
Trilby
'Trilby' Summary
Three English art students in Paris (Taffy, Laird, and William Bagot alias ‘Little Billee’) meet musicians Svengali and Gecko and the artist's model and laundress Trilby O’Ferrall.
Trilby is cheerful, kindhearted, bohemian, and completely tone-deaf: "Svengali would test her ear, as he called it, and strike the C in the middle and then the F just above, and ask which was higher; and she would declare they were both exactly the same." To the bemusement of the other characters, Trilby is unable to sing "Ben Bolt" in tune. Yet despite being off-key, her singing voice nonetheless has an impressive quality.
The Englishmen and Trilby become friends. Svengali tries to persuade Trilby to let him train her voice, but she finds him repulsive and even frightening. She and Little Billee fall in love, but his scandalized relatives get her to promise to leave him. She leaves Paris with her little brother, who later dies of scarlet fever. Trilby then falls under Svengali's influence. He hypnotises her and transforms her into a diva, La Svengali. Under his spell, Trilby becomes a talented singer, performing always in an amnesiac trance.
Five years later, Little Billee is a famous painter. He, Laird and Taffy recognise Trilby as she performs at a concert. Trilby sings beautifully but does not appear to be in good health.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
EnglishPublished In
1896Authors

George du Maurier
France
George Louis Palmella Busson du Maurier was a Franco-British cartoonist and writer known for work in Punch and a Gothic novel Trilby, featuring the character Svengali. His son was the actor Sir Gerald...
Books by George du MaurierDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books

Ghosts I Have Met and Some Others by John Kendrick Bangs
New York-born John Kendrick Bangs was associate editor and then editor of Life and Harper magazines, eventually finding his way into the Humour depart...

Seen and the Unseen by Richard Marsh
The Seen and the Unseen is a collection of twelve short stories exploring the supernatural and the uncanny. The stories range from tales of haunted ho...

Sir Edmund Orme by Henry James
Henry James wrote a number of ghost stories -- The Turn of the Screw being the most famous. Did he believe in ghosts himself, as did many of his conte...

How to Paint Permanent Pictures by Maximilian Toch
Maximilian Toch's "How to Paint Permanent Pictures" is an invaluable guide to creating lasting artwork through painting. Toch, an expert in the field,...

Tales of Terror by Various
This collection brings together chilling tales of murder, mayhem, and mystery from renowned authors like Edgar Allan Poe, Guy de Maupassant, Sir Arthu...

Round The Fire Stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
This collection of short stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle presents a selection of his tales that delve into the realms of the grotesque and the terri...

She by H. Rider Haggard
She, subtitled A History of Adventure, is a novel by the English writer H. Rider Haggard, published in book form in 1887 following serialisation in Th...

Stones of Venice, Volume 2 by John Ruskin
John Ruskin's *The Stones of Venice* is a three-volume work exploring the city's architecture and art from its Byzantine origins through the Renaissan...

Lives of the Most Eminent Painters, Sculptors and Architects Vol 1 by Giorgio Vasari
The Lives of the Most Excellent Italian Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, written by Giorgio Vasari in the 16th century, is a seminal work in art h...

Lavender and Old Lace by Myrtle Reed
In 'Lavender and Old Lace', Ruth Thorne, a young woman seeking solace and quiet, travels to her aunt Jane Hathaway's secluded home. Upon arrival, she...
Reviews for Trilby
No reviews posted or approved, yet...