The Yellow Drawing Room

Summary

Alice Mona Caird (1854 -1932) was a British novelist and essayist whose strong feminist views raised many eyebrows in the Victorian period.

The Yellow Drawing Room is a story told through the eyes of an archetypical Victorian gentleman. He has met and fallen under the spell of the beautiful Vanora Haydon.

Vanora has been given permission to decorate and furnish a drawing room and has chosen to do so in brilliant yellow. She has created her own room, reflective of her own personality and individuality - something which the conservative narrator cannot cope with. As he sets out to try to dominate and possess her, it becomes clear that there is a mutual attraction despite their complete incompatibility.