Berenice

Berenice is a short horror story written by Edgar Allan Poe and originally published in 1835.

Egaeus has led a solitary life since his youth. Even as a child, he lived in his own world, isolated and melancholy.

His cousin Berenice, however, is the complete opposite. She is happy, full of life, and carefree. Strangely enough, the two end up getting married.

But one day Berenice falls ill, and Egaeus becomes obsessed with her illness and especially with the teeth of his cousin and his wife ....

This story, which was almost censored upon publication, was inspired by Poe's own marriage to his cousin.

"MISERY is manifold. The wretchedness of earth is multiform. Overreaching the wide horizon as the rainbow, its hues are as various as the hues of that arch—as distinct too, yet as intimately blended."