A minor scandal on its first publication, and a significant influence on Byron and Shelley, Zofloya has been unduly neglected.

The novel's most daring aspect is its anatomy of Victoria's intense sexual attraction to her Moorish servant Zofloya that transgresses taboos both of class and race. Charlotte Dacre's narrative deftly displays her heroine's movement from the vitalized position of Ann Radcliffe's heroines to a fully conscious commitment to vice that goes beyond that of `Monk' Lewis's deluded Ambrosio. The novel follows Victoria's progress from spoilt daughter of indulgent aristocrats, through a period of abuse and captivity, to a career of deepening criminality conducted under Satan's watchful eye. Original Imprint Manufacturer: G.`Few venture as thou hast in the alarming paths of sin.' This is the final judgement of Satan on Victoria di Loredani, the heroine of Zofloya, or The Moor (1806), a tale of lust, betrayal, and multiple murder set in Venice in the last days of the fifteenth century. Original Publisher: Printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme Selected with the guidance of an international team of expert advisors, these primary sources are invaluable for a wide range of academic disciplines and areas of study, providing never before possible research opportunities for one of the most studied historical periods. These invaluable, sometimes previously unknown works are of particular interest to scholars and researchers.Įuropean Literature, 1790-1840: The Corvey Collection includes: The collection thus contains everything from novels and short stories to belles lettres and more populist works, and includes many exceedingly rare works not available in any other collection from the period.

The Corvey library was built during the last half of the 19th century by Victor and his wife Elise, both bibliophiles with varied interests. The Corvey Collection comprises one of the most important collections of Romantic era writing in existence anywhere - including fiction, short prose, dramatic works, poetry, and more - with a focus on especially difficult-to-find works by lesser-known, historically neglected writers.

The collection is sourced from the remarkable library of Victor Amadeus, whose Castle Corvey collection was one of the most spectacular discoveries of the late 1970s. Nineteenth Century Collections Online: European Literature, 1790-1840: The Corvey Collection includes the full-text of more than 9,500 English, French and German titles.

Zofloya book