Martin Faber: The Story of a Criminal

by William Gilmore Simms

Excerpt from Martin Faber: The Story of a Criminal

This is a fearful precipice, but I dare look Upon it. What, indeed, may I not dare - what have I not dared! I look be fore me, and the prospect, to most men full of tenets, has few or none for me. With out adopting too greatly the spirit of cant which makes it a familiar phrase in the mouths of the many, death to me will prove a release from many strifes and terrors. I do not fear death. I look behind me, and though.

Genres: Horror

Paperback

First published January 1, 1833

About the author

William Gilmore Simms (April 17, 1806 – June 11, 1870) was a poet, novelist and historian from the American South whose novels achieved great prominence during the 19th century, with Edgar Allan Poe pronouncing him the best novelist America had ever produced. In recent decades, though, Simms' novels have fallen out of favor, although he is still known among literary scholars as a major force in antebellum Southern literature. He is also remembered for his strong support of slavery and for his opposition to Uncle Tom's Cabin, in response to which he wrote reviews and a novel.

Reviews

[Miles Smith]

Simms' early novel flirts with the macabre in a way that foreshadowed Poe. Martin Faber is a sort of psychological thriller combined with a moral and spiritual lesson about the ultimate stupidity of evil. There is a unmistakable hint of Milton in Faber's eventual overthrow.

[Sara]

I enjoyed reading this fictional account of a murderer and his progression from childhood. The reader got close into the mind of Martin and identified his thought process. Because of the small redeemable quality shown in him, I found myself rooting for his victory in the end and wanting the demise of the annoying "good" characters. It was a short fun read.

[Jo]

This was so creepy and weird!