The oxford book of victorian ghost stories, compiled by michael cox the meaning of night and r. There are stories by wellknown authors such as charles dickens, sir arthur conan doyle, r. From anthony trollope, charles dickens, and thomas hardy, through rudyard kipling, h. It combines a serious literary purpose with the intention of arousing fear at the doings of the dead and the important contribution of women writers is indicated by the eight stories included, from amelia edwards the phantom ghost to elizabeth bowens hand in glove. Be the first to ask a question about the oxford book of english ghost stories.
The thrill and chill of the ghost story is displayed in all its variety and vitality through this marvelous anthology. Cosmopolitan a wonderful crosssection of the familiar and less wellknown. Having owned this book for many years, it is a treasured part of my library, and is worth at least one rereading a year. For example, world war ii with quotes will give more precise results than world war ii without quotes. The perfect book for long winter evenings of drawn curtains and flickering firelight. The theme of these ballads was often the return of a dead lover. Whenever five or six englishspeaking people meet round a fire on christmas.
It is situated on the north side of oxford street in a dull but respectable. Tales of the dead was an english anthology of horror fiction, abridged from the french book fantasmagoriana and translated anonymously by sarah elizabeth utterson, who also added one story of her own. James on writing the perfect christmas ghost story. A ghost story may be any piece of fiction, or drama, that includes a ghost, or simply takes as a. Michael cox is editor of a dictionary of writers and their works, and the oxford book of twentiethcentury ghost stories. James praised burrages book some ghost stories, saying that the book keeps on the right side of the line and, if about half his ghosts are amiable, the rest have their terrors, and no mean ones. In the same village, in an old cottage, there is a ghost known as the spinette player. This book is intended for general readers, students, and scholars of english literature, and nineteenth and twentiethcentury literature in particular, also the history of the short story. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. The oxford book of english ghost stories oxford books of prose. Collection of thirtyfour english ghost stories written during the victorian era accessrestricteditem true addeddate. The oxford book of victorian ghost stories michael cox. The oxford book of english ghost stories 1986 anthology by michael cox and r. In a narrower sense, the ghost story has been developed as a short story format, within genre fiction.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Responding to peoples overwhelming attraction to anything frightening, this marvelous anthology of some of the very best english ghost stories combines a serious literary. Written for secondary and adult students the oxford bookworms library has seven reading levels. Not surprisingly, these volumes display a similar philosophy, and high standard, of selection, and a certain overlap of literary. The oxford book of english ghost stories michael cox. Oxford book of twentiethcentury ghost stories edited by cmichael cox oxford new york oxford university press 1996. The project gutenberg ebook of the best ghost stories, by various.
The very range and scope of the collection celebrates the eccentric differences and excellences of english short stories. It is a genial, festive season, and we love to muse upon graves, and dead bodies, and. Ghost stories content smee the judges house the stranger in the mist the confession of charles linkworth the ghost coach fullcircle smee by a. This was the point of jeromes book, which both satirised and. A short story for learners of english efl halloween now thats a time for ghosts. This years best ghost and horror stories to read on halloween. If im not very careful, something of this kind may happen to me. James later included burrage among a list of contemporary writers. Delaware county district library ohio scanned in china. The oxford book of english ghost stories michael cox and r. The oxford book of english ghost stories by michael cox, 9780192826664. Thus michael cox introduces the oxford book of twentiethcentury ghost stories, a unique collection of 33 of the best and most chilling ghost stories of our era.
Gilbert, oxford university press 1986 the fourposter, ss the alabaster hand and other ghost stories, dennis dobson 1949 herodes redivivus, ss the alabaster hand and other ghost stories, dennis dobson 1949. The 31 stories in this collection are compiled from the virago book of ghost stories. The oxford book of english ghost stories by cox, michael, 19482009. Stories of edith wharton and victorian ghost stories by noted women writers. Bruces collection opens with western cultures oldest ghost story, the strange. Books and bookmen an excellent crosssection of familiar and unfamiliar stories. The english really do excel at writing ghost stories. Responding to peoples overwhelming attraction to anything frightening, this marvelous anthology of some of the very best english ghost stories combines a responding to peoples overwhelming attraction to anything frightening, this marvelous anthology of some of the very best english ghost stories combines a serious literary purpose with the simple intention of arousing a pleasurable fear of the doings of the dead. Drelincourts book of death is, since this happened, bought up strangely. The oxford book of english ghost stories oxford books of. The oxford book of english ghost stories contains a collection of 42 short ghost stories, written between the years 1829 to 1981, and arranged in chronological order. The editors tried to select stories that 1 featured naturally a ghost, 2 described dramatic interaction between the living and the dead, 3 had literary quality, 4 contained definite english settings such as characters, institutions, styles and themes representative of the english ghost story, and 5 werent overlong. What is the fascination we feel for the mystery of the ghost story.
