Day 3 Commonplace: Mysteries of Udolpho

 

When to the sessions of sweet silent thought

I summon up remembrance of things past,

I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought,

And with old woes new wail my dear time’s waste.

Then can I drown an eye unused to flow,

For precious friends hid in death’s dateless night,

And weep afresh love’s long since cancelled woe,

And moan th‘ expense of many a vanished sight.

Then can I grieve at grievances foregone,

And heavily from woe to woe tell o’er

The sad account of fore-bemoanèd moan,

Which I new pay as if not paid before.

But if the while I think on thee, dear friend,

All losses are restored, and sorrows end.

WIKI

Our travelers are once again on the road, traversing on winding mountain roads with very picturesque views. When they left it was before sunrise, and Radcliffe describes the early morning is the time when one (an invalid like M. St Aubert) 

'can inhale the first pure breath of morning, which above all things is refreshing...these regions it was particularly so, where an abundance of wild flowers and aromatic herbs breathe forth their essence on the air'.

As the dawn emerges on the scenery, the reader is viewing it just as Emily is watching the sun rise. 

'the sullen grey of the eastern clouds began to blush, then to redden, and then to glow with a thousand colours, till the golden light darted over all the air'

In this next section, Valancourt and M. St. Aubert formed an acquaintance and when they came to a fork in the road, he was sorry to see Valancourt depart from them. As they continue on their travels, the scenery is again so vivid, and dream like.

'The rivulet, which had hitherto accompanied them, now expanded into a river; and, flowing deeply and silently along, reflected, as in a mirror, the blackness of the impending shades.'

This dark scene and our travelers facing the darkness of the night, come across Valancort who has been shot, and prepare to take him to the next town. This part is I found humorous in describing the surgeon of the town.

'if a surgeon her could be called, who prescribed for horses as well as for men, and shaved faces at least as dexterously as he set bones.'

 With Valancort having a sleepless and feverish night, they decide to stay in the town, until Valancort is well enough to travel. At one point they 'stopped when the scenery was grand' to take walks and breath it all of nature in. The reader is given tender moment scenes between Valancort and Emily as they stroll along together reciting poetry, and M. St. Aubert caught Valancort 'fixing his eyes pensively on her countenance'.

Coming upon a valley, several times before some of the scenery touched M. St. Aubert, and Valancourt notices and remarks, 

"These scenes soften the heart, like the notes of sweet music, and inspire that delicious melancholy which no person, who had felt it once, would resign for the gayest pleasures. They waken our best and purest feelings, disposing us to benevolence, pity and friendship. Those whom I love--I always seem to love more in such an hour as this'

This is why I chose Shakespeare's Sonnet 30, there is always that scenery, or lyrics from a song, the smell of a favorite meal, or the scent of flowers that remind me of my loved ones. Nature has a way of connecting not only to ourselves, but to the ones we love.

And I left off, where our travelers come upon a covenant where they stop to spend the night. 

 

 

 

 

Day 2 Commonplace :Mysteries of Udolpho

 

If you are wondering why I chose this quote for today's Commonplace,  it's because the section I read today was how Radcliffe describes Emily and her father's trip along the Mediterranean for some fresh air for her father after Emily's mother died.

The only way I could describe how Radcliffe's visual of the cliffs of the Mediterranean coast was absolutely like it was a dream escape to paradise. 

Soon after mid-day, they reached the summit of one of those cliffs, which, bright with the verdure of palm-trees, adorn, like gems, the tremendous walls of the rocks...Here was shade, and the fresh water of a spring, that gliding among the turf, under the trees, thence precipitated itself from rock to rock, till its dashing murmurs were lost in the abyss, though its white foam was long seen amid the darkness of the pines below

While reading this I found myself getting lost and transported in the carriage right along with Emily and her father. Radcliffe once again inserts a small bite of a couple of lines of poetry to further paint the landscape of their trip.

Rocks on rocks piled, as if by magic spell 

 Here scorch'd by lightnings, there with ivy green 

One can almost imagine, the wheels of the carriage creaking, and looking out the window to this vivid visuals of the scenery as it passes by. On this journey, night was falling, and their guide, Michael told of a small hamlet that he knew of that they could stop for the night. M. St. Aubert begins to notice that this hamlet will not have the extravagant accommodations like he was used to, and told Michael, "I perceive you are not one of its inhabitants, sir," And Michael, responded , " No, sir, I am only a wanderer here!"

