Uncle Silas

A young heiress finds herself caught in the sinister plots of her mysterious Uncle Silas. A new edition of Le Fanu's best known work and an exemplary piece of sensation fiction, with an introduction and notes by Claire Connolly.

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'The old woman opened the door, and the next moment I was in the presence of Uncle Silas.'

In Victorian Derbyshire, 17 year old orphan and heiress Maud Ruthyn is sent to live at the claustrophobic Bartram-Haugh house with her mysterious Uncle Silas. Silas has a reputation for gambling debts and past accusations of murder, but now lives as a reformed Christian. Sinister schemes and preternatural events unfold as Silas, his son, and a malevolent governess plot against Maud and her fortune.

Uncle Silas has been hailed by contemporaries and modern critics alike as one of the finest works of sensation fiction. With elements of tragic romance, horror, and psychological thriller, Uncle Silas shows Le Fanu at the height of his powers.

With an introduction from Claire Connolly, this edition places the novel in its broadest context and unpicks the layers of Celtic, Christian, and mystic influence behind Le Fanu's best known work.

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