M.R James

[BAYLOR]

A good atmospheric writer . My favorite story Casting of Runes . The film adaptation was decent but the monster at the end ruined it a bit.

 

[Extollager]

He can be a fun writer to imitate. Around 20 years ago I'd been snuffling around a number of old and out-of-the-way books and found bits that I could work into a few Jamesian pastiches. That period lasted a short time; now it's gone!

 

[j d worthington]

A good atmospheric writer . My favorite story Casting of Runes . The film adaptation was decent but the monster at the end ruined it a bit.

Not surprising; it was added, from what I understand, after the final cut of the film had been made by Torneur, at the insistence of the producers, who felt such a monster was de rigueur to a horror film. Reportedly, Dana Andrews, on first seeing the film in a theatre, responded with something like "Where on earth did that come from? It wasn't in our film!"

 

[Randy M.]

Agreed that the monster was unnecessary, but I find it a small mar on an otherwise outstanding horror movie. Seems from the late '40s to the early '60s there were a few very good ghost/horror movies produced: this one, Dead of Night, and The Haunting come to mind. Of course, the first and last were directed by graduates of the Val Lewton productions.


Randy M.

 

[Extollager]

James wears very well; I reread him with much pleasure. I think no writer of macabre fiction excels him at the creation of delectable pastiche, whether he's presenting an excerpt from an old book of travels or is transcribing a patch of Latin prose (all invented, of course). Many years ago I did a noon-hour "brown bag" presentation on James for a small audience, and began by having a teacher of Latin read the openings of one of James's stories. That opening was a fairly lengthy paragraph of Latin.

James could do this so well because his imaginative gifts were united to authentic scholarship. He is like Tolkien in being someone who would remain known (albeit in a much more limited circle of readers) if he had never written a work of fiction. I suspect that, in his skill with the art of pastiche, James exceeds the better-known Borges, another pasticheur. Borges is clever. James is something more than clever, I suspect, because he has a sympathy from within for the old writing that Borges lacks. James breathes the air of old England, quite literally -- look him up on Wikipedia. Borges the Argentinian doesn't have in his bones and blood what James has. Not that they're not both worth reading.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._R._James

 

[Extollager]

This photo doesn't show James, but what a glimpse of old bookery:
https://medievalfragments.wordpress.com/2014/08/01/size-matters-part-2-giant-medieval-manuscripts/

James's antiquarianism was more than a matter of cataloguing manuscripts. He was highly responsive to architecture too.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01n6cwb

By the way, just for fun -- cats and scholars:

https://medievalfragments.wordpress...pee-and-mice-cats-among-medieval-manuscripts/

 

[Extollager]

PS The James story that begins with the extended Latin passage is "The Treasure of Abbot Thomas."

 

[BAYLOR]

Not surprising; it was added, from what I understand, after the final cut of the film had been made by Torneur, at the insistence of the producers, who felt such a monster was de rigueur to a horror film. Reportedly, Dana Andrews, on first seeing the film in a theatre, responded with something like "Where on earth did that come from? It wasn't in our film!"

They really shouldn't have done it . The film didn't need it.

 

[marc hallows]

I'll start the thread in this forum, seeing as it is all things ghoulish and ghosty...

I know a few people have recently purchased some M.R James, particularly the Collected Ghost Stories, if the Book Haul thread is anything to go by. I'm currently reading the collection for my creative writing class and of all the books I've been set to read from any of my modules, this one has been one of the best. I'm only about half way through, but I don't think I've been disappointed by any of the stories I've read so far.

I have to say that the thing I like most about James' stories is how...sensible people are when faced with the supernatural goings-on. I don't mean in keeping a cool-head or anything because a few of them do understandably get quite the shock(!) What I mean is the amount of times I have been frustrated by people being confronted by the supernatural and when they try to tell others, no one bloody believes them! But I like how methodical people are in the some of the stories; like in The Mezzotint, when the protagonist takes photos of the picture and gets other people to view it and sign accounts of what they saw. I want to pat him on the back for it!

I think The Mezzotint has been my favourite story thus far. There was something about the description of the black figure creeping on all fours across the lawn towards the house that was decidedly creepy. And again in "Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad", with the description of the weird white creature's movements across the beach; how it stops, raises its arms, then stoops and runs forward again. Such weird and inhuman movements are so much more eerie...

Just one last thing -- did M.R James have a dislike of golf or something...?

The Mezzontint is a great story as is The haunted Dolls House so cannot disagree with you M.R James is one of the best writers in the field, as for if he disliked golf I don't know I know he had a fear of spiders (so do I so know where he is on that one) and I know that the likes of Steven King and H.P Lovecraft have said that he influenced them so make of that what you will if they praise him whats more to say.

