The Fate of Fenella

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