The Victorian chaise longue

Marghanita Laski

The Victorian Chaise-Longue is a 1953 novella by Marghanita Laski about a young woman, Melanie, who is recovering from tuberculosis in the 1950s; while resting on a Victorian chaise longue, she falls asleep and wakes up in the body of a woman in the 1890s, also suffering from TB, trapped in a terrifying, unfamiliar reality. The book is a psychological horror story that explores themes of confinement, helplessness, and the horror of the unknown, with the chaise longue acting as a portal between two time periods. Key aspects of the book: Plot: Melanie is moved to a chaise longue for an afternoon and falls asleep, only to wake up as "Milly," a woman in the past who is sick and confined to a dirty room, with a sister who holds dark secrets. Genre: It's a short, terrifying novella often described as Gothic horror or psychological horror, praised for its suspense and unsettling atmosphere. Themes: It deals with the terror of being trapped, the loss of control, and the horror of a past that is both familiar and alien. Author's intent: Laski reportedly wrote the book in isolation to evoke feelings of vulnerability and fear in herself and the reader. Legacy: It is considered a classic of the genre, republished by Persephone Books, and noted for its skillful and disturbing narrative.