From Behind A Black Veil: The Unbearable Politeness of Isabella Thorpe

“Oh! I am delighted with the book! I should like to spend my whole life in reading it, I assure you, if it had not been to meet you, I would not have come away from it in all the world.” — Catherine Morland to Isabella Thorpe on “Mysteries of Udolpho”

     And, thus cements the almost sadistic and obsessive relationship between Catherine Morland and Isabella Thorpe. But, it also reflects the nature of reading, as one can become obsessed and feel immersed in a novel, never wanting to put it down. And, it is in this same regard that Catherine treats Isabella, she is only able to put the book down to meet with Isabella, one obsession replaces the other one. When Isabella responds “Dear Creature” to Catherine’s elation over the book, she knows Catherine is her captive.

     Catherine is a naïve, sweet and sensitive young girl in comparison to Isabella, and her introduction to the scandalous and worldly “Mysteries of Udolpho” begins a change in her. This, too, is the nature of books, to expand and inform new ideas and sensations in the reader. Still, Catherine is rapturous and beholden to Isabella’s insights and sophistication, especially regarding what lays behind the “black veil.” Isabella is very titillating about the veil when she says “Are not you wild to know?” This passage is revelatory in that it discloses Isabella’s true nature, for she is hiding behind a black veil of her own making. At this point in the story, it is unclear what Isabella’s motives are, but she clearly revels in enticing Catherine, drawing her further into, what is for now, an imaginary and salacious world. However, it foreshadows Isabella’s own propensity for scandal.

      Later in the same scene, Isabella reads a list of books and ensures that her  “sweetest friend”, Miss Andrews, has read them all, making them a must read for Catherine too. Then, Isabella discloses “There is nothing I wouldn’t do for those who are really my friends”, she is admitting what she longs for “real” friendships. Yet, later in the same passage she tells Catherine, “The men think us incapable of real friendships you know, and I am determined to show them different. Now, if I were to hear anybody speak slightingly of you, I should fire up in a moment…for you are just the kind of girl to be a great favorite with the men.” These could be the words of a friend, but it speaks of an inherent jealousy within Isabella, and alludes to her nature of luring men. Further, it could be construed Isabella’s own fascination for the colorful tales has affected her persona.

        The relationship between Catherine and Isabella represents a time honored rite of a passage for many girls. Whereby, the younger girl is transfixed and transformed by the attention and admiration from the somewhat older girl, only to be slighted, or worse, by the older girl. As with all good stories, the young girl, like Catherine Morland, emerges a heroine in her own right.