TheSupernaturalinModernEnglishFiction_10000978

P RE FACE
HE
subject of the supernatural i n mo dern E n g li sh
T ficti o n h as been fo und diffi cult to deal wi th because
o f i ts wealth o f material While there h a s been n o .
previ ous bo ok on the to pic and no ne related t o it save , ,
M r C E Whi tmo re s wo rk on The S uperna tura l i n Tra g edy

. . .
’
the m ass of fictio n itself intro ducing g ho stly or psychic

mo tifs i s sim ply enorm o us It i s m anif estly i mpossi ble
.
t o di scuss o r even t o m enti o n all o f i t

, E ven in my , .
bi blio graphy which numbers over thr ee tho usand titles I ,
have m ade n o eff ort to list a ll the avai lable ex amples of the
ty pe Th e biblio g raphy whi ch I at fir st i ntended to
.
,
publi sh i n co nnecti o n wi th thi s volume i s fa r too volu mi n ,
ous t o be included here so wil l p ro bably be bro ught o ut,
later by i tself .
It woul d have been i mp o ssi ble for me to pro secute the

research wo rk o r to wri te the b ook save fo r the assi st a nce
genero usly gi ven by many perso ns I a m i ndebted to the .
vari o us offi ci als of the li brari es of Co lumbi a Uni versi ty

and of N ew York City parti cul arly tO M i S S Isadore M udge
F
, ,
R ef erence Li br ari an of C o lumbi a and t o the auth ori ties ,
o f the N ew Yo r k S o ci ety Li br ary for permi ssi o n to use
thei r pri celess out of pri nt novels i n the Kennedy Coll ec

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ti o n M y i nterest i n E ngli sh ficti o n wa s i ncreased

.
duri ng my attendance on som e co urses i n the hi story

o f the E ngli sh no vel gi ven by Dr A J C arlyle i n Oxf or d
,
. . .
,
U ni ver sity E ngland several y ears a g o

, ,
I have received .
helpful bi bli o graphi cal sug gestio ns from Prof essor B lanche
C olt o n Wi lli am s Dr Doro thy B re wster Profess or N els o n
,
.
,
Glenn M c Crea Prof essor Jo hn Cunli ff e and D ean T alco tt

, ,
vi Prefa ce
Wi lli ams of Columbi a and Pro fess or G L Ki ttredge of

, , . .
,
Harvar d .Profess ors Wi lli am P Trent George Phi li p

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,
Krapp and E rnest Hunter Wri ght very ki ndl y read

,
the book i n manus cri pt and gave valuable advi ce con

cerni ng i t Professor Wri ght goi ng o ver the materi al wi th
,
me in detail B ut my chi ef debt of gr ati tude i s t o

.
Prof essor Ashley H Th orndike H ead of the D epartm ent

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,
of E ngli sh and Co m par ative Li teratur e i n Co lumbi a ,
who se sti mul ati ng cri ti ci sm and kindly enco urag ement
have made the book p o ssi ble To all of these— a nd .
o thers— wh o have ai ded m e I a m deeply gr atef ul

, and ,
I only wi sh that the publi shed volume were more worthy

o f thei r assi stance .
COL UMBIA U NIVE RSITY ,

p
A ri l , 1 9 1 7 .
Th e
Su p e r n a tu r a l i n M o d e r n
E n gli sh F i c ti o n
I N TRODU CT I O N
HE supernatur al is an ever present force i n liter ature

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It color s o ur po etry shapes our epi cs and dr amas

, ,
and fashio ns o ur p ro se till we a re so wo nted to it

that we lo se sense of i ts wo nder and magi c If all the .
elements of the unearthly wer e r emo ved from our bo oks ,
h ow shr un ken i n value wo uld seem the r esidue h ow ,
f orlor n our f eeli ngs ! Laf cadi o H earn i n the r ecently

published volum e In terpreta ti on s of Li tera ture say s :
, ,
There is scarcely a n y g reat author in Eur o p ean literature ,
ol d or new wh o has n ot d istin g uished hims elf in h i s tr eatm ent

,
of the sup ernatural In E ng lish lit eratur e I believe there is

.
no excep ti on fro m the tim e o f the Ang l o S axo n po ets t o -
Shakesp eare and from S hakes p eare t o our own da y

,
An d this .
introduces us to the con sideration of a g eneral and remark

able fact a fact that I do n ot remember to have seen i n a n y
,
books but which i s o f very g reat p hilosop hical importance :

,
there is s om ething g hostly in all g reat a rt whether of liter ,
atur e music sculp ture or architectur e It touches somet hing

, , ,
.
within us that relates to infinity .
Th w d g h tly i
e or dh os i it
s use li ere ni g ify i g pi i tu l
s ea r er sen se s n n s r a .
2 I n tro du cti o n
the weir d i n li terature sho ws of
W M ha ve s
“
o m e basis i n
human ps ych osm Th e ni g ht side of the s o ul attr acts u s

,
o w M
all Th e spirit f eeds o n mystery It liv

. es n ot by fact
alo ne but by the unkno wable and ther e i s no hi ghest ,
my stery wi th o ut the supernat ur al M a n lo ves the

fro zen to uch of f ear and r eali zes pur e w
.
-“
,
ry When
t o uched by the unm ortal Th e hint of spectral so un ds or .
pr esences quickens the im agi natio n as no othe r suggestion

can do and n o human shapes of f ear can awe the s oul as
,
tho se from bey o nd the g rave M an s varyi ng g i g o ds .

’
cr eate heaven hell and f aery wo nder lands for hi m and

, ,
-
,
people them with strang e beings .
M a n lo ves the supernat ur al elements in liter atur e

perhaps because they dig nify hi m by g ivi ng h i s existence
a f eeli ng of infini ty otherwi se denied They g r ant hi m a
m
.
s ense o f bei ng the c en t er o f p o wer s m of
s o wn m ateri al lif e m
w
a y be
d
p
u
c“o nfli cts s u e m o r t a l

w “
as r H i .
however circumscribed and trivial y et he can loo se hi s

fancy and escape the p etty tr agedi es of hi s day s by flight
m “ y
bey o nd the stars He can widen the tents of hi s m o rt al

,
life cr eate a universe for his companio nship and marshal

, ,
the forces of dem o ns and unkno wn go ds fo r hi s comm ands .
T o his narr o w r ut he can j oin the unspaced firma men t ; t o

hi s trivi al ho urs add eter nit y ; t o his finite infinity He , .
i s s o greedy of p ower and has so piteo usly little th at ,
k f o r MSJarg erh fe i n dreams and in the liter atur e

E u
fl gg _
o f the super nat ur al .
B u t whatever be th e r eas ons ther e has been a con

w
, ,
ti n ui t y o f the g ho stly in li ter atur e with certai n rise an d ,
f all o f inter est There is in m o der n E n g lish ficti o n as

.
,
li kewi se in p oetry and the dr ama a great extent of the ,
supernatur al With W ide di versity of elem ents B egi nni ng

, .
with the Gothi c romance that curi o us ar chi tectur al ,
excrescence that y et h a s had enormo us i nfluence on o ur

I n tro du cti o n 3
novel _th e sup ernatural i s fo und i n every

, _
every form “
of ficti o n The unear thl y beings m eet us in
.
a ll g ui ses 55d answer o ur every moo d whether i t be ,
seri o us or awed sati ri c or humoresque

, .
Li teratur e always a li ttle ahead of lif e has formed o ur

, ,
beliefs f or us made us fr ee With spi ri ts and gi ven us

, ,
entr ance to imm ortal co untri es Th e sense of the un .
earthly i s ever Wi th us even in the mo st commonplace

,
situatio ns — and there is no thi ng so natural to us a s the

,
supernatural Ou r i m agi nati o n co lored by o ur reading

.
, ,
r eveals and t ransf o rm s the wo rld we live i n We a re .
awar e of un bo di ed em o ti o ns ab o ut us o f di scar nate ,
m oo ds that mo ck or invi te us We g o a —g ho sting n o w in .
publi c places and a specter ma y g li de up te —g ievezum n:

,
‘
W n y d a y 1n Gr and C entr al or on M ain
S tr eet of Our T o wn We chat Wi th fetche s across the

.
gar den f ence and pass the tim e o f d a y wi th demo ns by

way of the dumb wai ter That gray furr ed creature that
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g lo om s suddenly befor e us in the wi nter str eet i s n o t a

chauff eur but a wer e—wo lf questing for hi s prey Y on
,
.
whir ri ng thi ng i n the fa r blue i s n ot an aero plane but

a hipp ogr iff that wil l pr esently alig ht o n the pavement
besi de us with thundering g olden hoofs t o bear us away
t o di stant lo vely lands wher e we shall be un tro ubled by
the pri ce of butter or the arti cles lo st in last week s wash ’
.
That sedate mi ddl e ag ed f erry that tr ansp orts us fr om

S taten Island i s a magi c S endi ng B o at i f o nly we knew
NW 5 r e p
i ts p o tent rune s ! Th e o ld wom an wi th the t oo pi nk -
cheeks and gli tteri ng eye that press es August bargains ,
upo n us wi th the argum ent that they Wi ll be i n style

for ear ly f all wear i s a wi tch wi shf ul t o lure away o ur
,
soul s We ma y pass at will by the guardian of the narro w

.
g ate and traver se the regi o ns o f the U nder wo rld Tr ue - .

,
the materi alist ma y arg ue that the actual i s more ma r

velon s than the i magi ned that the aeroplan e is more a ,
4 Intro du cti o n
thi ng of wo nder than wa s the hi pp o g ri ff that the ferry ,
i s reall y the enchanted b o at after all an d t h a t —Da n te , ,
would wri te a n ew Inf er na if he c ould see the s ubway a t '
th e-sush -he ur r but tha t— i a otherjssu e

g n
a .
We might have mor e p sychal experi ences than we do i f

we wo uld only keep o ur ey es Open but mo st of us d o have ,
m or e than we admit t o the nei g hbors We have an early .
Vi ct ori an reticence co ncerning g h o stly thin g s as i f it wer e

scandal o us to be as so ci ated with them B u t that is all .
wrong We sho uld be pr o ud of being singled o ut for

.
spectr al con fid en ces and sho uld rep ort o u r g ho st —g uests

t o the s o ci ety co lumns o f the newspaper It i s hoped that .
this discussio n of comparati ve gho st lore may help t o -
establish a better sense of values .
f "
In thi s b ook I deal with g h o sts and d evi ls by and large ,
in an i mpr essi onistic wa y I do n t kn o w m uch abo ut .

’
them ; I have n o learned theories of causatio n I o nly .
l ove them I only marvel at their infinite va ri etya ud a m

.
t ouched ” by ”their “humanit y thei r likeness t o mortals ) I , .
e”
n an -n.
a n d .. M
M
a m on d o f them all even th

dejected do g ea red g hosts
w '
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,
"
that lo ok as i f they wer e wraiths of p oor relati o ns left

o u t in the rain all nig ht o r devils wh o se o Wn m o the rs
,
woul dn t care for them It gi ves m e n o holier than th o u

’
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f eelin g of horror t o sit besi de a vam pir e in the subway n o ,
panic t o hear a banshee shut up in a h u rdy gur dy box -

.
I g ive a cordi al h ow do y o u do when a dr ago n glides up

- — —
and puts his paw in mi ne and in every stray do g I r eco g ,
nize a Glads om e B east Like us m ortals they all need .

,
sy m pathy none m or e so than the p o or wi zards and bo gles

,
that a re o n their own as the S co tch sa y , .
While d i scussi ng the nineteenth century as a wh o le ,
I have devoted m ore attentio n to the fictio n of the super

natural i n the last thirty years or so because ther e has ,
been m uch more of i t in that tim e than befor e Ther e i s .
n o w m ore interest in the o ccul t mor e li t era t ur e

g cl du ced ,
I n tro du cti o n 5
deali ng wi th psychal p o wers t han e ver hefore i n our hi s

tory :It i s a pp a
m
w
f eri t i n p o etry i n the drama the n ovel
, , ,
an d the shor t st ory I have n ot attem pted even i n

.
,
my bi bli og r aphy t o include all t he ficti o n of the ty pe

, ,
si nce that would be ma mfestly i m p o ssible I have .

,
however mentio ned speci mens of the vario us form s and

, ,
have li sted the m or e i mp ortant examples Th e .
tr eatm ent her e is meant t o be suggesti ve r ather than

exhaustive and seeks t o show that there is a g enui ne
r evi val of wo nder in o ur tim e with cer tain chan g es in the
,
char acteri zatio n of supernatural being s It i nclud es n ot

.
W
o nly the them that a re stri ctly supernatural but also ,
a ly co nsider ed unearthly carry o

, n the
tr adi tions of the magi cal M uch of our materi al of the

\
.
‘
Weird has been rati onal ized y et W itho ut l o sing i ts efi t\
,
o f wo nder fo r us in f act o r in ficti o n . If n ow we study

a sci ence wher e o nce m en believed blindly in a B lack
Art i s the r esult really less myst eri o us ?
,
CHA PT E R I
Th e G o t h i c Ro m a n ce
HE real precursor of supernaturali sm i n mo dern

E ngli sh li ter at ure wa s the Go thi c n ovel That .
o dd form mi ght be cal led a bri ef i n beha l f of
bani shed romance sin ce i t voi ced a protest ag ain st the

,
ex cess of rati o nali sm and rea li sm i n the early eig hteenth

centur y Too gr ea t correctness and r estrai nt must al ways
.
result in prop orti o nate liber ty As the eternal swing of

.
the pendul um of li terary hi story the ebb and fl o w of ,
ficti on i nevi tably bri ng a reacti on agai nst any extreme ,
so it w a s wi th the ficti o n o f the peri o d Th e mysteri o us .
twi lig hts of medi evali sm i nvited eyes ti red of the n oo nday
g lar e o f A ugu stan form ali sm Th e natur al had becom e
.
f amili ar t o monot ony hen ce men cr aved the super nat ur al

, .
An d so the Gothi c no vel cam e i nto bei ng Gothi c i s her e .
used to designate the eighteenth century novel of terror -
deali ng wi th medi eval materials .
Ther e had been s ome use of the wei rd i n E ngli sh fictio n

before Horace Walp ole but the terror novel pro per i s
,
g ener ally c o nceded t o begi n wi th hi s Ro manti c curi o sity ,
The Ca stle of Otra nto Th e Go thi c novel mark s a disti nct
“
.
chan ge i n the form of li teratur e i n whi ch supernatural i sm

manif ests i tself . Heret ofor e the supernatural elem ent
have appeared i n the dr ama in the epi c i n ball ads an d
,
v qf -
,
other p o etry and i n fo lk t al es but not n oti ceably i n the

c
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, , .
novel Now however for a consi derable ti me the gho stly

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6
The Go thi c R o ma n ce 7
them es are most promi nent i n lengthy ficti o n contr asted ,
wi th the sh or t st ory whi ch later i s to supersede it a s a

vehi cle for the weird Thi s vacill atio n of form is a dis
. .
ti nct and i nteresti ng aspect of the develo pm ent of super

naturali sm i n li terature and wi ll be di scussed later .
Wi th thi s change in fo rm co mes a corresp o ndi ng change

in the materi als o f gho stly nar ration Po etry in g ener al .
in all ti mes has fr eely used the vario us elements of super

nat ur alism Th e epic h a s certain di sti nct them es such
.
,
as vi si ts to the lower world vi sio ns of heaven and co nfli ct

, ,
between mortal and di vi ne po wer s and bri ng s in myt h o ,
lo gi cal characters go ds go ddesses demi g o ds and the

, , , ,
like Fate i s a m ovi ng fig ur e in the o lder dram as W hi le

.
,
the li tur gi cal plays i ntro duced devils angels and even the , ,
D ei ty as char acters in the actio n In the classi cal and .
E lizabethan dr ama we see g h o sts Wi tches mag icians , , ,
as dra ma ti s p ersonce M edi eval ro m ances pro se as well

.
,
a s m etri cal and alliter at i ve cha nsons de g este l a i s and

, , ,
so forth dr ew co nsider ably o n the supernat ur al fo r co mpli

,
cating materi al i n vari o us form s and un do ubtedly much ,
o f o ur pr es ent elem ent co m es fro m m e di evalism T ales .
of the C eltic Otherwo rld of f ai ry l or e of m agi c so p o p ul ar

,
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, ,
in early rom ance sho w a stro ng revi val t o da y

,
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.
Th e Gothi c no vel i s mor e cl o sely r elated t o the dr ama

than to the epi c or to such p o etry as The Fa eri e Queene
o r Cornu s On the o ther hand the later no vels and sto ri es
.
, ,
W hil e less i n fluenced by the dram atic tradi tio n sho w mo re ,
o f the e pi c trace than does the Go thi c romance Th e epic .
t o urs thr o ugh heaven and hell the lavish use of angels , ,
devils and even of Deity the i ntro ducti o n of myt holo gi cal
, ,
character s and figur es whi ch are n o t seen in Go thic fictio n ,
appear t o a co nsi derable extent i n the sto ries of recent

ti mes In Gothi ci sm we find that the D ei ty di sappears
.
tho ug h the devi l remain s There a re n o vampires so fa r

.
,
a s I have been able t o find th o ugh the wer e wolf and the
-
,
8 T he G o thi c Ro ma n ce
lycanthrope appear whi ch were absent from the drama

,
(sa ve i n The Duchess of M a lfi) Other elements a re seen

g
. ,
such as the beg i nni n g s of the scienti fic supernatur alism

whi ch is to beco me so pro mi nent in later ti mes Th e .
Wanderi ng Jew c o m es in and the eli xir of lif e and the

phi los opher s sto ne achi eve imp ortance M echanical su
’
.
p ern a tur al i sm and the un canny p o wer g i ven t o i nani mate

o bjects seem t o have thei r origi ns here t o be g r eatly ,
developed f urther on S upernat ur alis m asso ciated wi th

.
animals related b oth to the my tho lo gi cal st ories of the

,
past and t o the m or e horri fic aspects of later fictio n a re ,
noted i n the terr or romance .
Alleg ory and sy mb olism a re p r esent i n a sli ght degr ee ,
as in M elmoth and Va thek s H all of E blis tho ug h n o t

’
emphasi zed a s in more mo dern literature Hum or is .
larg ely lacki ng in the Go thic ro mance save as the writers ,
f ur nish it unintentio nally In Go thi ci sm itself we have

.
practi cally n o satire tho ug h Jane Austen and B arrett

,
satiri ze the terror novel itself i n deli ci o us burlesques that

laugh i t o ut of court .
Elem ents o f Go thici sm In the terror tale the relati o n

.
ship between supernatural efl e ct and Go thi c architecture ,
scenery and weather is stro ng ly stressed E veryt hi ng is

, .
or dered t o fit the Go thic plan and the c o nfor mi t y beco m es

,
i n ti me c onventi o nally mo no t o no us Hor ace Walp ole .

,
the f ather of the terror no vel had a fa d for medi evali sm, ,
and he expressed his enthusiasm i n that extraor di nary

bui l di ng at S trawberry Hill co urt eo usly called a Go thi c
,
castle From a study of Gothic archi tectur e was but a

.
step to the writi ng of r omance that sho ul d r epro duce the

my steri es of feudal ti mes for the shado ws of anci ent
, ,
gloomy castles and Clo isters sug gested the shades of

ghost haunted fiction of morbi d terrors The Ca stle of
-
, .
Otra n to was the o utc ome of a dr eam suggested by the

author s thi nki ng abo ut medi eval structures
’
.
T he G o thi c R o ma n ce 9
Th e Go thi c castle i tself i s repr esented as p ossessi ng

all the antique g loom s that increase the eff ect of my stery
and awe and its secret passage way s its underg ro und
,
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,
vaults and dungeo ns i ts tr ap doors its mo uldy spectral

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chapel form a fit setti ng for the unearthly vi sitants that

,
haun t i t A feudal hall i s the suitable domi cile for ghosts

.
and other super natural r evenants and the horri fic ,
ro mance thro ugh o ut sh o ws a cl o se kinship wi th i t s archi
tectur e Th e novels of the class i nvariably l a y thei r

.
scenes i n medieval buildi ng s a castle a co nvent a m on , , ,
a st ery a ch ateau or abbey o r an inqui sitio nal pri s o n

, , .
Th e har assed hero ine is for ever wandering thro ug h

mid ni g ht c orri do rs of Go t hi c structur e An d i ndeed the .
,
o pp o rtunit y f or unearthly pheno m ena is m uch m or e

spacio us in the vast piles of anti quity than i n o ur bunga
lows or apartm ent ho uses -
.
M rs R adcliff e er ected m any r ui no us structur es i n

.
ficti o n Her M ysteri es of Udolpho sho ws a castle a

.
,
co nvent a ch ateau all Go thi c i n terror and g loo my

, ,
secrets wi th room s hung with ro tting tapestry or wain

, ,
sco t ed with black lar ch wo o d with f urnitur e dust co vered

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and dro ppi n g t o pieces from a g e wi th palls of black velvet ,
wavi ng in the gho stly winds In o ther rom ances she .
depi cts decayi n g castles wi th tr eachero us stai rway s

leadi ng to my steri o us r oom s halls of black marble and , ,
vaults who se gr eat rusty key s gro an in the lo cks On e

“
.
heroi ne say s When I entered the portals of thi s Go thic

structur e a chill sur ely pro pheti c chi lled my veins
- —
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,
pressed up o n my heart and scarcely allo wed me to ,
breathe .
The A n ci en t Records f the Abbey f S t Oswyth

2
o o .
say s of i ts setting : Th e damp cold awe i nspi ri ng hall -
”
, ,
seemed to co njure up ten tho usand supersti ti o us h orror s

and terri fi c i mag i nary appari ti o ns In M at urin s Al .
’
1
In The Roma n ce of the Ca stl e .
“
By T .
J.Horsl ey
-Curti es .
IO The G o thi c Ro ma n ce
bi g en ses the kn i ghts as semble ro und the great fire i n the

baro ni al hall and tell g host tales Whi le the storm r ages
o utsi de In M elmoth the Wa nderer the scene chang es
.
,
o ften yet i t i s alway s Gothic and terri ble the mo na stery —

, ,
wi th i ts di abo li cal pun i shments the anci ent castle the , ,
r ui ned abbey by whi ch the wanderer celebr ates hi s

marriage at mi dnig ht with a dead pri est for the celebr ant ,
the m adh o use the inquisitio n cells whi ch add gloom

, ,
and horror t o the supernatur al i nci dents and char acters .
In Zofl oya the m aiden is im pri s o ned i n an underg r oun d

,
cave simi lar t o that b o asted by o ther castles Thi s no vel .
is si g nificant because of the freedom wi th whi ch S helley

appropri ated i ts materi al for hi s Za strozzi whi ch lik ewi se ,
has the true Gothic setting In Shelley s o ther rom ance .

