a popular melodramatic and moralizing tale of the
fall of virtue, written in 1861 by
English novelist,
Mrs. Henry Wood (1814-1887). The story tells of Lady Isabel Vane who, in her
late teens, is
left orphaned and penniless after her father dies, and her
home, East Lynne, is sold to another
character Archibald Carlyle. Her
position in
life however is restored when she marries Carlyle, and
returns to her former
home. Shortly thereafter, the villain Levison enters the
scene and with the aid of a forged
note, tricks Lady Vane into believing her husband wants to get rid of her and marry another. Lady Vane leaves her husband and child and
runs off with Levison. She soon discovers Levison's treachery and leaves him. She roams from one
place to another and finally,
broken in health and repentant, she
returns to East Lynne disguised as an elderly
governess to see her ailing child. The
play ends with Lady Vane's true identity revealed and her
happiness tragically restored on her
death bed as she receives forgiveness from her former husband Carllyle. East Lynne has been translated into many languages and was adapted into a
successful melodrama for the
stage.