Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure

Museum Catalog Note *Agnes; or, Beauty and Pleasure*, Volume 2, by G.W.M. Reynolds, is a serial melodrama set partly in Florence and partly in London. The narrative follows Edgar Marcellin, a French exile recently restored to his rights and fortune after political persecution. Upon receiving news of his vindication and financial recovery, Marcellin visits Sidney Villa in London to inquire after Corinna Paoli, a woman he cares for who recently learned he stands accused of murdering her brother Giulio in Florence. Encountering an Italian servant, Lisetta, who traveled from Florence to England on mysterious business related to the murder, Marcellin earnestly protests his innocence. The excerpt concludes with Marcellin announcing his newfound means to travel to Italy and vindicate himself. The work exemplifies the penny dreadful's characteristic plotting: sensational crime, international intrigue, romantic entanglement, and emotional intensity.