’
he er ects the same str uctur e and has the devi l meet his
victim by the desolate dear o ld Gothi c abbey ,
R egi na M aria R o che wr ote a num ber of n o vels buil t

up wi th crumbling castles awesome abbey s and do nj o n , ,
keeps who se titles sho w the archi tectural fictio n that

domi nates them A list of the names of the Go thi c novels
.
wil l serve to show the g eneral importance laid o n antique

setting In f act the castle abbey m o nastery ch ateau
q
, ,
.
, , ,
c o nvent or i n ui si ti o n pri so n o ccupied such an i mp ortant

,
place in the story that it seem ed the leading ch ar acter .
It domi nated the events and wa s a malignant pers o nali ty ,
that lai d its spell up o n tho se wi thi n i t s b o unds It sho ws .
s o m ethi ng of the char acter that H awthorne fin a l ly gi ves

t o hi s h o use of seven g ables or the b roo ding r elentless , ,
p o wer of the sea i n S y n g e s drama Th e ancient castle

’
.
2
becom es n ot m erely haunted itself but i s the haunter a s

well .
N ot o nly i s archi tecture m ade subservi ent t o the needs

of Go thi c fict i o n but the scenery likewi se i s adapted t o
,
1
By Mrs Da cre
.
, bett er kno wn as Ro sa Ma ti l da .
’
Ri ders to the S ea .
T he G o thi c R o ma n ce 1I
fit i t B ef ore Mrs Radcliff e wro te her st ori es i nterlar ded

. .
wi th nature descriptio ns scant no tice had been pai d to

,
scenery i n the no vel B ut sh e set the sty le for m oro se

.
landscapes as Walpole had for g loomi ng castles and the ,
succee di ng rom a nces of the g en re combined b o th f eatur es .
Mrs R adcli ff e was n ot at all hampered by the fact that

.
sh e had never lai d ey es o n the scenes she so vi vidly p i c
tur es Sh e painted the dr ead scenery of awes om e m o un

.
tain s and for ests beetling cr ags and dizzy aby sses wi th
,
fluent and f ervent adjecti ves and h er successor s imi tated ,
h er in sketchi ng natur e with dar k impressio nism .
Th e scenery in g ener al i n the Go thic n o vel is always

subjectively r epr esented N ature in itself and of itself
.
i s n o t the imp ortant thing What the writer seeks to do

.
i s by descripti o ns of the o uter wo rld t o em phasi ze the

mental states of ma n t o r eflect the m oo ds of the charac
,
ters and to sho w a fitti ng backg ro und for their cri m es a n d

,
uneart hly experiences Ther e is little o f the lig ht of day

.
,
o f the cheer ful ness o f or di nary nature but o nly the scenes ,
and phenom ena that a r e in harm o ny wi th the g loom s of

crimes and suff eri ngs .
Like the scenery the weather in the Gothi c n o vel is

,
always subjectively tr eated Ther e i s ever an artistic .
harm o ny between man s m oo ds and the atm ospheri c ’
c o ndi ti o ns Th e play o f li ghtni ng supernatural thunder s

.
, ,
ro ari ng tem pests ann o unce the app ro ach and Oper ati o ns
o f the devi l and g ho sts walk t o the accompanim ent of

,
presagin g tem pests In The A lbi g en ses the Wi nds are

.
di abolically p o ssessed and laug h fien di shly i nstead o f

mo anin g a s they d o as seneschals in mo st r om ances o f
terror Th e storms usually tak e place at midni ght and
.
,
ther e is r ar ely a peacef ul nig ht i n Go thi c ficti o n Th e .
stro ke of twelve gener ally wi tnesses so me upro ar of natur e

a s so m e appear ance o f r estless spiri t Whenever the .
heroi nes i n Mrs R adcliff e s tales start o n thei r mi dni ght

.
’
12 Th e G o thi c Ro ma n ce
r amble thro ug h subterranean passag es and halls of horror ,
‘
the baro meter becom es ag itated An d ano the say s : r
“The st orm that at that m oment was tremendo us co uld
.
”
, ,
no t equal that tem pest whi ch passed i n the th o ug hts o f
the unhappy captive .
In Zofl oya Vict oria s m eeti ng s in the for est wi th the

’
M o or wh o is r eally the devi l i n disgui se a re accompani ed

, ,
by super natur al m anifestatio ns o f natur e Th e weather .
i s or dered t o suit the dark unh oly plo ts they m ake and , ,
they plan mur ders ag ainst a backg ro und of black clo uds ,
hellish thunder and luri d lig htning When at las t the

,
.
M oor anno unces himself as the devi l and hurls Vict oria
from the mo untai n top a sy m pathetic st orm arises and ,
a floo d sweeps h er bo dy int o the river This scene is .
accusing ly like the o n e in the last chapter of Lewis s ’
M on k wher e the devil thro ws Ambro sio from the cliff

,
to the river s brink

’
.
Instan tly a violent storm arose ; the winds in fury rent up

ro cks a n d forests ; the sk y was n o w black with cl o ud s n o w
,
sheeted with fir e ; th e ra in fell i n t orrents ; it swelled th e strea m ,
the waves over fl o wed their banks ; they reached the sp ot

-
where Ambrosio l a y a n d wh en they a bated carried wi th

, , ,
them int o th e river th e corse of th e d esp airing m onk .
N o Gothic wri ter shows more po wer of harmo ni zi ng

the tempests of the s o ul with the o uter storms than do es
Charles R o bert M aturi n As M elmo th doom ed t o .
2
,
dr eadf ul lif e ti ll he can find so me t ortur ed s o ul wi lli ng to

exchang e destinies wi th hi m tr averses the earth in his ,
search the pr eternat ural aspects o f weather b o th r eflect

,
and mo ck his despair A s the y o un g nephew alo ne at

.
midnig ht after his uncle s death reads the f ated m anu

’
“
s cript clo ud after clo ud com es sweepi ng o n like the
,
dark banners of an appro achi ng h o st who se march is for

1
S t Oswy th
. .
2
In Mel moth ,
the Wa nderer a n d The Albi g enses .
T he G o thi c Ro ma nce 13
destructi on Other r ef er ences m a y il lustrate the mo tif
”
.
.
Cl o uds g o p ortent o usly off l i ke shi ps of war to

r etur n wi th added str engt h and fury
“The dark and.
heavy thunder clo uds that advance slowly seem li ke the

-
shro uds of specters of departed greatness Peals Of

”
.
thunder s ounded every peal lik e the exhausted murmur s

,
of a spent heart .
In general i n the Gothic novel ther e i s a deci ded and

,
defini te attempt to u se the terri ble for ces of nature to

reflect the dark passi o ns of ma n wi th added suggesti ve ,
ness Wher e supernatur al ag encies are at work i n the

events Thi s becomes a di stin ct co nventi o n us ed wi th
.
,
varyi ng efi ecti veness N o wher e i n the ficti o n of the

.
peri o d i s ther e the po wer such as S hakespeare reveals as ,
wher e Le ar wander s on the heath i n the p i tiless clutch of

the st orm wi th a mor e tragi c tem pest i n hi s s oul Yet
, .
,
altho ugh the i dea of the inter—relati on of the passi ons of

ma n and nat ure i s no t o rigi nal wi th the Go thi ci sts and ,
tho ugh they show li ttle of the i nevi tabi li ty of geni us they ,
add gr eatly to thei r super natur al eff ect by thi s method .
Later ficti o n i s less baromet ri c as less archi tectur al than

the Go thi c .
Th e O ri g in of In di vi du a l Go thi c Ta le s The p sy ch ol o g
.
i cal ori gi n of the i ndi vi dual Go thi c roma nces i s in ter es ti ng

t o no te . S uper natur alism was pro bably mor e generally
beli eved i n then than n ow and peo ple were more gi ven t o
,
the telli ng of gho st stori es and all the folk t al es of terror -
than at the present ti m e On e r easo n for thi s ma y be that

.
they had mor e lei sure ; and their g r eat o pen fir es were more
c o nduci ve to the retail i ng o f romances of shudders than
o ur un s o ci a l steam r adiat o rs Th e ei ghteenth century
.
seemed frankly t o enj oy the pleasur es of fear and th e ri se ,
of the Gothi c n ovel gave r ei n t o thi s natural lo ve for the
uncanny and the grues ome .
Dreams played an i mp ort a nt part i n the i nspir ati o n of

I4 The Go thi c Ro ma n ce
the tales of terror Th e i ni tial rom ance was as t h e

. ,
author tells us the r esult of an archi tectural nightmare

,
.
Walpole says i n a letter :

S hall I even confess t o y ou what was the orig in o f th is
r om an c e ? I wa ked on e m orn ing from a dream of which all ,
that I could recall wa s that I h a d thoug ht m y self in an ancient

castl e (a very n a tura l drea m for a hea d filled like m ine with
Gothic story ) a n d that a t the up p erm o st banister o f a g r eat
sta ircase I saw a g ig antic han d i n a rm or In the even ing I .
sat d own a n d beg a n t o write W ithout knowing i n the least,
W h at I int end ed t o sa y or relate Th e work g rew on m y han ds. .
M ary s Fra n kenstei n was lik ewi se bor n of a

S helley
’
dream . M o nk Lewi s had inter ested B y ro n Po lidori , ,
and the S helley s in supernatur al tales so much so that

a fter a fir eside r ecital of Germ an terr or st o ries B y ro n
prop osed that each m ember of the gro up sho uld wri te
a g hostly romance t o be compared with the comp ositio ns
of the o thers T h e r es ul ts wer e neg li g ible save F
. ra n ken
stei n and it is said that B y ro n was m uch a nno yed that a

,
mer e g i rl sho ul d excel hi m At first M rs S helley was. .
unable to hi t upo n a plo t but o n e evening after heari ng

,
a discussio n of E rasm us Darwi n s attempts t o create li f e ’
by labor at ory experiments she had an idea i n a half ,
waki ng dream S h e say s :.
I saw with shut ey es but acute men tal vision I saw th e

— -
p ale stud ent of un ha ll owed arts kn eel in g b eside the thing h e

h a d p u t to g ether I sa w t h e hi d eo us p han tasm of a m a n
.
stretch ed out a n d then o n the workin g of som e p owerful

, ,
en g in e show sig n s o f life

, T h e artist sl eep s bu t he is
.
awaken ed ; a n d behold t h e horrid thing sta nds at his bedsi d e

,
lookin g on hi m with wa tery y ello w y et sp ecul ative ey es !

,
An d from thi s she wrote h er st ory of the ma n mo nster -

.
Th e relatio n of dreams to the uncanny t al e i s i nteresti ng .

Dreams and vi si o ns revelatory of the past and pro pheti c

,
o f the f utur e played an i mp ortant par t i n the dr ama

,
(a s they a re n o w W i dely used i n mo ti o n pi ctur e scenari o s ) -
and the Gothi c novel co ntinues the tr adi ti o n It .
wo ul d be imp o ssi ble t o di sco ver in h ow many instances

the authors were subco nsci o usly i nfluenced i n their
choi ce of m aterial by dr eams Th e presagi ng dr eams and .
vi sio ns attri buted t o supernatural agency appear fre

quently i n Go thi c ficti o n The clo se relati o n between.
dr eam s and sec o nd sig ht in the terror novel mi g ht form

an interesti ng by —path for i nvesti gati o n Dr eam super .
-
naturali sm beco mes even mor e promi nent i n later ficti o n

and c o ntri butes passag es of extraordi nary p o wer of which
D e Q uincey s Drea m F ug ue m a y be m enti o ned as an
’
-
example .
Th e g ermi nal i dea for Mel moth the Wa nderer was ,
co ntain ed i n a par ag raph fro m o n e of the author s own ’
sermo ns whi ch suggested a theme for the story of a

,
doom ed f ate pursued s o ul

,
-
.
At this m om ent is there on e of us p resent however we ma y ,
have dep arted from the Lord disobey ed Hi s will a n d di s , ,
r eg ard ed Hi s word is there on e of us wh o would at this

—
,
m om en t accep t all that m a n could best ow or earth co uld

,
aff or d t o resig n the h o p e o f his salvation ?

, N o there is n ot ,
on e— n ot such a foo l o n earth wer e the enem y of m anki n d t o
traverse it with the off er !
True the them e of such devi l pact had appeared i n

,
-
folk tales and in the dr ama pr evi o usly n o tably i n M a r

-
,
lowe s Doctor Fa ustus but M aturin her e gives the idea a

’
,
dramati c twi st an d psy cholo gi c p oig nancy by makin g a

huma n bei ng the on e to seek to buy another s s oul t o save ’
his own A mortal cur sed with physi cal i rmn ort a li ty
.
, ,
ceaselessly harri ed acro ss the world by the ho unds of

f ate forever fo rced by an i rr esi st i ble ur ge t o mak e hi s
,
16 T he GOthi c R o ma n ce
i mp i ti abl e e to tormented so uls and always meeti ng

off r ,
a tragi c refusal off ers dram atic p o ssibi li ti es of a hi gh order

,
and Maturi n s st ory has a dreadful p ower

’
.
Clara Reeve s avo wed p urp o se i n wri ti ng The Old

’
E ng li sh B a ron wa s to pr o duce a gh o st st ory that sho uld

be more probable and realistic than Walp ole s S h e ’
.
stated that h er bo o k was the liter ary off spri ng of the

earli er roma nce tho ug h Walp o le di sclai med the paterni ty
, .
S h e deplored the vi o lence of the supernatural machi nery

that tended to def eat its o wn i mpressi veness an d Wi shed
to avoi d that danger in h er work tho ugh sh e anno unce d :
,
‘
We can con cei ve and all o w for the appearan ce o f a
gho st Her pri m r eci pe for Rom anti c ficti o n r equir ed
“a certai n degree of the m arvelo us to exci te the attenti on ;
.
,
eno ugh of the m anners of r eal li f e t o gi ve an ai r of prob
the hear t i n i ts behalf ”

abi li ty t o the work ; and eno ug h of the patheti c to engage
B u t h er i ngredi ents di d n ot mi x
.
well and the r esult was r ather i ndi gesti ble tho ugh de
vo ured by hungry reader s o f h er t i m e .
Mrs Anne Radcliff e that ener g eti c mani pulat or of

.
,
Gothi c engi nery wrote because she had time that wa s

,
wasti ng on her hands — which ma y be an explanati o n for

,
other and later li terar y attem pts Her j ournali st husb an d

.
was away ti ll late at ni g ht s o while sitti n g up for him sh e

,
wr ote fri ghtf ul st ories t o keep her self from bei ng scar ed .
D uri ng that wai ti ng lo neli n ess she do ubtless experienced

al l th ose nervo us terror s that sh e describes as bei ng un der
go ne by h er palpi tatin g mai dens W ho se emoti onal an gui sh

,
i s suff ered i n mi dni ght wander ing s thr o ugh subterra nean
p a ssages and gho sted apartm ents There i s on e rep ort .
that she went ma d from o ver—m uch bro odi ng on mormo ,
but that i s generally di scr edi ted .
M atthew Gr egory Lewis was impelled to wri te The

Mon k by r eadi ng the ro m ances of Wal p ole and Mrs .
Radcli ffe t o gether wi th S chi ller s Robbers whi ch t ri ple

’
, ,
i nfluence i s di scerni ble i n hi s luri d tale He defended the .
i ndecency of hi s book by asserting that he t oo k the plo t

fro m a st ory i n The Gua rdi a n i ngeni o usly intimati ng ,
I
that plagi ari zed i mmor ality is less reprehensible than

o ri gi nal m ateri al S helley i n hi s tur n wa s so str o ngly
.
, ,
i mpressed by Lewi s s M on k and Mrs D acr e s Zofl oya in

’ ’
.
,
wri tin g hi s Za strozzi and by Wi lli am Go dwi n s S t L eon

’
.
,
i n his S t Iroyne or The Rosi cruci a n that the adaptati o n

.
, ,
amo unts to actual plagi ari sm E ven the ti tles sho w

“
”
.
imitatio n In wri tin g to Go dwi n S helley said he Wa s i n

.
,
a state of intellectual sickness when he wrote these

st ori es and n o o n e wh o is f amiliar wi th the pro ducti o ns
,
will co ntr adi ct him in the m atter .
Th e i ji fl uen ce of the cr ude sci entific tho ug ht and i n ves

ti g a ti o n of the ei ghteenth cent ury is apparent in the
Go thi c no vels Fra n ken stei n as we have seen wa s the
.
, ,
o utcom e of a R o m antic D arwi n ian dr eam and n o vels by , ,
Go dwi n S helley and M atur i n deal wi th the them e of the

, ,
eli xi r of li fe Willi am B eckfor d s Va thek h a s to do with

.
’
alchem y s orcery and other phases

,
“ ,
“
o f sup ernatur al science
M - M M
.
Zofl oy a M rs Dacre s di ab o lical M oor perform s exp eri

Q
,
.
,
ments i n hypno tism telepathy s or cery and satanic , , ,
chemi stry An d so i n a num ber of the imi tative and less

.
known novels of the g enre science play s a par t in furnish

i n g th e m aterial Ther e is m uch interest in the study of
.
the r elatio n of sci ence to the literatur e of supernaturalism

i n the vari o us peri o ds and the disco veri es of mo der n
ti mes as fur ni shi ng plo t materi al Th e Go thi c co ntri .
buti on t o thi s form of gh o stly ficti o n is si gnificant tho ugh ,
sli ght in com p ari so n wi th later develo pm ents .
Th e Go thi c Gh o sts Th e Gho st is the real hero or hero

.
i n e of the Go thi c n ovel Th e m erely hum an characters

.
become for the reader col orless and dull the moment a
specter glides up and i ndicates a will in gness to relate
“
Th e Hi story of S a n ton Ba rsi s , The Gua rdi a n, Number 1 48 .
I8 T h e G o thi c Ro ma n ce
the story o f hi s lif e Th e co ntinui ng p o pulari ty of the

.
sha de i n literature m a y be due to the fact that hum anity

finds f ear on e of the mo st pleasurable of em o tio ns and
truly enj oy s vicario us horrors or i t ma y be due to a chi ld
,
ish delig ht in the sensatio nal At all events the g ho st . ,
haunts the pag es o f terr o r fictio n and the trail of the ,
supernatural is o ver them all In additio n t o i t s asso ci a

.
tio n with ancient superstitio ns survi vals of a mmi sti c ,
ideas in primitive cultur e we ma y see the classical and

,
E lizabethan influence in the Go thic specter T h e p ro .
lo g ue g host natur ally is n ot needed in fictio n but

-
, , ,
the r eveng e g ho st is as prominent as ever Th e g ho st

-
.
as a dramatic pers onag e his talkativeness hi s share in

, ,
the action reflect the dram atic tr aditio n with a strong

, ,
S enecan t o uch Th e Go thic phant om s have n o t the

.
p ower of S hakespeare s apparitio ns nothing appro achin g

’
the psy cholo gi c subtlety o f H a ml et o r Ju li u s Caesa r or the

ho rrifi c sug g estiveness of M a cbeth y et they a re related ,
t o them and a re n o t alt o g ether p oo r Th o ug h i mi tative .
of the dra m atic g h o sts they have cert ain characteristics
peculiar t o them selves and a re g reatly worth co nsider a

tio n in a study of literary supernatur alism .
T her e a re several clearly m arked classes of g ho sts i n

Go thicis m . Ther e is the real g h o st that any b o dy can
pin faith t o ; ther e is the im agi ned appariti o n that is only
a fig ment of hy sterical fear or of a g uilty co nsci ence ; and
there is the deliberate ho ax specter There a re g ho sts .
that com e o nly when called s ometimes the castle —

,
dung eo ns have t o be pag ed for reti rin g shades ; o thers appear

of their o wn fr ee wi ll S ome have a l o cal habitati o n
.
and a nam e and haunt o nly their o wn p ro per premises ,
while others have the wanderlust There a re inn o cent .
spirits returni ng to reveal the cir cumstances o f their

violent demise and to a sk Christian burial ; we meet guilty
so uls sent back t o do penance for thei r sins in the place
T he G o thic R o ma n ce 19
of thei r commi ssio n ; and ther e a re reven g e g ho sts of

multiple variety There a re specte rs that y ield t o pr ay er s
.
and stro ng mi nded shades that resist exorci sm It is

-
.
diffi cul t t o classify them for the lin es cro ss inextricably

, .
Th e geneal o g ical fo under of the f amily o f Go thi c g ho sts

i s the gi ant appari ti o n i n The Ca stle of Otra n to He .
heralds hi s comi ng by an en ormo us helm et a hundred ,
ti mes larg er than life size which crashes i nto the hall and
, ,
a sword which r equi res a hundred men t o bear it in The .
gho st him self appears in sectio ns We first see a B rob .
di g n a g i a n foo t and l eg with n o b o dy then a few chapter s

, ,
later an enorm o us hand to m atch In the last scene he .
assem bles his parts after the fashion of an auto mo bile

,
demo nstratio n suppli es the lim bs that a re lacking and

,
stands fo rth as an im p o sing and portento us shade Af ter .
receivi ng Alf o ns o s specter— Alfo ns o will be rem em bered

’
as the f am o us statue aff licted with the no se bleed he

“ is wrapt from mortal ey es in a blaze of g lory That
-
.
” —
seem s sing ular c o nsideri ng the weig hty m aterial of which

,
he and his armo r a re made There is ano ther in terestin g

.
specter in the castle the m o nk wh o is seen kneeling in

,
“
prayer in the g lo o my chapel and wh o turning slowly ,
r o und disco vers to Frederick the fl eshl ess jaws and

empty s o ckets of a skeleto n wr apped in a hermit s ’
cowl .
Clara R eeve s yo ung peasant i n The Old E ng li sh B a ron

’
,
the unreco gni zed hei r to the estate wh o i s spendi ng a ,
nig ht in the haunted apartment sees two apparitio ns on e , ,
a woman and the o ther a gentlem an in arm or tho ugh n ot

of such appalli n g size as the r evenant in Otra n to Th e .
two anno unce them selves as hi s l o ng l o st parents and -
vani sh after he i s estated and suitably wed Mrs Ra d . .
cl iff e
I
i ntro duces the shade of a mur dered kni ght a ,
chatty pers onag e wh o haunts a baro ni al hall full of men ,
3
In Ga ston de B l on devi l l e .
20 The G o thi c R o ma n ce
and at another ti me engag es i n a t o urnam ent slayi ng hi s ,
o pp o nent .
‘
M rs B on h ote sh o ws us a mig rat ory gh o st of who m the
.
o l d servant c om plains in vexatio n :
Only think M iss of a g host that sh oul d be at home mindi n g

, ,
its own busin ess at the B aron s own castle taking the tro uble ’
,
t o foll ow h i m her e o n sp ecial busi n ess it has t o comm unicate !

However travelling thr ee o r four hundr ed mil es is nothing t o a
,
g host that can as I have heard g o at the rate Of a thousand

, ,
miles a minute on land o r sea .
In this rom ance the baro n go es t o vi si t the vaul t and has

curdl in g experi ences
“
.
A deep g ro an issues from the coffi n and a vo ice ex

‘
claim s Y ou hurt me ! Forbear or y o u wil l crush my b ones
,
to p owder ! H e kno cks the c o ffin i n pieces whereup o n ,
the vo cal bo nes dem and decent burial and hi s departur e

from the castle L ater the baro n sees the gho st of hi s
.
first W if e wh o objects t o his m aking a third m atrim oni al

,
venture tho ug h she has apparently co nceded the seco nd

, .
In the sam e st ory a y o ung wom an s sp oo k pursues on e ’
Th om as alm o st stam ping o n his heels and finally van ish

, ,
i n g like a sky ro cket leavi n g an o dor o f b ri mst o ne behind

-
, .
A specter rises fro m a well i n The H i story of Ja ck S mi th ,
or the Ca stl e of S a i n t D ona ts and shakes its ho ary head ,

2
at a g ro up o f m en who fire pistols at it .
The Ca s tl e of Ca i thn ess sho ws a m ur dered f ather i n 3
di ca ti n g his wo unds t o his son and dem andin g vengeance .
An armored r eveng e g ho st appear s in Cou n t Roderi ck s ’
Ca stl e or Gothi c Ti mes an an o ny mo us P hiladelphia no vel

, , ,
telling his son the m anner of his mu r der and scari n g the
”
,
kin g wh o has kil led him t o m adness T he r even g e gh o sts

,
“ , .
in the Gothic do n ot cry Vindicta ! as frequently as i n

In B un g a y Ca stl e .
3
B y Cha rl es Luca s, B a l ti more .
3 By FH P . . .
The G o thi c R o ma n ce 2I
the early dram a but they a re a s relentless in their hate

, .
In A n ci en t Records or The Abbey of S t Oswyth the spi rit

, .
,
I
of a nun wh o h a s been wro nged and buried ali ve b

y the
wi cked baro n returns with silent t orm ent i ng repro ach ,
.
Sh e st ands besi de h i m at mi dni ght wi th her dead infant ,
o n h er br east .
S uddenly the ey es of the sp ecter becom e animated Oh .
then what flashes o f ap p allin g an g er dart from their hollow

o rbits on the horror stricken V orti m er ! Three dreadful
-
shrieks ri ng p ealin g throug h the chamber n ow fill ed with a

blaze of sul p hurous lig ht Th e sp ecter suddenly becomes
.
invisible and the ba ron falls senseless on his couch .
S cant wo nder ! In th e sam e story Ro saline the distr essed ,
heroine i s ab out t o wed ag ainst h er will when a specter

, ,
appears and fo rbids the bans Ag ain Gon dema r has a .

,
dag g er at her thro at with wicked intent when a sp ook ,
l if ts up his h ollo w sunken co untenance and beckons

,
wi th ang ry g estures for hi s departure Gon dem a r .
departs !
A no ther r evenge gho st cr eates excitem ent in The A ccus
i n g S pi ri t A mur der ed m ar quis appears repeate dl y t o
.
in ter ested parties and dem ands punishm ent o n hi s

bro ther wh o has slain hi m Ano ther inco nsiderate .
specter in the same vo lume wakes a ma n fro m his sleep ,
and becko nin g h i m t o follo w leads hi m t o a subterranean ,
vaul t stamps his foo t o n a certain st one sho ws a g hastly

, ,
wo und in his thro at and vanishes On investig atio n .

,
searchers find a corpse in a wi nding sheet beneath the i n -
di ca t ed sp o t A n o ther accusi ng spirit appear s in the sam e

.
story — that o f B enedicta a recreant nun wh o g lides as , ,
a headl ess and mutil ated fig ur e thro ug h the cloisters and

“
ho vers over the convent bed where she br eathed ou t
h er guilty s o ul Th e y o ung heroi ne wh o has taken
.
3
By T .
J Horsley -Curti es
. .
22 T he Go thi c Ro ma n ce
temp orary refug e in the co nvent and h a s t o share the

cell with this disturbin g room mate i s in form ed by an -
“
,
ol d nun that Th o se damned spi ri ts wh o f o r mysteri o us

,
purp oses r eceive perm i ssi o n t o wander o ver the earth can
p ossess n o p ower t o i njure us but that whi ch they ma y
derive from the weakness o f our im agi natio n N ever .
th el ess the nervo us g irl i nsi sts on chan g ing h er ro om !

,
A no ther f amo us cl oistered g h o st one of the pio neer ,
female appariti o ns of no te i s the B leeding N un in Lewi s s

’
The M on k that ba ll of Gothi c h orror s

,
H e provi des an .
understudy for h er who irn p erson a t es the nun i n tim es

,
of emergency provi ding compli cati ng co nfusi o n for the

,
o ther char acters and fo r the r eader .
Gho sts beg in to cro wd up o n each o thers heels in late r

’
Go thi c n o vels N 0 rom ance i s so p oor as n ot t o have a

.
retinue o f specters o r at least a g h o st o f al l wo rk

,
Em ,
- - -
.
boldened by their success as individuals sp oo ks appear in ,
groups and mobs .
in g alone thro ugh a dark forest meets the phantom s of ,
co untless vi ctims of his relig io us persecuti o n M en women .

