Ellena’s voice in the church of San Lorenzo, then sees her beauty when he assists Bianchi after a fall. Though Ellena is poor and supports her aunt through embroidery and drawing, Vivaldi values her character and becomes determined to marry her. Their affection grows slowly. Vivaldi’s visits and serenades are shadowed by the appearances of a mysterious monk, who warns him away from Altieri and seems to know his secret plans. Vivaldi suspects a rival, then attempts to pursue the stranger through the ruined fortress of Paluzzi. The monk repeatedly escapes him in ways that seem nearly supernatural. Vivaldi’s friend Bonarmo grows fearful and refuses to continue the search. Vivaldi openly declares his intentions to Signora Bianchi. She knows his proud family will reject Ellena, but, fearing for her niece’s future after her own declining health, gradually encourages the attachment. Ellena loves Vivaldi but is troubled by the prospect of entering a family that despises her rank. Vivaldi’s father, the Marchese, angrily forbids the match, accuses Ellena of depravity, and threatens to disown his son. Vivaldi fiercely defends her innocence and insists that virtue, rather than birth, determines true dignity. His mother, the Marchesa, conceals deeper hostility behind a calmer manner. The Marchesa’s confessor, father Schedoni, is a dark, secretive Dominican monk of unknown origin. Feared by the other monks, he is cunning, proud, and capable of adapting himself to those he wishes to influence. The Marchesa and Schedoni secretly combine to prevent Vivaldi’s marriage, each hoping to gain from the alliance: she to preserve family distinction, he to secure advancement. As Bianchi’s health worsens, she urges an immediate marriage and solemnly entrusts Ellena to Vivaldi’s protection. Soon afterward, however, Bianchi dies suddenly. The mysterious monk has warned Vivaldi that “death is in the house,” causing him to fear Ellena is dead. Beatrice, the housekeeper, suspects that Bianchi may have been poisoned, but a physician cannot decide whether her death was natural. Ellena mourns deeply and agrees to withdraw temporarily to the convent of Santa Maria della Pieta, where Vivaldi may visit her until they can marry. On the night before Ellena’s departure, armed masked men seize her from villa Altieri, bind Beatrice, and carry Ellena away in a closed carriage. She is taken through wild mountainous country to the remote monastery of San Stefano. Meanwhile, Vivaldi and his servant Paulo search Paluzzi for the monk. They are led into subterranean vaults, see a spectral figure, discover bloodstained garments including part of a monk’s dress, and are locked in a dungeon. After a night of terror, they find the door inexplicably open and escape. Vivaldi then learns that Ellena has been abducted. He concludes that his family, aided by Schedoni, arranged both her removal and his confinement at Paluzzi. The Marchese is genuinely astonished and denies any part in the scheme, though he repeats his threat to disown Vivaldi if he marries Ellena. The Marchesa evades him. Vivaldi searches Schedoni’s convent and finds the confessor absent from his cell, which contains devotional books and instruments of torture. When Vivaldi finally encounters Schedoni in the church, the monk appears fixed in a strange abstraction; the text breaks off as Vivaldi repeats his demand to speak with him. At San Stefano, Ellena discovers that the abbess believes she has presumptuously sought a clandestine union with the Vivaldi family. Acting for the Marchesa, the abbess offers Ellena a brutal choice: accept the veil or marry a man selected for her. Ellena rejects both alternatives, refuses to sanction tyranny with her own consent, and resolves to endure imprisonment rather than betray herself. She is confined in a cell, watched by the harsh sister Margaritone, and exposed to the scorn of the novices. Ellena finds consolation in sister Olivia, a melancholy, compassionate nun whose voice at vespers first attracts her sympathy. Olivia secretly brings food, leaves Ellena’s cell open so she can reach a turret overlooking the mountains, and supplies books and flowers. Yet Olivia warns that open resistance may bring terrible consequences and urges Ellena to seem less defiant in order to gain time. Olivia is visibly shaken when she learns Ellena’s name, saying that Ellena resembles a friend she once knew. Ellena remains determined not to take the veil or accept the forced marriage, though she fears that Vivaldi may never find her.

By Ann Ward Radcliffe · First published 1797 · Genre: Gothic fiction, Gothic romance, Romantic fiction · 11 chapters · 62,945 words

First lines

"What is this secret sin; this untold tale, / That art cannot extract, nor penance cleanse? " / MYSTERIOUS MOTHER.

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Gothic fiction · Romance · Mystery · Suspense · Melodrama · Psychological terror · Religious intrigue · Villainy · Forbidden love · Family secrets · Persecution · Convents

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