The Infant's Skull; Or, The End of the World. A Tale of the Millennium

"The Infant's Skull; Or, The End of the World. A Tale of the Millennium" by Eugene Sue is a story set around the year 1000 that examines love, disloyalty, and the societal effects of doomsday beliefs. It kicks off with the intricate connection between King Hugh and Queen Blanche as they deal with love, longing, and the looming dread of the world's end. Their intense meetings occur alongside the ominous prediction of the world ending in fourteen years, creating tension because of their marriages and possible betrayals. We also meet Yvon, a serf seen as simple, whose life gets mixed up in the royal schemes within the castle. His sad existence hints at bigger ideas about social classes and the coming chaos because personal and political fights clash amidst the anxieties of a predicted apocalypse.