, ,
y o ung m aidens babes at the br east all mo ve t o war d hi m

“
”
, ,
wi th unspeakable rep ro ach with clatteri n g bo nes eye

, ,
less so ckets bare and grinning jaws Afi défl r om D ant e

, .
‘
the m o st i mpressi ve descripti o n of unhappy spirits i n

a larg e number is g iven in Va thek in that immortal
picture of the H all of E blis B eckfor d sho ws her e a .
co ncourse of doomed s o uls each with hi s hand fo rever ,
pressed abo ve his burni ng heart each carryi ng hi s o wn ,
hell Within hi m havi n g lo st heaven s m o st precious bo o n

,
’
the so ul s hope ! In the H all of E blis there a re the stil l

’
living corpses the fl eshl ess f orm s of the p re adamite

,
-
ki ngs wh o still p o ssess eno ug h l if e t o be co nsci o us of thei r

,
‘
deplorable condi ti o n ; they reg ard one ano ther wi th l ooks
of the deepest dejecti o n each holding his rig ht hand
mo tio nless ab o ve hi s heart Th e pro phet S olim an i s
,
.
”
there from who se livid lips com e trag i c words o f his sin
,
and puni shm ent Thro ug h his br east transparent as

.
,
g lass the beh o lder can see his heart envel o ped in flam es
, .
In J am es Ho g g s The Wool Ga therer a m a n of very evil

’
-
,
lif e i s haunted by the wraiths of tho se he has wrong ed .
A s he lies o n h i s death bed n ot o nly he but th o se aro und

-
, ,
hi m as well hear the pleadin g voices or wom en the pitif ul

, ,
cri es o f babes aro und hi s bed tho ug h n othing is vi sible ,

.
We have her e a suggesti o n of the invi sible supernaturalism

that becom es so frequent and eff ective a mo tif in later
fictio n Af ter the m a n is dead the supernatural so unds
”
.
,
beco me so dr eadful that the corpse sits up in the bed ,
pawls Wi its hands and star es ro und Wi i ts dead f ace !

’ ’
W hen the watchers leave the ro o m for a few m o m ents ,
the b o dy my sterio usly disappears an d is never fo und .
A s om ewhat si milar i nstance o ccur s in on e of Am bro se

B ier ce s m o dern st ories of dead b o dies
’
.
T here is s o m e attem pt t o ex or cise r estless spirits in a

number of Gothic novels On vario us o ccasions the .
priests co m e fo rth with bell bo ok a n d ca n dl e t o p ro , ,

f
no unce anathem a ag ainst t he tro ubl esom e vi sitants In .
o n e st o ry a m o nk cro sses his leg s t o scar e away the spec
ter but f o rg ets and pr esently tu m bles o ver

,
In another .
,
the p riest per em ptori ly bids the g h o sts depart and br eaks
the news firml y t o them that they canno t return for a
tho usand years B ut on e bo g le whether of f eeble under
.
,
standing or stro ng will co m es in t o break up the cere ,
monies of i ncantatio n and scares the priest i nt o hy sterics

,
.
Th e im agi ned g h o st appears in m any of the Gothic tales ,
whose wri ter s lack the co urag e of their supernaturali sm .
M rs Radcliff e for i nstance l o ves t o build up a ti ssue

.
, ,
of g h o stly h orrors y et explains them away o n natur al

,
Th S pi i t f Tu
I
e ttvi l l
r o rre e
.
24 T he Go thi c Ro ma nce
grounds after the reader fanci es he sees a spi ri t around

every corner .
Th e g ho sts that a re deliberately g ot up for the p ur

po ses of decepti on form an i nter esti ng f eature of Go thi c
metho ds The r eas o ns behind the spect ral i mpers o na
.
ti o ns a re various to frig hten cri minals into restitutio n

,
af ter co nf essio n t o f ur ther cri m e o r m erely to enliven

, ,
the otherwise lag g ing story In The S pi ri t of Tu rrett .
vi ll e two y o uths fo ll o w the s o unds o f plai nti ve music

ti ll i n a deserted spookish apar tment they see a wo man
, , ,
play ing at an old har p As they draw near they see o nl y

”
.
,
skelet o n hands on the keys and the appari tio n turn s

“
to war d them a g ri nni ng m o uldering skul l S h e waves
”
.
,
h er hands wi th haug ht y r ebuk e fo r thei r intr usi o n and

stalks o ut of the o r atory Sh e gi ves f urther p er .
forma n ces ho wever si ngi ng a so ng c o m p o sed for the

, ,
o ccasi o n .B ut the r eader after such thrills r esents , ,

'
findi ng o ut later that she is the living wi fe attempti ng to ,
fri g hten the vi llain i nt o c onf essi o n .
In The A ccu si ng S pi ri t a b og us sp ook is c o nstructed

by means of ph o sph or us aided by a st ro ng r esemblance ,
between two m en t o accuse an inno cent ma n of m urder

, .
Th e appariti o n dr am ati call y m ak es hi s charg e but i s ,
unm asked just in ti me t o save the victi m s li fe A tall ’

.
,
cadavero us y o ung m a n m akes up for a gho st i n an

ano nymo us no vel while a my steri o us wo m an i n a black
,
1
veil attends a midni g ht funeral in the castle then uh ,
acco untably di sappears .
In M el moth th e monks persecute a despi sed bro ther by

imperso nating spirits i n his cell They co ver the walls .
with imag es of fiends o ver whi ch they sm ear ph osphor us

, ,
and burn sul phur to assi st the deceptio n They utter .
mo cki ng cri es as of demo ns seeki ng t o dri ve hi m ma d , .
In Lewi s s M on k there is a f alse B leedi ng N un as well a s

’
I A i l
n r eth I vi i bl M i t
, or e n s e on or .
the bona fide specter In o ther Go thi c no vels there are

.
vari o us spectr al frauds cleverly planned and then re ,
vealed but thei r explanati o n do es n ot alto gether di spel

,
the uncanny i mpr essi o n they make .
Th e gho st that stay s at ho me i n a defini te place haun t ,
i n g i t s o wn demesne i s a f ami li ar fig ure i n the ficti o n of

,
the perio d E very castle has i ts haunted tower or

.
dungeo n or apartment wi th i ts shade that walks by ni ght .
S ever al appear carryi ng candl es or lamps t o li ght them

thro ug h the blackness of ar chitectur al laby ri nths S everal .
evi nce a fo ndness for bells and herald thei r comi ng by

rings In o n e ro m ance the g ho st t ak es the form of a
1
.
,
white cow (Do ubtless many gho sts in r eal life have had a
.
simi lar ori g in ) In another a specter in armor appears to

.
,
2
terrify hi s mur derer and supernatur al li g htnin g ai ds i n

,
hi s r eveng e .
It wo ul d be i mp ossi ble to desig nate all the gho sts in

Go thi c ficti o n f or ther e i s wh olesale haunti ng Th ey .
appear in the plot to warn to co mfort or co mm and and , ,
seem t o have very hum an char acteristi cs o n the whole .
Yet they a re n ot so definitely pers o nated no t so i n ,
divi dual and r eali sti c a s the spiri ts in later ficti o n tho ug h ,
they d o achieve s o m e creep y eff ects It is not thei r .
br ute force that i mpresses us We a re less m oved by the .
armored kni g ht and the ti tanic adversary in Otrant o

than by the phantoms in the H all o f E bli s Th e vi n di c .
tive g hosts mo ul dy from the vaul t a r e less appalli ng

, ,
than the bo di less voi ces of wro nged wo men and children
that haunt the death bed and bri ng a corpse ba ck t o
-
dr eadf ul li fe Th e specters wi th flamboy ant perso nali ty

. ,
that o ppress us with their eg otisti c clamor m a y be so o n ,
forg otten but the g h o stly sug g estiveness o f o ther spi ri ts

,
h a s a haun t i ng p o wer that i s inescapable S ome of the .
I
The S pi ri t of the Ca stl e .
E thel wi na , or the H ouse of Fi tz A uburne

-
, by T .
J Hor
. sl ey
-Cut ti es .
26 Th e Go thi c R o ma n ce
Got hi c gho sts have a stran g e vi tali ty —and af ter a ll , , ,
where wo uld be the phantom s of t o da y but for thei r -
early services ?
Wi tch e s an d Warlocks Whi le n ot at all equal i n
.
i mp ortance t o the gh o sts wi tches and warlo cks add to the

,
excitement i n Gothic ficti o n Ther e i s but li ttle ch ange

.
fro m the wi tch of dramatic tr aditi o n for we have bo th ,
the real and the r eputed wi tch i n the terror no vel the ,
g enui ne antique h a g wh o h a s p o wer s gi ven h er fr om the

devil and the beautif ul y o ung gi rl wh o i s wro ngly su s
,
p ect ed of an un h o ly alli ance wi th the dar k spi ri ts .
In M elmoth there i s an ol d woman do ctor wh o h a s

,
uncanny abi li ty Sh e tells fortunes gi ves spells agai nst

”
.
,
the evi l ey e and pro duces weir d r esul ts by spells and

such dandy a s i s bey o nd o ur element S h e tur ns the .
my stic yarn t o be dr o pped int o the pit on the bri n k ,
o f whi ch stands the shi veri ng inqui r er i nto futuri ty

”
,
‘
do ubtf ul whether the answer to her questi o n Wh o holds ? ’
i s t o be utter ed by the voice of a demo n o r l o ver In .
The Albi g enses thr ee Wei r d S ister s appear that a r e n ot

alto gether p oor i mi tatio ns of S hakespe are s own M atilda ’
.
i n The M on k p o ssesses d aemo nic p o wer of enchant ment and

in the subterr anean passag es of the mo nastery she wor ks
h er unhallo wed ar ts Th e hag Ca ra thi s i n Va thek i s a
. , ,
wi tch of rar e skill wh o co nc o cts h er magi c p o ti o ns and

,
by super natur al m eans fo rces all thing s t o h er will .
Ther e a re several wi tches and warlo cks in James H o g g s

’
The H un t of E i ldon wh o work m uch mi schi ef but at last

,
a r e captur ed and c o nvi cted They have the choi ce of

.
bei ng bur ned ali ve o r being bapti zed but with wi ld ,
cries they str uggle agai nst the ho ly water and face the
flam es .
In Hogg s B rown i e of B odbeck M ari o n Lint o n beli eves

’
,
h er own d aug hter i s a witch and thi nks she sho ul d be

gi ven the tri al by fire or water There i s an i nno cent .
y o ung re puted wi tch i n The H un t of E il don wh o i s ,
sentenced to death for h er ar t .
Th e D evil Th e devi l i ncarnate i s o n e of the f ami li ar

.
figures in the terror no vel Here a s i n the case of the .

,
gho st we see the i nfluence of the dram atic rather than

,
o f the epi c tr adi ti o n He i s aki n to C alderon s wonder

’
.
worki n g m ag i ci an and M arlo we s Dr Faustus rather ’

.
than t o the satani c creatio ns of Dante and Mi lto n He i s .
n o t a dr ead awe i nsp i ri ng figure ei ther phy si cally o r a s

,
-
a pers o nality tho ug h he do es assum e terrify ing almost

, ,
epic p ro p ort i o ns i n the clo sing scenes of The M on k and

Zofl oya . N either is he as human as appealin g t o o u r ,
sy mpathies as the lo nely mi sjudg ed misunderst oo d devil s

, ,
in later fictio n We neither lo ve n or g rea tly f ear the

.
Go thic demo n Yet he do es appear in i nteresting vari

.
ants and deserves ou r study .
In Ho gg s H un t of Ei ld on the devil com es in as a str an g e

’
o ld m a n wh o yet seem s curio usly f amiliar t o the ki n g and
t o every o ne wh o sees hi m th o ug h n o o n e can r em em ber

,
just when he knew him T here is a clever psy cholo gi c

.
suggesti veness h erei swhi ch perhaps i nspir ed a similar

idea in a recent p lay The E terna l M a gda len Later he i s
,
.
r ec o g nized and h o ly water th ro wn o n h i m .
Th e who le form and visag e of the creature was chang ed in

a m oment to that o f a furious fien d He uttered a y ell that .
m ad e all the abbey shake t o its fo undatio ns and forthwith

darted away into the a i r wrap t in fl ames As he ascended
,
. ,
he waved hi s rig ht hand and shook his fiery lo cks at h i s

inquisitors .
T her e i s nothi ng dubi ous ab out hi s pers onali ty here ,
certain ly !
S atan appears dram ati cally i n The M on k a s well Hi s .
fir st vi si ts a re made i n the form of attr acti ve y o uth .
Ambro si o wh o h a s been led i nt o sin by the daemo ni c

,
ag ent M ati lda i s awai ti ng death in the Inqui si ti o n cell

, , ,
when sh e com es t o see hi m t o urge that he wi n release by

selli ng hi s s oul t o the devil B ut the repentant monk .
r ef uses h er advice so she departs in a temper o f blue

,
flam e Then he has a more dread vi si tant Lucif er

. ,
-
hi mself described as follo ws :

,
Hi s blasted limbs still bore the marks of the Alm ig hty s ’
thund ers ; a swarthy darkness Sp read itself o ver hi s g ig antic

form ; hi s han ds a n d feet were arm ed with long talo ns .
Over his hug e should ers waved two enormous sable wing s ;
a n d his hair was sup p lied by living snakes which twined
thems elves with frig htful hissing s In on e hand he held a .
roll o f p archm ent and i n the other an iron p en S till the

,
.
lig htn ing s flashed around hi m a n d the thunder bursts seemed

to announce the dissolution o f n a ture _ .
Am br o sio is overawed int o selling his s oul and sig ns the

com pact with his blood as p er co nventio n , .
Th e devi l d o esn t keep t o his ag r eement t o release h im

’
,
however for Lewi s tells u s that takin g his vi ctim t o the t op

of a m o untain and
,
“darting his talo ns into the mo nk s ’
shaven crown he sprang with him from the ro ck Th e

,
.
caves and mountains rang with Ambro sio s shri eks Th e ’
”
.
demo n continued to s o ar aloft till reaching a dreadf ul ,
heig ht he released the suff erer Headlo ng fell the mo nk

,
. .
He plun g es t o the river s brink after which a st o rm i s

’
evoked by the devil and his b o dy swept away i n the floo d .
A similar d aemo nic manif estati on o ccurs in Zofioya .
Vi ct oria has been induced t o bin d herself t o the E vil On e ,
wh o has appeared as a M oo rish servant of im p r essive

pers o nali ty and speci al p o wers He g rants h er wi shes .
ho stile t o h er enemies holding many co nf erences with

,
h er in the dark f or est where he i s her alded by fl u t e lik e -
s ounds He appears sometimes like a flame s om etim es

.
,
like a lightning flash He comes wi th the swif tness of the

.
wind and tells h er that h er tho ug hts summoned hi m .
At last he ann o unces himself a s S atan and assumes his

, ,
o wn hideo us fo rm of gi ganti sm .
B eho ld m e as I a m n o long er that which I ap p eared t o be

, ,
but the swo rn en emy of all created nature by men called ,
S atan. Yes it was I that under semblance of the Moor a p

,
p ea red to thee .
As he spo ke he g rasped m o re firmly the neck of Victoria

, ,
wi th on e push he Whirled her headlong down the dr eadful

aby ss ! as she f ell his loud d mm on i c laug h his y ells of
—
,
tri um ph echoed in her ears ; a n d a mang led co rp se she fell ,
she was received into the f oaming waters below .
Th e devil is seen in Va thek a s a p re ternaturally ug ly

ol d m a n wi th str ange p owers James Hog g has rather a
m
.
he uses him in The Wool

Ga therer and i n Conf essi ons of a Justified S i n n er which is
, ,
a st o ry o f relig io us superstiti o n of the use of diablerie

,
and witchcraft intro ducing a satanic tempter On the

, .
whole the appear ances of the devil in Gothic fictio n lack

,
i mp r essi veness a r e weak in psy ch ol o gi c subtlety and have

, ,
n o t the fo r ce ei ther o f the epic o r o f the dr amatic rep re
sen t a ti on s N or have they the hum an appeal that the

.
i ncarnatio ns of the devil i n later fictio n make t o our

sympathi es .
In addi tio n to the unholy p owers p o ssessed by the

devi l and g iven by hi m t o hi s agents the wi tches wa r , ,
lo cks and m agi cians we see i n Go thic ficti on othe r

,
aspects of daemo nolog y such as that asso ciated wi th

,
anim als and wi th inanim ate o bjects S upernatural ism .
i n the horror n ovel is by n o means co nfined t o human

bei ngs but extends t o beasts as well Anim als a re
,
.
supp osed to be peculi arly sensitive to gho stly im pressions ,
m ore so than m en and the appearance of a specter i s

,
o ften first ann o unced by the ext rem e terror o f som e h o use
30 T he G o thi c R o ma n ce
hold pet or other ani mal Go thic dog s have very keen
,
.
noses for gho sts and howl lug ubrio usly when an apparitio n
approaches R avens a re represented as sho win g the
.
p resence of evi l p owers som ewhat a s the S o uthern darkey

,
believes that the j a y bird i s the ally of the devi l and

-
spends every Friday i n torment An d on e do es no t .
f orget the snaky coiff ur e that wri thed aro und the dem o n s
’
head in The M on k .
M a tu ri n s Albi g enses int ro duces the st ory of a grues om e

’
loup g arou o r werewolf which figures extensi vely i n

-
, ,
f olk tales In this case the husband of a beaut if ul y o un g

-
.
wo man is a werewolf wh o duri ng hi s savag e met a mor

pho si s tears h er t o pi eces then disappears to retur n n o
more Th i s is sugg esti ve — with a les s sati sfactory endi ng
.
o i M ari e de F r ance s charmi ng little l a i L e Bi scla veret

’
—
.
,
Prof ess o r Ki ttri dg e has sho wn the frequency of the wer e

wo lf m otif i n medi eval story by the variants he bri ngs ,
to gether in his A rthur a nd Gorlog on In The A l bi g en ses .
a ly canthro pe also is descri bed a hi deo us human bei ng ,
that fancies himself a m a d wolf .
T her e is m uch use of ani mal supernaturalism in J am es

‘
H o gg s ro mances In on e S an dy i s saved fro m g oi ng
’
.
,
o ver a p reci pice by the warning of a h ar e that i mm edi
ately after vani shes having left n o tracks in the sno w

, .
In another the two white beag les that the ki n g uses i n

,
2
hunting a re in r eali ty m aidens bo und by enchantm ent ,
wh o a re fo rced to slay hum an being s then transform them

in t o deer for the kin g and his compan y t o eat Th e o ther .
d o gs are aware of the unnatur al state of aff ai rs whi le the ,
men a re t o o stup i d t o realize i t Th e clown ish Crou dy is .
chang ed into a h og which brings amusing and almo st

,
tragi c complications into hi s life Hi s old dog knows hi m .
and follows hi m pathe ti cally and a dro ve of co ws g o off ,
in a stampede at hi s appro ach for they too sense the , , ,
t
The Wool Ga therer
-
. The Hun t of E i ldon .
T he G o thi c Ro ma n ce 31
supernatur al spell Crou dy i s p ut on the blo ck to be

.
kil led for p ork when the fair y changes hi m back sudden ly
,
t o the co nster nati o n of the butcher B ut Crou dy does .
n ot b ehave well after h i s t r ansformati o n so he i s ch a nged ,
i nt o a cat wi th en dl ess li f e H e ma y r esume m ortal shape

.
o ne ni ght i n the year and relate hi s f eli ne experi ences .
In the sa me story the ki ng of S cotland i s prop o si ng a

t oas t when hi s favori te dog dashes the cup from hi s hand .
T hi s i s r epeated several ti mes till the ki ng learns that th e

,
dri nk i s p oi s o ned an d the do g h a s thus “

, by supernatural
kn owledge saved hi s li f e An i nn o cent young gi rl sen
.
,
t enced t o death fo r wi tch craft because a f ai ry has tak en

h er f orm and worked enchantm ent and h er lover a re ,
tr ansformed int o W hi te bi rds that fly o ut of the pri so n the
‘
ni ght befor e the executi o n and li ve eternal ly on the shores
o f a fa r l ak e .
Th e gho stly p ower ext ends to i n a ni mate o bject s as WE T

I
a s to hum an bei ngs and ani m als Armor and co stumes
.
seem t o have a m ateri al i mmortali ty of their own for i t ,
i s qui te c omm o n t o recog ni ze spectral vi si tants by thei r

garment s o r acco uterments Armor cl an ks audi bly i n the.
terror scenes .In The Cas tle of Otra nto the gi ant g h o ,
sen ds hi s im m ense helm et crash i ng i nto the hal l to

shatter the woul d be bri degroom and the h opes Of hi s
- -
father . Th e head gear h a s p o wer of voluntary mo ti o n and

moves aro un d wi th agi li ty saves the heroi ne from dan ger
,
by wavi ng i t s plumes at the vi ll ai n and gener ally adds

exci tement to the scenes L ater a ti tani c sword leaps
.
i nt o pla ce o f i t self af ter h avi ng been b orne to the entrance

,
by a hundr ed men f ai nti ng under the wei ght of i t whi le a ,
statue of Alf o ns o sheds three drops of bloo d from i ts no se

an d a p ortrai t turns roun d in i t s frame and stroll s out i nto
the o pen .
Pi ctur es in general t ak e a li vely part i n horrifi c ficti o n .
The p ortrai t of a murder ed man i n The S pi ri t of the Ca stle

“ a .
p i cks i tself up from the lumber heap wher e it h a s been

th rown cleans i tself and hangs i tself back on the wall
, ,
whi l e a p ortrai t i n a deserted chamber wags i ts head

I
at a servant wh o i s making the bed Th e p ortrai t of .
M elmo th is end owed wi th supernatural p o wer for i t s ,
ey es follow the beh older wi th awful mean ing and a s the ,
nephew i n desperati o n tears it from i ts fr am e and burns i t ,
the picture writhes in the flames iro ni cally and mo cks , ,
hi m This might be c ompared with Oscar Wilde s

’
.
Pi cture of D ori a n Grey and with o ther later st ori es .
Th e sta tue of Alfo nso in Walp ole s Ca stle m o ves from

’
its place wi th no vi si ble m eans of supp ort and a g r eat 2
“
effig y of black m arble i s said to m arch all round and
,
c om e back into i t s place again with a g reat g ro an .
In S t Oswyth the soi l of the abbey gro unds o btained by

.
gross injustice i s haunted by the g ho st of the wro nged

“
nun wh o i nflicts a curse up on i t renderi ng i t spell
blig hted un p rol ific and imp ossible t o till
, , Th e key t o
,
.
”
the roo m in the ol d ho use in which M el m o th s diab olic ’
p ortrait is kept turns in i ts lo ck wi th a s ound like the

,
cry o f the dead .
Gothic romance co ntains m agi c mirror s wherein o n e

‘ —' /
can see any pers on he vvi sh es riO rh atTEFh ow distant h e
ma y be and watch hi s m ovem ents after the f ashi o n of a
,
p rivate moving picture show such a s that used by

-
,
Ambro si o There a re enchanted wands wi th p o wer to

.
3
tr ansfo rm men t o beasts o r vi ce versa as i n The H u n t of ,
E i l don Ther e a re cry stal balls that reveal n ot o nly W hat

.
is g oi ng on in distant parts but sho w the f uture as well , .

4
Th e sam e volume descri bes magi c swo rds that bear

chang ing hi erog ly phi cs to be r ead o nly by enchantment
and o ther uncanny o bjec ts These wi ll serve to i llustrate
.
the preternatural p owers p o ssessed by i nanimate o bjects

1
In The S pi ri t f
o Turrettvi ll e
.
3 In The Mon k .
9
In A ri el . 4 As i n Va thek .
T he Go thi c R o ma n ce 33
in the terro r liter ature In s om e instances the motif

.
is used with eff ectiveness defini tely heighteni ng the ,
i mp r essio n of the W ei rd i n a way that hu m an supernatural

i sm c o uld n o t accom plish We d o n ot see here the m echan
.
i sti c supernatur ali sm whi ch i s to bec ome im p ortant in

,
later t al es and the eff ects here a re crude yet of i nteres t

, ,
in themselves and a s suggesting la ter uses of the i dea .
D e mo n o lo gy m ani f ests itself i n th e supernatural sci ence

i n the Go thi c no vels as Well a s i n the char acterizati o n of
the devi l and hi s co nfreres We have diab olical chemi stry
.
besides alchemy astro lo gy hyp t s rr s en tril o q

,
r
rg ’r ry ;
search for the philo so pher s s to ne 1r1fern a biolo g y and ’
ui sm
,
,
‘ ,
,
,
the o ther scienti fic twists o f super naturalism I .
wher e we have a r eg ul ar array of gho stliness we see a ,
m agi c p o ti o n that instantl y cu res a n y disease h owever

deadly the pro genito r of the m o dern patent m edi cine
,
—
.
T her e is an Indian m agi cian wh o writes his m essages o n

the hi g h heavens themselves Va th ek s m o ther i s a n .
’
indus trio us alchemi st stranglin g an assembly of prominen t

ci tizens i n order to use thei r cadavers in h er labo ratory ,
W her e she stews them up wi th serpent s oil m ummies and

’
, ,
skulls co nco cting therefrom a p o werf ul p o ti o n Va th ek

, .
has an uncurbed curi o sity that leads hi m into vario us

experim ents t o peer int o the secrets of astrolog y alchem y
, , ,
s orcery and kindred sci ences He uses a magi c dri nk

,
.
that gi ves the sem blance of death li ke that used later in ,
The M on k as earlier of co urse in Romeo a n d Ju li et and

, , , ,
elsewhere .
Th e M oo r in Zofl oya i s well versed i n d e mo ni c sci ence .
He tel ls of chemical experi m ents wher e he fo rces every

o n e t o d o h i s wi ll o r die B y hi s p o ti o ns he can change
.
hate i nto lo ve or lo ve i nto hate and can gi ve a drug whi ch ,
pro duces sem i insani ty Under the influence of this a ma n

-
.
weds a de m o ni c tem ptress thi nking h er the wom an he

lo ves then commi ts sui ci de when he wakes to the truth
, .
34 T he G o thi c Ro ma n ce
T hi s r emi nds u s of S a x Rohm er s Fu M anchu stori es of

’
-
diaboli c hyp o dermics that pro duce insani ty .
In A n kervvi ch Ca stle a wo man ly ing at the p oint of

death i s miraculo usly cured by a drug who se p rescri pti o n
the author neglects t o state In the sam e story a child
.
is branded in a peculiar f ashio n A new born babe .

