← The King in Yellow

The King in Yellow · Chapters

Chapters explained

Chapter companions for The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers.

Each chapter has a companion in the reader — open a free preview to see notes beside the text.

  1. Chapter 1

    Dedication

    The book is dedicated to the author's brother.

  2. Chapter 2

    Epigraph

    The epigraph presents Cassilda's Song from Act I, Scene 2 of 'The King in Yellow,' evoking the mysterious and eerie atmosphere of Carcosa, a lost city of strange celestial phenomena and haunting beauty.

  3. Chapter 3

    The King in Yellow

    The chapter introduces the mysterious and forbidden play 'The King in Yellow,' which drives those who read it to madness. The narrator recounts his own experience with the play and its haunting influence, setting the stage for the unfolding horror and psychological decay.

  4. Chapter 4

    The Repairer of Reputations

    The narrator, Hildred Castaigne, reveals his descent into madness after reading The King in Yellow. He describes his obsession with the play, his belief in the coming of a new age ruled by the King, and his involvement with a mysterious man named Mr. Wilde, who claims to be the 'Repairer of Reputations.' Hildred plans to claim the throne of America and forces his cousin Louis to participate in his delusions. The chapter ends with Hildred's growing paranoia and his conviction that the world is about to change.

  5. Chapter 5

    I

    Selby arrives in Paris and is introduced to the Latin Quarter art scene by Foxhall Clifford. He meets fellow students Elliott and Rowden, learns about the mysterious girl known as 'Rue Barrée,' and begins his studies at the studio of MM. Boulanger and Lefebvre.

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  1. Chapter 6II
  2. Chapter 7III
  3. Chapter 8The Mask
  4. Chapter 9I
  5. Chapter 10II
  6. Chapter 11III
  7. Chapter 12IV
  8. Chapter 13In the Court of the Dragon
  9. Chapter 14The Yellow Sign
  10. Chapter 15I
  11. Chapter 16II
  12. Chapter 17III
  13. Chapter 18The Demoiselle d’Ys
  14. Chapter 19I
  15. Chapter 20II
  16. Chapter 21The Prophets’ Paradise
  17. Chapter 22The Studio
  18. Chapter 23The Phantom
  19. Chapter 24The Sacrifice
  20. Chapter 25Destiny
  21. Chapter 26The Throng
  22. Chapter 27The Jester
  23. Chapter 28The Green Room
  24. Chapter 29The Love Test
  25. Chapter 30The Street of the Four Winds
  26. Chapter 31I
  27. Chapter 32II
  28. Chapter 33The Street of the First Shell
  29. Chapter 34I
  30. Chapter 35II
  31. Chapter 36III
  32. Chapter 37IV
  33. Chapter 38The Street of Our Lady of the Fields
  34. Chapter 39I
  35. Chapter 40II
  36. Chapter 41III
  37. Chapter 42IV
  38. Chapter 43V
  39. Chapter 44VI
  40. Chapter 45Rue Barrée
  41. Chapter 46I
  42. Chapter 47II
  43. Chapter 48III
  44. Chapter 49IV
  45. Chapter 50V