Zicci Book I by Edward Bulwer-lytton

Name: Zicci Book I
Author: Edward Bulwer-lytton

Zicci opens in the gardens of Naples on a summer evening, where the young Englishman Glyndon, his countryman Merton, Count Cetoxa, and other gentlemen sit drinking sherbet and discussing a strange shudder that had come over Glyndon. A striking stranger joins the conversation, explaining the sensation as a natural repugnance toward invisible, hostile forms of matter walled off from human perception, dismissing questions about sorcerers and wizards as idle speculation before departing. Cetoxa identifies him as Signor Zicci, a Corsican of enormous, unexplained wealth, and relates how their acquaintance began at a gaming table: Zicci proposed sharing stakes, their luck was uncanny, a quarrelsome Sicilian challenged Zicci to a duel, and Zicci killed him, then correctly named the church and exact burial spot beside the Sicilian's father — where an exhumation later revealed the father had been murdered with a wire through the skull, a crime the son had in fact committed. Merton dismisses Zicci as a charlatan; Glyndon is fascinated. Glyndon, an English painter of independent means living idly in Naples, has fallen for Isabel di Pisani, a young actress and daughter of an impoverished Italian father and English mother, both now dead. Riding out, Glyndon meets Zicci gathering an herb and is coldly warned to keep his distance. That night at the theatre, Zicci warns Glyndon of danger and not to walk home alone; Glyndon notices Isabel is transfixed by Zicci rather than by his own applause. Unbeknownst to them, the powerful Prince di — has resolved to abduct Isabel that night and has ordered his procurer Mascari to have Glyndon quietly murdered along the road. Zicci arranges for Cetoxa to escort Glyndon safely home, foiling that plot. Isabel's carriage is then waylaid by the Prince's masked men. She defends herself with a dagger until Zicci, also masked, intervenes with his own men, outmaneuvers the Prince's party by trickery, and escorts her home safely. Alone with her, Zicci explains the danger she was in, reveals he perceives her infatuation with him, and urges her instead toward Glyndon's genuine love, warning that his own love is fickle and doomed to fade while hers for him would end in ruin. Isabel begs him not to spurn her; Zicci admits he could love her but insists his love is transient and dangerous, kisses her forehead, gives Gionetta gold to plead Glyndon's cause, and departs, telling Isabel her fate is now her own. Returning to his mysterious palace, Zicci is shown to keep no books and no confidants among his servants. Alone at night he enters a locked inner chamber and drinks a strange luminous elixir from a phial, after which he appears more youthful and radiant. The next day Glyndon visits Zicci to thank him and press for answers. Zicci confirms the Prince is a rival and urges Glyndon either to marry Isabel and take her to England or renounce her, warning that if Glyndon does neither, Zicci himself will become his rival — declaring that hitherto no woman has survived "the ordeal" of loving him. Glyndon, torn between fascination and defiance, refuses to be dictated to; Zicci, both mournful and commanding, tells him to decide within three days, hinting that true friendship between them requires a courage most men lack. Glyndon visits Isabel, professes love, and urges her to elope and become his muse, but she confesses she can only love him as a sister and admits she is haunted by forebodings tied to Zicci. Glyndon shares that he has felt identical unearthly premonitions since meeting Zicci; both sense their fates are entangled with him, and Isabel flees indoors in agitation. Meanwhile the Prince di —, humiliated by the failed abduction, meets his parasite Mascari and vows revenge, guessing Zicci was behind it. Zicci calls on the Prince, proposes they "cast lots" with dice for Isabel rather than quarrel, wins suspiciously with the highest possible throw, and secures the Prince's outward, resentful concession to abandon his pursuit — though the Prince privately vows to have Isabel by force regardless. On the appointed day of decision, Glyndon, egged on by the skeptical, worldly Merton, avoids Zicci and rides instead to Vesuvius to view an eruption, half hoping to defy the prophesied meeting. Their guide tells of once glimpsing an inhumanly beautiful, terrible figure emerging from the crater itself, which Glyndon assumes was Zicci. Ascending the mountain that night, the party is scattered by a rockfall and toxic vapor; Glyndon is separated from Merton and the guide and finds himself cut off by a flow of lava. Pressing on alone through the sulfurous fumes, he is overcome by inexplicable dread and beholds a colossal, formless, superhuman Shadow standing beside a quieter, distinct figure — before a second surge of vapor overwhelms him and he collapses senseless, ending Book I.

By Edward Bulwer-lytton · First published 1841 · Genre: Romanticism, Gothic Fiction, Fantasy · 9 chapters · 17,700 words

First lines

In the gardens at Naples, one summer evening in the last century, some four or five gentlemen were seated under a tree drinking their sherbet and listening, in the intervals of conversation, to the music which enlivened that gay and favorite resort of an indolent population. One of this little party was a young Englishman who had been the life of the whole group, but who for the last few moments had sunk into a gloomy and abstracted revery. One of his countrymen observed this sudden gloom, and tapping him on the back, said, "Glyndon, why, what ails you? Are you ill? You have grown quite pale; you tremble: is it a sudden chill? You had better go home; these Italian nights are often dangerous to our English constitutions."

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Zicci Book I is listed on Textopian as a novel by Edward Bulwer-lytton, dated 1841 CE.

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Work type: Novel
Author: Edward Bulwer-lytton
Date: 1841 CE
Language: English
Genres: Romanticism, Gothic Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure
Length: 17,700 words
Structure: 9 chapters, 325 paragraphs
Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)

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Discussion starters

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Genres

Romanticism — The narrative is characterized by a focus on emotion, individualism, and the glorification of the past and nature.
Gothic Fiction — The story contains elements of horror, death, and gloom, as well as romantic elements, such as nature, individuality, and very high emotion.
Fantasy — The narrative includes supernatural elements and magic, which are typical of the fantasy genre.
Adventure — The plot involves a series of events that the main characters experience while on a journey.