Publication and Setting

"The Evil Eye" was published in January of 1829 by Mary Shelley for The Keepsake. The story is set in Albania and takes on a much different feel from the other short stories that Shelley published.

Plot Summary

The story is centered on its namesake, Dmitri of the Evil Eye, who was a distinguished Albanian citizen, married, and with a happy child. He returned home from a trip to find that his home has been ransacked, his wife had been killed, and his daughter had been kidnapped. Such a traumatizing discovery drives him into a life of crime, becoming a renowned robber and criminal greatly feared throughout Albania.

During one of his revengeful adventures, Dmitri is critically wounded, but is found and nursed back to life by a man named Katushius Ziani. In return for his life, Dmitri promised loyalty to Ziani ... (courtesy of mary-shelley-wikia.com)