
There's nothing like a good ghost story. The Victorians excelled at the ghost story, as it was as much a part of their literary culture as the realistic novel, and it was practiced by almost all the great writers of the age. In Twelve Victorian Ghost Stories, Michael Cox brings together well wrought tales of haunted houses, vengeful spirits, spectral warnings, invisible antagonists, and motiveless malignity from beyond the grave.Here Cox provides eerie samples from J.S. LeFanu, Henry James, and Vincent OSullivan. The presence of tales by Amelia Edwards, Rhoda Broughton, and Margaret Oliphant also reflect the important contributions made by women writers to the development of the genre. Containing several genuine rarities, Twelve Victorian Ghost Stories will give even the most seasoned supernatural fiction enthusiast chills up the spine.Traditional in its forms, but energetically inventive and infused with a relish of the supernatural, these classic ghost stories still retain their original power to unsettle and surprise. Twelve Victorian Ghost Stories is one chilling anthology no fan of the genre will want to be without.
This anthology presents a curated collection of twelve supernatural narratives that explore the boundary between the living and the spectral in Victorian literature. Each story functions as an independent exploration of dread, utilizing the conventions of the era to examine human vulnerability in the face of the unknown. The collection features a variety of protagonists, ranging from skeptics encountering the inexplicable to individuals haunted by past transgressions, all navigating worlds where the rational is constantly undermined by the supernatural. The narrative frameworks vary, employing epistolary elements, first-person accounts, and third-person omniscient perspectives to heighten the sense of unease.
Discussion often centers on the efficacy of these stories in maintaining their unsettling quality despite the passage of time. Readers frequently highlight the inclusion of both canonical authors and rare, overlooked voices as a primary strength of the anthology. Critics note that the collection successfully balances traditional gothic tropes with the specific anxieties inherent to the Victorian era. The pacing is generally described as deliberate, allowing for the gradual accumulation of atmosphere before the supernatural climax. Many enthusiasts appreciate how the anthology showcases the significant role women writers played in shaping the development of the ghost story genre.
Page Count:
224
Publication Date:
1997-12-11
ISBN-10:
0192880268
ISBN-13:
9780192880260
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!