Zuleika Dobson

"Death cancels all engagements"

Zuleika Dobson has risen from humble beginnings as a governess to become a famous conjurer, not so much because her performances are brilliant (they aren't), but because any young man who sees her can't help but fall head over heels in love with her. For the first time in many years, she is visiting her grandfather, the Warden of Judas College, Oxford. At dinner, she meets the young Duke of Dorset.

Within twenty-four hours of their meeting, they have fallen in love, fallen out of love, quarrelled, and the Duke has resolved to kill himself for love of her. At her pleading, he delays his suicide for another day. He warns his friends to keep away from her, for his infatuation with her has driven him to this pass. This advice doesn't have quite the effect he hopes.

Zuleika Dobson, or, an Oxford love story is a 1911 novel by Sir Max Beerbohm. It can be found online at Project Gutenberg or Wikisource.


 * The Ace: The Duke of Dorset. Not that any of it helps him once he falls for Zuleika.
 * Dirty Coward: Noaks.
 * Empathic Environment: Played with. The Duke's suicide is accompanied by thunder and lightning, but they turn up before he's really ready for them.
 * Femme Fatale: Zuleika. Only with her, it's turned up to Over Nine Thousand.
 * I Love You Because I Can't Control You: Subverted—Zuleika falls in love with the Duke because she thinks he's not impressed by her charms, but it turns out he was just kind of bad at showing it. She falls out of love with him as soon as she realizes that he really is in love with her... and when he falls out of love, she falls in love again.
 * It's All About Me: Reflecting on the fatal events of the novel, Zuleika's chief regret is that it won't be possible to prove that each and every death was for love of her.
 * It Is Pronounced "Tro-PAY": The introduction to the 1922 edition is clear on this point—Zu-leek-a, not Zu-like-a.
 * "Jump Off a Bridge" Rebuttal: If the most admired undergraduate at the university committed suicide, would others follow? Oh yes.
 * Kill'Em All: Every single undergraduate in Oxford, dead.
 * Lemony Narrator
 * Parody Sue: Zuleika is a parody of Suetiful All Along.
 * Serious Business: Drowning yourself for love of a Femme Fatale is all very well, but it can't be allowed to interrupt a boat race.
 * Sole Survivor: Noaks... briefly.
 * So Beautiful It's a Curse: Zuleika has never loved, because she cannot love anyone who adores her. And everyone adores her.
 * Suetiful All Along: Parodied
 * You Can't Fight Fate: By the time the Duke thinks better of his plan of suicide, it's too late: the traditional omens of a death in his family have already taken place.