You have been abroad then?” said Henry, a little…
““You have been abroad then?” said Henry, a little surprised. “Oh! No, I only mean what I have read about. It always puts me in mind of the country that Emily and her father traveled through, in The Mysteries of Udolpho. But you never read novels, I dare say?” “Why not?” “Because they are not clever enough for you — gentlemen read better books.” “The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid. I have read all Mrs. Radcliffe’s works, and most of them with great pleasure. The Mysteries of Udolpho, when I had once begun it, I could not lay down again; I remember finishing it in two days — my hair standing on end the whole time.” “Yes,” added Miss Tilney, “and I remember that you undertook to read it aloud to me, and that when I was called away for only five minutes to answer a note, instead of waiting for me, you took the volume into the Hermitage Walk, and I was obliged to stay till you had finished it.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The passage satates the social snobbery and gender expectations surrounding reading, highlighting how novels were deemed unsuitable for refined gentlemen while being passionately enjoyed by women.
In simple terms: Reading novels was seen as unladylike for men but delightful for women.
Key Takeaway
Challenge stereotypes about who can enjoy literature.
Themes
gender roles
literary criticism
social class
reading habits
Mood
playful
critical
reflective
Type
dialogue
literary
social commentary
When to use this quote
- high society gatherings
- private reading sessions
- literary salons
- educational debates
Key Concepts
Romanticism
gothic literature
gender dynamics
Questions to Reflect On
- How do modern gender expectations shape our reading choices?
- What value do we assign to different literary genres?
A Different Perspective
The view that novels are “not clever enough” for men reflects class bias and undervalues imaginative literature.