 

[ericw]

I just wanted to leave a recommendation for Peter Yearsley's reading of Ghost Stories of an Antiquary, available on librivox.org. Oops, I can't post the link, but just search for Ghost Stories of an Antiquary in the librivox.org search box. Listened to this about 5 years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it.

For some reason, I had assumed that Ghost Stories of an Antiquary contained all of his stories, but looking at the table of contents for Collected Ghost Stories on Wikipedia I'm excited to see that I have more to read!

 

[marc hallows]

I just wanted to leave a recommendation for Peter Yearsley's reading of Ghost Stories of an Antiquary, available on librivox.org. Oops, I can't post the link, but just search for Ghost Stories of an Antiquary in the librivox.org search box. Listened to this about 5 years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it.

For some reason, I had assumed that Ghost Stories of an Antiquary contained all of his stories, but looking at the table of contents for Collected Ghost Stories on Wikipedia I'm excited to see that I have more to read!

If your looking for a very good collection of M.R James then I can recommend a collection do by The Collectors Library you may find copies on Amazon or by going to The Book Dispository websites, they are small compared to other volumes but do contain all the stories plus 3 more I have not seen in other collections these books are very good for the price and are of exceptional quality.

 

[Extollager]

Russell Kirk, whose ghost stories appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and Whispers, and in hardcover from Arkham House and Ash-Tree Press, was a fan of James. I've started a subforum on Kirk and you'll find there an interview with him on the ghostly in life and literature. He was acquainted with, and thought well of, Robert Aickman, too.

Russell Kirk: Princess of All Lands, Watchers at Strait Gate, Old House of Fear, Conservative Mind

I just reread Kirk's "What Shadows We Pursue," which I can recommend as one of Kirk's most M. R. Jamesian stories.

 

[Extollager]

There's a long article on M. R. James and his ghost stories in this classic fanzine:

https://fanac.org/fanzines/Acolyte/Acolyte12.pdf

 

[J-WO]

There's a long article on M. R. James and his ghost stories in this classic fanzine:

https://fanac.org/fanzines/Acolyte/Acolyte12.pdf

Thanks! Amazing!

 

[Extollager]

This lovely site is part of the Eton Parish cemetery where M. R. James is born, I gather. Here's his grave marker:

 

[Extollager]

Sorry -- I typed "born" but meant "buried." Thanks for your courtesy in not razzing me about that!

 

[paranoid marvin]

I think that the best reader of James was Michael Hordern, many of which are listenable on Youtube. He also did a very good radio adaptation of Oh Whistle, which is told from a slightly different perspective. Well worth checking out.

 

[paranoid marvin]

They really shouldn't have done it . The film didn't need it.

For any fan of James it was always a question of whether the ghost/spirit resided in reality or just in the mind of the protagonist. Night of the Demon removes all doubt, but also removes one of the key elements of James' work. But then again , it is understandable that the average movie goer would expect a depiction of the creature so it had to be done. To be fair, it was very well done, quite scary and very memorable creature.

 

[paranoid marvin]

James wears very well; I reread him with much pleasure. I think no writer of macabre fiction excels him at the creation of delectable pastiche, whether he's presenting an excerpt from an old book of travels or is transcribing a patch of Latin prose (all invented, of course). Many years ago I did a noon-hour "brown bag" presentation on James for a small audience, and began by having a teacher of Latin read the openings of one of James's stories. That opening was a fairly lengthy paragraph of Latin.

James could do this so well because his imaginative gifts were united to authentic scholarship. He is like Tolkien in being someone who would remain known (albeit in a much more limited circle of readers) if he had never written a work of fiction. I suspect that, in his skill with the art of pastiche, James exceeds the better-known Borges, another pasticheur. Borges is clever. James is something more than clever, I suspect, because he has a sympathy from within for the old writing that Borges lacks. James breathes the air of old England, quite literally -- look him up on Wikipedia. Borges the Argentinian doesn't have in his bones and blood what James has. Not that they're not both worth reading.

M. R. James - Wikipedia

I think what makes James' work such a joy to read is his ability to create his stories as though he was relating fact. The way he so concisely builds a believable back story , using his skills as an antiquarian, make his stories all the more believable and more chilling as a consequence.

One of his more unsettling stories (and one of his best ) is Canon Alberic's Scrapbook, which leaves it's chilling conclusion to one of the final lines of the tale.

 

[paeng]

Superb, but all I have is the small hardcover from the Collectors Library.