The Bell in the Fog
The Bell in the Fog is a novel by Gertrude Atherton that tells the story of a young woman named Margaret Delamere who travels to England to visit her estranged father. While there, she becomes embroiled in a mystery involving an old family secret and a haunted castle. The book explores themes of love, betrayal, and redemption as Margaret navigates the treacherous waters of her past and present relationships.
By Gertrude Atherton · First published 1905 · Genre: Gothic Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Supernatural Fiction · 2 chapters · 10,919 words
First lines
The great author had realized one of the dreams of his ambitious youth, the possession of an ancestral hall in England. It was not so much the good American's reverence for ancestors that inspired the longing to consort with the ghosts of an ancient line, as artistic appreciation of the mellowness, the dignity, the aristocratic aloofness of walls that have sheltered, and furniture that has embraced, generations and generations of the dead. To mere wealth, only his astute and incomparably modern brain yielded respect; his ego raised its goose-flesh at the sight of rooms furnished with a single check, conciliatory as the taste might be. The dumping of the old interiors of Europe into the glistening shells of the United States not only roused him almost to passionate protest, but offended his patriotism -- which he classified among his unworked ideals. The average American was not an artist, therefore he had no excuse for even the affectation of cosmopolitanism.
What this Textopian page supports
The Bell in the Fog is listed on Textopian as a short story by Gertrude Atherton, dated 1905 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Gertrude Atherton
- Date: 1905 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Gothic Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Supernatural Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
- Length: 10,919 words
- Structure: 2 chapters, 151 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Bell in the Fog by Gertrude Atherton
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Discussion starters
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- How does this short story by Gertrude Atherton fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
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Genres
- Gothic Fiction — The story features elements typical of Gothic fiction, such as an ancestral hall, ghostly presences, and a mysterious atmosphere.
- Psychological Fiction — The narrative delves deeply into the protagonist's psyche, exploring themes of obsession, loneliness, and the impact of the past on the present.
- Supernatural Fiction — The plot includes supernatural elements, such as the uncanny resemblance of a child to a portrait and the suggestion of reincarnation or spiritual return.
- Historical Fiction — The setting and references to historical elements, such as the ancestral hall and the lineage of the characters, ground the story in a historical context.
Tags
mystery · suspense · historical fiction · California · female protagonist · social issues · family drama · romance · gothic elements · psychological depth · identity · betrayal