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Volume 1, Chapter 1
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Mysteries of Udolpho, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Marriage, Love, and Inheritance
The Wonders of Nature
Mystery and Superstition
Mortality
The Value of Education and Art
Summary
Analysis
St. Aubert, Emily, and a large group of local peasants all go to mourn at Madame St. Aubert’s grave in a neighboring church. After the funeral service, St. Aubert tells Emily that he has always encouraged her to have self-control and avoid excess, and so they should try not to grieve for too long.
St. Aubert’s opposition to excess even includes grief. His views hint at his Christian religious beliefs (that it is indulgent to mourn the end of someone’s mortal life too much because the afterlife is more important and eternal). St. Aubert’s views may also be influenced by the fact that he is already familiar with loss, having lost two sons.
Themes
Some of St. Aubert’s friends and family come to visit St. Aubert during his period of grief. His sister, a widow named Madame Cheron, invites St. Aubert and Emily to come stay with her for a while. But before he can do that, St. Aubert has to visit with Quesnel about some urgent business. Emily is disappointed about having to visit Quesnel, and she’s even more disappointed when she gets there, and Monsieur and Madame Quesnel barely even acknowledge that Madame St. Aubert has died.
Even in death, Quesnel and Madame Quesnel fail to see the value of Madame St. Aubert because they only think in materialistic terms, and she never had any great fortune. Although St. Aubert warned against excessive grief, the Quesnels clearly go too far in the opposite direction, talking directly about business right after the funeral.
Themes
Quesnel and Madame Quesnel hold a dinner with several guests, including a distant relative of Madame Quesnel, Montoni, who is an Italian gentleman of about 40. His friend Cavigni, who is also Italian and about 30, is also with him. Under different circumstances, Emily might have found these ostentatious and stylish guests amusing, but she is too deep in her grief.
Madame Quesnel is a wealthy Italian heiress, and so this passage suggests that perhaps Quesnel is trying to intervene in St. Aubert’s family and set Emily up to marry an older but wealthy Italian gentleman. But Quesnel doesn’t succeed because his lack of empathy for Emily means he doesn’t understand that romance is not interesting right now, when she’s grieving her mother’s death.
Themes
When Emily and St. Aubert make it back to their chateau, Emily feels worse than ever about losing Madame St. Aubert. St. Aubert’s own health begins to decline, since he still never quite recovered from his fever, and Emily doesn’t notice until he becomes quite weak.
Misfortune continues to come to La Vallée. St. Aubert’s weakening health suggests that this is a moment of transition between generations. He gradually loses his ability to watch out for Emily, and she, as the new generation, begins to make her own decisions.
Themes
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One day, St. Aubert dismisses a servant, telling Emily that they will need to save on expenses—his physician has suggested that he make a journey toward Languedoc, near the Mediterranean, where the air will be better for his health. That night, Emily spies outside St. Aubert’s room to try to learn how sick he really is. She sees him reading some papers at a small table and crying.
St. Aubert’s actions, including dismissing a servant, show the tradeoffs he needs to make to maintain his generous lifestyle. When Emily sees him crying in secret, she realizes how difficult it has been for him to keep up their life at La Vallée, which may seem simple and idyllic on the surface.
Themes
Emily watches St. Aubert, who looks ghostly pale as he takes out a miniature portrait that appears to portray a lady, but not Madame St. Aubert. He kisses it, holds it against his heart, then sighs heavily. Emily can’t believe this, but she stays hidden, retreating after he puts the picture away.
The end of the chapter introduces a twist, suggesting that perhaps the lady that St. Aubert kisses in his portrait is a secret lover that Emily never knew about. This raises the question of whether even someone as seemingly righteous as St. Aubert has his hidden secrets.
Themes
