Elsie Venner

by Oliver Wendell Holmes

"Elsie Venner" by Oliver Wendell Holmes is a novel published in 1861. It tells the story of a mysterious young woman marked by an unusual prenatal event: her mother's rattlesnake bite during pregnancy. When teacher Bernard Langdon arrives at her school, he becomes drawn to Elsie despite sensing something unsettling about her. The novel explores profound questions about human nature, inherited traits, and moral responsibility through this strange tale of a girl caught between human and serpent worlds.