Fantazius Mallare: A Mysterious Oath

"Fantazius Mallare: A Mysterious Oath" by Ben Hecht is a story set in the early 1900s that explores the mind of Fantazius Mallare, an artist dealing with his inner demons and his rejection of the world while also dealing with his relationship with a character he created named Rita. The book looks at ideas about what is real, what is not, and what happens when someone loses their grip on reality. The story starts by introducing Fantazius Mallare, who considers himself insane and detached from the things happening around him. He lives with a servant named Goliath, who is a physically deformed boy embodying Mallare's twisted view of the world. Mallare gives up his former life as an artist because his art no longer interests him, and he has grown weary of living. The situation gets stranger when Mallare gets Rita from a gypsy caravan and tries to change her into what he wants. As he spends time with her, it gets difficult to tell who is in control, which ends in a violent fight where Mallare questions what his actions mean and whether he is of sound mind. The way the story is told makes you feel like you’re inside Mallare's head as it looks at deep questions about the mind and allure of craziness.