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Ziska: The Problem of a Wicked Soul
Mary Mackay was a British novelist who began her career as a musician, adopting the name Marie Corelli for her billing. She gave up music, turning to writing instead and in 1886 published her first novel, A Romance of Two Worlds. In her time, she was the most widely read author of fiction but came under harsh criticism from many of the literary elite for her overly melodramatic and emotional writing.
174 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1898
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344 people want to read
About the author
Marie Corelli
465 books201 followersMarie Corelli (born Mary Mackay) was a best-selling British novelist of the Victorian and Edwardian eras, whose controversial works of the time often label her as an early advocate of the New Age movement.
In the 1890’s Marie Corelli’s novels were eagerly devoured by millions in England, America and the colonies. Her readers ranged from Queen Victoria and Gladstone, to the poorest of shop girls. In all she wrote thirty books, the majority of which were phenomenal best sellers. Despite the fact that her novels were either ignored or belittled by the critics, at the height of her success she was the best selling and most highly paid author in England.
She was the daughter of poet, journalist, author, anthologist, novelist, and songwriter Charles Mackay. Her brother was the poet Eric Mackay.
In the 1890’s Marie Corelli’s novels were eagerly devoured by millions in England, America and the colonies. Her readers ranged from Queen Victoria and Gladstone, to the poorest of shop girls. In all she wrote thirty books, the majority of which were phenomenal best sellers. Despite the fact that her novels were either ignored or belittled by the critics, at the height of her success she was the best selling and most highly paid author in England.
She was the daughter of poet, journalist, author, anthologist, novelist, and songwriter Charles Mackay. Her brother was the poet Eric Mackay.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
October 16, 2019
4.5
https://www.oddlyweirdfiction.com/201...
From the blurb: "A supernatural tale of reincarnation, seduction, and revenge." So right up my reading alley.
Think what you will, but I love Marie Corelli's novels, at least the few I've read so far, with others waiting for my attention on their shelves. The critics of her day had little nice to say about her work, but her reading public loved her, from "the eccentrics at society's lower end" to Queen Victoria herself. One Corelli scholar notes that more than half of her novels were "world-wide best sellers," with more than an estimated 100,000 copies selling annually for several years. Corelli's 1895 The Sorrows of Satan had an "initial sale greater than any previous English novel," selling twenty-five thousand copies its first week with and fifty thousand over the next seven weeks. Curt Herr, in his introduction to this Valancourt edition of Ziska, notes that 1897 also saw the publication of Stoker's Dracula and Richard Marsh's The Beetle, and that Corelli outsold "Stoker and Marsh by the hundreds of thousands," which sort of begs the question as to why today she is all but forgotten, which is a true pity.
The pulp/supernatural/gothic/occult-fiction reader in me of course positively swooned over Ziska, and if story alone was what it had amounted to I would have been happy enough. Although I knew eventually what was going to happen here, it didn't matter -- the novel makes for an intense, compelling read. But of course, there's always more that is not-so hidden under the surface with Corelli, whose beliefs often make their way into her work as debate between characters, and this book is no exception. She begins right away with a look at the cultural imperialism of her day before tackling upper-class society, love, marriage, gender, and her stock in trade, the undying soul. Curt Herr's excellent introduction discusses all of this and more, including brief comparisons to the two other novels published the same year that I mentioned above.
'tis an old book, but a fine one, and I loved every second of it. I really can't ask for more.
https://www.oddlyweirdfiction.com/201...
From the blurb: "A supernatural tale of reincarnation, seduction, and revenge." So right up my reading alley.
Think what you will, but I love Marie Corelli's novels, at least the few I've read so far, with others waiting for my attention on their shelves. The critics of her day had little nice to say about her work, but her reading public loved her, from "the eccentrics at society's lower end" to Queen Victoria herself. One Corelli scholar notes that more than half of her novels were "world-wide best sellers," with more than an estimated 100,000 copies selling annually for several years. Corelli's 1895 The Sorrows of Satan had an "initial sale greater than any previous English novel," selling twenty-five thousand copies its first week with and fifty thousand over the next seven weeks. Curt Herr, in his introduction to this Valancourt edition of Ziska, notes that 1897 also saw the publication of Stoker's Dracula and Richard Marsh's The Beetle, and that Corelli outsold "Stoker and Marsh by the hundreds of thousands," which sort of begs the question as to why today she is all but forgotten, which is a true pity.
