Free public lecture on seminal 1790s Gothic writer, Ann Radcliffe, by Dr. Deborah Russell (university of York).

Ann Radcliffe (1764-1823) was “the great enchantress” of her generation, in the words of Thomas de Quincey. She changed the face of fiction in the Romantic period and shaped the development of Gothic romance. The extraordinary impact of her work also helped to cement an association between this genre and women writers and readers. But, of course, Radcliffe was far from the only woman writing Gothic fiction in the formative early days of the genre. This lecture will explore Radcliffe’s career in the context of the other women who inspired her, imitated her, and contested her vision of the Gothic.

Generously funded by the AHRC as part of the ongoing Ann Radcliffe, Then and Now project based at the University of Sheffield. Followed by a drinks reception.

Dr Deborah Russell is a Senior Lecturer in Eighteenth-Century Literature at the University of York. Deborah’s research interests focus on Gothic fiction, with a particular emphasis on women’s writing and discourses of national identity. She also works on Romantic-era theatre, thinking about silence on stage, spectacle, and the politics of adaptation.