Le crime de Lord Arthur Savile

A refined social dandy learns from a palm reader that his hand predicts he will commit murder and resolves to fulfill the prophecy before he can marry. The plot traces his increasingly absurd and rationalized attempts to make the prediction come true, turning notions of duty and morality inside out while satirizing fashionable society. The story blends dark comedy with a study of obsession, fate, and the power of belief to shape action. Accompanying tales in the collection are shorter, fanciful sketches that emphasize witty paradox, aesthetic playfulness, and ironic portraits of manners.