Valperga Author:Mary Shelley Valperga (1823), the novel Mary Shelley wrote after Frankenstein, is based on the life of Castruccio Castracani, the fourteenth-century Prince of Lucca. A brilliant soldier and cruel tyrant, he successfully commanded Ghibelline forces in Tuscany against the Guelphs, threatening Florence, their stronghold. Woven into the story of this historical ... more »conflict are the tragic destinies of two heroines: Euthanasia, Countess of Valperga, and Beatrice. Described by the author's father, William Godwin, as 'the jewel of the book,' Beatrice is a heretic with whom Castruccio falls in love, while Euthanasia finds herself increasingly torn between loyalty to her Guelph roots and her passion for Castruccio. This meticulously researched historical fiction combines a thrilling story with a remarkable reconstruction of manners in the Middle Ages. Set in the period of Dante's lifetime, it is suffused with a poetic spirit which evokes the beauties of the Italian landscape and points them to the melancholy inevitability of change.« less