-
whose birth m ust r em ain secret y et wh o m ust be r eco g

n i za bl e in em erg ency is m arked o n i t s si de wi th letters
,
burnt in wi th a strange chemi cal whi ch wi ll r em ain ,
i nvisible till r ubbed with a cert ai n li quid M at i lda in .
The M on k dabbles in satanic chemistry and comp o unds

evil p o tio ns in h er subterranean experiments .
M ary S helley uses the idea o f supernatural bi olo gy in

h er st ory o f the m a n m o nster F-
ra n kenstei n the sto ry o f
, ,
the y o ung scientist wh o after morbid study and exp eri

“
m ent co nstructs a hum an fr am e of supernatur al size
,
and hideo us g rotesqueness and gi ves it li fe B ut the thing .
cr eated a p p a ll s i t s creat or by its dreadf ul visag e i t s mor e ,
than hum an size its lo o k o f less than hum an i ntell i g ence

, ,
and the student flees in horror from the sig h t of i t M rs

S helley describes the em
. .
o ti o ns o f the l o nely t ragi c thing ,
thrust suddenly into a world that ever recoi ls shudderi ng

fro m it Sh e reveals the sl o w hate distilled in its hea rt
.
because of the harsh treatment i t m eets ti ll at last it ,
tak es di abolic revenge n ot o nly on the man wh o has

,
created it but on all held dear by hi m Th e strug g les that .
rend h i s s o ul between hate and r em orse a re imp ressive .
‘
Th e wr etched bein g weeps in a n a g on y of grief as it stands
o ver the b o dy o f F r ankenstein wh om it h a s harr i ed t o
death then go es away to its own doom Th e last sight

, .
of it as the first is eff ective as in tr agi c so litude t o wer

, , , , ,
ing on the ice—fl oe i t mo ves to ward the desolate N orth to

,
i t s death .
In the char acteri zati o n of thi s bei ng as i n the unusual ,
concepti on Mrs S helley h a s intro duced somethi ng

, .
T he Go thi c Ro ma n ce 35
p oi g nantly n ew in ficti o n It wa s a st artli ng theme for .
the mi nd of a y o ung g i rl a s we re Va thek and The Mon k ,
for y o uths o f twenty years and o nly the abnormal ,
psycho lo gi cal co nditio ns sh e wen t thro ug h co ul d have p ro

d uced it Ther e i s more cur dli ng awf uln ess i n F
.
ra nk en
stei n s monster than i n the museum of armored

’
‘
gho sts B leed i ng N uns and accompanying h orrors of the

, ,
early Gothi c novels The em ploym ent of the Frank en

.
stein mo ti f i n a play pro duced recently i n N ew York ,
i llustr ates anew the vi tali ty of the i dea .
Th e sear ch for the phi lo s o pher s st o ne appears i n vari o us

’
no vels of the peri o d S t L eon by Willi am Go dwi n

. .
, ,
r elates the st ory o f a m a n who knew h ow t o pro duce
unli mited gold by a secret fo rm ula gi ven h i m by a my steri

o u s str anger wh o dies i n his h o me S helle “
y brin g s i n thi s .
p o wer inci dental ly with the gi ft of endless lif e There is .
an awe i n spi ri ng u se of ventril o qui sm in Charles B ro ck

-
den B ro wn s n o vel Wi ela nd while A rthur M ervyn gi ves

’
, ,
a study i n s omnambuli sm Zofl oya sug g ests hy pno tism .
or m esm eri sm by say i ng that Vi ct o r ia s th o ug ht sum

’
mou ed the M oor to h en— that they co uld have bro ught
”
h i m had he been at the f urther ext remity of this terres
tri al g l o be This seem s a f ai nt foreshadowi ng of Ibsen s
.
’
i dea i n The M a s ter B ui l der T hese ma y illustr ate the use .
of sci ence i n Go thi ci sm .
Th e el i xi r of li f e i s b rewed i n di vers Go thi c no vels .
Dr am atic and i ntense a s a re the psych o lo gi cal experiences

co nnected wi th the di scovery of the m agi c potio n the ,
eff ec ts of the success are mor e p oi gn ant still Th e tho ught .
that endless mor tality li f e that ma y n ot be laid down

, ,
beco mes a burden i nt olerable ha s appeared i n ficti on

si nce S wi ft s accoun t of the S trul dbr ugs and perhaps
’
,
before Go dwi n s S t Leon is a story of the secret of

.
’
.
perpet ual life T h e ti resome Go dwi ni sti c hero i s vi si ted

.
The L a st L a ug h . In S t Irvyne
. .
by a decrepi t ol d m a n who wi shes to tell hi m on a pledge

o f i nco mm unicabili ty what will gi ve hi m the p o wer Of
endless life and b o undl ess wealth The i m po veri shed .
noblem an accepts with co nsequences less enj oyable than

he has anticipated .
S helley s hectic r om ance

’
who se i dea as S helley a d
,
1
,
mi tt ed t o S to ckdale cam e fro m Go dwin s book uses the

’
, ,
same them e Th e y o ung student wi th burning eyes wh o

.
,
has disco vered the elixir o f life m a y be compared wi th ,
M ary S helley s later pictur e of Frankenstein E vents

’
.
a re r ather co nf used her e as the vil lain f al ls dead i n the

,
presence of the devil but co m es t o life ag ain as another

char acter later in the st ory S helley inform ing us of ,
—
their identity but n o t tro ubling t o explain it .
Th e m o st impr essive instance of the them e o f fl esh ly

i mmortality in the early no vels is fo und in M elmoth .
H er e the my steri o us wa n d efer p o ssesses the p o wer of

endless life but n o t the rig ht t o l a y it do wn when existence
,
beco mes a bur den M elm o th can win the boo n of death
.
o nly if he can find ano ther m o r tal willing t o chang e des
tinies wi th hi m at the pri ce of his so ul H e tr averses .
the wor ld in his sear ch an d O ff ers the exchan g e t o p er

s o ns i n dir est need and suff eri n g the extr em e t orments ,
o ff erin g t o gi ve them wealth as W ell as lif e eternal Yet .
n o m a n n or wo m an will buy lif e at the price o f the
s o ul .
Aids to G othic Efi ect C ertain themes appear r ecur

.
r i n g l y as fir st aids t o terr or ficti o n S om e of them are .
fo und equally in later literature while o thers belo ng m ore

par ticul arly to the Go thic An inter esting aspect of the
.
supernatural visitants is gi g antism or the superhuman ,
si ze which they assume In Theg astle of Otra n to the sen

.
,
s a ti o n a l g h o st is of eno rmo us size and his acco uterm ents ,
a r e c o l o ssal In the last scene he is a stounding :

.
I S t Irvyn e
. or the Rosi cruci a n .
A clap o f thunder sho ok the ca stle t o its found ation s ; th e

earth ro cked a n d the Clan k o f m ore than morta l armor was
heard behind Th e walls of the castl e behin d M anfred
.
were thrown down with a mig hty fo rce and th e form o f

”
,
Alfo nso dilated t o an imm ense m a g nitud e ap p ea red in the

“
, ,
center of the ruins B ehold the tru e heir of Alfo ns o !

.
said the vi sion .
T hi s emi nds on e of an i nci dent in F M ari o n Crawf or d s

r .
’
M r Isa acs where the Indian m agi ci an expands t o awf ul

.
,
si ze mi racul o usly draws do wn a mi st and wr aps it r ound

,
hi m a s a cl o ak Zo fl oy a is fr equently sp o ken of as i m
“
.
m ense and i t i s sai d that co mmo n o bjects seem t o sink

,
i n his pr esence In the last scene the wi cked Vict oria

.
sees the M oor change fro m a hands ome y o uth t o a fier ce

gi g anti c fig ur e A diab olic appari ti on eig ht or nine feet
.
I
hig h pur sues a mo nk and the kn i g h t eng ag es in co m bat z
,
with a d e mo nic g iant wh o slays hi m Th e devil in The .
M on k is r ep resented as being of enorm o us stat ur e and ,
much of the h orro r exci ted by the m a n monster that -
Frank enstei n created ari ses from the creature s sup erh u ’
m a n si ze In m o st c
. sm co nno tes evil p o wer
later st ori es whi le he has pr actically n o place in the dr am a

, ,
o win g do ubtless t o the di ffi culti es o f sta g e pr esentatio n .
Insanity as co ntri buting t o the eff ect of supernatur ali sm

a ff or ds m any gr ues om e studi es in ps y chiatry M adn ess .
seem s a speci al curse of the g o ds or t orm ent fro m the devil

and vari o us i nstances of i ts use o ccur in Go thi c fictio n .
Th e devi l i n Zofl oya at Vict oria s r equest g i ves Henrique

’
, ,
I
In The S pi ri t o f the Ca stl e .
3
In The S pi ri t of Tu rrettvi l le .
an enchanted dr ug whi ch renders hi m tempor aril y i nsane ,
duri ng whi ch ti me he m arries Victori a imaginin g her t o be ,
Lilla who m he lo ves When he awakes to the reali zati o n

.
o f what he has do ne r eal m adness dri ves hi m t o s ui ci de

,
.
In The Ca stl e of Ca i thn ess the wicked rn i sa n throp e go es

ma d fro m r em orse H e i m ag ines that the di ff erent o nes
.
he has m ur dered a re hurli ng hi m int o the pit of hell un til , ,
in a m aniac frenzy he dashes hi s br ains o ut agai nst the

,
pris o n walls In E thelwi na the father wh o has s old hi s

.
daug hter t o disho nor flies shri eki ng in m adness thro ug h the
corridors of the dung eo n to escape the sight of h i s chi ld s ’
accusing specter Po or N anny i n Ho g g s B rowni e of ’
“
”
.
B odbeck is descri bed as havi ng a beam of wi ld delight i n

h er ey e the joy of madness
, S h e sing s wi ld unear thl y
.
,
s o ngs and talk s deli ri o usly of i ncomprehensible thing s of ,
devi lish str uggles .
M elm oth uses the idea with special eff ecti veness Th e .
insani ty of the y o ung husband who se bri de is my sterio usly

slain o n their wedding d a y by the supernatur al p o wer
accom panying M elm oth m a y be com pared wi th the ma d
,
ness of the wif e in S cott s B rid e of L a mmermoor M aturi n

’
.
also sho ws us a scene in a ma d ho use where a sane m a n

.
-
, ,
S tant o n is co nfined whom M elmoth vi sits t o off er ex

, ,
chang e of desti ni es M elmo th taunts hi m cr uelly with hi s

.
hopeless situatio n and pro pheci es that he t oo will g o m a d , ,
fr om despai r We hear S tant o n s wild cry echo ed by a

.
’
,
hundred y ells like tho se of demo ns but the others a re stilled ,
when the ma d mother beg i ns h er lamentatio n —the ,
mo ther wh o has l ost husband h om e childr en r easo n all , , , , ,
i n the g reat Lo nd o n fire At h er appallin g shri eks all

.
o ther voi ces a re hushed A n other i m pr essi ve fig ur e i n the

.
ma d ho use is the preacher wh o thi nks himself a dem on and

-
alternately pr ay s and blasphem es the Lord

Charles B ro ckd en B r own rivals M aturin in his terri ble
u se o f insani ty for supernatural eff ect Th e demented .
murderer in E dg a r H u n tley gi ves an impressio n of my stery

and awe that is unusual whi le Wi ela nd wi th its reli g i ous
,
’
m ania pro duced by diab oli c vent ril o quism is even more
i m pr essi ve B ro wn kne w the eff ect of my stery and dr ead
.
o n the hum an mind and b

y sl o w cumulative sug gesti o n,
he m akes us f eel a creeping awe that the unwi eldy machin

ery of pu re Go thicism never c o uld achi eve In studies of .
the morbi d mentality he h a s f ew equals For psy ch olo gi c .
subtl ety for haunting ho rro r what is a crashing helmet or

, ,
a dism em bered ghost co m pared with B ro wn s Wieland ? ’
What a re the r acki ng s of mo nkish vin dictiveness when set

agai nst the ag onies o f an unbalanced min d turned in up o n
itself ? What exterior tortur e co uld so appeal t o o ur sy m
p a t hi es a s Wieland s despair when r acked with r eligi o us
’
, ,
m ania he f eels the o verwhelm ing c o nvictio n that the

,
vo i ce of Go d— wh i ch is but the fiendish t rick o f a ven tri l o
qui st— i s calli n g hi m t o murder his wif e and children as a

sacrifi ce to Deity ? S uch a trag edy o f dethro ned reason i s .
in toler ably p o werful ; the dark laby rinths of in sanity the ,
g l oo m —haunted passa es o f the human mind

g a re m o re ,
terrible to tr averse than the midnig ht windi ng s of Go thic

dungeo ns We feel that here i s a ma n wh o is real wh o is
.
,
hum an and suff erin g the extr emity o f ang uish

,
.
P er haps the mo st hide o us aspect o f insanit y in the terror

no vel i s that of t h e lycanthrope in The A l bi g en ses Th e .
t ragi c wolf ma n im agines hi mself t o be a m a d wolf a n d

-
co wers i n hi s lair glari ng wi th g leam ing awful ey es at all

, ,
wh o a p p ro a ch hi m g nawing at a hum an head snatched

k ,
fro m the gr avey ar d There a re vario us o ther uses of

.
i nsani ty in the n o vel of the perio d but these W i ll serve to ,
illustr ate Th e r elati on between insanity and the super

.
natur al has been marked in later literature .
Th e p ortents i s a disti nct characteri sti c of the

u se of
horror romance Calami ty i s generally preceded by s ome

.
si gn of the supernatural i nfluence at work s om e present ,
ment o f dread Crim e and catast ro phe a re f oref elt bv

.
p remo ni tion of wo e and accompanim ent of ho rror In .
The A ccu si n g S pi ri t supernatur al thunder heralds the

di scovery of the corpse in its winding sheet and the monk
“
-
,
say s Yes s ome dread discovery i s at hand These

”
.
, ,
phenom ena a re m ir aculo us ; when the comm o n laws of
vai n ”
nature a re vi olated the awful p ortents a re n o t sent i n
,
In The Roma n ce of the Ca stle an ano ny m o us story

.
, ,
a wom an hears the cl o ck strik e two and ann o unces that

she wi ll be dead at three .
This nig ht an awful m esseng er sent from that dread tri

bunal from who se p ower there is n o ap p eal by sig ns terrific
”
,
foretold m y fate ap p r o ached foretold m y final m om ent —
“Ca therine behold ! was all that issued from the s ect er s
.
’
, p
lip s but in its han d it held a scroll which fixed my irrevo cable
,
doom in letters which fascin ated while they ap p alled my

,
sig ht .
S he keeps h er app oi ntm ent promptly H er experience .
might be com pared with the visi o n which revealed his date
o f death t o Am o s J udd in Jam es Mi tchell s n o vel of that
’
nam e and to the forekno wledg e in George E lio t s The

,
’
L if ted Vei l .
In The S pi ri t of the Ca stle the gho st of the ol d marquis

,
kno cks three times on the door precedi ng the arrival of the
heir and a b lack raven flies away as he enters A t the
, .
appro ach of the true heir to the estate from whi ch he h a s

been kept by fr aud in The Old E ng li sh B a ron the doors of
”
,
the ancient castle fl y open up o n which the servants cry

“ ,
Th e doors o pen of themselves t o r eceive their master !

,
the
us casque shaken in co ncert wi th the b razen
he exclai ms What mean these p ortents ? If

,
C P by . ro .
The G o thi c Ro ma nce 41
I have off ended At thi s p o int the plumes a re

shaken sti ll more strenuo usly and the helm et is equally ,
agi tated when the g reat swor d leaps i n M anfred cries

“
.
t o the apparitio n If th o u a rt a t rue knig ht th o u wilt

, ,
scorn t o empl oy sorcery to carry thy p o wer If these .
o m ens be fr o m heaven or hell M anfr ed t rusts t o ri hteo us

g,
ness to protect his cause B ut the o m ens bring bad luck

.
to M anf red .
There is much use of p ortent in M el moth Th e specte r .
of the Wanderer appearin

g just bef or e the ol d m an s death
’
p redi cts the spiritual doom of the dy ing As the old uncle
“
”
.
is almo st br eathing his last he cries out What the devil

, ,
brin g s y o u her e ? at which the servants cro ss themselves

“
and cry Th e devil in his mo uth !
, M el mo th the Wa n ~
,
derer is a walkin g p ortent of evil fo r the priest is unable

, ,
t o p r ay in his p r esence the c omm unio n bread turns V iper

,
o u s when he is ther e a n d the p riest f alls dead in the attempt
to ex o rcise the fiendish p o wer M y sterio us strains o f.
music so und as her alds of disaster in several Go thic no vels ,
as
‘wher e the inexplicable st rains a re hear d o nl b the
y y
bride and groom pr eceding the str ange trag edy that befalls
them .
At the appro ach of a supernatur al vi sitant in the terror

no vel the fire alway s burns blue where there is a fire ,
—
,
and the g reat hearth usually aff ords ample o pportunity for
su h h p ortent o us bla ze T h e therm o m eter itself tends t o
.
take a do wnwar d path when a gho st dr aws near Th e .
three dro ps of blo o d shed from the statue s no se i n Otra n to ’
”
,
while ridiculed by the critics a re m eant simply as a port ent

,
o f evil Prof William Ly o n P helps p o ints out that the

. .
i dea did n o t ori gi nate with W alp ole, but was f ami li ar a s
a supersti ti o n regar ding prem o nitio n of i ll as referred to in ,
Dryden s A mboyn a IV I Thi s instance m a y be com

’
. .
, ,
In Mel moth .
In hi s B egi n ni n g s f the E ng l i sh Roma nti c Movemen t

o , p . 1 08 .
pared with the m uch m ore skillfully handled om ens i n

later drama as M aeterli nck s and Ibsen s particularly i n
,
’ ’
,
The E mperor a n d Ga li lea n V ario us o ther p ortents of i ll .
appear in Go thic fiction .

I
Th e sy m b ols o f dread and the g h o stly a re used t o g oo d

eff ect in the terror rom ance T he cumul ative eff ects of .
supernatural awe a re carefully built up by the use of g rue

so m e accom panim ents and sug gestio ns Th e triple veil .
o f nig ht desolati o n and silence usually hang s o ver the

, ,
haunter and the haunted p r edisp o sing t o an uncanny p sy ,
ch o si s Th e Go thi c g h o st d o es n o t lo ve the g arish d a y

.
,
and the terror castle g l oomy even under the brig htest sun , ,
is of unim ag i nable darkness at nig ht C ertain ho uses .
add especially to the im pr essio n of f ear At cru ci al mo .
m ents the stroke of twelve o r on e o clo ck i s sure t o be

’
s ounded appalling ly by some abbey bell or castle clo ck or

o ther rusty h oro l o g ue In additio n t o its services as tim e
.
keeper the bell h a s a pr edisp o sitio n t o toll

,
.
M elancholy birds fl y freely thro u g h these m edieval tales ,
their dark win g s adding to the g ener al g lo om Th e

”
.
principal specim ens in the Go thic aviary a re the co mm o n

o wl
“
the screech or screechin g o wl the bat and the
“
” ” ”
, ,
raven while the fl o ck is incr eased by an o nym o us bir ds

o f p rey
“ ,
nig ht birds
, g l oo my bir ds and so f orth ,
.
In S t Oswyth as the m ur der er steals at midnig ht thro ug h

.
,
the corridor t o war d his helpless victim the ill —bo din g bird ,
of nig ht that sat scr eeching on the battlem ent o f the pris o n
E l i za Hey wo o d s roma n ce , La ssel i a : or, the S elf -A ba n don ed , sho ws a

’
1
si mi l a r p
orten t , a s Dr Georg e F ri sbee Whi ch er n o t es i n hi s The L ife a n d
’
Roma n ces of Mrs E li za Heywood . .
Pro fessor Ash l ey H Th orn dike , i n hi s Tra g edy , i n s p ea ki n g of t he pl y s of

“
. a
t h e Rest o ra ti on d ra ma ti st J o hn B a n ks ( p . sa y s : E ven t he p t
or en t s
p d ecorum
a re red u ced
“
to a eculi a r
L a st n i g h t n o soon er wa s Il ai d to rest
j Th a n bl d
u st
oo fell f ro m m
three dro
y n o se !p" s of
p p
Th ese three dro s of bl ood roba bly ha ve a m uch more ext en ded hi story i n
roma nce a n d the dra ma , whi ch i t would be i n terest i ng t o tra ce o ut .
Go thi c Ro ma n ce
'
T he 43
t o wer who se harsh discordant no tes were echo ed by the

, ,
h o ar se cro aking of the o mino us raven terrifi es but does ”

no t deter the vi llain
“
.
Th e mo p i ng m elanch oly screech owl is on e of the

,
p rom inent pers o nag es i n The A ccusi n g S pi ri t emphasizing ,
the m oments of special suspense as in S t Oswyth as the , .
wi cked baro n lies quaki n g in rem o rse for h a vin g ca used a

nun t o be buri ed alive the condemning cry of the doleful
,
birds increases his m ental ang uish S imilar instances .

,
with or witho ut special no m enclature o ccur in co untless ,
Go th ic n ovels M uch use is also made of the dark ivy

.
i n its clam berin g o ver m edieval architectur e shuttin g ou t ,
the lig ht and adding t o the g ener al g lo om Th e eff ect .
o f h o rr o r is incr eased frequently by the l o catio n of the
scenes in vaults and g r avey ards with all their g rueso m e

access o ries and skulls a re used as m ur al ornam ents else
,
where or as library app ointm ents by pers o ns of morbid

,
temperament E no ug h skelet o ns a re exhum ed t o f urnish

.
as larg e a pile of b ones as m a y be seen in certain antique

chur ches in Italy and M exico .
Th e elem ent of m y stery and my sti fica ti on is ano ther

f amil y f eatur e of the n ovel of suspense There is n o .
'
p ro per thrill witho ut the suspense attained by super
natural my stery Even the novels that in the end carefully
.
explain away all th e g ho stly phen om ena o n a natural basis

stri ve wi th car e t o build up pl ots which shall co ntain
asto undi n g discoveri es M rs R adcliff e and R eg ina M aria
. .
R o che a re n o ted i n thi s r espect They have n ot the .
co urag e of thei r g ho sts as such but after they have thri lled
,
the r eader to the desired extent they tear do wn the fabric

,
o f m y s tifi ca ti on that they have c o nst ructed and m eti cu
l ou sl y explain everything .
T h e black veil c o nstitutes a f avo ri te m eth o d of suspense

/
with M rs R adcliffe On vario us occa si on s E mil y pales
. .
44 The Go thi c R o ma n ce
and qui vers before a dark velvet pall uncannil y swayi ng

i n the mi dni ght wi nd and on o n e such r amble she dr aws
,
asi de the curtain and finds a hi deo us corpse putri d and ,
dro pping to decay lying on a co uch behind the p all

,
.
M any chapters further on she learns that this i s a wax

figure m ade t o serve a s penance for an anci ent sinner .
A gain she shivers in fro nt of the inky cur tain watchi ng its ,
f o ld move unacc o untably when a r epuls i ve f ace peers o ut

,
at h er S h e shrieks and flees thinking sh e has seen a

.
,
g ho st but disc o vers later that it i s on ly o n e o f a c o m pany

,
of bandits that have taken up their secret ab o de in the
ho use B lack veils a re in fashio n in all of M rs R adcliff e s

. .
’
ro m ances and she dr apes them very eff ectively while the ,
arras waves likewi se i n o ther tales as well .
My sterio us m anuscripts a re ano ther m eans o f my stifica

ti o n M rs Radcliff e s no vels also abo und in such scripts
. .
’
.
In The Roma nce of the Forest A deli ne disco vers a decayi ng

paper which reads Oh ye who ever ye a re that chance
, , , ,
o r misfo rtune m a y direct t o this sp o t t o y o u I speak t o
”
, ,
y o u reveal the st o ry o f my wro ngs and ask y o u t o aven g e

them . This injuncti o n t o aveng e wro ng s i s a fr equent
assig nment tho ug h r ather much t o a sk in mo st cases
,
.
The S pi ri t of the Ca stl e h a s i t s dusty do cum ent that starts

o ff
“
Al ready my hand br andishes the dag g er that sh al l
cl ose my ey es forever (M y sterio us manuscri pts a re n ot
.
strong on g ramm ar and m ake slig ht attem pt t o avo id

mix ed fig ures ) I wi ll expire by the side of the clay cold
.
-
corpse of my Antoinette In S t Oswyth the paper say s

“B eneath the deep foundatio ns of the ruin the recorded
. .
,
mystery of the h o use of Oswy th lies b uri ed from all m ortal

di scovery B ut the mo st i m pr essive m anuscript is the
.
one in Mel moth that reco rds the wanderi ngs o f th e a g o n
i zed f ate harried m a n and tho se wh o se t ortur es he wit

-
nesses A co di cil to the old uncle s wi ll advi ses hi s nephew

.
’
agai nst readi ng the do cument but of course he do es read ,

it since what a re mouldy m anuscripts in Gothi c novels

,
for but t o be decipher ed by the hero or hero ine ?

