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The Fate of Fenella
 
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The Fate of Fenella [Paperback]

Arthur Conan Doyle (Author), Bram Stoker (Author), Andrew Maunder (Editor)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

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Book Description

August 1, 2008

An adulterous young woman - Her husband's affair with an evil French temptress - A violent murder - A sensational trial - Mesmerism and trances - A lunatic asylum - Jealousy - Revenge

These are just some of the plot elements of The Fate of Fenella. But even stranger and more sensational than its wild and fast-paced plot is the novel's composition. An experimental novel, featuring twenty-four chapters, each written by a different bestselling Victorian novelist without collaboration with the other authors, The Fate of Fenella remains as fascinating today as when first published in 1892.

This edition, the first since 1892, includes a new introduction by Andrew Maunder placing the novel in the larger context of the 1890s publishing marketplace, as well as extensive notes, and biographies of the twenty-four authors. In addition to its interest as a thrilling tale of mystery and murder, The Fate of Fenella is the ideal introduction to the late Victorian popular novel and two dozen of its most famous practitioners.

Contains chapters by: Arthur Conan Doyle, Bram Stoker, Helen Mathers, Justin H. McCarthy, Frances Eleanor Trollope, May Crommelin, F. C. Philips, "Rita", Joseph Hatton, Mrs. Lovett Cameron, Florence Marryat, Frank Danby, Mrs. Edward Kennard, Richard Dowling, Mrs. Hungerford, Arthur à Beckett, Jean Middlemass, Clement Scott, Clo. Graves, H. W. Lucy, Adeline Sergeant, George Manville Fenn, "Tasma", F. Anstey


Product Details

  • Paperback: 268 pages
  • Publisher: Valancourt Books (August 1, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1934555428
  • ISBN-13: 978-1934555422
  • Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,456,970 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

 

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Astonishing Victorian literary stunt, August 18, 2010
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This review is from: The Fate of Fenella (Paperback)
The magazine business was fiercely competitive in the 1890s. And readers addicted to sensation fiction were always looking for new thrills. In this volatile literary marketplace, London publisher Joseph Snell Wood came up with a great promotion: The Fate of Fenella.

There would be twenty-four chapters, each written by a different well-known novelist, half of the contributors men and half women. There would be no pre-conceived plot. Each author would have to deal with the plot as she or he found it - and move it forward.

Not surprisingly, with an arrangement like this, the story is wholly improbably, every chapter building up to a climax and ending with a cliffhanger. The reader is treated to murder, bigamy, adultery, fraud, kidnapping, hypnotic trances, near fatal illnesses and a shipwreck - all involving persons in the highest society.

The plot kicks off with a marriage in ruins. Lord Francis Onslow has been having an affair with a French femme fatale of vicious character. His wife Fenella retaliated by engaging in flagrant (though innocent) flirtations. What happens next? Just about everything you could imagine.

Contemporary critics either praised the book as "an ingenious success" or condemned it as "a literary crime." I found the admittedly absurd story surprisingly fun and readable. Most of the once popular authors are unknown today, yet the quality of their writing is quite good.

Short bios of the writers are included, and add to the charm of the book. One overworked author, for example, had a nervous breakdown directly after submitting her chapter. And the well-written introduction puts the novel nicely in context. There are some interesting reflections on how the storyline tied in with contemporary attitudes to "the woman question."

I'd recommend the book to anyone fascinated by Victorian times and literature.
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