"Mademoiselle Olympe Zabriski" by Thomas Bailey Aldrich is a story set in the upper class that examines our interest in others, differences in social class, and what it means to be obsessed with someone. It tells the tale of Ralph Van Twiller, a rich New Yorker, as he deals with his strong feelings for a circus performer, which goes against what society expects and challenges his own sense of self-importance. Ralph becomes deeply fascinated with Mademoiselle Olympe Zabriski, a skilled trapeze artist. He spends more and more time watching her shows and starts to feel separate from his rich friends and normal social life. Even though he’s amazed by her talent and beauty, he struggles with the idea of being so drawn to someone who society considers to be of a lower class. Talk spreads among his social group about his unusual interest, causing conflict between who he is in society and what he wants personally, making him think hard about his intense interest in her.
Mademoiselle Olympe Zabriski
By Thomas Bailey Aldrich
In a world of wealth and status, a man risks everything as an exceptional trapeze artist captures and holds his heart.
Summary
About the AuthorThomas Bailey Aldrich was an American writer, poet, critic, and editor. He is notable for his long editorship of The Atlantic Monthly, during which he published writers including Charles W. Chesnutt. He was also known for his semi-autobiographical book The Story of a Bad Boy, which established the "bad boy's book" subgenre in nineteenth-century American literature, and for his poetry.
Thomas Bailey Aldrich was an American writer, poet, critic, and editor. He is notable for his long editorship of The Atlantic Monthly, during which he published writers including Charles W. Chesnutt. He was also known for his semi-autobiographical book The Story of a Bad Boy, which established the "bad boy's book" subgenre in nineteenth-century American literature, and for his poetry.
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