,
R efer ence t o d read secrets o ccur o therwi se than i n

w it en o
t f m ‘
In on e f avored tale we are told of a “
”
r r .
,
mystery wh o se eluci dati o n I n ow have a p resenti ment

wo uld fill m e wi th horror ! In ano ther Vincent on hi s ,
2
death bed speaks of a horrid secr et which labors at my

”
-
breast and the Abate speaks to the mar quis o f a secret

,
which shall m ak e y our bloo d run cold ! In S t Oswyth

“
.
we hear that an impenetrable clo ud of cureless sorrow

hung over S i r Alfred and there wa s a dreadf ul mystery in
h i s lif e destiny unk nown as it sho uld seem t o any on e
, , , ,
and which he wa s unwilli ng sho uld be questio ned Th e

“
.
dun geo ned p riso ner in B u ng a y Ca stl e cries W ere I at ,
liberty t o speak I co uld a tale unfold wo uld tempt y ou t o

curse th e world and even detest tho se claim s which bind
m a n to ma n Y ou wo uld be r eady t o forego the ties of
.
nature and shun so ciety Time m ust it will develop the .

,
whole of this my stery ! An d so on .
Inexplicable m usic form s on e o f the commo nest elem ents

of my stifi ca ti o n in these r o m ances Its constant recur .
r ence suggests that ther e m ust have been vi ctrolas in
m edieval ti mes Th e m usi c is chiefly i nstrum ental s o m e

.
,
ti mes o n a harp som etim es on a violi n tho ugh o ccasio n

, ,
ally i t i s vo cal M rs R adcliff e and R egi na M ari a Ro che

. .
acco mpany the heroine s musing s at all ho ur s with doleful

’
str ain s suspected to be of supernatur al perf orm ance .
Th e appear ance o f the devi l m asquerading as the M oor 3
i s her alded by fl u t e like s o unds and i n The S pi ri t of Tur

-
,
retti i ll e the spec ter play s on the harp a n d sings Th e

- .
recurrence of the them e is so co nstant that i t acqui res the
mo no t o ny of a tantalizin g refr ain .
Gro ans and wai ls of unexplai ned ori gi n also aid in build
Reg i na Ma ri a R och e s Cl ermon t
’
.
2
A S i ci l i a n Roma n ce by M rs Ra d cliff e
,
. .
3 In Zofl oya .
ing /
up j usp en se In f act a chorus o f lugubri o usness arises
.
so that the Go thic pa es gro an as they a re tu rned My s

,
g .
t eri o u s disappear an ces likewise incr ease the tensi o n .
Lights appear and vanish wi th alarming v o li ti o n d oor s ,
Open and clo se with n o vi sible hum an assistance and vari ,
o us other supernatur al phen o mena aid in Go thi c m ystery
and my sti fica ti o n .
Alth o ugh th e gho sts and devi ls o ccupy the center of inter
est i n the horri fic romance, the hum an character s must n ot
'
be lig htly passed o ver \There a r e terro r tem peraments as.
well as Go thic castles tempests and scenes Th e i nter , ,

.
feri n g f ather o r o ther relative b rutal in th r eats and breath ,
i n g forth slaughter c om es in fr equently t o o pp r ess the hero

,
o r hero i ne int o a lo athed m arriag e Th e hero is of R a d .
cliffia n g loo m a per so n o f vague past and saturnine temper

, ,
admired and imitated by By ro n S i r Walter R aleig h

“ ,
.
says Th e m a n that By ro n tried to be was the inventio n

,
o f M rs R adcliff e
. Th e officials o f the Inquisiti o n and the
.
dominant fig ures in co nvents and m o nasteries sh ow fien d

i sh cruelty t o ward helpless in m ates g l o ating in Go thic ,
di ab olism over their t or tures T here a ré n o r estful hum an

‘
.
shades of gray only unreli eved black and white char acters
, .
Th e R o m antic heroine is a peculiar creature m uch gi ven ,
t o swoo ni ng and weeping y et alway s im peccably clad in ,
n o matter what n o cturnal emergency she i s surp ri sed .
She tum bl es into verse and sketching on slight p rov o cati o n ,
but h er worst vice i s that of curio sity In h er sear ch fo r .
supernatural h orrors she wanders at midnight thro ugh

apart ments where sh e do es n ot belo ng breaks o pen b oxes , ,
desks and secret hiding places to read whatever letters o r

,
-
m anuscri pts she can l a y h er hands on behavi ng general ly ,
like the y ellow j o urnalist of fiction .
Th e pag es of the Go thi c no vel a re s meared wi th go r e

1
I Th E g li h N v l p
n e n s8 o e , . 22 .
and turn wi th g ho stly flutter Th e co nversatio n is like.
n o thin g on lan d or sea or in the waters under the earth fo r ,
the tadp oles talk like Jo hns onian whales and the reader
g ro ws restl ess under Go dwi n i sti c disquisi tio ns Th e a u .
~
thors a re almost t otally lacki ng in a sense of humor y et ,
the Go thic novel taken as a whole is o n e of the best

, ,
specim ens of unco nsci o us humor known t o E ng lish litera

ture .
Con clusi on . P erhaps the m o st valuable co ntri buti o n

that the Gothi c school made t o E ng lish li terature is J ane
A usten s i ni mi table satir e of it N ortha n g er Abbey Tho u g h
’
.
,
written a s h e r first novel and sold in 1 79 7 it did n ot appear ,
till after h er death in 1 8 1 8 Its purp o se is t o ridi cule the

, .
R om anticists and the b ook in itself wo uld justify the t er

ro ri sti c sch o o l but she was ahead of h er tim es so the edi
, ,
t or f ear ed t o publish it In the m eantim e she wrote h er

.
o ther satires o n so ci ety and w on i mm o rtality for h er wo rk
whi ch mi ght never have been begun sa ve for h er satiety of

medieval ro m ances Th e title of the st ory itself i s imita
.
tive and the well known materials a re all present yet h ow

,
-
,
diff erently employ ed ! The setting is a Gothic abbey tem

pered to m o dern comf ort ; the interferi ng father is n ot
vi ci o us merely i ll natur ed ; the pursuing repulsive lover
,
-
,
i s n o t a vi llain o nly a silly bor e

, Th e heroi ne has n o
.
beauty n or do es she to pple i nt o so nnets n or snatch a

,
penci l t o sk etch the scene fo r we a re to ld that she h a s

,
n o acc o mpli sh m ents Yet she g o es thro ugh palpitati ng

.
adventures mostly m o delled on Mrs R adcliff e s inci .

’
dents S h e i s ham pered i n n ot bei ng suppli ed with a

.
lo ver wh o is the un r ecog nized hei r to vast estates since ,
all the young men in the co un ty a re pro perly provided

wi th parents .
Th e delic i o us p er sifl a g e in whi ch Jane Austen hits off

the ficti o n of the da y ma y be il lustr ated by a bi t of con
versati o n between two yo un g gi rls .
M y d earest Cath erin e what have y ou been doing with ,
u sel f all the m nin ? H ave y ou g o ne on with Udolpho ?

“
y o r o r g
g ot t o the black veil

”
Yes ; I have been rea ding it ever since I woke and I ha ve
.
,
Are y ou in d eed ? How d elig htful ! Oh I woul d n ot tell
”
, ,
y o u what is b ehin d that black veil for the wo rl d ! Are y ou
n ot wild t o kn ow ?
Oh y es quit e ! What can it be ? B ut d o n ot tell m e I

, ,
-
would n ot be told on a n y account I know it must be a skel e .
t o n ; I a m sur e it is La u ren t i n a s skelet on Oh I am delig ht ed ’

.
,
with th e book ! I sh ould like to sp end my whole life reading

it I assure y ou If it had n ot been to m eet y ou I woul d n ot
,
.
,
have com e away from it for the world

“Dear creature ! How much oblig ed I am to y ou ; a n d when
.
y ou have finished Udolp ho we will read The Ita li a n t o g ether ; ,
a n d I have m ade o ut a list of t en or twelve m or e of t h e sam e
kin d for y ou
“Have y o u in deed ? How g lad I a m ! What a re they all ?
.
I will read y ou their n a m es dir ectly ; her e they a re i n m y ,
p ocket book : Ca s tl e of Wolf en ba ch Cl ermon t M ysteri ou s

-
, ,
Wa rn i n g s , N ecroma ncer f
o the B l a ck Forest Mi dn i g ht
, B ell ,
Orpha n f
o the Rhi n e , a n d H orri d M ys teri es . These will last
us Some tim e .
Y es p rett y well ; but a re they all horrid ? Are y ou sure

,
they a re all h orrid ?

“ Y es q uite sur e ; for a p articular friend of min e a M iss
, ,
An drews— a sweet g irl o n e o f the sweet est crea tur es in the

,
world h a s read every o n e of

—
M r Geor g e S aintsbur y ‘ expresses himself as sceptical

.
of this list as a catalo g ue o f actual rom ances stating that ,
he has never r ead o n e o f them and sho uld like s ome o ther
authori ty than Miss Andrews fo r their existence He i s .
mista ken in his do ubt h o wever since during the pro g ress , ,
o f this investi g ati o n fo ur o u t o f the eig ht have been i d en ti
fie d as t o auth orship and do ubtless the o ther s a re lurk ,
I hi i t du ti
n t hi p k t v l m
s n ro f T l
c on f My t y
o s oc e o u eo a es o s er .
The Go thi c Ro ma n ce 49
i ng i ns ome anti que li brar y Clermont i s by M ari a Regi na

.
R o che ; Mysteri ous Wa rni n g s by M rs Parso ns i n Lo ndon .

, ,
1 796 ; M i dni g ht B ell by F r ancis Latham ; and H orri d
Mysteri es by M ar quis Gro sse Lo ndo n 1 796 , , .
Jane Austen s stupid bore Jo hn Thorpe and Mr

’
, , .
Ti lney the i mpeccable pedantic hero add thei r comment

, , ,
to Gothi c ficti o n on e sayi n g wi th a yawn that there hasn t

’
,
been a decent novel since Tom Jon es except The Mon k , ,
and the other that he r ea d Udolpho i n two da ys wi th hi s

hai r standi ng on end al l the time .
B ut the r e al clever ness of the work co nsi sts i n the bur

l es q
u e of Gothi c experi ences that C atheri ne beca use of ,
the exci ted co ndi ti o n of her min d in duced by excess of

romanti c ficti o n go es thr o ugh with o n h er vi si t to N orth
,
anger Abbey Sh e explor es secr et wi ngs i n a search f or

.
horrors o nly t o find sunny room s wi th n o i mpri soned wi fe

, , ,
n ot a si ngle m ani ac and never s kelet o n of t ort ured n un

‘
, .
Mr Ti lney s i roni c jests satirize all the elements of Gothi c

.
’
ro mance Openi ng a black chest at mi dni ght she finds

.
,
a yellowed manuscri pt but just as she i s abo ut t o read i t

,
h er can dl e fli ckers o u t In the m orni ng sunshi ne she

.
finds that i t i s an old laundry li st Th e only result of .
h er suspi ci o us exp l ori n g s i s that sh e i s caught i n such

prowli ngs by the youn g m an who se esteem sh e wi shes to
wi n . He sarcasti cally assur es h er that h i s f ather i s n o t
a wif e murder er that hi s m o ther i s n ot i mmured i n a
-
,
dun geo n but di ed of a bi li o us attack These deli cately

, .
ti pped shaf ts of ridi cul e riddle the armor of medi eval i sm

an d gi ve i t at the sa m e ti m e a perma nency o f i nter est
because of Jane Austen s tr eatm ent of i t The Gothi c ’

.
novel wi ll be remembered i f for nothi ng else for h er , ,
paro dy of i t .
B ut Mi ss Austen i s no t the o nly sati ri st of the g enre .
In The H eroi ne E aton S tannar d B arr ett gi ves an amusi ng

,
burlesque of i t It i s i nter esti ng t o note in thi s co nnec

.
50 The G o thic Ro ma n ce
ti o n that whi le N ortha ng er A bbey was wri tten

and s old i n
published till 1 8 1 8 and B arrett s book
’
1 79 7 i t wa s n ot ,
.
whi le wr itten later was publi shed in 1 8 1 3

,
.
In the i ntro ductio n an epistle supp o sed , ,

to be endi ted
by on e Cherubina say s : ,
M OO N Ma y ,
1, 1813 .
Know that the mom ent that a m ortal manuscrip t is written

i n a l eg ibl e hand a n d t h e wor d E n d or Finis attached ther eto ,
wh at ever ch ara ct ers ha p p en t o be sketched therein acquire

th e q uality Of creating a soul or sp irit which takes flig ht a n d
ascen ds immediately throug h the reg ions Of the a i r till it
arrives a t th e m oo n where it is embodied and becomes a
,
living crea ture the precise counterp art Of the literary p roto
,
ty p e
.
Know farther that all the t own s villag es rivers hills and , , , ,
va lley s Of t h e m oo n also o we their orig in t o the des crip tions

which writ ers g ive Of th e landscap es Of th e earth
B y m ea n s Of a bo ok The H eroi n e I b eca m e a living i n h a bi
, ,
tan t Of the m o on I m et with th e Ra dcl y ffia n a n d R ochi a n

.
heroin es a n d others ; but th ey toss ed their heads a n d told m e

,
p ertly th at I wa s a sl ur on th e sist erho o d and s om e went so ,
f ar as to sa y th at I had a desig n on th eir lives .
Cherry an uns ophi sticated co untry gir l becomes

, ,
Cher ubina a fter r eadin g romanti c tales Sh e deci des that .
she i s an heiress kept i n unwarranted seclusio n and ,
tells her f ather that he cannot p o ssibly be h er f ather since

“
he i s a fa t f unny farmer
, Sh e r um mag es i n his desk
.
for p ri vate paper s di scoveri ng a t or n scr ap that sh e

,
interprets t o h er desires S h e fli es leavi ng a no te to tell

“
”
.
,
the fleshy ag ri culturi st that she is g o ne to wander over

the convex earth i n search Of her parents wi th what ,
c omi c experi ences on e m a y i magi ne T here i s much di s .
cussi o n O f th e Go th i c he ro ine particularl y tho se fro m M rs

, .
R adcli ff e s and Regina M ari a Ro che s pages The gi rl

’ ’
.
T he G o thi c R o ma n c e 51
sp ri nkles h er letters wi th verse Sh e passes thro ug h storms

.
,
explo res deserted ho uses and comes t o what she thinks is

,
h er ancestral castle in Lo ndo n but is told that it is Co vent ,
Gar den Theatre Sh e decides that she is N ell Gwynne s

.
’
ni ece a nd go es t o that ami able perso n to dem and all her

pro perty Sh e p okes aro und in the cellar to find her capti ve
.
mother and disco ver s an enorm o usly fa t wo m an playi ng

,
with fr o g s wh o drunkenly insists that she i s her mother

, .
Leaving that place in disgust she takes p o ssessio n o f

s om eb o dy else s castle and or der s it fur nished in Gothic
’
sty le accor di ng t o r o m ance S h e has the fa t f armer shut

, .
up in the m adho use .
T h e b o o k is very am using and a m or e pro n o un ced ,
paro dy o n Gothicism than N ortha ng er A bbey because the

whole st ory t ur ns ro und that them e — but Of co urse it is , , ,
n o t of so g r eat liter ary value It seem s str ang e however

.
, ,
that it is so little kno wn It burlesques every f eatur e of

.
terror fictio n the hig h fl own lang uag e the excited o aths
,
-
, ,
the f eudal furnitur e the m e di eval architectur e the Gothic

, ,
weather the supernatural tempers the sp ectra l a p p a ri ti on s

, ,
'
—O n e O f which is so muscular that he st rug les with the

g
heroine as she lo cks hi m in a clo set after thro wi ng ra p ee ,
int o hi s f ace whi ch m akes hi m sputter in a m ortal fashi on

, .
Cherubi na finds a blade b o ne of mutt o n in s ome Go thic

garbage and tak es it for a bo ne Of an ancestor Ra d .
cli ffi a n adjectives r eel acro ss the pag es and the who le
play s up i n a delig htful paro dy the ludi cro us weaknesses

and excesses o f the terror fictio n .
Li kewise the A nti Jaco bin paro di es the Go thic g ho st and

-
there is c o nsider able satir e directed at the who le Go thi c

g enre in Th om as Lo ve P eaco ck s no vel N i g htma re A bbey
’
.
In general Gothicism had a to nic eff ect on E ng li sh

,
li teratur e and i nfluenced the co ntinental ficti o n to n o

,
s m all degree B y gi vi ng an i nterest and exci tem ent

.
gai ned from ghostly themes to ficti o n the terror wri ters ,
52 T he Go thic Ro ma nce
made ro mance p o p ul ar a s it had never been bef ore and

i mm ensely extended the ran g e Of i ts readers Th e n o vel .
has never lo st the hold on p opular f ancy that the Gothi c

g h o st g ave t o it T his inte r est h a s incr eased thr o ugh the
.
vario us aspects of Rom anticism since then and i n every

perio d has f ound so m e f orm Of supernaturalism on whi ch to
f eed. Tr ue the m achinery Of Go thicis m cr eaks audibly
,
at times s om e of the specters m ove too mechanical ly and

, ,
ther e is a g eneral a i r Of unreality that detr acts from the

eff ect Th e supernaturali sm often lacks the natur aln ess
.
which is necessary Yet it is n o t f ai r to apply t o these

.
early eff orts the same standar ds by whi ch we judge the

novels of t o d ay While thei r ra nge is narro w they d o
.
achieve certain impressive eff ects Tho ug h the class .
becam e conventio nali zed t o an absur d degree and the

later examples a r e laug hable whi le a h Os t Of imi tations ,
m ade the ty pe ridi cul o us the Go thic n o vel h as an un de

,
niable for ce .
B esides t he bring ing O f supernaturalis m definitely into

fictio n which is a distinct g ain we find other benefits as
, ,
well In Gothicism if we ex ami ne clo sely we find the be

.
, ,
gi nning s Of many forms of super natur alism that a r e crude

here but that a re t o develo p int o special p o wer in later
,
no vels and short stories Th e terror no vel excites o ur .
ri dicul e in s om e r espects y et like o ther things that aro use a

, ,
certain measure of laug hter it has g reat value It seems a , .
f a r cry fro m the per ambul ating statue in Otra n to t o Lor d

Du n sa n y s jade g o ds that m ove wi th measur ed st o ny steps
’
t o wr eak a terri ble veng eance o n mort al s wh o have defied

them but the connectio n ma y be clearly eno ugh seen Th e
, .
dreadful experi ments by which Frankenstei n s m o nster i s ’
created a re clo se akin to the revolting vivi sectio ns Of

W ells s Dr M oreau o r the Operatio ns descri bed by Art hur
’
.
,
M achen whereby human beings lo se thei r s ouls and becom e

di ab oli zed gi ven o ver utterly to unspeakable evi l The
, .
T he G o thi c R o ma nce 53
psy chi c elements in Zofioya a re crudely co nceived y et ,
suggestive of the psy chic horro rs of the work Of B lackwo o d ,
B arry P ain and Theo dore Dr eiser for exam ple

, , Th e .
anim al supernaturali sm o nly li ghtly to uched o n i n Gothic

no vels is t o be elaborated in the st ories Of g ho stly beasts
li ke tho se by E di th Wharto n Kipling Ambro se Bi er ce
, , ,
and others In fact the greater number of the forms of

.
,
the supernatur al fo und i n later fictio n and the drama a re

di scoverable in g erm at least in Go thi c rom ance Th e
, , .
work Of this perio d g ave a tr em endo us impetus to the

uncanny elements O f ro m antici sm and the eff ect has been
seen in the fictio n and drama and po etry since that time .
Its influence on the dram a Of its da y m a y be seen in

W alpo le s M ysteri ous M other and Lewi s s Ca stle S pecter
’ ’
.
'
Tho m as Lo vell B eddo e s extr aordinary tr ag edy Dea th s
’
Jest B ook while larg ely E li zabethan in m aterials and

,
m etho d i s closely r elated t o the Go thic as well

, It wo uld
.
be impo ssible t o understand o r appr eciate the supernatur al

in the nineteenth cent ur y liter atur e and that Of our own
-
day witho ut a kno wledg e of the Gothi c t o which m o st Of

it go es back Li ke mo st begi nni ngs Go thi cism is crude
.
,
in i ts earlier form s and co nventio nal i n the floo d of i mi

,
ta ti o n s that fo ll o wed the successful attem pts B ut it is

.
r eall y vit a l and m o st O f the g h o stly fictio n since that tim e
h as li neally descended from it r ather than fro m the super

naturalism of the epi c or Of the dram a .
C HAPT E R II
L a t e r In fl u e n c e s
'
HE Got hi c peri o d m arked a chang e the vehi cle Of in
supernatur alism In ancient times the ghostly
.
had been expr essed in the epic or the dram a in ,
medievalism in the romances m etrical and pro se as in

, ,
E lizabethan liter at ur e the dram a was the specific fo rm .
B u t Go thicism bro ug ht it over frankly int o the n o ve l ,
which was a new thing That is no teworthy since super

.
,
naturalism seem s m ore clo sely r elated to p o etry than t o

prose ; and as the early dr am as wer e for the m o st par t
p o etic it di d n o t require such a stretch of the im ag inatio n
,
t o gi ve c redence t o the unearthl y Th e ballad the epic

.
, ,
the dr ama had m ade the g ho stly seem credible B ut

, .
p ro se fictio n is so much m ore m ateriali stic that at first

tho ug ht supernaturalism seems antagoni stic t o it That .
this is n ot r eally the case is evidenced fro m the f act that

fictio n since the terror tim es has r etained the elem ents Of
awe then intro duced has develo ped and has gr eatly added
, ,
t o them .
With the dying ou t of the g en re definitely known a s the

Go thic n o vel and the turn ing of Rom anticism into vari o us
new channels we mi g ht expect t o see the di sappearance Of
,
the gho stly element since it had been o verworked in

,
terrori sm It i s true that the prevai li ng ty pe Of ficti o n

.
for the succeeding peri o d was reali sm but with a large ,
admi xture of the supernorm al or supernatural The super .
54
La ter I n flu en ces 55
natural machi nery had become so well establi shed i n p ro se

fictio n that even reali sts were moved by i t some usi ng ,
the mo ti fs wi th banteri ng ap olog y— even Dickens and

'
T hack eray some wi th rati o nalisti c explanati o n but p ra c

, ,
ti cally a ll usin g i t Man must and will have the super

.
natur a l i n hi s ficti o n Th e very elements that on e mi g ht

.
supp o se would co unteract i t m o dern thought i nventi o n

,
—
, ,
sci en ce —serve as f eeders t o i t s force In the i nexplicable

, .
al chemy of li ter atur e alm o st everythi ng turns t o the un
earthly i n s ome form or o ther .
We have seen the vari o us so urces from whi ch the Go thi c

no vel drew i ts plots i t s mo tif s for gho stly efi ect Th e
, .
su per natur al ficti o n followi ng it still had the same sour ces
on whi ch t o dr aw and in addi ti on had vari o us o ther
,
i nfluences and vei ns of liter ary i nsp i ratio n n ot o pen to

Go thici sm . Mo dern sci ence wi th the new mi racles Of i ts
,
lab or atori es proved sug g estive of countless plots ; the new

,.
study Of folk lore and the scho larly i nvesti gatio ns in that
-
field un earthed an unguessed weal th of supernatural

materi al ; P sychi cal Research so ci eti es wi th thei r patient
and sympatheti c records of the fo rces Of the u nseen ;
mo der n S p i1i tua1i sm wi th i ts attempts to li nk thi s world
to the next ; the wi zardry Of dr ea ms studi ed s ci enti ficall y ,
—
all sugges ted new them es no vel compli cati o ns hi therto
, ,
unk n o wn elements c onti nuin g the supernatural in fiction .
With the extensi on of general r eadi ng and the greater ,
r ange Of t ranslati o ns from o ther languages the writers o f ,
E ngland and Am eri ca were aff ected by new i nfluences

wi th r esp ect to thei r use of the supernatural Their work .
became less i nsul ar wi der i n i t s r ange of subject m atter

,
-
and of techni cal methods and in our ficti o n we find the

,
eff ect Of certai n defini te o utside forces .
Th e o verlappi ng in fluences Of the R omanti c movem en t

i n E ng land an d Am eri ca F rance and Germany form an
, ,
i nteresti ng but i ntri cate study It i s di ffi cult to p oi nt o ut

.
56 La ter I n flu e n ces
marked p oi nts Of contact tho ugh th e general eff ect ma y

,
be evident for literary influences a re usually very elusi ve

,
.
It i s easy to cry LO her e ! 10 ther e ! with ref erence t o the

, , ,
eff ect Of certain writers o n their co ntem p o raries o r suc

cesso rs but it is n o t alway s easy t o put the finger o n a n y
,
thi ng very tang ible A n d even so that wo uld n ot explai n

.
,
literature If o n e co uld p oi nt with abso lute certainty

.
t o the s o ur ce fo r every on e o f S hakespear e s plo ts wo uld

’
,
that explain his a rt ? P o e wro te an elab orate essay t o

analy ze his p ro cesses Of co mp o siti o n fo r The Ra ven but the ,
p o em rem ains as eni gm atic as ever .
As Germ an R om antici sm had been co nsiderably aff ected

by the Gothic novel in E ng land it in turn sho wed an ,
i nfluence on later E ng lish and Am erican gh o stly ficti o n .
S co tt was m uch interested in the Germ an li teratur e tr eatin g

o f evil m agi c appari tio ns castles in ruins and so fo rth
, , , ,
and one cri ti c say s Of hi m that his dealing s wi th subjects

Of thi s kind a re midway between M ei nh old and Ti eck .
H e wa s f ascinated wi th the Germ an ballads Of the super

natural especially B urger s g ho stly L en ore whi ch he
,
’
,
translated amo ng o thers D e Q ui n ce v li kewi se wa s a

.
student o f Germ an literature tho ugh he was n ot so a c ,
curate i n h i s sch olarship as S cott Hi s horr o r tale The .

