The Enchanted April

A light and pastoral novel compared to her other works, British author Elizabeth von Arnim’s historical fiction The Enchanted April (1922) was inspired by her experience touring the Italian Riviera. It ties together the narratives of four unique women living in Arnim’s present-day England, who somewhat reluctantly band together to vacation in Italy. Eventually, realizing they have a number of commonalities, the women reach the moralistic conclusion that it is prudent and wise to seek social connection rather than exclusivity. Famous for being a relatively early text to feature a solidarity of women as protagonist figures, the novel inaugurated later feminist British literature. It also addresses themes such as self-fulfillment, love, the intrinsic value of the natural world, and the texture of memory.

The Enchanted April begins on an ordinary day in England. Mrs. Arbuthnot, a reticent and traditional woman, meets up with Mrs. Wilkins, who is more spontaneous, to discuss an advertisement they found listing the lease of a villa in Italy the next April. Each woman considers the other an acquaintance, but not a friend by any means. However, Mrs. Wilkins notices Mrs. Arbuthnot’s dissatisfaction with life and resonates with her. She urges Mrs. Arbuthnot to sign the lease with her. Mrs. Arbuthnot contacts Mr. Briggs, the owner, who becomes infatuated with her. Realizing that the rate is higher than they expected, the two women resolve to find other female boarders to split the cost. Their petition draws in two other women, Mrs. Fisher, a controlling woman, and the extremely wealthy Lady Caroline Denston. Lacking other interested parties, Mrs. Arbuthnot and Mrs. Wilkins agree to go with them despite their initial judgments.

Mrs. Arbuthnot and Mrs. Wilkins travel together to Italy, while the other two women make their own arrangements. When they arrive at the villa, they find that they are the last to reach it, and are irritated that Mrs. Fisher and Lady Caroline have taken the villa’s two finest rooms. Quickly enamored with the beauty of Italy, Mrs. Wilkins forgets her trivial woes. In contrast, Mrs. Arbuthnot despairs, revealing that she has not even informed her husband of her travels. Mrs. Fisher proves to be a solitary person, and Lady Caroline uses Italy as a meditative and spiritual experience.



As their vacation progresses, the four women learn more about themselves and of each other. Mrs. Wilkins revels in the Italian countryside, believing that her marital woes would disappear if she lived there; she decides to invite her lawyer husband to join her at the villa. Mrs. Arbuthnot follows suit, inviting her husband as well, though it is out of guilt. Mrs. Fisher, realizing she has repressed much of her youthful spirit, resolves to nurture it further. Reflecting on her life in England, Lady Caroline realizes she has cheapened it with trivialities and shallowness. However, she is at a loss as to how to lead a more meaningful life.

Soon, Mr. Wilkins makes it to the Italian villa. An ambitious man, he tries to use the opportunity to get business from the wealthy Mrs. Fisher and Lady Caroline. Despite his preoccupation with his career, he comes to appreciate Mrs. Wilkins more for getting him out of his element. Lady Caroline rebuffs Mr. Wilkins, viewing him as just another man interested in her fortune. Mrs. Fisher befriends him, spending time with him and his wife, who is elated to spend so much more time with him.

Mr. Briggs, en route to Rome, stops at the villa. He virtually forgets about Mrs. Arbuthnot upon seeing Lady Caroline. Lady Caroline ignores him, but eventually softens, seeing that his affection is genuine and not based on shallow personal desire. The plot takes an unexpected twist near the end of the novel: Lady Caroline invites a lover from England who turns out to be Mr. Arbuthnot. Before Mr. Arbuthnot registers shock, giving his affair away, Mrs. Arbuthnot rejoices that he has come to see her. Lady Caroline quickly pivots, turning to Mr. Briggs, as Mrs. Arbuthnot reconnects with her husband. The story concludes at the end of the women’s month in Italy. They look forward to returning to England, implementing their improved relationships and self-understanding in daily life.



A gentle novel even with its unexpected twists and turns, The Enchanted April casts the setting of an idealized rural Italy as an environment that enables its visitors to reconnect to their spiritual roots. Using this trope of the “change of scenery” as a source of therapy, it suggests that the social connections that nature and relaxation foster can be a remedy to one’s exacting and modern urban life.