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By: Elizabeth Bowen
Elizabeth Bowen was born in Dublin, Ireland but
later moved to London. In England, she became
famous as a poet and short story writer
One of her most famous works is "The Demon Lover"
written in 1945
"The Demon Lover" is perhaps Bowen's most acclaimed short story. Set in London during World War II, it revolves around the haunting of a married middle-aged woman by the ghost of a sweetheart from her youth, a man presumed to have been killed in the First World War twenty-five years earlier.
In "The Demon Lover" the protagonist, Mrs. Drover, returns to her London home, which had been vacated during the bombing of the city by Germany. There Mrs. Drover discovers a letter, dated the present day, composed by a lover from the past who was presumed to have been killed in the previous world war. As a young woman, she had sworn to love him forever, but eventually married another man. The letter recalls a meeting that they had arranged long ago for this very evening. Overcome with dread at the thought of confronting her former lover (alive or otherwise), Mrs. Drover leaves the house to hail a taxi. As the cab pulls away with Mrs. Drover, the driver looks her in the eye, throwing Mrs. Drover into hysteria. Bowen does not reveal exactly what Mrs. Drover saw, but many readers are inclined to believe it was the vison of her dead lover.
The Letter represents
Mrs. Drovers link to the
past and the guilt she
still carries.
By: Elizabeth Bowen