Basil

"Basil" by Wilkie Collins is a novel written during the mid-19th century, specifically reflecting the complexities of human relationships within a societal framework. The story appears to delve into themes of love, social class, and the consequences of personal choices, primarily through the protagonist's journey and the choices he must face regarding love and identity. At the start of the novel, we are introduced to the protagonist, who is taking a momentous step in writing his life story. He reflects on past familial ties and his experiences with society, hinting at a personal error that carries significant consequences. He describes his social background, including the pride of his lineage and the relationships with his father and siblings, setting the stage for deep internal conflict. As he begins to narrate his year-long journey, he encounters a captivating young woman, Margaret Sherwin, which ignites feelings of love and desire that challenge his sense of duty towards family and societal expectations. This opening portion establishes not only the character dynamics but also the weight of societal pressures and personal morality that will be explored throughout the narrative. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

William Wilkie Collins was an English novelist and playwright known especially for The Woman in White (1859), a mystery novel and early sensation novel, and for The Moonstone (1868), which established many of the ground rules of the modern detective novel and is also perhaps the earliest clear example of the police procedural genre.