The two of them once they were off the carriage, started walking towards the hamlet, and M. St. Aubert, told Michael, "I admire your taste, and if I was a younger man, should like to pass a few weeks in your way exceedingly. I, too, am a wanderer." Although, M. St. Aubert would like to wander as a lifestyle, his traveling now is in " search of health, as much as of amusement." 

My thoughts on this section of reading, while 2020 provided many challenges. For starters, my plans for the year to visit family and amusement, did not happen the way I would have liked. And the several impromptu plans of our adventures were I would say all the while strange, I hadn't visited both Knott's Berry Farm and Newport Dunes, since I was a child, and here I was taking my daughters to both. Another trip that I'd been wanting to do was to go and chop down our Christmas tree, and believe me, when I say we wandered and we almost got lost, but the trip would go down as a memory for a life time. As for my wandering, I feel the same as St. Aubert, I would love to live a lifestyle of wandering, adventure after adventure to exotic destinations and to see wonderous scenery, to just get lost in the just the moment and enjoy all that is offered to my senses. Until then, I will continue to wander in the very vivid scenery of Anne Radcliffe's, Mysteries of Udolpho. 

My first Commonplace: Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe

 

When faced with spending countless hours at home and have exhausted all avenues of 'finding things to do' to pass the time, what better way than to lose yourself in a novel. And that's just what I did I picked up a book, and actually found with the pages and words, I was able to free myself from feeling lost, as I was unable to wander as my normal schedule would allow. 

After reading, NorthAnger Abbey, and Ms. Morland's fascination with Gothic Romances, and her favorite being Mysteries of Udolpho, I thought I'd challenge myself to spend some time following the story of Emily St. Aubert. 

The part I'm commenting on today is right before her mother becomes very ill. One of my favorite parts about MOU are the pieces of poetry, mixed in with Shakespeare and how Radcliffe ties them in, and drags you deeper into her novel. I'm beginning to notice a cycle of sorts, where Radcliffe creates these beautiful, happy scenes of felicitation and fancy, and then moments later, things turn very dark, and deeply melancholy. One scene Emily and her father are taking a walk at night, discussing fairies and 'Glow worm'. Emily recites her poem for her father, in spite of her fears of his criticizing her. It starts off with words, like 'pleasant', 'sweeter', 'softest', and then halfway through, the poem turns dark, with words like, 'sad', 'forsakes', 'mire', 'and stars burning out'. Just dark, dark, dark.

And her father does criticize her, but I found the poem both lovely and terrifying.

At the beginning of the next chapter, Radcliffe begins with a couple of lines from Hamlet (Act 1 Scene 5), " I could a tale unfold, whose lightest word Would harrow up thy soul." These words from Hamlet's father's ghost, of wanting to tell him secrets from purgatory, except these stories would cut his soul.

With these lines she introduces the next chapter of both Emily and her father's sadness and grief of the passing of their beloved mother and wife. And Radcliffe truly writes with vivid descriptions of the tears and feelings of loss from both of them and the uncaring feelings of both their family and friends towards their loss and grief is unsettling, except for Emily's aunt who does seemingly give her sincerest condolences.

My final thought has to do with Radcliffe's own thoughts on what one's duty is to not only oneself but to those around us. Emily's father tenderly tells her that, 

" I have endeavored to teach you from your earliest youth, the duty of self-command; I have pointed out to you the great importance of it through life, not only as it preserves us in the various and dangerous temptations that call us from rectitude and virtue, but as it limits the indulgences which are termed virtuous, yet which extended beyond a certain boundary, are vicious, for their consequence is evil" 

Early on he and his wife taught her about self-control, and not be swayed by temptation, but to limit indulgences, moderation is a good thing. He then proceeds to state that while sadness and grief are necessary, and 'amiable from it's origin', sadness and grief 'if indulged would become selfish and unjust passion' and would come at an expence to our duties to ourselves and others. That the 'indulgence of excessive grief enervates the mind and (I LOVE this word) incapacitates the other various enjoyments of life, which God had intended us to enjoy or as Radcliffe puts it 'the sunshine of our lives'.

It's ok to grieve at loss or change or any dark challenge in our life, it's ok to be sad and grieve, but not to lose ourselves in that grief, because in continuing on with our grief and sadness we will miss out on other good and joyous moments of our life, which is what (during this unprecedented time) I've been having a difficulty just enjoying the sunshine and ones I love and not be so caught up in the rough time WE as global citizens are going through, and not be selfish, that someone else may be having a more difficult and challenging time than I've had. 

So far I am thoroughly enjoying Emily's adventure. 

I'll update more, when something in the book reaches out to me and speaks to me, my likes and thoughts.