,
A ven g ers as well as K l osterhei m has a Germ an setti ng and

, ,
t o ne
.
T here has been s om e discussio n over the questi o n Of

H awth orne s relati o n t o Germ an Ro m antici sm
’
P oe .
m ade the charg e that H awth orne dr ew hi s ideas and sty le

from Ludwi g Tieck say ing in a cri ticism : ,
Th e fact is he is n ot orig inal i n a n y s en se Those who

,
.
sp eak Of h im as o rig inal m ea n nothing more than that he

differs in his mann er or to n e and i n his choice Of subjects , ,
from a n y author of th eir ac q uaintance— their acquaintance

n ot extending t o the Germ an Tieck whose manner in some ,
of his works is absolutely identical with that ha bi tua l t o Ha w

thorne . Th e critic (unacquaint ed with Tieck) wh o rea ds
a sing le tale by Hawthorne m a y be justified in thinking him
o ri g i nal .
V ari o us cri ti cs have di scussed thi s m atter with n o very

definite co nclusio ns It sho uld be remembered that Poe
.
was a fam o us pla g iary hunter hence hi s comm ents m a y be

-
,
disco unted Yet P oe knew German it is tho ug ht and

.
, ,
in his writin g s Often ref erred to Germ an literature while ,
H awth orne acco r din g t o his j o urnal read it with diffi culty
, ,
and sp o ke of his strug g les with a volum e Of Tieck .
H awth orne and T ieck d o sh o w certain simila rities as in ,
the use of the dream elem ent the employ m ent Of the ,
alleg ory as a m edi um for teaching m or al truths and the ,
choice Of the leg end as a liter ary form B o th use s o m e

what the sam e dr eamy supernatur alism y et in sty le as i n ,
sub ject m atter H awtho rne is m uch the superior and i m

-
p roved whatever he m ay have borr o wed from Tieck .
H awth orne s va g ue my stery clo udy sy m b olism and deep

’
, ,
spiri tualism a re individual in their eff ect and give to his

supernaturalism an un earthly charm scar cely fo und else
where H aw th orne s them e in The M a rble Fa un Of the a t
.
’
,
taining to a s o ul by human suff erin g is akin to the idea in ,
Fou q u é s Undi ne
’
Ther e the supernatur alis m is fr anker
.
,
whi le that Of H awt horne s no vel is m ore evasive and deli

’
cate y et the same sug g esti o n i s present in each case

,
.
Lo well in his F a bl e f or Cri ti cs speaks o f H awth orne as
a John B uny an Fo uque a P uritan Tieck

,
.
Ther e a re still m or e striki ng si m ilari ties t o be p o inted

o ut between the work O f P oe and that Of E T A H o ff . . .
m ann .As Hawthorne was t o a slight extent at least

, , ,
aff ected by Germ an legends and wo nder tales Po e wa s ,
influenced by Hoff mann s horror stori es Po e has been

’
.
called a Germani c dreamer and vari ous German and,

cri ti cs menti on the debt that he o wes t o Hoff mann

E ngli sh .
Mr Palm er Cobb bri ng s o ut s om e i nteresting f acts i n

.
I
connection wi th the two rom anti cists He say s : .
Th e verifica tion of Po e s in debtedness t o German i s to be ’
soug ht in the similarit y of the treatment of the sam e motives

in the work of both authors Th e m ost convincing evi .
den c e is furnished by the wa y in which P o e h as combined

th e them es o f m esm erism m etemp sy cho sis dual existence the , , ,
dream el em en t a n d so forth i n exa ct ag reem ent with the

, ,
g roup ing em p l o y ed by Hoff m ann N o table exam p les of this .
a r e th e em p l o ym ent Of the idea Of do uble exist en c e in con ju n c
tion with the strug g le of g oo d a n d evil forces in the soul of the

in divi dual and th e combination Of m esm erism a n d m etem
,
p s y cho sis as leading m o tives in on e a n d the sam e st ory .
Mr Co bb p oints out i n detai l the simil arities between

.
Po e s st o ri es Of dual perso nality and the Germ an use o f the

’
theme as found in Fouque N o valis and Hoff mann p a rti cu , , ,
l a rl y the last Ho ff m ann s ex ag g erated use Of thi s idea

’
.
is to be explai ned o n the g ro und that he was Obsessed by

the tho ug ht that his do uble was hauntin g hi m and he , ,
like M aupassant under simil ar co ndi tio ns of mi nd wr o te ,
Of supernatu ralism asso ciated with madness Hoff m ann .
uses the them e o f do uble pers o nal i ty In P o e s Wi lli a m .

’ ’
Wi l son the o ther self i s the emb o diment Of g oo d a sort Of ,
i ncarnate c o nscience as in S tevens o n s M a rkh eirn whil e

’
, ,
Hoff m ann s E li xi ere represents the evi l Poe has her e

’
.
r eversed the idea In Hoff mann s M a g neti seur we find

.
’
the treatm ent of hypno tism and m etem psy cho si s and the
dream supernaturalism in the sam e combi natio n that Po e
-
uses .Hoffm ann a n d Po e s relate the st ory Of a sup em a

3 4
Th I fl e fE T A Hfm
n uence o Edg Al l
. P . . o a n n on ar an oe .
I th D pp l g g
n e K t Mu
o e d Eli i é d T uf l
a n er , a er rr, a n x re es e es .
3 I hi T l f th R gg d M
n s a e o t i e a e ou n a ns .
4 In Di e Jesui t ki rche
- in G .
S In The Ova l P ortra i t .
La ter I n flu ences 59
tur al p ortr ai t where the wi fe mo del di es a s the sacri fice

,
-
to the painting .
B o th Hoff m ann and Po e use the g r o tesqueri e Of super

naturalism the fantastic element Of horror that adds to
,
the eff ect of the g ho stly E ven the g eneri c ti tles a re almo st .
i dentical B u t in spite of these sim i larities in them e and

.
i n gro upi ng ther e is n o basi s for a charg e that Poe owes

,
a sty listic debt to Hoff m ann In his m anner he IS ori g in al .
and indi vi dual He uses his them es with m uch g reater

.
a rt ,
wi th mor e d ram atic and p o werf ul eff ect than hi s
Germ an co ntemp or ary Th o ug h he em pl oy s f ewer of the .
crude machineries Of the supernatural his g ho stly tales ,
a re m or e un eart hl y than H off m ann s Hi s h orrors have a

’
.
m ore awful eff ect because he is an incompar ably g reater

artist He kn o ws the eco nomy of thril ls as few have do ne
. .
Hi s is the g enius Of com p ressio n Of sug g estio n Hi s dr eam , .
elements for in stance tho ug h Hoffm ann uses the dream

, ,
t o as g reat extent as P oe— a re mo re p oi g nant m ore u n ,
bearable .
Th e cult Of h orror in Germ an liter ature as evi denced in ,
the work Of H offm ann Kleist Tieck Arn im Fo uque , , , , ,
C hamiss o had an i nfluence on E ng lish and Am erican

,
l iter ature Of supernatur ali sm in g ener al T h e g ro tesque .
diablerie the use Of dream elements m ag neti sm m etem

, , ,
psy cho sis g ho sts the elixir Of life — which theme appears
, ,
t o have a literary elixir of life— a re reflected t o a certain

deg ree in the E ng li sh g ho stly tales o f the g eneratio n fol
lowing the Gothic romance .
A F r ench influence is likewi se m anif est i n the later
E n g lish fictio n Th e Go thic n ovel had m ade itself f elt in

.
France as well as in Germ any a pro of Of which is the fact ,
that B alzac was so im pressed by M a t uri n s no vel that he ’
wrote a sequel to i t T h e interr elatio ns o f the E n g li sh

.
2
,
'
C mp d fi i ti f hi t y p ph t y pi wi th H ff m n
’
1
o P a re oe s e n on O s e as a n as eces o an s
ti tl e P ha n tas i e St ucke . Mel moth Réconci li é .

Fr ench and , Germ an

supernatural literature a re no where
better illustrated than in the work of B alzac He adm i ts .
Hoff m ann s inspir ati on of his E li xi r of Lif e that horri ble

’
,
story Of reanim atio n where the head is restored to lif e ,
and y o uth but the bo dy remains that Of an ol d ma n dead ,
and decay ing from which the head tears itself lo o se in the
,
church and bites the abbo t to the br ain shrieki ng out

“Idio t tell me n ow if there is a Go d ! B alzac s i nfluence
, ,
o ver B ulwer Ly tt o n i s seen in such st ories as The H a un ters

-
a n d the H a un ted or the H ouse a n d the B ra i n and A S tra n g e

, ,
S tory in each Of which the theme of supernaturally co n

,
ti n u e d lif e i s used B al zac s M a g i c S ki n is a sy m b olic

’
.
story Of supernatur alism that sug gests H awt horne s ’
allegoric sy mbo lism and m a y have influenced it in part .
It is a new appli catio n of the Old theme used Often in the ,
dram a as in Go thic rom ance Of the pledg e Of a s o ul for ,
earthly g r atificatio n A m ag ic skin g ives the m a n his .
heart s desires y et each g ranted wish m akes the talisman

’
,
shrink perceptibly wi th an inexorable decrease This ,

.
theme sy mb olic Of the truth of lif e is such a spiritual idea

, ,
used alleg orically as H awthorne cho se fr equently and

do ubtless influenced Oscar Wilde s P i cture of Dori a n Grey ’
.
B al zac s Un kn own M a sterpi ece is ano ther example of h i s

’
supernatur alism that has had its sug g estive eff ect on
E ng lish gho stly fictio ns .
Guy de M aupassant has d o ubtless influenced E n g li sh

tales of horror more than a n y foreig n writer since Hoff
mann As a sty list he exer cised a definite and stro ng i n fl u
.
ence over the short st ory form co ndensing i t m a ld n g i t-

, ,
m ore ec on om ical m ore like a fatal bullet that g o es str aig ht

,
t o the m ark and putting int o a few hundr ed wor ds a st o ry

,
Of supernatural h o rro r relentless in its eff ect 0 H enry s

’
. .
delicately perfect gho st sto ry The Fu rn i shed Room i s

, , ,
rem iniscent of M a u p a ssa n t s technique as seen i n The

’
Ghost An d sur ely F M ari o n Crawf or d s S crea mi n g S kull

’
. .
L a ter I n flu en ces 61
and Ambro se B i er ce s M i ddle Toe of the Ri g ht Foot a re

’
from the same b o dy as M a up a ssa n t s H a nd What a ’

.
terrible corpus i t must be ! Ther e is the same g ruesom e

my stery the same i m placable h orror in each st ory Of a
,
mutil ated g h o st .
M a up a ssa n t s st o ries Of madness aki n to P o e s analyses

’
,
’
of m ental decay Of the sl o w co rruptio n o f the b rain a r e

, ,
amo ng hi s mo st dreadful triumphs Of style and have ,
i nfluenced vario us E ng lish st ories of insanity In M a u .
passant s o wn totterin g reaso n we find the trag ic exp lana

’
tio n Of his co nstant return to this ty pe Of st ory S uch .
tales as M a d where a husband g o es insane from do ubt Of

,
his wif e ; M a d ness where a ma n has a weir d power o ver

,
hum an being s anim als and even inanim ate Objects ma k

, , ,
i n g them d o his will so that he is terrified Of his own self

, ,
o f what his h orrible hands m a y d o m echanically ; Cocotte ,
where the dro wned do g following its master a hundred ,
m iles do wn the river d rives hi m insane ; The Tres s a

, ,
cur dling story of the r elatio n between insanity and the

super natural so that one is unable to sa y which i s cause
,
and whi ch eff ect illustrate M a u p a ssa n t s unusual as

,
’
s o ciatio n between m adness and uncanny ficti o n Who .
but M aupassant co uld m ake a story of g hastly hi deousness

o ut o f a parro t that swears ? A s M aupassant was i n fl u
en ce d by P oe in b o th subject m atter and technique so
, ,
he has aff ected the E n g lish writers since his tim e i n b oth
plot m aterial and tr eatment Of the supernatural An d .
as hi s L a H orl a stro n g ly reflects Fi t zJa m es O B ri en s ’ ’
Wha t Wa s It A M ystery that anticipated it by a number

.
Of y ear s so i t left its inevitable i m p ress on B ierce s The

’
,
Da mn ed Thi n g and succeedin g st ories Of supernatur al 1n

visibility A recent st ory by K atherine Fullerton Gerould
.
,
L a n g ui er s Thi rd A ct seem s clearly to indicate the D e

’
M aupassant influence r eflect i ng the m etho d and mo ti fs

,
Of L a H orl a and The Cowa rd M a up a ssa n t s tales have a

.
’
62 La ter I n flu en ces
peculi ar horror p o ssessed by few partly because Of his ,
undo ubted g enius and partly the result Of his increasin g

madness .
Other F rench writers have als o influenced the uncanny
story in E ng lish Theophile Gautier has undo ubtedly

.
inspired vario us tales such as The M ummy s Foot by ,

’
,
Jessi e Adelaide Weston whi ch is the m atch tho ugh n o t , ,
i n beauty or form t o his little masterpiece of that title

,
.
A C o nan Doy le s L ot N o 2 49 a h orrible st ory o f a re

’
. .
,
a n i rn a t ed m ummy bears an unquestio nable r esem blance

,
t o Gautier s The Roma nce of the M u mmy as well as The

’
M u mmy s F ’
oot th o u g h P o e s A Word wi th a M u mmy a
,
’
,
f antastic st ory em phasi zing the science Of mir acul o us

embalming of livi ng perso ns so that they wo uld wake to
life after tho usands Of y ears preceded it S omething Of ,
.
the same them e is also used by F M ario n Crawford .

,
1
where the b odies in the Old studio awake to m enacing lif e .
This m o tif illustr ates the pr ev al ence Of the Oriental

m aterial in recent En g lish fictio n Gautier s L a M orte
’
.
A mou reu s e has ex er cised sug g estive p ower over later tales ,
such as Crawfor d s vampire story tho ug h it is sig nifi cant

’
,
2
t o r ecall that P o e s B eren i ce p receded Gautier s st ory by a

’ ’
year and the latter must have kno wn P o e s work

,
’
.
Th e ficti o n of E rckm a n n Ch a tri a n app ears t o have sug —
g ested vari o us E ng lish st ories The Owl s E a r Obvio usly

’
.
inspired another both being recor ds of supernatur al

,
3
acoustics the latter dealin g with spiri tual s o unds The .
In vi si bl e E y e a f ears om e st ory Of hy pn o tism has an

, ,
evident parental claim on Al g erno n B lackwoo d s story ’

,
4
thoug h the latter is psy chically m ore g rueso me The .
Wa ters of Dea th an acco unt o f a lo athso me enchanted

, ,
crab suggests H G Wells s story of the plant vampire 5

, . .
’
.
x
In K ha l ed . For the B l ood Is the Life .
The S pi der s E ye, by Lucreti a P Ha l e

’
3 . .
4 I
Wi th ntent to S tea l 5 The F
. l oweri ng of the S tra ng e Orchi d .
L a ter I n flu en ces 63
Lik ewi se Anato le France s

the narrative Of the
’
P u toi s ,
ma n wh o cam e t o have an actual exi stence because some

o n e sp o ke Of h i m a s an im agi nary pers o n i s asso ciated ,
wi th the drolleries o f supernaturalism such as a re used ,
by Thomas B ail ey Al drich in the story of an im ag ined p er

Mi ss M ehi ta bel s S on and by F rank R S t o ckt o n
‘
’
son , , . .
Anat ole F r ance has several delicately wro u g ht idy lls of
the supernatural as The M a ss of S ha dows where the

, ,
g ho sts Of th o se wh o have sinned fo r l o ve m a y m eet

o nce a y ear t o be r eunited with their l o ved o nes and ,
in the church wi th clasped hands celebrate the spectral

, ,
m ass or such tender m iracles as The J ug g l er of N otre

,
Da me where the jug g ler throws his balls befor e the altar
,
as an act of worship a nd i s rewarded by a sig ht of the

Virg in o r S chola sti cu s a sy mboli c story much lik e on e
, ,
written y ears earlier by Thom as B ailey Al drich where a ,

2
plant m ir aculo usly spring s from the heart of a dead wom an .
A mycu s a n d Cel esti n e the st o ry Of the f aun and the hermit

“
”
, ,
O f wh o m he tells us that the hermit is a faun borne down

by th e y ear s is sug gesti ve Of the w onderful little st ories Of
Lo r d Dun sany Lor d D unsany whil e startlin g ly original
.
,
i n m o st r espects seems a bi t i nfluenced by An at o le F

,
r ance .
Hi s When the Gods S l ept seem s remi n iscent Of The Isl e

of the P en g ui ns In France s sati re the g o ds change pen
.
’
g ui n s i nt o m en who se s o uls will be l o st because the priest ,
h a s bapti ze d them by m istake while i n Dun sa n y s st ory

’
the baboo ns pr ay t o the Yo g is wh o prom ise to make them ,
m en in r eturn for their devo tion .
An d the baboons arose from worship p ing smoother about ,
the face a n d a little shorter in the arms and went away and ,
hid them selves in clothing a n d h erded wi th m en An d men .
could n ot discern what they were for their bodies were bodies
1
In The T f
ran s erred Ghost a n d The S pectra l Mortg a g e .
P ére A ntoi n e s Da te P a l m
’
.
of thoug h their s ouls were still th e soul s

m en Of beasts and
the worship went t o th e Yog is sp irits of ill ,
.
M aeterli nck i nfluenced by his fell o w B elgi an Charles

,
-
,
Va n Lerberg h e wh o se Fl a i reurs appear ed befor e M aeter

,
linck s play s Of the uncanny and t o wh o m he acknowledges

’
his indebtedness has stro ng ly aff ected gho stly literature

,
since his rise t o reco g nitio n In his plays we fin d an a t .
m o sp h eri c supernatur alism Th e settings a re Of earth .

,
y et with an unearthly st rang eness with n o impr essi o n o f ,
realis m of the f amil iar

,
the kno wn In M aeterli nck s
, .
’
play s we never breathe the a i r Of actuality never feel the ,
footing Of s olid earth as we alway s d o in S hak espear e

, ,
even in the p resence of gho sts or witches S hakespeare s .

’
visitants a re g h o stly eno ug h certainly but the scenes in , ,
which they appear a re real a re norm al while in the B el , ,
g ian s wo rk there i s a fl ui di c supernatur alism that tr ans

’
f orms every thing t o unreality We f eel the grip of fate .

,
as in the ancient Greek trag edies the inescapable calami ty ,
that appro aches with swift silent pace Yet M aeter , .
lin ck s is essentially s tatic dram a There is very little

' ’
.
action amo n g the hum an beings at least fo r Fate is the

, , ,
active ag ent In The B li nd The In truder and In teri or the

.
, ,
elem ents a re much the sam e the eff ects wro ught out wi th ,
the sam e unearthly m anner B ut i n Joyzell e whi ch shows .

,
a certain similarity to M i dsummer Ni g ht s Drea m and The ’
Temp est we have a diff erent ty pe Of supernaturalism the

, ,
use of enchantm ent of fairy m ag i c that com es to a clo se

,
happi ly In the dream dra m a there is a mi xture Of

.
- I
rea li sm a n d p o etic sy mb olism the use Of th e dream a s a ,
vehicle fo r the superno rm al and m any aspects of the wei rd ,
combined i n a fairy play Of exquisite sy m bolism .
T h e influence Of M aeterlinck is app arent i n the wo rk o f

E ngli sh wri ters particularly Of the C elti c sch ool
, W B . . .
x
The Bl ue Bi rd .
La ter I n flu e n ces 65
Yea ts s fai ry play The La n d of H ea rt s Desi re wi th i t s

’
,
’
pathetic beauty Coun tess Ca thleen his tragedy Of the

, ,
co untess who sells h er so ul to the devil that her people

ma y be fr ee d from hi s p o wer a s well as hi s st ori es sh ow , ,
the tr aces Of M aeterlinck s m eth o ds Wi lliam S harp i n ’

.
,
hi s sketches and h i s brief plays i n the v olum e called Vi sta s ,
r eflects the B elgi an s technique sli htly th o u h wi th hi s

’
g g ,
o wn i ndi vi dual p ower S harp s o ther liter ary self F io na ’

.
,
M cLeo d li kewi se shows hi s i nfluence as do es S ynge in

, ,
his Rid ers to the S ea and Gordon B o ttomley in hi s ,
Cri er by N i g ht that eerie tr agedy Of an unseen p ower

, .
M aeterlin ck s supernaturalism seem s to sug g est the po etry

’
Of C o lerid g e wi th i t s elusive intangi ble g h o stliness

, Th e , .
eff ect Of nai vete o bservable in Coleridg e s work i s i n ’
M aeterlinck pr o duced by a child like simplici ty Of sty le -

,
a m o no sy llabic dialog ue and a m o no to n o us unreasoning , ,
r epeti ti o n that is at o nce real and un r eal Th e dr am atist .
has bro ug ht o ver from the p o et the sam e sug g estive use Of
p ortents and symbols fo r p refig uri n g death or disaster that
lurks just o utside Th e gho stliness is subtle r ather than
.
,
evi dent the dram a static rather than dy namic

, .
Ibsen also has stro ng ly influenced the supernatur al in

, ,
b o th ou r drama and our fictio n Hi s own work has a .

'
certai n kinship wi th that Of Hawt horne sho wing a like ,
sy m bolism and mysticism a like tr ansfusio n of the unreal ,
with the natur al so that on e scarcely kno ws just h ow f a r

,
he m eans our acceptance Of the unearthly to extend He .
leaves it in som e cases an Open questi o n while in others he ,
fr ankly intro duces the super natural Th e chi ld s visio n

’
.
Of the dead hero es ri ding t o V alhalla wi th h i s own mother ,
wh o has killed herself leadin g them the g h o st that t ries to I
”
, ,
m ake an unh oly pact with the ki ng the appari ti o n and the 2
“
supernatural voice cry ing o ut H e i s the Go d of Love !
,
1
I Th Vi ki g
n e f H lg l d
n s o I Th P t d
e e an . n e re en ers .
3 In B ra n d .
5
i llustr ate Ibsen s earli er meth o ds Th e curio us almo st

’
. ,
inexpli cable P eer Gyn t wi th i t s mi xture O f fol k lor e and ,

-
symb olism i ts ironic laug hter and satiric seri o usness

, ,
seems t o have had a su g g estive influence o n o ther works ,
such as Cou n tess E re where the per so nifi catio n of t emp t a ,
tion in the form Of co mmi tted sin reflects Ibsen s i dea of ’
P eer Gy n t s im aginary childr en Th e uncanny p o wer Of

’
.
unspoken tho ug ht the haunting fo r ce of ideas rather than

,
the crude visible phantasms Of the dead a s in the tele ,
pathy or hy pnotism o r what y ou will in The M a ster

, , ,
B ui lder the evasive, i ntan gi ble haunting Of the livi ng by

,
the dead as in Rosmersholm the str ang e p o wer s at work ,
as in The Lady f rom the S ea have had eff ect o n the nu ,
m erou s psychic dram as and st ories in E nglish Th e sy m .
h o lic my sticism in E mperor a n d Ga li l ea n showi n g the ,
spirits Of C ai n and Of J udas with their sad i g norance Of ,
lif e s riddles the vision of Christ in pers on wi th Hi s uh

’
, ,
c easing p o wer o ver m en s s o uls foreshado wed the play s

’ ’
,
and stories bri n g i n g i n the p ersonality of Christ as The ,
S erza n t i n the H ous e and The P a ssi n g of the Thi rd F l oor ,
B a ck .
M o dern Italian liter atur e as represented Fo g azzaro , by

and D An n un zi o intro duces the g ho stly in fictio n and
’
,
i n the dr am a and has had its eff ect o n o u r literatur e

'
, .
Fo g a zzaro s no vels a re essentially r ealistic in pattern y et

’
he uses the supernatur al in them as in mi raculo us visions , ,

2
and metempsy cho sis and m adness asso ciated wi th the

supernatural D An n un zi o s handli n g of the unearthly
.
3
’ ’
i s m or e repulsive mor e psy chically g rues o m e as the , ,
m alig nant p o wer Of the ancient cur se in La Ci ttd M orta ,
where the undy ing evil i n an Old tom b causes such

r ev olting h orro r i n the acti o n Of the play Thi s has a c o un .
terp a rt in a st o ry by J o sephine D ask am B aco n where a

,
4
,
By J H Shorthouse In The S i nn er
I
. . .
and The S a i n t .
3 In The Woma n .
4 The U
n buri ed .
p acket Of letter s from two evi l lo vers lie buried in a hear th

and by thei r subtle influence corrupt the s o ul of every
woman wh o o ccupies the room D An n un zi o uses the witch .
’
mo tive p owerfully m adness that b orders on the super

,
1
natur al and the i dea of evi l m ag ic exorcised by melti ng

,
an i m age Of wax t o cause an enemy s death which sug gests ’

3
R o ssetti s p o em using that incident the unforgettable

’
,
S i ster H el en .
Lik ewi se a new f orce in the work of the R ussian schoo l

h a s a ff ected ou r fictio n of the g ho stly in r ecent y ear s .
R ussi an literatu re i s a new field Of th ou g ht fo r E n g lish

people since i t i s only Of late y ears that translati o ns have
,
been easily accessible and because Of the extr em e di ffi

, ,
cult y Of the lang uag e very few o utsiders read Russian, .
A s Germ an R om anticism beg an t o have its definite p ower

o ver E n g l ish supernatural ficti o n in the early part o f the
nineteenth century by the extensio n Of interest in and

study Of G erm an literature and the m o re frequent tr ans ,
latio n Of Germ an works so in this g eneratio n Russian ,
literatur e has been intro duced to E n g lish peo ple and i s

having its influence .
A primi tive still savage r ace li ke the Russi ans naturally

,
shows a speci al fondness f or the super natural D espi te .
the fact that literature is wri tten for the hi g her classes a ,
larg e peasant bo dy illiterate and superstitio us wi ll i n

, ,
fl uen ce the nat i o nal ficti o n In the Russian works best .
kno wn t o us there i s a lar ge element Of the un canny of ,
a ty pe in s om e respects diff er ent from that Of a n y other

co un try Like the Russi an nati o nal character it is harsh
.
, ,
brutal vio lent yet sentimental On e singul ar thing to

, , .
be noted abo ut i t i s the pecul iar combi natio n Of sup em a

t u ra li sm wi th abs o lute reali s m Th e r evo lt i ng yet dr ead .
f ull y eff ective r ealism of the R ussian liter ature i s never

1
In The Da ug hter f
o Jori o . In S og n o d
’
un Ma tti n o di P ri ma vera .
3 In S og n o d
’
un T ra mon to
’
d A ul unn a .
more i mpressi ve than i n i ts unio n wi th gh o stly horror ,
whi ch makes the imp o ssible appear i ndubitable In .
Go g ol s The Cloa k for instance the fideli ty to h om ely de

’
, ,
tails Of life the descri ptio ns of pi nchi ng po verty o f tragi c

, ,
ho pes that wai ted so lo ng for fulfi llm ent ar e pai nful i n ,
them selves and gi ve veri si rni l i tu de to the element of the

unearthl y that fo llo ws Y o u feel that a poor R ussian clerk .
wh o had stinted hi m self fr om necessity all his li f e would

com e back from the dead t o claim hi s stolen property and
dem and redr ess Th e supernat ur al g ai ns a new po wer a
.
,
more tremendo us thri l l when set off agai nst the every day -
ness Of s or did lif e We fin d s omethin g of the same eff ect

'
.
in the stories Of Al g ern o n B lackwoo d and Ambro se B ierce

and F M ari o n Crawfor d
. .
Tolst oi s s y m b o lic st ory Of Ira n the Fool i s an i mpr essi ve

’
utterance o f his V i ews of lif e expressed by the allegory of ,
man s folly and wi sdom and the schemes of devi ls

’
.
T ur g en i ev s pro no unced str ain Of the unearthl y h a s had

’
i ts i nfluence on E n g lish ficti o n He uses the dream ele .