Below is a list of some of our favorite spooky stories in the english language. Colloquially, the term ghost story can refer to any kind of scary story. Gilbert is an antiquarian bookseller and author of a. It was christmas eve, and there were fourteen of us in the house. I can honestly say that i didnt regret reading one of these stories in this book. I put down the letters, and began to muse over their contents. The oxford book of american short stories edited by. Sometimes at night, people hear the sound of someone playing this old musical instrument.
On june 19, 1966, a canadian couple photographed the staircase and managed to snap an image of a faint figure leaning on the rail. I actually read it in a very short amount of time, which is impressive for an anthology that is sizable. The oxford book of english ghost stories by michael cox. Some of the best ghost stories are classics, and many are old. The oxford book of victorian ghost stories michael cox, r. Jamess ghost stories for the oxford worlds classics series. Your first opportunity to play mortals as characters with the storytelling system the mystery of the world of darkness grows with five ghost stories to play around your gaming table a great prequel to vampire, werewolf and mage chronicles for use with the world of darkness rulebook game studio ghost stories. Burrage retold by rosemary border 1 no, said jackson with a shy little smile. All of the ghost stories he assembled in this collection were terrific. Lawrence, and virginia woolf, right up to graham greene, j. Some of the older stories might be a challenge, but since many are available to read for free, you can at least give them a try. Paperback classics, modern fiction, nonfiction and more.
Instead they took over the trappings, landscapes, and cultural assumptions of the twentieth century for their ancient purposes. Owc hardback oxford worlds classics hardback collection hardcover june 1, 2017. Its a mixed bag of authors, with a smattering of stories by the obligatory writers as well as a number that are harder to find. What is compelling about these sorts of stories is that, as the introduction to the collection notes, they are just, just out of the true. The oxford book of english ghost stories michael cox, r. In 1929, five key features of the english ghost story were identified in some. The oxford book of twentiethcentury ghost stories by. People say that he was a soldier who fought in the english civil war, in the 17th century. This is a great anthology for anyone new to classic ghost literature or even someone who isnt that new. The icelandic stories here are particularly upsetting.
In the oxford book of american short stories, joyce carol oates offers a sweeping survey of american short fiction, in a collection of nearly sixty tales that combines classic works with many different, unexpected gems, and that invites readers to explore a wealth of important pieces by women and minority writers. It is a form of supernatural fiction and specifically of. If one or more works are by a distinct, homonymous authors, go ahead and split the author. The stories are very short so we havent time to imagine them as we should. The oxford book of english short stories oxford books of. A fantastic collection of english prose, with the emphasis of stories in the 1880s, which marked the highlight of ghostly literature, in my opinion. Joseph sheridan le fanu primary author only author division. The oxford book of english short stories in searchworks. Skip to content home elt catalog oxford bookworms library level 5. The oxford book of english ghost stories blogging for a. New contemporary look for a bestselling collection of ghost stories. Title ghost stories retold by rosemary border author. A collection of ghost stories is an excellent place to begin, and the oxford book of english ghost stories collects tales of the eerie from some of the masters of the genre. Ballard, angela carter, ian mcewan, and many others, the oxford book of english short stories encompasses comedy and tragedy, farce and delicacy, elegance and the grotesque.
Le fanu, and stories by authors whom i was unfamiliar with. My favorite story of the fourteen in the book was called playmates, but the rest were also wonderful. The oxford book of english ghost stories internet archive. My opinion of this book is not good but not bad in this book, for me, the intrigue is not bright enough and its not expressive enough. Joseph sheridan le fanu is currently considered a single author. Phrase searching you can use double quotes to search for a series of words in a particular order. In the introduction, roahld dahl said that in good ghost stories you dont see the actual ghost, just.
The oxford book of victorian ghost stories selected and introduced by michael cox and r. With their evocative settings amid mists and shadows, in ruinous houses, on lonely roads and wild moorlands, in abandoned churches and overgrown gardens, ghost stories have long exercised a universal fascination. Nesbit rooum l9il oliver onions the shadowy third 1916 ellen glasgow the diary of mr poynter 1919 m. The oxford book of english ghost stories by michael cox goodreads. Oxford american english dictionaries for learners of english. Convinced theyd caught a ghost on camera, the two sent the picture off to a london ghost club, who decided the only way to verify the. Wildcard searching if you want to search for multiple variations of a word, you can substitute a special symbol called a wildcard for one or more letters.
I know nothing about the history of this genre, and i bought the book simply seeking to read a good yarn. New stateman some of the best and scariest ghost stories ever written. In particular, pubs and inns are a rich source of ghost stories and oxford has its fair share of hostelries at one time there were well over 400 in the city and perhaps the most famous of these still stands today in the form of the eagle and child. From charles dickens and elizabeth gaskell, to sir arthur conan doyle and henry james, this book brings together the best of victorian ghost stories.