Project Gutenberg 2005-05-01 Public domain in the USA. 163 Lee, Vernon 1856 1935 Paget, Violet A Phantom Lover Produced by Katherine Delany, Suzanne L. Shell, Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team "A Phantom Lover" by Vernon Lee is a gothic novella written during the late 19th century, primarily in the context of the Victorian era. The story revolves around a mysterious and otherworldly figure, Mrs. Oke, and her husband, Mr. Oke, as narrated by an unnamed painter who is commissioned to paint their portraits. Through the painter's perspective, readers are introduced to Mrs. Oke's enchanting yet eerie allure, her connection to a past scandal involving a tragic romance, and the psychological effects this history has on her seemingly mundane life and her husband’s sanity. At the start of "A Phantom Lover," the narrator reflects on their first encounter with Mrs. Oke, describing her as a unique, almost ethereal figure whose beauty and grace evoke intrigue. As the painter prepares to paint the couple's portraits, he reveals his increasing fascination with Mrs. Oke’s character and her ancestral ties to a historical murder. The narrative unfolds in a setting steeped in melancholy, evoking the gloomy atmosphere of the English countryside and the psychological tensions within the Oke household. Mr. Oke's growing jealousy and obsession with his wife's interactions with the past, particularly with a long-dead poet named Christopher Lovelock, create an undercurrent of suspense and foreboding. As their story develops, the dichotomy between romantic ideals and the harsh realities of their lives, alongside a looming sense of the supernatural, sets the stage for a compelling exploration of identity, desire, and legacy. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 67.2 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. en England -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction Paranormal fiction PR Text Category: Novels Category: British Literature 149714 2025-08-04T04:57:00.914463 text/html 149535 2025-01-11T02:34:01.090804 text/html 121365 2025-08-04T04:57:05.163438 application/epub+zip 122270 2025-08-04T04:57:02.520433 application/epub+zip 122270 2025-08-04T04:57:01.533459 application/epub+zip 231210 2025-08-04T04:57:07.122426 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 221898 2025-08-04T04:57:04.527430 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 199053 2022-09-04T09:18:13.838894 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 135609 2025-08-04T04:57:00.508531 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 135860 2014-09-18T18:49:30 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17735 2025-08-04T04:57:07.284415 application/rdf+xml 12730 2025-08-04T04:57:01.998432 image/jpeg 3298 2025-08-04T04:57:01.764440 image/jpeg 52084 2014-09-18T18:52:40 application/octet-stream application/zip 121316 2025-08-04T04:57:00.929454 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia