In the Norman village of Blanchelande, a drama of archaic power unfolds: Jeanne, the noble wife of a wealthy farmer, falls under the spell of a demonic monk, who has twice violated his priestly duties as a soldier and attempted suicide. Have the pagan wandering shepherds, who roam the nearby heath of Lessay, enchanted her? Is she being used by the monk, or is he merely a means to an end in a sinister game? After she is found dead, her husband takes brutal revenge on the monk, who has since been causing trouble in the area. "The Cursed," one of the most important novels by Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly, is a stylistically outstanding exploration of unfulfilled desire and the power of faith and superstition. Out of print for nearly 30 years, this novel is now being reissued in the French Library series in a newly revised edition.