Obsession

Jules Claretie’s Obsession presents a psychological study of artist Andre Fortis, who suffers a sudden curse splitting his existence into two distinct lives. One life belongs to the original man, while the other is inhabited by an evil twin with separate artistic styles and preoccupations. This narrative structure mirrors the classic tradition established by Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, exploring the psychological anomaly known today as multiple personality syndrome. The plot follows Fortis’s desperate search for a cure from the mysterious Dr. Klipper. This physician claims to possess devices capable of reading the human brain through the skull like an open book. Claretie uses this premise to examine the obsessive nature of scientific research, placing the work firmly within the literary tradition of mad scientists. The novel offers a striking representation of the inconvenient double, distinguishing it from standard tales of duality by focusing on the clinical and supernatural intersection. This volume suits readers interested in late nineteenth-century Gothic fiction and early explorations of mental fragmentation. It appeals to those who appreciate the specific tropes of the evil twin genre and the history of medical horror. Readers seeking modern psychological thrillers or contemporary supernatural narratives may find the stylistic approach dated. The text remains a notable artifact for understanding how early authors conceptualized split identities before such terms entered common parlance.