The Victorian Chaise-Longue
The Victorian Chaise-Longue (1953) is a novella by the English novelist Marghanita Laski. Published in 1953, the book describes the experience of an invalided young woman who wakes up in the body of her alter-ego eighty years previously. Described by Anthony Boucher as 'relentlessly terrifying', and as 'disturbing and compulsive' by Penelope Lively, the novella plays on the fear of the unexpected and unknown.[1][2]
It was republished in 1999 by Persephone Books.
Reception
[edit]The New York Times reviewer Kenneth Fearing praised the story as "a subdued, evenly paced nightmare."[3] Writing in F&SF, Anthony Boucher described The Victorian Chaise Longue as "an admirably written book, highly skilled in its economic evocation of time, place and character - and a relentlessly terrifying one."[1] P. Schuyler Miller placed the "slight but beautifully written" novella on "the borderlands of fantasy and science fiction."[4]
Television
[edit]Two adaptations of the story were produced for American television. The first, in 1957, starred Joan Fontaine and appeared on the Ronald Reagan-hosted General Electric Theater.[5] The second, starring Frances White, appeared as an episode of Studio 4 in the United Kingdom in 1962.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Recommended Reading, F&SF, October 1954, p. 95
- ^ Persephone Quarterly, Persephone Books,
- ^ "Time Moved Backward", The New York Times Book Review, June 13, 1954, p. 22
- ^ "The Reference Library", Astounding Science Fiction, February 1955, p. 145
- ^ "General Electric Theater (1953–1962) : The Victorian Chaise Longue". IMDb.com. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
- ^ "Studio 4 (1962– ) : The Victorian Chaise Longue". IMDb.com. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
External links
[edit]- The Victorian Chaise-Longue at Persephone Books