After critics condemned his sensational Gothic novel "Martyn of
Fenrose; or, The Wizard and the Sword" (1801) as blasphemous, Henry
Summersett returned with the very different "The Worst of Stains"
(1804), ostensibly a moral tale about the importance of marital
fidelity, but ironically featuring an ending far more horrific than
anything found in his Gothic novels.
"The Worst of Stains" opens on a cold winter's night, when the
village sexton, Gabriel Fellers, and his wife Mary have their quiet
evening by the fireside interrupted by the arrival of a frantic
stranger at their cottage door. The unexpected visitor is a young
mother, driven mad with illness and shame, having been seduced and
deserted by a rakish libertine. In a fit of insanity, she kills
herself, leaving her infant, William Berrington, to be raised by
the sexton's family.
Despite the stain of being born out of wedlock, Berrington grows
into a fine young man and wins the love of the beautiful Lorina.
But their domestic felicity is fated not to last: Berrington's
friend Russel sows the seeds of jealousy in Lorina's mind, telling
her that her husband is having an affair with the unprincipled Lady
Augusta Hartley. Slowly and insidiously, Lorina observes the signs
of her husband's supposed adultery while the wicked Russel schemes
to win his friend's wife for himself. But Russel's machinations
have unexpected consequences and will lead to a grisly and
unforgettable climax . . .
An updating of Shakespeare's "Othello," Summersett's tale of love,
jealousy, vengeance, and murder was first published in 1804 in an
edition now so rare that only one copy is known to survive. This
first-ever republication of the novel features a new introduction
and notes by Steve Orman of Canterbury Christ Church University and
a reproduction of the title page of the original edition.
About the Author
Henry Summersett was the author of several lurid Gothic novels,
including "Mad Man of the Mountain" (1799), "Jaqueline of Olzeburg,
or, Final Retribution" (1800), and "Martyn of Fenrose; or, The
Wizard and the Sword" (1801). Little is known about his life,
except that he was apparently a self-taught man who was
passionately fond of Shakespearean tragedy and works of German
Romanticism, both of which are significant influences on his
novels.
About the Editor
Steve Orman is an Associate Lecturer in the Department of English
& Language Studies at Canterbury Christ Church University.
General
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