Ariosto gives concerning the beauty of Angelica
Angelica is the heroine of Ariosto's
epic romance Orlando Furioso (1516-32). In the first edition this
is
one of the works from which Henry Clerval wrote plays for himself,
Elizabeth, and Victor to act (see 1.1.5
and note). Thus, this would be a
natural reference for Elizabeth to make, suggestive of her long intimacy
with the two young men her letter implicitly addresses.