The pulp/supernatural/gothic/occult-fiction reader in me of course positively swooned over Ziska, and if story alone was what it had amounted to I would have been happy enough. Although I knew eventually what was going to happen here, it didn't matter -- the novel makes for an intense, compelling read. But of course, there's always more that is not-so hidden under the surface with Corelli, whose beliefs often make their way into her work as debate between characters, and this book is no exception. She begins right away with a look at the cultural imperialism of her day before tackling upper-class society, love, marriage, gender, and her stock in trade, the undying soul. Curt Herr's excellent introduction discusses all of this and more, including brief comparisons to the two other novels published the same year that I mentioned above.
'tis an old book, but a fine one, and I loved every second of it. I really can't ask for more.
January 21, 2019
Ah Correlli. I think you should have written books just a little shorter. This book was wonderful, dare I say, better than Dracula.
February 4, 2014
Of supernatural love, thrills, exotic dancing... of a London society specific to defined gender roles, thoughts on beliefs in higher beings, bent on specified human purpose... of a man with two daughters in need of husbands, a Dr. Dean in love with history and spiritualism, a Mr. Murray in love with a beautiful woman and his sister... of a famous yet utterly material french artist, and a beautiful princess called Ziska... of an Egyptian secret and a mystery...
Hope you too would enjoy this classic gothic mystery...
Hope you too would enjoy this classic gothic mystery...
June 30, 2019
Nitokris meets Dracula in perhaps Marie Corelli's best work. Successfully crafting a febrile reincarnation and revenge erotic horror which rises above her usual turgid prose.
November 10, 2012
Corelli employs satire at the beginning of the novel to remark on false sense of superiority of the English at the end of the 19th century. Much of this can be linked to the themes that have been discussed throughout the course such as anxiety over racial, gender, social and economic principles that added to the discussions of degeneration of Victorian traditional frameworks. Corelli comments on the issues two-fold: first through the characters within the novel and secondly through her narrative commentary that occupancies the story. In reading Ziska, it is evident that not only is Corelli critiquing the issue of monster woman but also the viewpoints of the English, their culture, their social and spiritual beliefs, and their false superiority toward “outsiders”.
In a humorous way Corelli begins poking fun at the English by describing the way in which they abandon the winter weather in pursuit of milder weather. “Infected by strange maladies of the blood and nerves, to which even scientific physicians find it hard to give suitable names, they shudder at the first whiff of cold, and filling huge trunks with a thousand foolish things which have, through luxurious habit, become necessities to their pallid existences, they hastily depart to the land of Sun” (Ch. 1). Corelli then further satirizes the English gentry by continuing that they are interested in their health on Earth but are completely ignorant and oblivious to the importance of their spiritual health. The theme of spiritual rejuvenation is prevalent within the text and is accompanied by the loose morals depicted by Gervase throughout the text. The irony which Corelli exploits in the English is that although they believe themselves to be superior in the areas of race, society, and economic status to the Egyptians and “other foreigners” they are eager to partake in the native frivolities- messing together the “best” of England with the unfit foreign land. “…in Cairo they inaugurate a miniature London "season" over again, worked in the same groove of dinners, dances, drives, picnics, flirtations, and matrimonial engagements. But the Cairene season has perhaps some advantage over the London one so far as this particular set of "swagger" folk are concerned--it is less hampered by the proprieties” (Ch. 1). Although the text is a gothic novel like the others that have been covered thus far in this course, the difference in Ziska is the strong narrative voice of the author which presses the reader, in satirical terms to re-evaluate the cherished traditions and beliefs of the Victorian system and see the contradictions and falseness to the air of superiority which held British ideas and standards above all others because often times, as Corelli shows, they are vain and ridiculous. “And the English "season" whirls…over the terrible land… which remain unrevealed to the fashionable travelling lunatics of the day,--the people who "never think because it is too much trouble," people whose one idea is to journey… food, bedding and selfish personal comfort are the first considerations” (Ch. 1). In this passage, Corelli brings together the elements of the gothic with her satirical criticism of the England during fin de siècle. By deeming them lunatics due to their prejudices against the “other” and their simultaneous desire to embrace the “otherness”, the selfish nature of the travelers also mirrors the false superiority, shallowness, and fear that was prevalent within England at the time.
