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
Blanche and Emily get married on the same day and hold a grand feast with all of their friends and family. After several days of festivities, Emily and Valancourt go back to La Vallée, where Theresa is happy to see them. Valancourt’s brother, Count de Duvernay, stops by to congratulate them.
After so many dark and dismal events in the middle of the story, the end of the novel focuses strongly on happiness with not one but two weddings. The ending drives home the idea that good deeds get rewarded, even if it sometimes takes a while.
Themes
Emily gives Annette and Ludovico a marriage portion, keeping her as a housekeeper and him as a steward. Emily then gives the castle at Udolpho to Bonnac, since he is the nearest surviving relation to the Udolpho name. The final lines of the story praise the value of virtue and express the hope that the story has been able to entertain someone in a time of sorrow or perhaps taught someone a moral lesson.
Even after her happy marriage to Valancourt, Emily continues to think of others, spreading the happiness to Annette, Ludovico and Bonnac. Emily’s generosity in marriage provides a sharp contrast to how, for example, Montoni and Madame Montoni each encouraged each other’s selfish sides. The final lines of narration, which speak directly to the reader, drive home the novel’s intention to entertain and teach at the same time.
Themes
