The Mysteries of Udolpho · Chapter
VII explained
St.
What happens
St. Aubert's health declines rapidly, and he delivers a final, heartfelt discourse to Emily on the dangers of excessive sensibility and the importance of fortitude and active virtue. He makes her promise to burn a packet of papers hidden beneath a loose board in his closet at La Vallée, without examining them, and reveals a hidden purse of gold.
Themes in this chapter
Virtue and Self-Command
St. Aubert's central lesson: fortitude and active virtue are more valuable than the 'grace of sensibility'; he warns against the pride of fine feeling.
Grief and Melancholy
The chapter is saturated with the sorrow of impending death, as Emily and St. Aubert share a poignant farewell.
The Supernatural and the Unknown
The secret closet and the mysterious packet of papers introduce an element of hidden knowledge and foreboding mystery.
Characters to notice
- St. Aubert
Delivers his final advice to Emily, makes her promise to burn the hidden papers, and reveals the secret compartment in the closet.
- Emily St. Aubert
Receives her father's dying instructions and solemnly promises to burn the papers without reading them.
- La Voisin
Offers to accompany St. Aubert to Gascony and later assists when Emily faints.
Key passages
“Above all, my dear Emily, do not indulge in the pride of fine feeling, the romantic error of amiable minds.”
St. Aubert warns Emily against taking pride in her own sensitivity, calling it a romantic mistake that well-meaning people often make.
This encapsulates the chapter's moral lesson on the dangers of sensibility.
“These papers you must burn—and, solemnly I command you, without examining them.”
St. Aubert makes Emily promise to destroy the hidden documents without ever reading them.
This introduces a central mystery and a binding vow that will affect Emily's future.