In a humorous way Corelli begins poking fun at the English by describing the way in which they abandon the winter weather in pursuit of milder weather. “Infected by strange maladies of the blood and nerves, to which even scientific physicians find it hard to give suitable names, they shudder at the first whiff of cold, and filling huge trunks with a thousand foolish things which have, through luxurious habit, become necessities to their pallid existences, they hastily depart to the land of Sun” (Ch. 1). Corelli then further satirizes the English gentry by continuing that they are interested in their health on Earth but are completely ignorant and oblivious to the importance of their spiritual health. The theme of spiritual rejuvenation is prevalent within the text and is accompanied by the loose morals depicted by Gervase throughout the text. The irony which Corelli exploits in the English is that although they believe themselves to be superior in the areas of race, society, and economic status to the Egyptians and “other foreigners” they are eager to partake in the native frivolities- messing together the “best” of England with the unfit foreign land. “…in Cairo they inaugurate a miniature London "season" over again, worked in the same groove of dinners, dances, drives, picnics, flirtations, and matrimonial engagements. But the Cairene season has perhaps some advantage over the London one so far as this particular set of "swagger" folk are concerned--it is less hampered by the proprieties” (Ch. 1). Although the text is a gothic novel like the others that have been covered thus far in this course, the difference in Ziska is the strong narrative voice of the author which presses the reader, in satirical terms to re-evaluate the cherished traditions and beliefs of the Victorian system and see the contradictions and falseness to the air of superiority which held British ideas and standards above all others because often times, as Corelli shows, they are vain and ridiculous. “And the English "season" whirls…over the terrible land… which remain unrevealed to the fashionable travelling lunatics of the day,--the people who "never think because it is too much trouble," people whose one idea is to journey… food, bedding and selfish personal comfort are the first considerations” (Ch. 1). In this passage, Corelli brings together the elements of the gothic with her satirical criticism of the England during fin de siècle. By deeming them lunatics due to their prejudices against the “other” and their simultaneous desire to embrace the “otherness”, the selfish nature of the travelers also mirrors the false superiority, shallowness, and fear that was prevalent within England at the time.
July 30, 2017
This should have been edited down to a short story. You could read the first two chapters for the commentary on English travelers. A chapter in the middle for the gist of the plot. And the last two chapters for all the action. I literally fell asleep three times. My advice: Skim. Skim. Skim.
December 5, 2012
I first heard of Marie Corelli a couple of days ago while reading Dancers at the End of time. The prim Victorian Christian "didn't care for her novels". So when I found a copy of Ziska in the oxfam in Crouch end I was intrigued to learn more. It said it was a supernatural tale set among the idle rich in 19th century Egypt which sounded great. I have to say I really loved this book! It was kinda like Bram Stoker but written by a woman populated with people usually found in Oscar Wilde or Evelyn Waugh. It really felt like it was set in the 20s or 30s despite being written in 1897. The book started with a witty and scathing inditement against cultural imperialism on the scale I've not seen in any other Victorian novels. The author seemed to have a couple of odd ideas, but on the whole I really enjoyed this book. The characters and circumstances were all very amusing. The supernatural element was significantly spooky and everything came down to the power of love and attraction, while mixing in some late Victorian spirituality. I am really glad to have picked up on the referrence to this book and will definitely have to read more of her supernatural novels!
