sentimental fiction into otherwordly romance: they are effectively the co-authors of their own stories.” Images in the novel make it possible to see one thing in the expressions of something else, reason as to which Radcliffe creates anxiety from descriptions of terror and the uncanny. “The solemnity of the scene accorded with the temper of his mind, and he listened in deep attention for returning sounds, which broke upon his ear like distant thunder muttering imperfectly from the clouds.” (page 12 Oxford World Classics Edition) All of the imagery presented in The Italian pull the novel together by way of description, which sets the scene for the reader and the characters. The Female Gothic in The Italian Ann Radcliffe's writing falls under the genre of the Female Gothic, which is distinguished by the use of the explained supernatural. The Female Gothic differs from the Male Gothic in that elements initially perceived as supernatural are eventually revealed to have rational explanations, rather than serving as indicators of an actual ghost of otherworldly entity. These explanations largely serve to expose a true human threat, often the desire and motivations of characters seeking control and power over others. The Female Gothic also tends to advocate against injustice committed against female characters, ascribing these heroines with more agency and independence than was typical for representations the time as well as the genre of the Gothic itself. Speaking of Diana Wallace's book, Female Gothic Histories: Gender, History and the Gothic, Yael Shapira concludes that the Female Gothic "helps articulate women's experiences and their problematic status in both history and historiography". This differs from the traditional style of the Male Gothic, which Wallace feels is limited by the inherent biases of a male perspective. In this sense, the Female Gothic "extended engagement with the ways in which the feminine has historically been constructed through male eyes" (106). As Kröger and Miller explain, “Ghosts are spooky but the true threat was one she saw in the real world: men who were willing to abuse women in order to gain wealth" (24). Reception The Italian was first announced in December 1796. At the time of the novel's release, Ann Ward Radcliffe was already a well-known and well-received Gothic writer. She had gained fame from several of her earlier works, most noticeably The Romance of the Forest in 1791 and The Mysteries of Udolpho in 1794. Her reputation was