The Mysteries of Udolpho Lesson Plan

How does Radcliffe characterize Emily vis-a-vis her relationship with her home in these opening chapters?

Radcliffe's novel incorporates many different settings and often involves characters journeying from place to place. For Emily, much of the novel will be about her effort to return to her home, and the security and stability she experienced there. Therefore, the beginning of the novel plays an important role in setting the stage for why Emily has such a strong connection to La Vallee and why it becomes part of her idealized sense of home.

La Vallee is presented as an almost Edenic setting, where everything is peaceful and calm with no threats or dangers (which...