The Cat

The Cat by E.F. Benson (1922)

The narrative follows Dick Alingham, a once-struggling artist who experiences a sudden rise to fame after a period of deep depression triggered by the abrupt end of his engagement to Lady Madingley. This emotional turmoil leads to a transformative moment where he feels a "snap" in his mind, resulting in a newfound clarity and artistic brilliance. He becomes obsessed with painting a portrait of Lady Madingley, who embodies a feline grace that he finds both alluring and unsettling. As he paints, he becomes increasingly aware of the vividness of colors and the intensity of his emotions, which he channels into his work. Despite his initial feelings of indifference towards Lady Madingley, he finds himself drawn back into the emotional chaos of his past as he interacts with her during sittings for the portrait. The artist's relationship with her is complicated by his aversion to cats, which he associates with his feelings of faintness and dread. The story takes a darker turn as Dick's obsession with his art and his unresolved feelings for Lady Madingley lead to a psychological unraveling. He begins to see parallels between the eyes of a cat and the expression he seeks to capture in his portrait, suggesting a deeper connection between his artistic vision and his emotional state. The presence of a cat in his garden becomes a symbol of his inner turmoil, culminating in a series of unsettling events that blur the lines between reality and his artistic imagination. As the narrative progresses, Dick's mental state deteriorates, culminating in a violent confrontation with his own creation. The climax reveals the tragic consequences of his obsession, as he is found dead, his throat mangled, next to the disfigured portrait of Lady Madingley. The story explores themes of artistic genius, emotional trauma, and the fine line between inspiration and madness, ultimately questioning the cost of creative brilliance and the haunting nature of unresolved love.

By E.F. Benson · First published 1922 · Genre: Psychological Fiction, Literary Fiction, Drama · 6,500 words

First lines

Many people will, doubtless, remember that exhibition at the Royal Academy, not so many seasons ago, which came to be known as Alingham's year, when Dick Alingham vaulted, with one bound, as it were, out of the crowd of strugglers and seated himself with admirably certain poise on the very topmost pinnacle of contemporary fame. He exhibited three portraits, each a masterpiece, which killed every picture within range. But since that year nobody cared anything for pictures whether in or out of range except those three, it did not signify so greatly. The phenomenon of his appearance was as sudden as that of the meteor, coming from nowhere and sliding large and luminous across the remote and star-sown sky, as inexplicable as the bursting of a spring on some dust-ridden rocky hillside. Some fairy godmother, one might conjecture, had bethought herself of her forgotten godson, and with a wave of her wand bestowed on him this transcendant gift. But, as the Irish say, she held her wand in her left hand, for her gift had another side to it. Or perhaps, again, Jim Merwick is right, and the theory he propounds in his monograph, "On certain obscure lesions of the nerve centres," says the final word on the subject.

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The Cat is listed on Textopian as a novel by E.F. Benson, dated 1922 CE.

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Fiction · Novel · Short Story Collection · Humor · Satire · Social Commentary · English Literature · 20th Century Literature · Comedy of Manners · Upper Class Life · Marriage · Relationships

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