The Romance of the Forest

The Romance of the Forest is a 1791 novel by the British pioneer of Gothic fiction, Ann Radcliffe. It follows the mysterious de la Motte family and their ward, Adeline, as they take up residence in an abandoned abbey. The Romance of the Forest displays all the hallmarks of Gothic fiction: a mystery plot, ancient settings, and an innocent hero preyed upon by a powerful man.

Monsieur Pierre de la Motte is fleeing his creditors in Paris, with his wife, Constance, and two loyal servants, Peter and Annette. Darkness falls and the de la Mottes are stranded, unable to see the path ahead. Pierre proceeds on foot in the direction of a distant light. He comes to an ancient house, where he is given a room for the night—and locked inside it. Later in the night, Pierre’s host reappears, dragging a beautiful young woman behind him: “If you wish to save your life,” Pierre’s host announces, “swear that you will convey this girl where I may never see her more.” Pierre agrees, and he and the young woman—Adeline—are taken back to Pierre’s carriage.

Threatened now by the mysterious host as well as Pierre’s creditors, the de la Mottes decide to take their chances in a dark forest. Their wagon breaks down, and the party travel on foot to a ruined abbey. None of the party wants to stay in such a sinister place, but Peter explores the ruins and announces that there is nothing there except owls and bats.



Pierre sends Peter to the nearest town for tools and materials, so the wagon can be repaired. Peter returns empty-handed: he explains that he got into a fight and had to flee.

Having bedded down in the abbey for a night, the de la Mottes, Adeline and the servants start to feel more comfortable there, and they set about making the abbey a more pleasant place to stay. Adeline tells Constance her story: she is the daughter of an impoverished knight, who tried to marry her off. When she refused, she was taken to the forest house where Pierre found her and imprisoned there.

On another trip to the town, Peter meets a gentleman who asks him about the de la Mottes. Peter reports this to Pierre, who, fearing that his creditors have tracked him down, orders his party to hide for the night under a trapdoor he has found in a bedroom. During the night, Pierre finds a skeleton, although he doesn’t tell anyone else.



In the morning, Adeline is sent out to see if any creditors have arrived at the abbey. She finds a young man, who turns out to be Pierre and Constance’s son, Louis. The de la Mottes left Paris without telling him, and he has come to find them.

Constance, in particular, is relieved to see her son. She confides in him that she believes Adeline is having an affair with Pierre: her husband has been going off by himself, and Constance wants Louis to follow him. Louis tries, but he loses his father in the trees. However, he concludes that Adeline is not the cause, and he begins to fall for Adeline himself. He starts courting her delicately, while she politely rebuffs his attention.

On a stormy night, a group of horsemen arrives at the abbey: the Marquis de Montalt and attendants. The Marquis is the owner of the abbey, and his appearance seems to distress Pierre. Louis suspects that something is amiss, but he must return to his regiment. One of the Marquis’s attendants, Theodore, attempts to warn Adeline that she is in danger, but he, too, is sent away.



Pierre and the Marquis hold lengthy private conversations. After Theodore’s attempted warning, Adeline fears she will be sent back to her father. She confesses her fears to Pierre, who does not contradict her. Meanwhile, Adeline has discovered a manuscript written by someone who had been held a prisoner in the abbey. The manuscript that terrifies her, and she eventually decides to tell Pierre about it.

Peter tells Adeline what is really going on: the Marquis, who is married, plans to hold a fake wedding with Adeline and then keep her as a mistress. With Peter, she plots to escape the abbey, but she is tricked, and she finds herself taken not to a safe place but to the Marquis’s house. She escapes and Theodore takes her away in a carriage, with the Marquis in hot pursuit.

The Marquis runs them down at an inn, where Theodore wounds him. Theodore is imprisoned and Adeline returned to the abbey. The Marquis decides that he wants Adeline dead. However, this is a step too far for Pierre, who helps her to escape to the home of Peter’s sister.



Adeline falls ill, and is adopted by the la Luc family, who nurses her back to health. Louis arrives with news that Theodore has been sentenced to death. Arnaud la Luc, the father of Adeline’s adoptive family, realizes that Theodore is his long-lost son. Adeline and the la Lac family travel to Paris to see Theodore before he is executed.

Meanwhile, Pierre de la Motte is on trial in Paris for robbing the Marquis. The Marquis has decided to press charges as punishment for Pierre’s decision to help Adeline escape. During the trial, witnesses come forward with secrets from the Marquis’s past: he murdered Adeline’s father and stole his wealth.

Theodore is released. After confessing his myriad crimes to a priest, the Marquis poisons himself. Adeline inherits her rightful property.



The Romance of the Forest explores the power of guilty pasts, both personal and historical. Radcliffe’s first major success, The Romance of the Forest went through three editions in four years and helped established the author as the most popular novelist of her day.