Summary:
"Le Roi au Masque d'Or" by Marcel Schwob is a novel written in the late 19th century. This intriguing work weaves together themes of identity and concealment, revolving around a royal figure known as the Golden Mask King, who is surrounded by a host of masked characters including priests, jesters, and women, all hiding their true selves. The narrative explores deeper philosophical questions about appearance versus reality as the king grapples with his own hidden truths. The opening of the novel sets a fantastical scene within a dark and tumultuous court, where the masked royalty and their courtiers engage in a surreal interplay of laughter and sorrow. As the king demands to know the cause of a disturbance, a blind beggar enters and unnervingly suggests that the king and his court are not what they seem. The beggar's insight catalyzes an unsettling journey for the king, who becomes obsessed with uncovering his own identity and the faces of those around him. This leads to an anxiety-filled quest to confront hidden truths, culminating in a devastating revelation about his true self that compels him to act out in desperation. (This is an automatically generated summary.)