~
m ents to a m arked deg ree as i n The S ong of L ove Tri ,
u mpha n t a st o ry o f Or iental m agi c empl oy ed th ro ug h

,
dr eams and music and The Drea m an acco unt Of a , ,
s o n s r evelat ory visi o ns Of his un known father

’
Th e .
dream element has been used co nsiderably i n o ur late

fictio n som e Of which seem s t o reflect Tur g eni ev An o ther
, .
m o tive that he uses eff ectively i s that Of sugg ested vam pir
i sm and Of psy chi cal vampirism wher e a yo ung m an i s
I 2
“ ,
set upo n by the spi rit Of a dead wom an he h a s scarcely

,
known till he di es under the t orm ent Thi s seem s t o have

, .
aff ected such st o ri es as that o f psy chi cal vam pi ri sm in The
Va mpi re by R egi nald H o dder

, We find in m uch o f .
T ur geni ev s pro se the sy m bolic my stical supernatur ali sm

’
besides his use Of dr eam s vi sio ns and a di stinct Ori ental , ,
element In K n ock! K n ock! K nock! the treatment Of

.
1
As i n P ha ntoms . As i n Cl a ra Mi li tch .
m
wh o se spi ri tuali s remi nds on e s omewhat Of B ro wni ng s I
’
i n i t s i ni ti al s keptici sm and later hesitati o n the final eff ect ,
Of whi ch i s to i mpr ess on e wi th a sense Of supernaturali sm

worki ng extr aordi nar ily thro ugh natural means so that i t ,
i s mor e p o werf ul than the m er e c o nventi o nal g h o stly

co ul d be we see what m a y have been the i nspi rati o n for
,
certai n spi ri tuali stic no vels and st ories i n E ng lish The .
same t o ne i s f elt in H amli n Garland s treatment Of the ’
subject for instance Th e my stical rom antici sm of

, .
Turg eni ev i s less br utally Russian than that Of mo st

Of hi s co m peers .
Lik e M aupassant and Hoff m an and Poe the R ussi an ,
wri ter s use t o a co nsi derable extent the ass o ciatio n be

tween insani ty and the supernatural to heighten the
eff ect Of bo th They m a y have been influenced in this
.
by Po e s studi es Of madness as by M a up a ssa n t s and they

’
,
’
appear to have an influence o ver certain present day -
writers It woul d be difficult t o sa y which is the stro nger

.
i nfl uence i n the treatm ent of abnorm al pers o ns M aupas ,
sant or the R ussi an wri ters On e wo nders what ty pe of .
mania Obsesses certain Of the R ussian ficti on i st s of t o d ay ,
for sur ely they canno t be norm al per s ons E xam ples of .
such ficti o n are :Al exander Pu shki n s story Of mo ckin g ’
madness r es ul ti ng from a passio n for car ds wh ose g h o stly ,
m oti f h a s a sar do ni c di ab oli sm Tch ekh off s st ory of

’
2
,
abnorm al horror a r acki ng acco unt of in sani ty and

,
3
,
4
The B la ck M on k a weird st ory Of insanity bro ug ht o n by

,
the vi si on of a supernatural being a r ep li ca ed m ir ag e Of ,
a black monk a tho usand y ears Old B ut i t is in the work .
of Leo nidas Andr ey ev that we get the ul tim ate an guish Of
madn ess The Red La ug h an analy si s of the madness

.
,
o f wa r of the i nsani t y Of nat i o ns as of in di vi duals seem s

, ,
t o envelo p the world in a sheet o f flame Its h orr ors g O be .
In S l udg e, the Medi um .

9
The Queen of S pa des .
3 S leepyhe a d .
4 Wa rd N o 6 . .
yo nd words and the br ai n reels in r eadin g Ther e are i n .
E nglish a num ber of st ori es o f insanity ass o ci ated wi th the

supernatur al which ma y have been influenced by the
R ussian m etho d th o ugh Amb ro se B ier ce s studi es i n the
’
abnormality of so ldi er lif e preceded Andr ey ev by y ea rs .
F M ari on Crawfor d s The Dead S mi l e and vari o us stori es

.
’
Of Ar thur M achen have a R ussian h orr or and o ther ,
i nstances mi g ht be m enti o ned .
Th e R ussian ficti o n wi th its i mperso nalit y Of pessi mi s m ,
its r aci al g loom its terri ble so rdid realism fo rmi ng a basi s
,
f or awesom e super nat ur ali sm i s of a ty pe for ei gn t o o ur ,
tho ug ht y et as is n o t inf requently the case the radi call y

, , ,
diff erent h a s a strange appeal and the eff ect Of it on o ur ,
st o ri es Of horror is un do ubted E ngli sh and Am eri can .
r eaders a r e g r eatly i nterested in R ussian literatur e just
n o w and find a pecul i a r r elish in its terro r s tho ugh the ,
harsher elem ents a re som ewhat s oftened in transfer ence

t o o ur lan g ua g e .
Other fields of tho ug ht have been Opened to us wi thi n

this g ener atio n by the widenin g Of o ur kno wledg e Of
the literature O f o ther E uro pean co untries B oo ks a re .
m uch m ore freely translated n ow than form erly and n o

pers o n need be ignorant of the ficti o n Of o ther lands .
From the S panish the Portug uese the Chi nes e Japanese
, , , ,
and other t ong ues we are recei vin g st ori es of super natur al
i sm that give u s new i deas new p o ints of vi ew ,Th e .
g r eater ease Of travel the Opp ortunit y t o study o nce

,
distant lands and liter atures have been reflected i n our

fictio n S om e o n e shoul d write a mo nog raph o n the
.
liter ary in fluence Of Cook s t o urs ! Our later work h as

’
a stro ng to uch Of the Oriental — n o t an entir ely new ,
thi ng since we find i t in B eckfor d s Va thek and the p re

,
’
Go thi c tales Of J ohn Ha wkesworth — but m or e no ti ceable ,
E xamples are S tevenso n s N ew A ra bi a n N i g hts

’
now .
,
B ottle Imp and others F M ari o n Crawford s K hal ed

’
-
, , .
and M r Isaa cs B lackwoo d s stori es Of Elem entals

.
,
’
Geor ge M eredith s fantasy The S ha vi ng of S ha g pa t

’
, ,
tho ug h m any others might be nam ed The Ori ental .
ficti o n permi ts the u se Of magi c sorcery and vari ous ele , ,
ments that seem o ut of place in ordinar y fictio n The .
po pul ari ty of Ki pli ng s tales Of Indi an nati ve lif e and

’
char acter illustrates our fo ndness for this aspect of super

naturalism .
Apart from the f or ei gn i nfluences that aff ect i t we n otice

a certain chang e in the m aterials and metho ds of ghostly
fictio n in E ngli sh N ew elements had entered into
.
Go thi c tales as an advance o ver the earlier form s y et con ,
ven ti o n s had g rown up s o that even such evasive and elu
sive per so nali ties as g ho sts were hi debo und by pr ecedent .
While the decline Of the g enre defini tely known as the

Go thic no vel i n n o sense put an end t o the super natur al
in E nglish fictio n it di d m ark a diff er ence in m anne r
,
.
Th e Gothic gh o sts wer e mor e elem entary in their nature ,
more superficial than th o se Of later ti mes

,
Lif e was .
,
i n the day s of Walp ole and M rs R adcliff e mor e l o cal .

,
because of the li mitatio ns Of travel and comm un icatio n ,
i t being co nsider ed ast o un di n g in Go thic ti m es that a g h ost

co ul d tr avel a th o usand miles with ease while m ort al s
mo ved snail like -
S ci enti fic investigatio n was crude co m
.
par ed wi th the pr esent and had n ot g reatly to uched

fictio n S ci enti fic folk—lor e investigati o ns were as un
.
kn o wn a s so ci eti es Of psychi cal resear ch hence neither ,
had aided in the wri ting of g ho stly fictio n .
Th e mass of gho stly st uff which has appeared i n E ngli sh

si nce the Gothic peri o d and which wi ll be classi fied and
,
di scussed un der diff er ent mo tif s i n succee di ng chapters ,
shows many Of the sam e characteri stics of the earlier ,
y et exhi bi ts als o a deci ded develo p ment o ver pri mi tive ,
classi cal and Gothi c forms Th e mo dern supernatur alism

.
i s mor e complex mor e psycholo gi cal than the terrori sti c

, ,
72 La ter I n flu ences
p e r haps because n o wadays m a n i s mo r e intellectual hi s ,
tho ught pro cesses mor e subtle H umanity stil l wants

-
.
g h o sts as ever but they must be mo r e cleverl y pr es ented

, ,
t o be c o nvincing Th e g h o stly thri ll i s as ar dently de

.
sired by the r eading public as eagerly striven for by the

,
wr iters as ever tho ug h it is mor e di ffi cult Of achi evement

,
n o w than fo rm erly Y et when it is attained it i s m ore

.
p oig nant and lasting in its eff ects because m or e subtle in

i t s a rt
. T h e appariti o n that eludes analy sis haun ts the
m em o ry m ore than d o the co m paratively Si m ple forms of
the past Com pare for instance the spi ri ts evoked by
.
, ,
H enry James and K atherin e F ul ler to n Gero uld with the
crude clap —trap of cloi stered spo oks and armored knig hts
Of Go thi c tim es Ho w cheap and m elo dram atic the
.
earlier attem pts seem !

Th e present —day g ho st is at o nce less terrible and mor e
terri ble than those Of the past There i s n ot so m uch a .
sense of phy sical f ear n o w as Of psy chic ho rror The

,
.
palli d specters that gli de thro ugh antique castles are

i n eff ectual com par ed wi th the m a l eficen t psychic invasio ns
o f m o dernity . On the o ther hand the r ecent g ho stly ,
story frequently shows a stro ng sense Of hum or unkn own

i n Go thicism and o nly sug g ested i n earlier form s as i n
, ,
the elder Pliny s statem ent that g ho sts wo uld n ot vi sit a

’
perso n affl icted with freckl es which sho ws at lea st a ,
g ermi nal j o vi ality in classical sp oo ks .
On e f eature that di stin g ui shes the uncanny t al es Of

to d a y fro m the Go thi c is their g reater r ang e Of m ateri al
-
.
The early terr or st ory had its so ur ce in p o pular super

sti ti on
, classi cal li ter atur e m edieval leg ends o r the
, ,
E lizabethan dr am a whil e in the century that has elapsed

,
since the decay Of the Go thic novel as such new fields Of ,
thought have been Opened up and new s ources for gho stly,
plots have been di scovered which the wri ters Of mo dern

stori es a re quick to uti li ze Present day sci ence wi th i t s
.
-
L a ter I n flu e nces 73
wo nderful develo pment has provi ded co untless plots for

supernatur al st ories Com parative study Of folk lore
.
-
,
with the activities of the num ero us asso ciatio ns has ,
bro ug ht t o li ght fascinating material M o dern S piritual .
i sm with its seances its m edium istic experi m ents has

, , ,
i nspi r ed m any n ovels and st ories Th e P sy chi cal R e

.
search S o ci ety wi th branches in vario us parts of the

,
wo rld and its earnest advo cates and seri o us investi gati o ns ,
has collected sug g esti ve stuff for m any gho stly stories .
Th e diff er ent s o ur ces for pl o t m aterial and m echani cs

for aweso me eff ect added t o these fr om whi ch the terror
,
no vel dr ew its inspiratio n ha ve incalcul ably enri ched

,
the supernatural fictio n and widened the lim its fa r bey ond
the restrictions Of the co nventionalized Gothic .
S cience has f urnished them es for many mo dern st ories

Of the supernatur al M o dern science itself under norm al
.
,
co ndi tio ns seem s like necrom ancer s m ag ic so its incur

,
’
,
sio n into thril lin g ficti o n i s but natural E very aspect .
Of r esear ch and disc o very has had its exp o nent in fictive
form and the ski ll wi th which the m aterial is han dl ed

,
co nstitutes o n e p o int Of diff er ence between the present

g ho stly st ories and the cr ude scienti fic supernatur alism
Of the early no vels Th e influence Of D arwin S pencer
.
, ,
Huxley and o ther sci entists of the last century did much
,
t o quicken fictio n as well as th o ught and the eff ects can ,
be traced in the work Of vario us authors .
Th e widespr ead inter est in fol k l ore in r ecent y ears

-
has had an appreciable i nfluence on the stories Of the

supernatur al While the m etho ds Of investi g atio n fol
.
lo wed by the seri o us students of fo lk lore a re scientifi c -
and the results a re tabulated in an analytic r ather than a

literary sty le y et the eff ect is helpful t o fictio n Com
,
.
p a r a ti ve studies i n folk l or e by the b ri n g in g t o g ether Of a

-
,
m ass of materi al from di verse so ur ces establi shes the fact ,
Of the universal acceptance Of supernatur alism i n so me

fo rm . E thni c
supersti ti o ns vary yet there is eno ugh ,
similarity between the ideas held by tribes and r aces so

widely separated as t o discredit a n y basis of i m itatio n o r
conscio us influence between them to be Of g reat in terest ,
t o scientists N O tribe ho wever l ow in the so cial scale

.
, ,
has been found that has no belief in p o wers bey o nd the

m ortal .
Folk lore asso ciatio ns a re m ul tiplyi n g and the students

-
o f literatur e and anth ro p o l o g y a re j oi ni ng fo r ces i n the
eff ort t o disco ver and classif y the vari ant superstitions
and leg ends Of the past and of the races and tri bes still in
their childhoo d S uch activities a re brin ging t o lig ht a
.
f ascinating wealth Of m aterial fr om which the writers of

g h o stly tales m a y find co untless pl o ts S uch studies .
show h o w close akin the world is after all A larg e .
number of books r elating st ories of bro wnies b og les , ,
f airies banshees wraiths h o b g o blins witches vam pir es

, , , , , ,
g h o uls and o ther superhuman pers o nag es have appeared

, .
I a m n ot including in this list the f airy st ories that are

written for juvenile consum ptio n but m erely the f olk ,
l ori sti c or literary ver sio ns f o r adults .
Th e m o st m arked instance Of the influence Of f olk—l or e

in supply ing subject m atter for liter ature is sho wn in the
recent C eltic revival T h e supernatur al elem ents in the
.
folk tales Of I reland S c otland and Wales have been

-
, ,
widely used in fictio n p o etry and the drama In this , , .
co nnection on e is reminded Of Collins s Ode on the P opu l a r ’
S upersti ti on s f
o the H i g hla nds Con sid ered as the S u b
ject
f or P oetry Irish N atio nal S chool with W B Yeats
. Th e , . .
,
John S y ng e and Lady Greg ory as leaders have made the

, ,
folk tales Of I r eland li ve in literature and the g ho stly

-
thrill of the Old legends com es down t o us undiminished .
Lord Du n sa n y s wor k i s parti cularly bril liant goin g back

’
to ancient times and re creating the myth olo g i c bei n g s f or

-
us making u s fri endly wi th the go ds the centaurs the

, , ,
g i ants ,
and divers o ther lo ng forgo tten char acters Kipling
-
.
h a s m ade the lor e Of the Indian towns and jung les live for
u s as J o el Chan d ler H a rris h a s i mm o rtalized the leg ends
,
Of the s o uthern negro Th om as A Janvi er i n his tales

. .
Of Old M exi c o calls back the gh o sts of S panish c o nquero r s
and Aztec m en and women r epeo pling the anci ent streets,
wi th co urtly specters Th e f o ndness for folk l o ri sti c

.
-
fictio n i s on e of the marked aspects of R om anticism at

the pr esent ti m e .
Th e activi ties Of the S o ci ety fo r P sychi cal R esearch

have had deci ded effect in sti m ulating g ho stly stories .
When so m any intellig ent per so ns turn their attenti o n

to finding and classifyin g supernatur al phen o m ena the
currents of tho ug ht thus set up will naturally influence
fictio n N o waday s every interest kno wn t o ma n is
.
r eflected in literatur e T h e pr o ceedi n g s Of the ass o cia

.
”
tion have been so widely advertised and so Open t o the
public that pers ons wh o wo uld n ot o therwise gi ve tho ug ht
to the super natur al have c o nsider ed the m atter S uch .
thi nkers as W T S tead and Si r Oliver Lo dge t o mentio n

. .
,
o nly two wo uld inevi tably influence o thers In this

, .
co nnectio n it i s inter esting to no te the recent claim s by

S tead s daughter that h er f ather has c omm unicated
’
wi th the livi ng and Lo dg e s bo o k just published Ra y

,
’
, ,
mond or Li f e a n d Dea th that g ives p roof Of what he

, ,
co nsiders inco ntro verti ble m essag es from h i s son killed

in battle Th e collectio n Of tho usands Of affi rmative
.
answers to the questio n as to whether on e had ever f elt a

gho stly p resence n ot to be explained o n natur al g ro und s
bro ught o ut a m ass of materi al that mi ght serve for
plot m aki n g H aunted ho uses have been catalo gued
-
.
and the census of specters taken .
The investi gati ons in mo dern S pi ri tuali sm have do ne

much t o aff ect g h ostly li ter ature Th e terrors Of the .
later appari ti ons a re n ot physi cal but psychi cal and , ,

probably the stori es of the future wi ll be mo re and m o re

allied t o S pi ritualism Hamli n Garland J ohn Corbi n
.
, ,
William D ean Ho wells Alg erno n B lackwoo d Arn old

, ,
B ennett and o thers have wri tten n o vels and st ories of this
,
m aterial tho u g h scar cely the fri nge of the garm ent Of
,
p o ssibilities has y et been to uched If one but gr ant the

.
hyp othesis of S piritualism what vi stas Open up f or the

,
no velist ! What thrilling compli cati o ns mi ght come fro m

the skillful mani pulatio n of astrals alo ne a s aids i n ,
—
establishing alibis for i nstance ! E ven the li mitatio ns

,
that at p resent bi nd g ho st stories wo uld be abo li shed and

the eff ects Of the dram atic employ m ent Of sp i ri tualistic
f aith wo uld be hi g hly sensati o nal If the will be all
.
p owerful then n ot o nly tables but mo untains m ay be

,
m oved . Th e laws of physics wo uld be as n o thing in the

presence Of such p owers A lo velorn y o uth bent on
.
attaini ng the Object of his desir es co uld by merely wi lling

,
i t so s i nk o cean liner s dem oli sh sky scrapers call up

, , ,
tempests and ri val Germ an secret ag ents in hi s havo c

, .
Intensely dramati c psy cholo gi cal m ateri al might be

p ro duced by the co nflict r esul ting from the do uble o r
m ultiple perso nalities in o ne s own nature acco rding to
’
spiri tualistic idea s There mi g ht be com pli cated crossing s

.
in love wherein on e wo uld be jealo us of hi s al ter eg o and

, ,
co nfl icti ng am biti ons Of exciting char ac ter Th e strug g le .
necessary for the m o del story mig ht be intensely dram ati c

tho ug h altog ether internal between o ne s o wn selves
,
’
.
On e finds himself so much m o r e i nterestin g in the li g h t

Of such resear ch than o n e has ever dr eam ed Th e d i s .
ti n cti on s between m aterializati o ns and a s tra li za t i o n s ,
etherealizations and plain apparitio ns mig ht furni sh go o d

plo t st ructure Th e perso n ali ty o f the sensiti ves
.
alo ne would be fascinati ng m aterial and the cosmic

clashes of will po ssi ble under these c oncei ved co ndi ti ons
suggest thri lli ng stori es .
D reams consti tute ano ther definite so urce for gho stly
plo ts i n mo dern li terature While this wa s true to a
.
certai n extent in the Go thi c no vel it i s sti ll more so i n ,
later ficti o n Laf cadi o Hearn advances the theory that

.
al l the best pl o ts fo r g h o st st o ri es i n any language co m e
fro m dr eams He advi ses the perso n who wo uld write

.
supernatur al thrillers t o study the phases of hi s o wn dream

lif e It would appear that all on e needs to do i s to look
“
.
into hi s own nightmar es and wri te Hearn say s : All .
the g r eat eff ects p ro duced by p o ets and story wri ters and
even by religi o us teachers in the treatm ent of the super
”
,
natural f ear or my stery have been Obtained directly or

,
indirectly from dr eams Tho u g h on e m a y n o t literally

.
accept the whole Of that statem ent on e m ust f eel that the ,
r elati o n between dr eam s and supernatural i mp ressi o ns
i s striki ngly clo se Th e f eeling Of supernatu ral presence

.
com es alm o st always at ni g ht wh en o n e i s or h a s been

asleep Th e gui lty ma n awaking from sleep thinks that
.
, ,
he sees the specters of tho se he h a s wro nged because —
hi s d ream s have em b o di ed them for hi m Th e lo ver .
beholds the spi ri t Of hi s dead love because in dream s hi s ,
soul h a s go ne i n search o f h er V ery y o ung chi ldren a re.

'
unable to di sti ngui sh between dream s and reality a s is ,
the case Of savages of a l ow o rder beli evi ng i n the actual ,
i ty of what they experi ence in dreams An d wh o can say .
that our dream li f e i s altog ether b as eless and unr eal ?

Th e diff er ent nightmare sensatio ns acute and vivid a s ,
they a re can be analyzed t o find parallelisms between

,
them and the g ho s tly plots For example tak e the .

,
sensatio n commo n i n nig htmares of f eeling yo urself

, ,
falli ng from im m easur able height Th e same th ri ll Of .
suspense i s comm uni cated by the clim ax i n Lewi s s and ’
Mrs D acre s Gothi c novels where the devi l takes gui lty
’
.
,
mortals to the mount ai n t op and hur ls them down ,
In hi s In terp reta ti ons of Li tera ture .

down Th e horri ble p otentialiti es of

. shadows suggested
frequently i n dream s is illustr ated
“
by M ary Wi lki ns
Freeman s st ory where the accusing spi ri t comes back as a
’
haunti ng shadow o n the wall r ather than a s an ordi nary ,
gho st tormenti ng the livi ng bro ther ti ll hi s shadow al so

,
appears a p ortent of hi s death Th e awf ul gri p of cause

,
.
I
less horror of nam eless f ear which assai ls on e so Of ten

,
i n n i ghtmares is r epresented in The Red Room where ,

3
bla ck Fear the Power Of D ar kness haunts the ro om rather

, ,
th an an y pers o nal Spirit It i s di sembodi ed horror .
itself Wi lki e Col lins ill ustrates the presagi ng vi si o n

.
of appro achi ng di s a ster in The Drea m Woma n Th e .
ni ghtmar e horror of supernatural i sm i s no where better

shown than i n M a up assan t s L a H orla where the sleeper ’
wakes wi th a sen se of leaden weight up on hi s b rea st and ,
kn ows that ni ght after ni g ht som e d readful p resence i s

shut i n wi th him invisible y et crushi ng the life out of hi m
,
-
and dri vi ng hi m ma d .
Th e ni ght mare mo tif s a re pr esent t o a remark able

degree i n B ulwer Ly tton s The H a un ted a n d the Ha un ters
-
’
or the H ouse a nd the B ra i n T here we have the gi gantism .
of the menaci ng T hing the supernatural p ower gi ven t o ,
i nani mate objects the g ho stly chi ll the darkness and the
, , ,
i nt oler able Opp r essio n Of a nam eless evi l thi n g besi de

on e . V ampi ri sm mi g ht easil y be an o utcome of dream s ,
si nce based on a physical sensatio n Of pri cki ng at the

thro at combi ned wi th debili ty cau sed by weak ness
, ,
whi ch coul d be attri bu ted to lo ss Of blo o d from the ravages

of vampi res F M arion Crawf ord s sto ry For the B lood
. .
’
Is the Life i s more clo sely r elated t o dream s th an mo st of

,
the type though p ro bably B r am S toker s Dra cul a is the

,
’
most h orri ble .
Th e curi o us si de Of supernatur al i sm a s related to

dreams is i llustrated by The Drea m Gown of the J a p
1
The Sha dows on the Wa ll .
2
By H G. . Wells .
a n ese A mba ss ad or , ‘ and the m o re beautif ul by S i m eo n

S o lomo n s Vi si on of Love Revea led i n S leep M ary Wil
’
.
kins Freeman has a rem arkable short story The Ha l l ,
B edroom whi ch i s on e of the best illustr atio ns Of the

,
use Of dream imagery and i m p ressi ons H ere the ef .
feets a re alluri ng and beautif ul wi th the h o rror kept ,
i n the backgro und but perhaps the m or e eff ective be

,
cause Of the artis ti c rest raint Odors sights s ounds .

