The Seven Wives of Bluebeard / 1920

The narrative investigates the legend of a wealthy noble known for marrying multiple wives, surveying folkloric, mythological, and historical interpretations while questioning attempts to equate him with solar myths or specific historical figures. It critiques earlier storytellers for embellishment, compiles variant accounts, and scrutinizes incidents such as an enchanted key and a forbidden chamber that provoke jealousy and fatal consequences. Mixing literary commentary, skeptical historiography, and retold episodes, the work alternates scholarly digressions with dramatic reconstructions to explore how superstition, rumor, and interpretation shape a notorious domestic crime.