47 pages 1 hour read

Mary Shelley

The Last Man

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1826

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Volume 1, Chapter 11-Volume 2, Chapter 3 Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Volume 1, Chapter 11 Summary

Lionel, Idris, and especially Perdita are grieved at the loss of Raymond and Adrian, and Lionel convinces them to travel around Britain to distract them. After returning to Windsor, Lionel turns to literature and tries to comfort Perdita. Despite all his efforts, Perdita still resents Raymond and does not allow the others to say his name around her. Clara, now eight years old, is curious about her father.

After a year, Adrian returns to England and tells the others that Raymond has become a hero among the Greeks. Though he believes in the cause, Adrian also sees their enemies in Turkey as his brothers. While Raymond can “contemplate the ideal of war” (180), Adrian only sees war’s bloody realities.

After Adrian returns, Raymond goes missing and is believed to be a prisoner of war. Perdita decides to go to Greece to find him, and Lionel agrees to accompany her.

Volume 2, Chapter 1 Summary

On the way to Greece, Perdita is now prepared to reconcile with Raymond. When they arrive in Athens, Lionel learns that Raymond is alive but has been taken captive. Two months later, Raymond is released on the verge of death.