Valperga: Or the Life and Adventures of Castruccio Prince of Lucca (Oxford World's Classics)

About this book

Valperga (1823) the novel Mary Shelley wrote after Frankenstein is based on the life of Castruccio Castracani (1281-1328) Prince of Lucca. A brilliant soldier and cruel tyrant he successfully commanded Ghibelline forces in Tuscany against the Guelphs. Woven into the story of this factional conflict are the tragic destinies of two heroines fictional creations of the author. Ethanasia Countess of Valperga finds herself increasingly torn between loyalty to her Guelph roots and her lifelong affection for Castruccio. Beatrice whom the authors father William Godwin described as the jewel of the book is a heretical Paterin with whom Castruccio falls in love only to abandon. This meticulously researched historical novel combines a narrative of suspense with a remarkable reconstruction of manners in the Middle Ages. Set in the period of Dantes lifetime it is also suffused with a poetic spirit which evokes the beauties of Italys physical environment and points to the melancholy inevitability of change. This edition provides a clear account of the circumstances in which Valperga was composed and published.