February 15, 2013
I read this book as part of a literary criticism class on Gothic monsters. As it stands in that setting, this book has a lot to offer. The author, Marie Corelli, is a bit of an anomaly compared to the stereotype of Victorian horror writers. She was very successful, rich, and famous during her life, but then fell into obscurity after her death. The book offers easy analysis from a variety of literary schools due to its content, which not only involves the social issues of the day, but broader issues of colonization, gender studies, and cultural studies.
Beyond that, it is just a good book.The characters are fascinating, each wit their own little quirks, and although the secret it is pretty easy for a modern audience to figure out, it isn't tedious. Overall, I was very happy with the book from both a pleasure and an academic standpoint. Although, it probably gets bonus points from me for the Egyptian subject matter, which has always been a matter of interest for me.
Beyond that, it is just a good book.The characters are fascinating, each wit their own little quirks, and although the secret it is pretty easy for a modern audience to figure out, it isn't tedious. Overall, I was very happy with the book from both a pleasure and an academic standpoint. Although, it probably gets bonus points from me for the Egyptian subject matter, which has always been a matter of interest for me.
June 19, 2016
Vengeance at its best. loved it.
October 18, 2017
This was oddly fun. I laughed quite a bit at the beginning, especially when Dr. DEAN was comparing Ziska's eyes to a bat's. Purple prose galore. 💜💜💜💜
Ziska is a reincarnation (sort of) of an ancient Egyptian woman who was killed by her lover when he grew tired of her. She somehow looks exactly like paintings of her predecessor AND has white skin, which seems unlikely. But, it's a Victorian English novel, so... unsurprising it's kinda racist, I guess. The gender essentialism was more annoying, maybe because it was incorporated into the plot. But the author also mocks British colonialism and social mores, which saves the story for me.
Anyway, reincarnated Ziska is everything seductive and appealing, blah blah, and has all the boys in a tizzy. She, however, only has eyes for Gervase, who looks exactly like the man who killed her. He's very passionate and manly; you can tell by how he keeps getting mad that her servants prevent him from raping her. I mentally shouted "go, girl" a couple of times when she made fun of him about it.
The ending kind of surprised me, but probably shouldn't have. I think I liked it?
To sum up: Ziska is evil incarnate, Gervase is just a man so can't help himself, I'm glad I don't live during the Victorian era. (Though not enough has changed, sadly.)
Ziska is a reincarnation (sort of) of an ancient Egyptian woman who was killed by her lover when he grew tired of her. She somehow looks exactly like paintings of her predecessor AND has white skin, which seems unlikely. But, it's a Victorian English novel, so... unsurprising it's kinda racist, I guess. The gender essentialism was more annoying, maybe because it was incorporated into the plot. But the author also mocks British colonialism and social mores, which saves the story for me.
Anyway, reincarnated Ziska is everything seductive and appealing, blah blah, and has all the boys in a tizzy. She, however, only has eyes for Gervase, who looks exactly like the man who killed her. He's very passionate and manly; you can tell by how he keeps getting mad that her servants prevent him from raping her. I mentally shouted "go, girl" a couple of times when she made fun of him about it.
The ending kind of surprised me, but probably shouldn't have. I think I liked it?
To sum up: Ziska is evil incarnate, Gervase is just a man so can't help himself, I'm glad I don't live during the Victorian era. (Though not enough has changed, sadly.)
January 22, 2021
An ardent romance burns a black flame of love gone wrong in this classic book by Marie Corelli. It follows a mysterious woman in Egypt named Ziska who entrances and seduces a troupe of aristocratic English tourists whose uncanny resemblance to an ancient Egyptian woman sparks a frenzy of undulating speculations and theories as to who and what she may really be. One particular tourist, a famous painter, develops an unbearable attraction to the lady which has ancient implications and casts a darkness over him and his obsession leading to a fated ending thousands of years in the making. Along the way, a visiting scholar with occult interests postulates that reincarnation, past lives, eternal love, and the fight between good and evil are the great mysteries entombing the lives of both the obsessive love sick tourists and Ziska.
Corelli’s writing is bejeweled as ever with her descriptive prose glittering with mysticism and passion. The exotic Egyptian setting recalled an esoteric magic and infused the story with a dark supernatural beauty that set the mood for an arcane adventure.
