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Post by wireman on Jan 20, 2021 13:19:51 GMT
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Post by edwardjohn on Jan 20, 2021 16:50:38 GMT
I forgot that was today again. 
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Post by edwardjohn on Jan 20, 2021 16:55:39 GMT
This is a brilliant story. Blackwood's stories often concern the isolation and depression often associated with the modern world and this is no different. The difference with this story is that that isolation and depression is overcome with the woman showing affection to the ghost and telling him that the world isn't what he thought it was. I like the shift in role for the ghost, he isn't a horrible spirit going after people, he's searching for a message of hope in the house which did not present such a message to him. This is quite a lovely story and shows that Blackwood could reinvent the formula regarding ghost stories. The woman was such a wonderful person to do what she did for the spirit. This story demonstrates how great an author he was.
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Post by spideyman on Jan 20, 2021 17:36:58 GMT
Wow factor - 10!. Started reading and thought,oh another ghost story with standard outcome. Surprise...... touched ones heart to see the woman give up her fears, to show empathy to the ghost. Enjoyable indeed.
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Post by edwardjohn on Jan 20, 2021 18:28:11 GMT
Wow factor - 10!. Started reading and thought,oh another ghost story with standard outcome. Surprise...... touched ones heart to see the woman give up her fears, to show empathy to the ghost. Enjoyable indeed. |
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Post by wireman on Jan 20, 2021 20:21:33 GMT
It is a brilliant story and Blackwood turns the haunted house/ghost story formula on it's head. It's a story of loneliness and isolation but still maintains a bit of the ghost story tension. A haunted house story with a heart (instead of a rolling head ).
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Post by cat on Jan 21, 2021 2:14:22 GMT
Great little story. I agree with everything you guys have said so far. Also enjoyed the little twist at the end,that made it more of the traditional ghost story, by which I mean something inexplicable. But the humanity and sympathy the woman showed the ghost to help him along is the true moral of the story.
I don't want to jump the gun, I know we'll be doing the next Straub story for next week, but was wondering if we could do The Turn of the Screw by Henry James the following week? It is a bit longer, at 117 pages. I have seen a couple of the movie adaptations and just recently watched The Haunting of Bly House, which was also an adaptation but have never read the source material. There is a free version available for kindle. I have not checked yet but it is probably available on Project Gutenberg as well. Just an idea.
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Post by spideyman on Jan 21, 2021 13:04:21 GMT
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Post by wireman on Jan 21, 2021 15:10:41 GMT
I don;t have my book in front of me but I think the Into The Realm Of Dreams is only 1 page long. If that's the case, we should do the next one. (plus we can still talk about the one pager) If you have it handy, take a look and see if that's the case.
Turn Of The Screw sounds good for 2-3. I've never read it but it's always been on my TBR list.
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Post by spideyman on Jan 21, 2021 15:22:14 GMT
I don;t have my book in front of me but I think the Into The Realm Of Dreams is only 1 page long. If that's the case, we should do the next one. (plus we can still talk about the one pager) If you have it handy, take a look and see if that's the case.
Turn Of The Screw sounds good for 2-3. I've never read it but it's always been on my TBR list.
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Post by wireman on Jan 21, 2021 15:33:59 GMT
I don;t have my book in front of me but I think the Into The Realm Of Dreams is only 1 page long. If that's the case, we should do the next one. (plus we can still talk about the one pager) If you have it handy, take a look and see if that's the case.
Turn Of The Screw sounds good for 2-3. I've never read it but it's always been on my TBR list.
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