# Basil — Chapters explained

> Chapter companions for Basil by Wilkie Collins.

- [Letter of Dedication](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/letter-of-dedication.md): In this prefatory letter, Wilkie Collins dedicates 'Basil' to his friend Charles James Ward, reflecting on the novel's origins in real life, its defense against charges of impropriety, and its eventual success. He articu
- [Basil Part I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/basil.md): Basil begins his narrative, describing his family and his first meeting with Margaret in an omnibus. He is immediately captivated by her, and despite the social differences, he seeks her out. He avoids Clara and leaves L
- [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-i-i.md): Basil begins his narrative on his twenty-fourth birthday, living in seclusion in a Cornish fishing hamlet. He explains his purpose: to write the story of a year of his life, an error with innocent beginnings and fatal re
- [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-i-ii.md): Basil continues his narrative, explaining his family background and education. He is the second son of a wealthy English gentleman, with an elder brother and a younger sister. His mother died after giving birth to the yo
- [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-i-iii.md): Basil reflects on his father's character, describing him as the proudest man he ever knew. His father's pride is not conventional but is a quiet, inbred pride based on ancestry rather than rank. Basil illustrates this wi

> 30 more chapter companions — [open a free preview](https://www.betterreads.dev/reader?bookId=basil_se_960kb&preview=1) to unlock the rest.

- [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-i-iv.md)
- [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-i-v.md)
- [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-i-vi.md)
- [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-i-vii.md)
- [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-i-viii.md)
- [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-i-ix.md)
- [The Proposal](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-i-x.md)
- [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-i-xi.md)
- [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-i-xii.md)
- [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-ii-i.md)
- [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-ii-ii.md)
- [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-ii-iii.md)
- [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-ii-iv.md)
- [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-ii-v.md)
- [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-ii-vi.md)
- [Chapter VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-ii-vii.md)
- [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-iii-i.md)
- [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-iii-ii.md)
- [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-iii-iii.md)
- [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-iii-iv.md)
- [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-iii-v.md)
- [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-iii-vi.md)
- [Chapter VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-iii-vii.md)
- [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-iii-viii.md)
- [Journal](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-iii-journal.md)
- [Letters in Conclusion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-iii-letters-in-conclusion.md)
- [Letter I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-iii-letter-i.md)
- [Letter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-iii-letter-ii.md)
- [Letter III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/part-iii-letter-iii.md)
- [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters/endnotes.md)

HTML index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/basil_se/chapters