There was something intoxicating about this story, and perhaps the mystique of ancient Egypt cast its spell upon me, hypnotically leading me to explore its enigmatic mysteries beyond this tale.
Like the great pyramids and sphinx who contain secrets and mysteries that only the sands of time are privy to, our souls each have something ancient beckoning us to people, places, and things that we ourselves, are not always aware of.
A thrilling read perfect for fans of supernatural dark romance and ancient Egypt.
Corelli’s writing is bejeweled as ever with her descriptive prose glittering with mysticism and passion. The exotic Egyptian setting recalled an esoteric magic and infused the story with a dark supernatural beauty that set the mood for an arcane adventure.
There was something intoxicating about this story, and perhaps the mystique of ancient Egypt cast its spell upon me, hypnotically leading me to explore its enigmatic mysteries beyond this tale.
Like the great pyramids and sphinx who contain secrets and mysteries that only the sands of time are privy to, our souls each have something ancient beckoning us to people, places, and things that we ourselves, are not always aware of.
A thrilling read perfect for fans of supernatural dark romance and ancient Egypt.
February 4, 2026
Corelli, Marie - Ziska
The woman scorned, betrayed, worse. From the dawn of time, men have heard the phrase, “women may forgive, they never forget.”
Princess Ziska, touring Cairo, hailing from parts elsewhere, has an extraordinarily long memory. Worse, she nurses a grudge. And is as patient as she is irresistible.
A fiery beauty who yields no warmth, Corelli’s destroying angel leaves some men broken in her wake, although she casts her eye on the rugged artist. Call it Fate.
By any other name, this is a melodramatic potboiler.
Speeches are flowery to the point of distraction.
Favorite character was the observant Dr. Dean, who seems to penetrate all veils.
He attempts to intervene at points, yet never interferes.
Hardly a horror yarn, barely a supernatural one.
In most ways a romance, overripe with dolor.
The woman scorned, betrayed, worse. From the dawn of time, men have heard the phrase, “women may forgive, they never forget.”
Princess Ziska, touring Cairo, hailing from parts elsewhere, has an extraordinarily long memory. Worse, she nurses a grudge. And is as patient as she is irresistible.
A fiery beauty who yields no warmth, Corelli’s destroying angel leaves some men broken in her wake, although she casts her eye on the rugged artist. Call it Fate.
By any other name, this is a melodramatic potboiler.
Speeches are flowery to the point of distraction.
Favorite character was the observant Dr. Dean, who seems to penetrate all veils.
He attempts to intervene at points, yet never interferes.
Hardly a horror yarn, barely a supernatural one.
In most ways a romance, overripe with dolor.
February 12, 2021
Un po' banale, un po' ripetitivo.
È una storia di vendetta, di anime disperate che si reincarnano e vogliono trovare pace attraverso il dolore. È una storia in cui la bellezza dell'antico e mistico Egitto si incrocia con la vacuità della società inglese ottocentesca, fatta di apparenze, finzione e falsa moralità. I personaggi non sono simpatici, proseguendo il libro presagisci presto il finale. Godibile e scorrevole, un po' Dorian Gray e un po' Dracula, in cui l'occulto fa da padrone: il gotico deve di certo molto a questa donna così particolare tanto amata dalla regina Vittoria.
È una storia di vendetta, di anime disperate che si reincarnano e vogliono trovare pace attraverso il dolore. È una storia in cui la bellezza dell'antico e mistico Egitto si incrocia con la vacuità della società inglese ottocentesca, fatta di apparenze, finzione e falsa moralità. I personaggi non sono simpatici, proseguendo il libro presagisci presto il finale. Godibile e scorrevole, un po' Dorian Gray e un po' Dracula, in cui l'occulto fa da padrone: il gotico deve di certo molto a questa donna così particolare tanto amata dalla regina Vittoria.
