Berenice

"Berenice" by E. Phillips Oppenheim is a story from the early 1900s that follows an actress who goes by the name of Berenice. The story starts one night when a critic named John Matravers reluctantly goes to see a play, but he gets drawn into Berenice's world. At first, he is not impressed by the play itself or the atmosphere, but Berenice's acting catches his eye, and he becomes very interested in both her acting career and who she is as a person. The story then shows how Berenice’s talent shines through, changing Matravers' perspective. As they spend more time together, they become attracted to each other, but have to face some tough things because of Berenice being an actress. The story appears to look at important ideas like being true to yourself as an artist, how women were viewed back then, and the complicated emotions in their relationship.