Clermont (novel)

Clermont is a gothic novel by Regina Maria Roche, first published in 1798 by Minerva Press. Considered as a narrative in the Gothic genre, the story follows the journey of its protagonist, Madeline Clermont, whose peace is disturbed by the mysteries surrounding the past. The novel encompasses many of the extremes of Gothic tropes, including foreboding spaces, secrets, horror, and supposed supernatural sightings. There are also elements of romance in the novel that literary critics suggest Roche utilised to ensure that the narrative results in an overall happy ending. Clermont also covers the concepts of female agency and virtue, with contemporary critics connoting its links to the Female Gothic genre more specifically.

Whilst the narrative has been received by critics as confusing and lacking as an art form – cited as an imitation of Roche’s counterpart Anne Radcliffe – Jane Austen’s mention of the novel in Northanger Abbey as one of the seven "horrid novels" roused further attention towards Clermont and Roche’s work, inviting readers and critics alike to reconsider its value as an eighteenth century Gothic text. Indeed, the novel is considered as one of "... the definitive text[s] of the Gothic novel craze during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries", and interest in the narrative continues to broaden and extend to present-day contexts.