The Yellow Mask (1887) is a novel by Wilkie Collins. Written toward the end of his life, The Yellow Mask recaptures some of the author’s trademark sense of mystery and psychological unease that made him a household name around the world. Recognized as an important Victorian novelist and pioneer of detective fiction, Wilkie Collins was a writer with a gift for thoughtful entertainment, stories written for a popular audience that continue to resonate with scholars and readers today. Father Rocco is a Catholic priest in the Italian city of Pisa. Through his brother, a sculptor and teacher, he becomes aware of Count Fabio D’Ascoli, a wealthy heir and an eager student of art. Vindictive and ruled by jealousy, Rocco fabricates a story accusing D’Ascoli’s family of stealing from the Church centuries before. Determined to obtain the D’Ascoli fortune, Father Rocco creates a rift between the Count and his young lover Nanina, then places his innocent niece Maddalena in a position to marry D’Ascoli. When Maddalena dies in childbirth, however, a strange figure in a yellow mask begins haunting her distraught widower, driving him to the brink of insanity. Beyond its sensational plot, The Yellow Mask is a novel that effectively critiques the institution of marriage and the morality of leaders in the Roman Catholic Church. Collins’ novel is a masterpiece of Gothic horror and mystery for seasoned readers of Victorian fiction and newcomers alike. This edition of Wilkie Collins’ The Yellow Mask is a classic work of English literature reimagined for modern readers.
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About the author
Wilkie Collins (1824-1889) was an English novelist and playwright. Born in London, Collins was raised in England, Italy, and France by William Collins, a renowned landscape painter, and his wife Harriet Geddes. After working for a short time as a tea merchant, he published Antonina (1850), his literary debut. He quickly became known as a leading author of sensation novels, a popular genre now recognized as a forerunner to detective fiction. Encouraged on by the success of his early work, Collins made a name for himself on the London literary scene. He soon befriended Charles Dickens, forming a strong bond grounded in friendship and mentorship that would last several decades. His novels The Woman in White (1859) and The Moonstone (1868) are considered pioneering examples of mystery and detective fiction, and enabled Collins to become financially secure. Toward the end of the 1860s, at the height of his career, Collins began to suffer from numerous illnesses, including gout and opium addiction, which contributed to his decline as a writer. Beyond his literary work, Collins is seen as an early advocate for marriage reform, criticizing the institution and living a radically open romantic lifestyle.More ebooks from the same author(s) / Editor
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