The flaxen-haired beauty of the childlike Lady Audley would suggest that she has no secrets.But M.E. Braddon's classic novel of sensation uncovers the truth about its heroine in a plot revolving bigamy, arson and murder.It challenges assumptions about the nature of fernininity and investigates the narrow divide between sanity and insanity, using as ts focus one of the most fascinating of all Victorian heroines. Cornbining elements of the detective novel, the psychological thriller and the romance of upper class ife. Lady Audley's Secret was one of the most popular and successful novels of the nineteenth century and still exerts a powerful hold on readers.

One reason for this popularity was that Lady Audley"s Secret catered for, and helped to foster, a growing appetite for the lurid, scandalous and melodramatic in Victorian fiction. These elements, as well as plots dependent on mysterious identities and guilty secrets, were the hallmarks of sensation fiction; the novel which originated the fashion is often taken to be Wilkie Collins"s The Woman in White (186o).Braddon adds an extrafrisson by focusing the mystery and guilt on the figure of the heroine. In the process, she subverts and tests to the limit the image of the idealised heroine of much Victorian fiction. Lucy Graham, the poor governess, has a childlike beauty: the ageing Sir Michael Audley cannot resist "that slender throat and drooping head,with its wealth of showering flaxon curls": he makes her his wife. Yet the gradual uncovering of her secrets - she has several - indicates that this apparendy docile and girlish creature, whose "very childishness had a charm which few could resist", is a calculating bigamist with an abandoned child. It appears that she has murdered George Talboys (her first husband, inconveniently returned from Australia) and she attempts two further murders to cover her trail. In much of this she is shadowed by her maid, Phoebe Marks, who closely resembles her, but whose ghastly pallor and servant status provide an oblique comment on the heroine"s own ambiguous identity. The flaxen-haired beauty of the childlike Lady Audley would suggest that She has no secrets. But M.E. graddon's classic novel of sensation uncovers the truth about its heroine in a plot involving bigamy, arson and murder.
It challenges assumptions about the nature of femininity and investigates the narrow divide between sanity and insanity, using as its focus one of the most fascinating of all Victorian heroines. Combining elements of the detective novel, the psychological thriller and the romance of upper class life, Lady Audley's Secret was one of the most popular and successful novels of the nineteenth century and still exerts a powerful hold on readers.

VOLUME ONE
Lucy
On Board the Argus
Hidden Relics
In the First Page of The Times
The Headstone at Ventnor
Anywhere, Anywhere out of the Worm
After a Year
Before the Storm
After the Storm
Missing
The Mark upon My Lady"s Wrist
Still Missing
Troubled Dreams
Phoebe"s Suitor
On the Watch
Robert Audley Gets His Conge
At the Castle Inn
Robert Receives a Visitor Whom He Had
Scarcely Expected
The Blacksmith"s Mistake

VOLUME TWO
The Writing in the Book
Mrs Plowson
Little Georgey Leaves His Old Home
Coming to a Standstill
Clara
George"s Letters
Retrograde Investigation
So Far and No Farther
Beginning at the Other End
Hidden in the Grave
In the Lime Walk
Preparing the Ground
Phoebe"s Petition

VOLUME THREE
The Red Light in the Sky
The Bearer of the Tidings
My Lady Tells the Truth
The Hush that Succeeds the Tempest
Dr Mosgrave"s Advice
Buried Alive
Ghost-haunted
That Which the Dying Man Had to Tell
Restored
At Peace

VOLUME ONE
1 Lucy
2 On Board the Argus
3 Hidden Relics
4 In the First Page of The Times
5 The Headstone at Ventnor
6 Anywhere, Anywhere out of the World
7 After a Year
8 Before the Storm
9 After the Storm
　10 Missing
　11 The Mark upon My Lady's Wrist
　12 Still Missing
　13 Troubled Dreams
　14 Phoebe's Suitor
　15 On the Watch
　16 Robert Audley Gets His Conge
　17 At the Castle Inn
　18 Robert Receives a Visitor Whom He Had Scarcely Expected
19 The Blacksmith's Mistake
VOLUME TWO
1 The Writing in the Book
2 Mrs Plowson
3 Little Georgey Leaves His OM Home
4 Coming to a Standstill
5 Clara
6 George's Letters
7 Retrograde Investigation
8 So Far and No Farther
9 Beginning at the Other End
10 Hidden in the Grave
11 In the Lime Walk
12 Preparing the Ground
13 Phcebe's Petition
VOLUME THREE
1 The Red Light in the Sky
2 The Bearer of the Tidings
3 My Lady Tells the Truth
4 The Hush that Succeeds the Tempest
5 Dr Mosgrave's Advice
6 Buried Alive
7 Ghost-Haunted
8 That Which the Dying Man Had to Tell
9 Restored
10 At Peace