LBL Reviews # 17- Ghost stories of an Antiguary and More Ghost Stories by M.R.James

[Lobolover]

[FONT=&quot]LBL Reviews # 17- Ghost stories of an Antiguary (1904) and More Ghost Stories (1911) by M.R.James[/FONT][FONT=&quot]

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I originaly had some sort of an introduction writen here, but god help me if I can be bothered to write it up again, after the damned fool just stoped and wouldnt stop being stoped.So, here it is, no extras.

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Canon Alberic's Scrap-book, The Mezzotint, The Ash-tree, Count
Magnus, 'Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad' are all classic James, without too many faults or errors.
Lost Hearts deals with a man prctising Pagan rites, though seems slightly diferent in style or presentation then the others, though by no acounts a bad tale. [FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
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Number 13 is equaly fine or even finer, dealing with a room which should not exist and so forth, the mater of fact behaviour of the characters near the end was the only possible flaw I found. [FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
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Now, moving up to MGS


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A School Story is a fine James story, short and well handeled,
why however did M.R. not see that his epilogue could well have
been disregarded.
The Rose Garden my memmory of this one is slightly fuzzy, though I do remember it generaly works and is a goood James story.
The Tractate Middoth again reminds us a bit of Abbot Thomas, though it is generaly much beter handeled and is quite fine a story of James‘ trope. Casting the Runes ah yes, this one’s it. Wakefield, as you may know, reportedly re wrote this into „He cometh and he passeth by“ and I say both stories can stand on their own. The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral a very fine James story, and the last truly great one in the volume. Martin's Close is the let down of this colection. It’s an experiment by James , trying to expose the story through a dated transcript of a court hearing. This story has very litle to nothing generaly efective on it, based mostly on the presentation. It isn’t a ghost story, it merely talks about hinting at one. [FONT=&quot]Mr Humphreys and his Inheritance[/FONT][FONT=&quot] , well, it is good , though my main reason for saying Stalls is the last great story in the volume is it takes a litle while for anything of „the sort“ to happen .[/FONT]

 

[Fried Egg]

Re: LBL Reviews # 17- Ghost stories of an Antiguary and More Ghost Stories by M.R.Jam

Martin's Close is the let down of this colection. It’s an experiment by James , trying to expose the story through a dated transcript of a court hearing. This story has very litle to nothing generaly efective on it, based mostly on the presentation. It isn’t a ghost story, it merely talks about hinting at one.

It's funny you should say this because "Martin's Close" is one of my favourite of his stories that I have read. As I said here, I thought it was most original and cleverly done. Did the unusual device for the telling of a ghost story detract from the horror or scariness of the tale? Perhaps, but I think that was more down to the humour with which the story was conveyed. I loved it.

 

[Lobolover]

Re: LBL Reviews # 17- Ghost stories of an Antiguary and More Ghost Stories by M.R.Jam

Well, yes, but I precievd the directness of the menace found in the other tales to simply not be there at all.

 

[j d worthington]

Re: LBL Reviews # 17- Ghost stories of an Antiguary and More Ghost Stories by M.R.Jam

I would also have to disagree about "Martin's Close". True, it is at an extra "remove", but I find that gives the story a unique flavor, and (for me, at any rate) doesn't lessen the eerieness at all....

"A School Story" and its epilogue... it's been far too long for me to recall that in detail; I'd have to revisit the tale to give an opinion, but I don't recall it striking me that way when I read it lo, all these many years ago.....

Incidentally... I hadn't been aware of the idea of either tale being a "rewrite", though of course both the Wakefield and the James characters are based on Aleister Crowley (as was the titular character of W. Somerset Maugham's "The Magician"). In any case, each certainly takes its own road, and I'd agree that they can each stand quite well on their own....

 

[Lobolover]

Re: LBL Reviews # 17- Ghost stories of an Antiguary and More Ghost Stories by M.R.Jam

To the Wakfield: it's a common opinion expresed on the internet, exactely.

And to Martin's: again, it just felt realy to far removed for me to realy "care", if Ive not missed something.

 

[Lobolover]

Re: LBL Reviews # 17- Ghost stories of an Antiguary and More Ghost Stories by M.R.Jam

I just ntocied I forgot to paste the part about Abbot Thomas. Darn.