WYLDER'S HAND

A dreadful secret pervades this novel, written in 1864 in a style that blends the Dickensian with a touch of Poe’s Gothic darkness, resulting in a blend that is unique and captivating. The narrator starts his tale with his visit to Brandon Hall where a wedding is to take place uniting two branches of the Brandon/Wylder family. Mark Wylder and Dorcas Brandon are the loveless couple. In this dreary setting, there are are a few bright lights, according to the narrator, in the persons of Rachel Lake, a distant poor relation, Rev. William Wylder, Mark’s brother, and his homely little wife, and Lord Chelford, family patriarch. Things take an ominous turn, however, when Rachel’s only brother, Stanley Lake, appears on the scene. Rachel is certain his return bodes ill as his hatred for Mark smolders in his “yellow” eyes. A few nights later, her foreboding becomes reality as Stanley entangles her in his awful secret. Mark disappears, and in time Dorcas and Stanley wed. Meanwhile, the hypocritical attorney Joshua Larkin uses his position to unscrupulously enrich his coffers. Le Fanu’s prose is touched with supernatural elements that turn out to have grounding in reality. Like Dickens, Le Fanu can paint such a vivid portrait of character and setting that the reader feels he is personally acquainted with the people and places in the story. Like Poe, Le Fanu uses those elements to envelope the reader with a sense of gathering darkness and, at last, allows him or her to breathe easier as the dark begins to fade and secrets come to light.