The Fifth Picture by A.E.W. Mason
Psychological thriller that follows the story of a man named Raven who becomes obsessed with finding a fifth picture in a series of four portraits of a woman. The obsession leads him on a dangerous and increasingly unhinged journey as he becomes convinced that the portrait holds the key to unlocking a dark secret from his past. As Raven delves deeper into his own psyche, he begins to question reality and his own sanity, leading to a dramatic and unexpected climax.
By A.E.W. Mason · First published 1925 · Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Adventure · 6,877 words
First lines
Lady Tamworth felt unutterably bored. The sensation of lassitude, even in its less acute degrees, was rare with her; for she possessed a nature of so fresh a buoyancy that she was able, as a rule, to extract diversion from any environment. Her mind took impressions with the vivid clearness of a mirror, and also, it should be owned, with a mirror's transient objectivity. To-day, however, the mirror was clouded. She looked out of the window; a level row of grey houses frowned at her across the street. She looked upwards; a grey pall of cloud swung over the rooftops. The interior of the room appeared to her even less inviting than the street. It was the afternoon of the first drawing-room, and a _debutante_ was exhibiting herself to her friends. She stood in the centre, a figure from a Twelfth-Night cake, amidst a babble of congratulations, and was plainly occupied in a perpetual struggle to conceal her moments of enthusiasm beneath a crust of deprecatory languor.
What this Textopian page supports
The Fifth Picture is listed on Textopian as a short story by A.E.W. Mason, dated 1925 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: A.E.W. Mason
- Date: 1925 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Mystery, Suspense, Adventure, Historical fiction
- Length: 6,877 words
- Structure: 1 section, 146 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Fifth Picture by A.E.W. Mason
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering The Fifth Picture?
- How does this short story by A.E.W. Mason fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Mystery first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
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Genres
- Mystery — As a novel revolving around a detective endeavoring to solve a case, it most appropriately fits into the mystery genre.
- Suspense — The gradual revelations along with high-stakes scenarios infuse suspense into the story's vein.
- Adventure — The plot involves a series of adventurous undertakings and travels which contributes to adventure genre.
- Historical fiction — The setting is in the past, infusing a historical atmosphere that matches the historical fiction genre.
Tags
19th century · asked · back · began · come · dale · door · end · eyes · face · fiction · figure