"The Transplanted Ghost: A Christmas Story", by Wallace Irwin
(from Humorous Ghost Stories)
Started off with promise enough, but ended up being pretty dull, with hardly any humor (but no horror, either). Also, this story felt much more modern than most of the others. Electricity, station wagons, etc.
Three interesting points:
-- It took me a while to realize that "donjon" must be an variant of "dungeon".
-- The ghost makes reference to "earth-years", which makes me think of an alien speaking to an earthling.
-- The castle moved (piece by piece) from England (or Europe in general) to America is a familiar premise. It's fascinating to think of... Such an extravagant action-- so costly-- so eccentric. I wonder if it was ever actually done...
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
"The Ghost Ship"
"The Ghost Ship", by Richard Middleton
(from Humorous Ghost Stories)
Finally, Humorous Ghost Stories redeems itself with another more captivating story. Still not quite enough to make me want to run through the streets telling strangers they need to read this (but that's not likely to happen even with my very favorite books).
This story had a nice, chatty flow to it, as well as some rather charming details. I liked it!
(from Humorous Ghost Stories)
Finally, Humorous Ghost Stories redeems itself with another more captivating story. Still not quite enough to make me want to run through the streets telling strangers they need to read this (but that's not likely to happen even with my very favorite books).
This story had a nice, chatty flow to it, as well as some rather charming details. I liked it!
"Back from That Bourne"
"Back from That Bourne", by Anonymous
(from Humorous Ghost Stories)
Well, why even bother "reviewing" them, at this point? Here's another that was passable, maybe mildly interesting or amusing in spots, but somehow not my cup of tea. This one was better than the last, at least...
Do you want to read about a ghost who is "materialized" by a medium and subsequently refuses to dematerialize? Well, this-un's for you! ;o)
(from Humorous Ghost Stories)
Well, why even bother "reviewing" them, at this point? Here's another that was passable, maybe mildly interesting or amusing in spots, but somehow not my cup of tea. This one was better than the last, at least...
Do you want to read about a ghost who is "materialized" by a medium and subsequently refuses to dematerialize? Well, this-un's for you! ;o)
"The Water Ghost of Harrowby Hall"
"The Water Ghost of Harrowby Hall", by John Kendrick Bangs
(from Humorous Ghost Stories)
This was an odd one. There were a few moments of mild humor... (such as the idea of stopping a clock so that a ghost who consistently appears at midnight will not know the time)... but the bulk of it was just... odd-- and a bit dark.
From what I recall, more of these humorous ghost stories have been odd than not. I'm getting to the point of just taking the book off my "currently reading" list altogether...
(from Humorous Ghost Stories)
This was an odd one. There were a few moments of mild humor... (such as the idea of stopping a clock so that a ghost who consistently appears at midnight will not know the time)... but the bulk of it was just... odd-- and a bit dark.
From what I recall, more of these humorous ghost stories have been odd than not. I'm getting to the point of just taking the book off my "currently reading" list altogether...
Sunday, August 5, 2012
"The Rival Ghosts"
"The Rival Ghosts", by Brander Matthews
Read in Humorous Ghost Stories
It's been a while since I read anything in this Humorous Ghost Stories anthology. Partly, that's the fault of this very story. I started by reading it aloud to Donald while we drove somewhere, but stopped when we reached our destination. The story felt so slow starting that I've put off picking up the book again!
So, that gives you an idea of my impression. It was not a compelling read, even for a humorous ghost story. Rather long and wordy and rambling for a short story. A tiny bit amusing in a few particulars (see below), but nothing amazing. Then again, if I'd read it all in one sitting, maybe I'd have a more favorable view. If you're interested, the whole collection of short stories is available for free (in e-book format) from Amazon. For this individual story alone, look here.
SPOILERY Comments:
-- I think some of the humor requires that you be somewhat familiar with history and the locale. For instance, there's one joke about the (historic?) rivalry between NYC and Boston. I'm a Southerner with no ties to either place, so... I got the joke, but it might've been funnier if an awareness of the rivalry had been part of my youth. Then again, maybe that kind of humor just isn't laugh-out-loud funny to me, no matter where I live.
-- All the rest aside, the idea of the two ghosts being forced to occupy one space and not getting along is amusing.
-- This was funny, too: "'...he could not hear them-- at least, not distinctly. There were inarticulate murmurs and stifled rumblings. But the impression produced on him was that they were swearing. If they had only sworn right out, he would not have minded it so much, because he would have known the worst. But the feeling that the air was full of suppressed profanity was very wearing...'"
-- The solution of having the ghosts marry? Funny, but you can't think much about it or it makes no sense (even for a humorous ghost story). For one thing, when did marriage ever prevent quarreling?! (Especially in a couple that was prone to quarreling even before marrying.) For another, where will they "live"? I thought one ghost was tied to a property and the other to a man who doesn't live in that property... Long-distance marriage? How sad.
-- Very abrupt ending-- probably to avoid having to explain how that whole "living situation" thing was going to work out... ;o)
Read in Humorous Ghost Stories
It's been a while since I read anything in this Humorous Ghost Stories anthology. Partly, that's the fault of this very story. I started by reading it aloud to Donald while we drove somewhere, but stopped when we reached our destination. The story felt so slow starting that I've put off picking up the book again!
So, that gives you an idea of my impression. It was not a compelling read, even for a humorous ghost story. Rather long and wordy and rambling for a short story. A tiny bit amusing in a few particulars (see below), but nothing amazing. Then again, if I'd read it all in one sitting, maybe I'd have a more favorable view. If you're interested, the whole collection of short stories is available for free (in e-book format) from Amazon. For this individual story alone, look here.
SPOILERY Comments:
-- I think some of the humor requires that you be somewhat familiar with history and the locale. For instance, there's one joke about the (historic?) rivalry between NYC and Boston. I'm a Southerner with no ties to either place, so... I got the joke, but it might've been funnier if an awareness of the rivalry had been part of my youth. Then again, maybe that kind of humor just isn't laugh-out-loud funny to me, no matter where I live.
-- All the rest aside, the idea of the two ghosts being forced to occupy one space and not getting along is amusing.
-- This was funny, too: "'...he could not hear them-- at least, not distinctly. There were inarticulate murmurs and stifled rumblings. But the impression produced on him was that they were swearing. If they had only sworn right out, he would not have minded it so much, because he would have known the worst. But the feeling that the air was full of suppressed profanity was very wearing...'"
-- The solution of having the ghosts marry? Funny, but you can't think much about it or it makes no sense (even for a humorous ghost story). For one thing, when did marriage ever prevent quarreling?! (Especially in a couple that was prone to quarreling even before marrying.) For another, where will they "live"? I thought one ghost was tied to a property and the other to a man who doesn't live in that property... Long-distance marriage? How sad.
-- Very abrupt ending-- probably to avoid having to explain how that whole "living situation" thing was going to work out... ;o)
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