Topic: The Virago Book of Ghost Stories (Read 831 times)
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The Virago Book of Ghost Stories « Thread Started on Apr 12, 2006, 3:33pm »
Richard Dalby (ed.) - The Virago Book of Ghost Stories (Virago, 1987)
Richard Dalby - Preface Jennifer Uglow - Introduction
Edith Wharton -The Eyes E. Nesbit - The Violet Car Henrietta D. Everett - The Crimson Blind May Sinclair - The Token Ellen Glasgow - The Shadowy Third Marjory E. Lambe - The Return Margery H. Lawrence - The Haunted Saucepan Mary Webb - Mr. Tallent’s Ghost Enid Bagnold - The Amorous Ghost Marjorie Bowen - The Accident Marjorie Bowen - A Persistent Woman Phyllis Bottome - The Waiting-Room Catherine Wells - The Ghost Eleanor Scott - ‘Will Ye No’ Come Back Again?’ E. M. Delafield - Sophy Mason Comes Back Hester Gorst - The Doll’s House Edith Olivier - The Night Nurse’s Story Winifred Holtby - The Voice of God Cynthia Asquith - The Follower F. M. Mayor - Miss De Mannering Of Asham Stella Gibbons - Roaring Tower D. K. Broster - Juggernaut Elizabeth Bowen - The Happy Autumn Fields Pamela Hansford Johnson - The Empty Schoolroom Elizabeth Jane Howard - Three Miles Up Rose Macaulay - Whitewash Elizabeth Taylor - Poor Girl Elizabeth Jenkins - On No Account, My Love Rosemary Timperley - The Mistress in Black Norah Lofts - A Curious Experience Fay Weldon - Breakages Elizabeth Walter - Dual Control Sara Maitland - Lady With Unicorn Lisa St. Aubin De Teran - Diamond Jim Angela Carter - Ashputtle
Notes on the Authors
A real change of pace - I've been on a diet of Not At Night's and Charles Birkin for a fortnight - but this is a truly special collection. No surprise to see Lady Cynthia Asquith's groundbreaking Ghost Book's so well represented, but I certainly wasn't expecting three (admittedly, non-sadistic: Asquith's own The Follower would have suited the series admirably) from Birkin's Creeps to make the cut. I was a little disappointed to see that Marjory Bowen was represented by two 150 word vignettes ... until I read them: The Accident, in particular, is terrific, an E.C. strip in microcosm. It's very difficult to pick a 'best' from such a strong, varied selection, but if pushed, I'd probably opt for Elizabeth Jane Howard's Three Miles Up which has one of the most jaw-dropping finales in this -or any other - form of literature.
Mind you, I could've done without Whitewash and A Curious Experience, and I'm still trying to figure out how Lady With Unicorn sneaked in ...
From the first, I set myself against "literature"; the story was the thing, and no amount of style could persuade me to select a story that lacked genuine, unadulterated horror. For those who wanted something high-brow there was plenty.
Re: The Virago Book of Ghost Stories « Reply #1 on Feb 22, 2007, 7:57pm »
I absolutely agree with you on this being a great anthology, and also wanted to comment on "Three Miles Up" which is one of my absolute all time favorite stories. You are right about the ending...one of the best of all time, and this story is a masterpiece of subtle creepiness. I've read it at least five times and it never fails to give me some magnificently delightful shivers! You're probably aware that it originally came from the collection "We Are For the Dark" which contained three stories by Ms. Howard and three by Robert Aickman (who is one of my faves in the horror field).
"Three Miles Up" is the only story I've read by Elizabeth Jane Howard, unfortunately. Others have been hard to come by, here in the U.S. at any rate. I've also only managed to find and read about half of Aickman's published short fiction....everything I've read by him has been intriguing, although the meanings of a lot of them were obscure...but then, that is his trademark!
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