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
Emily grows melancholy as she prepares to leave the chateau and thinks about her previous evening when she declined Valancourt’s marriage proposal. She, Montoni, Cavigni, and Madame Montoni begin their journey to Italy. They stop at a village, where Emily has a chance to read a letter that she received from Valancourt. The letter says that Valancourt will always look to the setting sun in the evening and know that that is the direction where Emily is. Emily sadly looks at the sun herself.
The setting sun, which often symbolizes endings, seems to suggest the end of Emily and Valancourt’s relationship. At the same time, however, the fact that Emily can still see the setting sun wherever she goes suggests that perhaps she won’t leave Valancourt behind after all, symbolizing how he remains in her thoughts even when he isn’t physically present.
Themes
Emily’s journey with her family passes through Languedoc, eventually reaching the Alps. She keeps thinking back to when she first met Valancourt. Shortly after they descend the Italian side of the snowy Alps, Emily composes a sonnet about how the mountainous landscape is both beautiful and dangerous. As they head into Italy, Madame Montoni seems to have grand dreams about living in a palace and going to parties in Venice. But as Emily looks at the striking landscape, she continues to see reminders of Valancourt everywhere.
This journey thought the Alps parallels Emily’s earlier journey with St. Aubert over the Pyrenees. Emily’s ability to write poetry about the Alps shows that despite her disappointment about Valancourt and her uncertainty about the future, she still holds on to her ability to appreciate nature. Whereas nature used to connect Emily to St. Aubert, in this new phase of her life, it reminds her of Valancourt.
Themes
As they all continue traveling, Emily hears the sound of a violin from some other travelers. She, Montoni, Cavigni, and Madame Montoni talk to the musicians for a while. Emily composes another poem, this time about musicians.
Once again, music seems to follow Emily wherever she goes, perhaps suggesting that the lessons she learned from St. Aubert at La Vallée (which included music) continue to have relevance.
Themes