December 29, 2024
A bit of an easier read than the Sorrows of Satan, with less repetition, but still Corelli has her ideas and bangs the gong a little too frequently. Instead of going overboard with the verbiage, here there are ideas that could be expanded on to make a more gripping book. I could see how with a clever script editor/adaptor, this could make a fun spooky film with plenty of flashbacks. The big question is, and well done to her for posing it, is who is the wicked soul. Not the woman - hurrah!
November 27, 2025
i found this book to be surprisingly feminist, actually and mystical too. I think women writers at the time really enjoyed hiding their true philosophical arguments and opinions on the human experience in their stories. im actually surprised that this isn’t a very famous writer. i can’t wait to read the rest of her books soon.
November 1, 2021
I had high hopes for this one because the synopsis sounded amazing. Unfortunately the synopsis was more exciting than the book.
January 5, 2023
3 e mezzo. È un gotico che è invecchiato un filino... Interessante la trama, e tramite alcune riflessioni si comprende la grande cultura dell'autrice. Godibile.
April 29, 2024
i love women and i love this book
March 30, 2026
Me ha dado chisme, me ha dado drama, me ha dado female revenge, me ha dado performance y me ha dado ambientación. PEC.
August 20, 2022
Horror, revenge, love, supernatural and gothic. The books feels all this and more. Ziska and Marrie Corelli is someone that I recently found out about and am glad I did. The literature speaks for itself and while the story of revenge may not be new, the prose and the pattern is highly commendable. The end is marvellous, the love more so. For the power of women, the power of words.
December 25, 2020
Marie Corelli was a highly popular writer of sensational novels in the Victorian era. She combined high melodrama with an attempt to reconcile Christianity with reincarnation, astral project and other spiritual aspects not generally associated with Christianity. With Ziska, Corelli uses the medium of novel writing as a vehicle for just that crusade.
The plot of Ziska takes place in the British society's "Season" in Cairo. According to Corelli, t is just the same as the London Season, only with slightly looser morals, giving the greater opportunity to find husbands for daughters past their prime on the marriage market. The Princess Ziska has appeared on the scene, and taken this tight community by storm. Nothing is known about her, except that she is unusually beautiful and has stolen the hearts of all the young men, the Scottish laird Denzil Murray in particular. When Murray's best friend, the famous French painter Armand Gervase, arrives in Cairo, complications arise. Gervase immediately falls for Ziska, makes no pretense that he (unlike Murray) does not have pure intentions, and feels that he knows her from somewhere.
Murray's mentor and friend, Dr. Maxwell Dean acts as the mouthpiece for Corelli's unconvetional spiritual beliefs, and through him the reader begins to see that there is something not quite human and Ziska and that she and Gervase are somehow destined to be together.
A good portion of this novel is given over to soliloquy in which Corelli expresses her opinion about various things. The first 21 pages, for example, are a roast of the British tourist in Egypt, and of how said tourist wants to make all foreign lands into another version of England. It made for amusing reading, but I did begin to wonder if I had stumbled onto a book of essays instead of a novel.
The rest of the book is much taken up with much discussion of reincarnation and of a slightly different take on Christianity. It was interesting the first time, but Corelli has her characters discuss this time and again, and for paragraphs and pages, and by the end, I was skimming large parts of conversations.
The actual storyline was rather thrilling, in the way of a Victorian sensational novel, despite the fact that Dr. Dean spells it out for the reader several times. Had it not been for his "spoilers" and for the recurring, yawn-inducing philosophizing, this would have been a rather good read. There was drama and humor and emotion, as well as interesting characters, but there was just way too much laborious, stilted conversations about spiritualism that kept interrupting the flow and made Ziska a struggle to finish.
The plot of Ziska takes place in the British society's "Season" in Cairo. According to Corelli, t is just the same as the London Season, only with slightly looser morals, giving the greater opportunity to find husbands for daughters past their prime on the marriage market. The Princess Ziska has appeared on the scene, and taken this tight community by storm. Nothing is known about her, except that she is unusually beautiful and has stolen the hearts of all the young men, the Scottish laird Denzil Murray in particular. When Murray's best friend, the famous French painter Armand Gervase, arrives in Cairo, complications arise. Gervase immediately falls for Ziska, makes no pretense that he (unlike Murray) does not have pure intentions, and feels that he knows her from somewhere.
