The Landlady

The hero of this early story (1847) falls in love with a young woman married to an old man—the landlady of the apartment where he has just found a room. While his intrusion disrupts the lives of this strange couple, no one will ever know what bond unites them, what madness or morbid affection. For such is the strength and modernity of this narrative that it remains open-ended, offering no key to the protagonist's inevitable eviction.