The Adventures of Ferdinand Count Fathom — Complete

Description

Tobias Smollett’s The Adventures of Ferdinand Count Fathom (1753) follows the exploits of its titular antihero, a man of obscure birth who rises through society on a tide of deception, seduction, and outright villainy. Born to a camp-following mother in the midst of a military campaign, Fathom is gifted with extraordinary charm, intelligence, and physical grace — all of which he deploys in the service of his boundless ambition.

From the drawing rooms of London to the gambling dens of Paris, from the beds of trusting heiresses to the cells of foreign debtors’ prisons, Fathom leaves a trail of ruined lives behind him. Yet Smollett, writing with the savage wit that made him one of the great novelists of the eighteenth century, never lets us forget that his hero’s crimes are a mirror held up to the corrupt society that enables them.

Widely regarded as a precursor to the Gothic novel, Ferdinand Count Fathom contains scenes of genuine terror and suspense that anticipate the work of Ann Radcliffe and Matthew Lewis. It remains Smollett’s most controversial and morally complex work — a “rogue’s gallery” portrait painted with unforgettable vividness.