Murray's mentor and friend, Dr. Maxwell Dean acts as the mouthpiece for Corelli's unconvetional spiritual beliefs, and through him the reader begins to see that there is something not quite human and Ziska and that she and Gervase are somehow destined to be together.
A good portion of this novel is given over to soliloquy in which Corelli expresses her opinion about various things. The first 21 pages, for example, are a roast of the British tourist in Egypt, and of how said tourist wants to make all foreign lands into another version of England. It made for amusing reading, but I did begin to wonder if I had stumbled onto a book of essays instead of a novel.
The rest of the book is much taken up with much discussion of reincarnation and of a slightly different take on Christianity. It was interesting the first time, but Corelli has her characters discuss this time and again, and for paragraphs and pages, and by the end, I was skimming large parts of conversations.
The actual storyline was rather thrilling, in the way of a Victorian sensational novel, despite the fact that Dr. Dean spells it out for the reader several times. Had it not been for his "spoilers" and for the recurring, yawn-inducing philosophizing, this would have been a rather good read. There was drama and humor and emotion, as well as interesting characters, but there was just way too much laborious, stilted conversations about spiritualism that kept interrupting the flow and made Ziska a struggle to finish.
March 7, 2025
"Посвящается ныне живущей реинкарнации Аракса,"
Всем, кто знаком с романом *Скорбь сатаны*, очень очевиден тот факт, что Зиска-Чаровница в нём упоминается: "Однажды был обнаружен нетронутый красный гранитный саркофаг: в нем находился покрытый богатой живописью гроб, который был раскрыт в нашем присутствии и содержал в себе тщательно изукрашенную мумию женщины. Лючио показал себя сведущим в чтении иероглифов и перевел кратко и точно историю тела, написанную внутри гроба.
— Танцовщица при дворе царицы Аменартесы, — объявил он мне и нескольким заинтересованным зрителям, окружавшим саркофаг, — которая по причине многих грехов и тайных преступлений, сделавших ее жизнь нестерпимой и ее дни полными развращенности, умерла от яда, принятого из собственных рук по приказанию царя и в присутствии исполнителей закона. Такова история леди, сокращенная. Конечно, есть много других деталей. по-видимому, ей был всего двадцатый год."
Так, что - "Природа склонна к повторению своих лучших произведений, иначе она позабыла бы искусство их создания. "
Очень и очень кратко можно смело утверждать, что роман посвящён не только реинкарнации, но и Любви, и Мести, и древним законам суровой Справедливости без милосердия...
" Существует множество чудовищных вещей во вселенной, равно как и приятных, – заметил он сухо. – Преступления и их последствия всегда имеют неприятное происхождение. Но нам дано изменить физический закон справедливости не больше, чем изменить природный закон гравитации."
"Мужчина всегда убивает – нравственно, если не физически, – ту женщину, которая полюбит его слишком сильно."
"Древность и Новизна, Прошлое и Настоящее есть не что иное, как одно мгновение в масштабах вечности и даже в запоздалом раскаянии Любовь прощает всё."
Всем, кто знаком с романом *Скорбь сатаны*, очень очевиден тот факт, что Зиска-Чаровница в нём упоминается: "Однажды был обнаружен нетронутый красный гранитный саркофаг: в нем находился покрытый богатой живописью гроб, который был раскрыт в нашем присутствии и содержал в себе тщательно изукрашенную мумию женщины. Лючио показал себя сведущим в чтении иероглифов и перевел кратко и точно историю тела, написанную внутри гроба.
— Танцовщица при дворе царицы Аменартесы, — объявил он мне и нескольким заинтересованным зрителям, окружавшим саркофаг, — которая по причине многих грехов и тайных преступлений, сделавших ее жизнь нестерпимой и ее дни полными развращенности, умерла от яда, принятого из собственных рук по приказанию царя и в присутствии исполнителей закона. Такова история леди, сокращенная. Конечно, есть много других деталей. по-видимому, ей был всего двадцатый год."
