The Mysteries of Udolpho · Chapter
IV explained
St.
What happens
St. Aubert, Emily, and Valancourt journey through the mountains toward Rousillon, enjoying sublime landscapes and deepening their emotional bonds. They seek shelter at a convent after nightfall, and St. Aubert reflects on Valancourt's virtuous character.
Themes in this chapter
The Sublime and Landscape
The chapter richly describes the sublime mountain scenery, including glaciers, precipices, and the play of light and shadow, evoking awe and emotional depth.
Grief and Melancholy
Valancourt and St. Aubert express a tender melancholy inspired by the landscape, recalling lost loved ones and the passage of time.
Virtue and Self-Command
St. Aubert observes Valancourt's genuine warmth and moral clarity, noting he has never been corrupted by Paris, and approves his virtuous character.
Characters to notice
- St. Aubert
Awakens refreshed, invites Valancourt to breakfast, and decides to take the route to Beaujeu. His heart is softened by the scenery and he reflects on Valancourt's ingenuousness.
- Emily St. Aubert
Watches the dawn with delight, feels a timid sweetness when bowing to Valancourt, and later feels fear in the dark woods but is reassured by Valancourt's voice.
- Valancourt
Guides the travellers, points out scenic wonders, recites poetry, and shows deep emotion when speaking of love and memory. He is warmly regarded by St. Aubert.
Key passages
“The dawn, which softened the scenery with its peculiar grey tint, now dispersed, and Emily watched the progress of the day, first trembling on the tops of the highest cliffs, then touching them with splendid light, while their sides and the vale below were still wrapt in dewy mist.”
Emily observed the sunrise as it gradually illuminated the mountain peaks while the valley remained shrouded in mist.
Highlights Emily's appreciation of the natural sublime.
“His perceptions were clear, and his feelings just; his indignation of an unworthy, or his admiration of a generous action, were expressed in terms of equal vehemence. St. Aubert sometimes smiled at his warmth, but seldom checked it, and often repeated to himself, 'This young man has never been at Paris.'”
Valancourt expressed strong moral reactions, and St. Aubert approved, seeing him as uncorrupted by city life.
Emphasizes Valancourt's virtue and St. Aubert's approval.