Much Darker Days

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

21933

Title

Much Darker Days

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

Andrew Lang's satirical tale of middle-class life follows Dr. Basil South, a disgraced showman who, after losing his beloved Philippa to a baronet, plots revenge. When she returns, he attempts to murder her husband but accidentally kills his own accomplice. A chaotic trial ensues, revealing a web of mistaken identities, false confessions, and absurd legal errors in this sensational, darkly comic narrative.

Summary up to 500 words

In Andrew Lang's satirical tale *Much Darker Days*, the narrative follows Dr. Basil South, a former showman turned hermit, whose life is upended when his fiancée, Philippa, rejects him for the wealthy baronet Sir Runan Errand. Years later, Philippa returns claiming her husband has abandoned her. Consumed by bitterness and a desire for revenge, Basil attempts to poison Sir Runan but accidentally kills his accomplice, William Evans, instead. Fearing exposure, Basil flees to Spain with Philippa and his mother, hoping to evade justice before the melting snow reveals Sir Runan's hat and incriminates William. Basil returns to England to witness William's trial at the Newnham Assizes. The proceedings descend into absurdity when Sir Runan appears in court to claim innocence, while Philippa falsely confesses to the murder to gain notoriety. The court convicts both William and Philippa, only for Sir Runan and Mrs. Thompson to intervene and reveal that the key found in William's possession was actually Philippa's own cellar key, not the victim's. The truth finally emerges: Basil had mistakenly given William the wrong key, saving him from the poison, while the real killer was never caught. The story concludes with all characters detained, highlighting the chaotic nature of human justice and the absurdity of the narrative itself. Through this convoluted plot, Lang critiques the sensationalism of modern fiction and the fallibility of legal systems, wrapping a tale of crime and redemption in a layer of dark comedy.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Biography
• Fiction