Так, что - "Природа склонна к повторению своих лучших произведений, иначе она позабыла бы искусство их создания. "
Очень и очень кратко можно смело утверждать, что роман посвящён не только реинкарнации, но и Любви, и Мести, и древним законам суровой Справедливости без милосердия...
" Существует множество чудовищных вещей во вселенной, равно как и приятных, – заметил он сухо. – Преступления и их последствия всегда имеют неприятное происхождение. Но нам дано изменить физический закон справедливости не больше, чем изменить природный закон гравитации."
"Мужчина всегда убивает – нравственно, если не физически, – ту женщину, которая полюбит его слишком сильно."
"Древность и Новизна, Прошлое и Настоящее есть не что иное, как одно мгновение в масштабах вечности и даже в запоздалом раскаянии Любовь прощает всё."
June 22, 2016
A pretty basic revenge story, not very original, it's the kinda of story thats been told alot so it seemed pretty familiar when i was reading it. It's pretty obvious that books like The Picture Of Dorian Gray and especially Haggard's She had an influence on this book. Despite lacking suspense (basilcy from the begining it's clear whats gunna happen) i enjoyed it quite abit. I liked the characters, the themes (reincarnation, ghosts, souls, love.....) and i don't know what it is but i really like Corelli's writing. This is my second book by her ~ the other being The Sorrows Of Satan which is one of my favorite books of all time. I find it really sad that she's basically forgotten and isn't read anymore. Her books aren't very easy to come by, and i was happy that i got a hold of this, it isn't great but i enjoyed it and hope i can get my hands on some of her other books.
November 11, 2011
More like a novella, Mare Corelli was the great writer of sensation novels and Queen Victoria's favourite writer; it's talky set in Egypt,& I recommend this if you like the above & especially if you enjoy reincarnation romance. There is also a nifty surprise. So well done!
July 19, 2016
It was not at all what I was expecting. This is supposedly an American Gothic novel, probably not a genre I would revisit as it is simply not what I am interested in. It had an interesting underlying theme of a twisted life after death, but other than that I didn't find it very enjoyable.
March 14, 2016
This book is weird in a good way. A very enjoyable read, only that it suffers from oscillating behaviour between too much of supernatural and philosophy to sudden thuds of realism. Not necessarily bad, but somehow takes your focus away.
July 23, 2012
I really liked this book. I did find that I had to concentrate on the style of writing since it was written during the Victorian times. I would choose to read another book by this author.
March 3, 2014
She is always a different thinker with powerful women characters. I always get the feeling there is a secret in her words so I keep reading her.
October 25, 2016
ทมยันตีไม่ได้ลอกแน่ๆ พิษสวาท สนุกกว่ามากนัก
April 6, 2017
I did my master’s thesis on the gothic in late Victorian fiction but somehow this 1897 best seller escaped my notice. Corelli was the most popular English author of her time, but largely has been forgotten. Even in her own time she was criticized for being overly dramatic, sentimental, and espousing a shallow version of Christianity in her works. However, Corelli was adept of gauging the zeitgeist of her age and wrote books accordingly. Ziska fits in with other Egypt-obsessed works of the time like Bram Stoker’s Jewel of the Seven Stars—and is basically a mummy story of revenge and lost love. Corelli incorporates a lot of faddish Theosphical ideas about reincarnation and the eternal life of all matter, but also weighs in on feminist ideas by creating a powerful heroine out to get revenge for a man’s misogyny and double standards. The scenes of the English living abroad are some of the best critiques I’ve read of her society’s obsession with conquest, rank and wealth. While Ziska is an excellent cultural guide to the 1890’s, as fiction, it’s a bit of a mess. She creates little more than cardboard cutouts of stock characters--the wicked artist, the pure and loyal sister, the evil but fascinating femme fatale, and the dialogue is straight from a Victorian melodrama. So why is it that I loved every minute of reading this? Because Corelli is not only a good story teller, and but has many fascinating things to say about the times she lived in.
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