Gaston de Blondeville, vol. 1 of 4 : $b or the court of Henry III. keeping festival in Ardenne, a romance. St. Alban's abbey, a metrical tale; with some poetical pieces

Ann Ward Radcliffe

1764–1823

A pioneer of Gothic fiction, she helped turn haunted castles, dark landscapes, and high suspense into a major literary force. Best known for The Mysteries of Udolpho, she shaped the kind of eerie, atmospheric storytelling that later writers eagerly borrowed.