, , ,
f eeli ngs a re all r ai sed t o an intensity Of sensuo us slu m

, ,
bro us enj oyment all sublim i n a ted abo ve the mortal

,
.
Th e descriptio n Of the river in the picture on whi ch the ,
y o un g m a n flo ats away t o d reamy death s i milar t o the ,
J ap a nese story ref erred t o by H earn helps t o g i ve the i m

,
pressio n Of infinity that com es o nly in dreams Alg er .
n o n B lack woo d in num ero us st o ries n o t o nly uses the
elements Of dream s and nig htm ares but expli citly calls
attentio n to the f act Dream supernaturalism is employ ed
.
i n B arry P ain s st ories in Arthur M achen s vo lum e

’ ’ ’
, ,
and in m any others Freud s theory o f dreams as the

.
’
i nvariable r esult of past experiences or unco nsci o us desi res

has n ot been stressed in fictio n tho ug h do ubtless it will
,
have i ts inning presently A Co nan D oyle s The S ecret

. .
’
of Goresthorpe Gra n g e is an am using st ory Of the relati o n
of definite wishes and dr eam s of the g h o stly .
T hese a r e s om e Of the s o urces from whi ch the later

wri ters Of o ccul tism have drawn their pl o ts T hey .
r ep r esent a distinct advance o ver the Go thi c and earlier
supernaturalism in materials for the mo dern story has

,
g ained the new elements wi tho ut lo ss Of the Old The .
g h o stly ficti o n Of t o d ay has access t o the animi st i c o r

classi cal or medi eval themes yet has the unlimited province
,
Of pr esent th o u g ht t o f urnish additi o nal inspir ati o n .
T her e never was a ti me when thi nking al o ng gener al li nes

was more sp ontaneo usly reflected in fictio n than n ow and ,
B y B ra n der M a tthews .
2
The Hi ll f Drea ms
o .
80 La ter I n flu ences
supernatural li ter ature clai ms all regi ons for i t s own .
Li ke every o ther phase Of m an s tho ug ht g h o stly ficti o n

’
shows the increasing com plexi ty of fo rm and matter the ,
wealth Of added materi al and abo undi ng ri chness of

sty le the fine subtleti es that o nly mo dern i ty can gi ve
, .
C HAPTE R III
MODE RN GH OS TS
HE gho st i s the m o st enduri ng figure in super

natur al fictio n He is absolutely indestructi ble
. .
H e glides from the freshly cut pages Of m agazines -
and bo oks beari ng the date Of the y ear of o ur Lord nine

teen hundr ed and seventeen as from the parchm ent rolls of
ancient manuscri pts H e appears a s unap olo geti cally at
.
hom e in twentieth century ficti o n as in classi cal mytholog y ,
C hri sti an hagi ol o gy m edieval legend or Gothic rom ance

, , .
He chan g es wi th the sty les in fictio n but he never g o es

o u t Of f ashi o n H e i s the r eally perm anent ci ti zen Of this
.
earth for m o rtals at best a re but transients E ven the

, , , .
athl ete and the M ethu sal eh must in the end gi ve up the
flesh but the wr aith g o es on for ever In form t oo he
, , , ,
wears well Gho stly subs tance Of materi ali zati o n ethereal
.
,
and vap oro us a s i t appears to be i s yet of an ast onishing,
to ug hness It seem s t o p o ssess an o bsti nate vi tali ty

.
aki n t o t hat attributed to the b oll weevi l i n a neg ro ballad ,
that went on undaunted by heat or cold r ain o r dro ught , ,
ti me or tide Th e gho st like death h a s all seasons for

.
, ,
i t s own and ther e i s n o clo sed seaso n for sp ooks It i s .
m uch the case n o w as eve r that all the world loves a g ho st ,
yet we lik e t o take o ur g ho sts vi cari o usly preferably i n ,
ficti o n We d r ather see than be o n e

.
’
.
On e p oi nt Of di ff er ence between the gho stly ficti on of the

past and of the present i s i n the matter Of length The .
81
82 M o d e rn Gho s ts
Gothi c novel wa s Often a thr ee o r fo ur decker aff ai r i n -
who se perusal the reader a g ed per cepti bly befor e the g ho st

succeeded or was fo iled in his haun ting desi g ns There .
was Obvi o usly m uch m ore leisure o n the part Of sp o oks

a s well as m o rtals then than no w Co nsequently the
.
g ho st story Of t o d a y is t o ld in shor t st o ry fo rm fo r the

- -
mo st part .P o e kn ew better than any b o dy befor e h im

what was necessary for the pro per eco no my Of thri lls
when he g ave hi s di ctum co ncerni ng the desir able length
for a st ory which r ul e appli es m ore t o the gh o stly
,
tale than to a n y o ther ty pe for surely there is needed

,
the un ity Of impressio n the defl ni ten es s of eff ect which

,
o nly co ntinuity in r eading gi ves Th e gho stly narr ative

.
that i s too lo ng loses i n i mpr essiveness whether it i s ,
altog ether supernatur al or mixed wi th o ther elements .
In ei ther case it is less successful than the sh orter m ore

, ,
poig nant treatm ent po ssible in the com pressed fo rm .
Th e tablo id g ho st can comm unicate m or e thril ls than the

o n e in di luted narr ati o n .
Th e app ari tio ns i n later E n g li sh fictio n f all natur al ly

int o several distinct classes wi th reference t o the r eality
o f their appear ance Ther e a re the mi stak en appari ti o ns
.
,
there a re the pur ely subjective specters evoked by the ,
psy chic state of the percipients and there a re the Obj ecti ve
,
gho sts independent Of the mental state o f the witnesses

, ,
appeari ng t o perso ns who a re n ot mentally prepared

to see them .
Th e mi staken g host i s an Ol d form fo r mo st o f M rs , .
Radcliff e s interesting a ppa rit i o ns belo n g t o this class

’
and others Of the Go thi c wri ters used subterfuge to

cheat the r eader In the early romance there was fre
.
quently deliberate decepti o n fo r a defini te purp o se the ,
g ho sts wi th the hist ri o nic temperament usi ng a m ake up -
of ph o sph orus b o nes and other co ntri vances t o create

, ,
the i mpressi o n Of unearthly vi si tati on Recent fictio n .

M o d ern Ghosts 83
is mo re cleverly managed than that R arely n o w do es .
o n e find a st o ry wher e the gh o st —seer i s deliber ately i m
p o sed up o n for in m o st mo dern cases the mistake o ccurs

,
by accident o r mi sapprehensi o n o n the part Of the p er

ci p i en t for whi ch n o b o dy and n o thing but hi s o wn ag ita
,
tio n i s r esp o nsi ble Yet there a re o ccasio nal ho ax ghosts .
even yet for example The Ghost of M i ser B ri mp son

, , ,
I
wher e a specter is rig g ed up as the schem e Of a clever gi rl

t o wi n o ver an o bdur ate l o ver and The S pectre B ri de ,
g room whi ch i s a well kn o wn example of the pseud o sp ook

— -
,
wh o se Object is matrim ony Hi s Un q ui et Ghos t is a 2
”
.
deli ghtf ul story Of a f ake buri al to evade the r evenue

“ “
Offi ci als Watt the c orp say s : I was a po werful
”
.
, ,
on c h a n cy o n q ui et g ho st I even di d my co urti n whi lst ’

.
,
i n m y r eg lar line 0 busi ness a h a r n ti n a g ravey ar d !

’ ’ ’ ’
”
Hi s sweethear t so bs o ut h er co nf essio n of lo ve t o hi s
por e gho st an avo wal she has denied the li vi ng ma n
,
“
.
E xam ples of the apparitio ns that unwittingly deceive

m ortals a re fo un d i n The Ghos t a t P oi n t of Rock wher e ,
3
the yo ung teleg r aph Oper ator alo ne at n ight on a pr airi e , ,
sees a beautif ul gi rl wh o enters and anno unces that

sh e is dead h ow i s he to kn o w that she is i n a som
—
,
n a mbuli sti c stup o r and has wandered from a trai n ? ,
A nother i s a st o ry wher e the y o un g ma n f alls in lo ve wi th

4 .
what he thi nks i s a wr ai th Of the water luri ng hi m to hi s

death but lear ns that sh e i s a perfectly proper damsel
,
whose fami ly he kn o ws The Ni g ht Ca ll i s less simple .

5
than thes e a pro blem ati c sto ry that leaves on e wondering

,
as to just what i s meant 6 .
Th e subjecti ve gho sts a re legi o n i n m o der n ficti o n .
B y E den Phill p otts . B y Cha rl es E g bert Cra dO

ck d .
By FH . . S p ea rrn a n .
4 B y the Wa ters of P a ra di s e , by F Ma ri on
. Cra wfo rd .
5 B y Hen ry Va n Dyke .
6
As Dr Bl a n ch e Wi ll i am s
. p oi n ts o u t i n h er d i scu ssi on of th e short story .
84 M o d ern G ho s ts
They tho se evoked by the mental state of the p er

a re
ci p i en ts so that they beco m e r ealities t o th o se beh ol di ng
them Th e mi nd rendered m or bid by gri ef or rem orse

.
i s r eadi ly pr epar ed t o see the spiri ts of the dead r eturn in

love or with repro ach The appari ti o ns i n ani mi sti c
.
beliefs as in classical sto ries and Go thic ro mance wer e

, ,
usuall y subjective born o f broo di n g lo ve or remorse

,
or f ear o f r etr ibuti o n appearing to the persons who

,
had cause to expect them and c omi ng usually at ni ght

when the beholder s woul d be al o ne and gi ven o ver to
melanch oly th o ug ht or else t o tro ubled sleep S h ak e
”
.
speare s gho sts were in lar ge measure subjecti ve selecti ve

’
”
,
appari tions When B rutus asked the specter what he

“
.
was the awf ul answer came Th y evi l genius B rutus !

, , ,
M acbeth sa w the wi tches wh o embo di ed for hi m hi s o wn

secr et a mbitio ns and he alo ne sa w the gho st of B anquo
, ,
because he had the wei ght Of murder on hi s heart .
Th e subjective g h o st st ory is difficul t t o wri te a s the ,
eff ect m ust be subtly m anag ed yet i nescapably i mpressi ve .
If do ne well it is admi r able and ther e a re s om e wr i ters

,
wh o t o use H enr y James s wor ds co ncerning hi s own work

’
“
”
, ,
a re m ore interested in situatio ns Obscur e and subject to

interpretation than the g ro ss rattle Of the for egro und .
Th e r eader as well as the wri ter m ust put hi m self in the

, ,
mental attitude Of acceptance of the supernatur al else the

eff ect i s lacki ng for the g ho stly thrill is i ncomm uni cable
,
t o th o se bey o nd the pale Of at least temp or ary cr edul ity .
Ki pli n g s They is an extraor di nary g ho st st ory Of sug

’
ges ti o n rather than Of bald f act It is li ke crushing the.
wi ng s Of a butterfly t o analyze i t but it rep resents the ,
sto ry of a m a n who se lo ve for hi s own dead child enabled

hi m t o see the spi ri ts of o ther li ttle chi ldr en because he ,
lo ved A s the blind wom an told hi m o nly tho se wh o were

”
.
,
spi ri tually pr epared co ul d see them for y ou must bear ,
o r lo se ! before gli mpsi ng them Thomas B ai ley Al .

M o d ern Gho s ts 85
dri ch
’
s M i ss Mehi ta bel a humoro usly patheti c
’
s S on i s
acco unt Of the subjecti ve spi ri t of a child that was never
born Al ger no n B lackwoo d s gho sts are to a great
.
’
extent subjecti ve As Jo hn Si lence the psy chi c do ctor

.
, ,
say s t o the shudderi ng m a n wh o h a s had a r acki ng exp eri

“
ence : Yo ur deeply i ntro specti ve moo d had alr eady
r eco nstr ucted the past so i ntensel y that y o u wer e en ra p
port a t o nce wi th any forces Of th o se past day s that

chanced to be still li ng ering An d they swept y ou up all .
un resi sti ng ly In The S hell of S en se the wom an wh o i s

.
,
1
abo ut t o accept h er dead si ster s husband feels such a sense ’
Of di slo yalt y that she sees the si ster s spi rit r epro achi ng
’
h er . Her co nsci ence has prepared h er for the vi sio n .
Juli et Wilbur Tom pki ns shows us the spi ri t Of a mother

r et urn in g t o c omf or t the daug hter wh o has in li f e mi s
un derst oo d and neglected h er but n o w r ealizing the tr uth , , ,
i s gri evi ng h er heart o ut for h er A m br o se B ier ce tells .

2
Of a pri so ner wh o mur ders hi s jailer t o escape but i s ,
arrested an d bro ug ht back by the spi rit Of the dead man .

3
An y number of i nstances might be g iven of g h o sts appear

i n g t o tho se wh o a re mentally prepar ed to be r eceptive
t o sup er natur al vi si o ns but these wi ll serve t o ill ustr ate
,
the ty pe .
Objective gho sts a re li kewi se very num ero us i n mo dern

ficti o n Th e Objective spi ri ts a re tho se that while they
.
,
ma y be subjecti ve on the part Of the pers o ns chi efly

co ncer ned t o begi n wi th are yet vi si ble to o thers as well
, , ,
appeari ng n ot o nly t o tho se mentally pr epared t o see them

but to o thers n ot thi nki ng Of such manifestati o ns and
even sceptical of thei r po ssi bi li ty Th e Objective g hosts .
have more definite vi sibi li ty mor e reali ty than the pur ely,
subjecti ve spi ri ts They a r e m or e i mpr essi ve as haunters

. .
Ther e i s a plausi bi li ty a c orp or eali ty ab o ut the later

,
I
B y Oli vi a Howa rd D unba r .
2
They Th at Mourn .
3 A n A rrest .
86 M o d ern Gho s ts
appari ti ons that shows thei r advance over the di aphano us

phantoms Of the past Gho sts that eat and dri nk play .
,
cards dance duel and do anythi ng they wi sh that a re

, , , ,
so li f elike in thei r mat eri ali zati o n that they wo ul d deceive
even a m edium a re more terri fyi ng than the helpless

,
specters of early tim es that co ul d o nly gi ve orders f or

the livi ng to carr y o ut Th e mo dern g host h a s lost no ne .
O f hi s m ortal p o wer s but h as gai ned addi ti o nal super
mortal abilities whi ch gi ves hi m an un sp ortsmanlik e

,
advantage o ver the m ere hum an bei ng he ma y tak e i ssue

wi th .
Henry James s The Turn of the S crew i s a remarkable

’
example Of the Objecti ve gho st sto ry It i s on e Of the .
best g ho stly stori es in E ng lish because more phi los ophical , ,
showi ng m or e kno wledge Of the psy cholo g y n ot o nly of the

adul t but Of the child n o t o nly of the human being but ,
Of the g h o st than m o st ficti o n Of the t y pe

, P eter Q uint .
and M iss Jessel wi th their diaboli cal co nspi racy Of evi l

ag ai nst the two chi ldren a re so r eal that they a re seen n ot
o nly by the children they ho und but by the unsuspecti ng
g o verness as well Sh e i s able to descri be them so accu

.
ra t ely that tho se wh o kn ew them in lif e— a s she di d n o t
at a ll reco gnize them i nstantly In The Four fif teen

—
.
-
E xp ress J o hn D erri n g er s g ho st i s seen by a ma n that

1 ’
,
do es n ot know he is dead and wh o has n ot been thin ki ng ,
o f h i m at all Th e gh o st r eveals inco ntro vert i ble proof

.
o f hi s pr esence even leavi n g his cig ar case behind hi m

,
-
,
which rai ses the questi o n as to whether gho sts sm oke i n

the her eafter in m ore way s t han o n e Th e g hastly inci .
dent i n Emi ly B ro nte s Wutheri n g H ei g hts wher e the ’
agoni zed g ho st comes to the wi ndo w g ashing its wri st o n ,
the bro ken pane is strikingly o bjectifie d for she c o m es t o

, ,
a pers o n who never knew her and i s n ot thi nki ng Of an y

supernatur al manifestatio n S ha dows on the Wa ll that .
,
2
B y Ameli a B E dwa rds . .

2
By M ary Wilki n s Freeman .
story Of surpassi ng p o wer Of sug g esti o n i s Objective i n i ts ,
m etho d fo r n o t o nly the ma n wh o h a s wro ng ed hi s dead

,
mo ther sees hi s spiri t r etur ning n o t i n the ordi nary wa y ,
but a s an accusi ng shado w on the wall but the si sters ,
see i t as well .
In John Ing lesa n t the spiri t Of Lo rd S tr aff ord i s

,
1
seen by the y o ung lad i n the vestibule as well as by the

ki ng wh o se c o nsci ence bur ns for havi n g left hi m t o di e
undefended Frank R S t o ckt o n s transferr ed g ho st
. .
’
i s an Objecti ve appari ti o n for sur ely the g uest i n the ,
upper chamber was n o t expecting t o see the shade Of a

livi n g ma n per ch itself on the foot Of hi s bed at mi dnig ht .
Th e horrible specter in The M ess en g er i s seen by vari ,

2
o u s pers o ns at diff er ent t i m es s o m e Of wh om ar e t otally ,
un pr epared f or such exhibi ti o n An d m any simi lar .
instances mi g ht be gi ven .
Whether g ho sts be m istak en subjecti ve or Objective , ,
thei r appearance h a s alway s elici ted co nsiderable interest

o n the part o f hum ani t y Their substance Of materi aliza .
tio n their h ea ri n g dr ess and general dem eanor a re

, , ,
ma tters Of definite concern t o tho se wh o expect sh ortly

t o beco m e gho sts themselves In so m e instances the .
m o dern g h o st sti cks pr etty clo sely to the animi stic

i dea of spiri t m ateri al whi ch was that the shade was ,
,
a s ort Of vap ory pro jecti o n of the bo dy intangi ble i mp a l , ,
p a ble y et easil y r ec og ni zed wi th ref er ence t o pr evi o us

,
pers o nality Chaucer descri bes some on e as bein g nat

.
pale as a forp y n ed g oo st which i llustrates the co nceptio n ,
i n his d a y and the Go thic specimen was usually a palli d

,
Specter tho ug h Walp ole furnished on e ro bust haun ter Of

,
gigantic muscle Yet for the m o st part the Go thic g ho sts

.
were mi sty wraiths thro ug h which the swor d could ,
plung e wi tho ut resistance They were frag il e and help .
less as a h ei g hteenth century hero ine when i t came to a-
2
By J H S horthouse
. . .
2
By Robert W . Chambers .
88 M o d ern Gho sts
real emergency and were useful chi efly for fri ghtenin g
,
the guilty and consoli ng the in no cent In s ome stori es .
of the p resent we have a si mi lar m ateri al i zati o n Th e .
Spiri t woman in Ki pli ng s P ha n tom Ri cksha w i s so ethereal

’
that the horse and i ts ri der plunge thro ugh h er wi thout

resi stance and Dickens s M r M arley i s of such vap ory
’
.
,
substance that S croo ge can see clear thro ugh hi m to count

the co at tai l buttons at hi s back In a recent story
- .
,
The S u bsti tute the spi ri t is sai d t o evade h er fri end like
,
1
a mist .
Th e Go thi c g h o st frequently walked forth as a skeleton ,
clad in no thin g but hi s b o nes and a luri d s co wl S kel e .
tons still peram bulate am o ng u s as in The M essen g er , ,
where the stri pped Off mas k Shows a hideo us skull

- .
Th e skeleton bur st from out the rotting robes and coll apsed
on th e g round b ef o r e us From between the star ing ribs and
.
th e g rinning teeth sp urted a t orr ent of black blood sho wering ,
th e shrinking g rasses and th en the thing shuddered and fell

,
over int o th e black oo ze of the bog .
Th e gho st of Zuleika i s
descri bed as a skeleto n wo
1
man r obed i n the r agged r emai ns o f a black m antle .
N ear this c rumbl i ng earth b o dy ther e lay the spiri t of

Zul eika attached t o it by a fine thread Of m agnetic ether
”
.
Lik e the earthly bo dy i t was wr apped in a ro be Of black

Of which i t seem ed the co unterpart E lli o tt O D onn ell
’
.
has a story of a mummy that i n a soldier s tent at ni ght ’
s obs breathes moves si ts up an d wi th ghastly fingers

, , , ,
unf olds i ts cer e cloth wr appin g s appeari ng to hi m a s

-
,
the coun terpart of hi s lo ng dead mother looki ng at -

,
hi m wi th the ey es he had worsh i ped i n h i s b oyhoo d .
I fell on my knees before her an d kissed— what ? N ot the

feet of my mother but thos e of the long buried dead ! S ick -
B y Georg ia W d Pang b
oo I Ah i i m by Ani t S i lvani
orne . 2
n r nz an, a .
M o d ern G ho s ts 89
with r ep ulsion and f ear I looked up and there bendi ng over

m e an d p eering into my ey es was the face the fl eshl ess , ,
m o uldering face of the foul corpse !

B ut on the whole tho ugh skeleto ns do appear i n later
,
fictio n th e rattle of b ones i s not heard a s often a s in

,
Gothi c ti mes .
Gh o stly appari ti o ns a re m or e vari ed i n form than i n

early ti mes The mo dern gho st do es n ot requir e a whole
.
skeleto n for hi s purp oses but he can take a si ngle bo ne

,
and put the hardi est to fli g ht with i t It rs a dreadful thing .
t o reali ze that a gho st can com e i n secti o ns whi ch in ,
defini tely multi pli es i ts po wers of haun tin g F Mari o n . .
Cr awf ord h as a story of a di abo lical skull one of the mo st ,
r abid revenge gh o sts o n r ec o r d A man h as murdered hi s.
wif e by po uri ng m elted lead int o h er ea r whi le she sl ept ,
i n accor dance wi th a su g g estio n fr om a casually t old St or y

o f a g uest The de ad wom an s skull — the husband cut the
’
.
head off for fear people wo uld hear the lead rattle and _ ,
buri ed i t i n the garden—“ comes back to haunt the husband

'
,
wi th tha t deadly rattle of the lump of lead i nsi de Th e .
teeth bi te hi m the skull rol ls up a hi ll to follow hi m and

, ,
fin al ly ki ll s him then sets in t o haunt the vi si tor wh o t old

,
the suggesti ve story E lsewher e as well Crawford sho ws

.
1
us skul ls th at have un cann y p o wer s of mo ti o n and em o
ti o n In Wilki e Colli ns s H a un ted Hotel the Specter i s seen

.
’
a s a b o di less head flo atin g near the cei li ng o f the room
where the ma n wa s mur dered and hi s body co ncealed

T hackeray “
.
descri bes a g ho st wi th i ts head o n i ts lap ,
and of course every o n e will remember the headless horse

m an wi th hi s head carri ed on the p omm el of hi s saddle that
fri g htened p oor Ichab o d Cr ane o ut of hi s wi ts .
We get a rabble Of headless appari ti ons i n B ri ssot s

’
Ghost on e of the An ti Jaco bin p ar o di es (ri di cul in g Ri chard

,
-
Glo ver s ballad of Ho si er s Gho st)

’ ’
2
In A N otch on the Axe .
90 M o d e rn Gho s ts
S udden the staircase sounding

up
Hideous y ells and shrieks were heard ;

Th en each g uest with fea r c onf o undi ng
, ,
A g rim train o f g hosts ap p eared ;

E ach a head in ang ui sh g as p ing
(Himself a trunk defo rm ed with g ore)
In his han d t errific clasp ing , ,
S talked acro ss the wine stained floor -

.
In B ulwer Ly tt on —
’
s The H a un ters a nd the H a un ted a
wom an s hand wi tho ut a bo dy rises up to clutch the a n
’
cient letters then withdraws while in his S tra n g e S tory the

, ,
supernatural manif estatio n comes as a vast E y e seen i n the

,
“
di stance movi ng nearer and nearer seemin g to m o ve ,
fro m the g ro und at a heig ht Of so m e l ofty g iant Then

o ther E y es appear
“ Th o se E y es ! Th o se terrible E y es !
.
L eg i ons on legi ons ! A n d that tr amp of numberless f eet !
”
they a re n o t seen but the h ollo ws of the earth echo t o their
,
tread ! The supernatural phenomena in Am bro se B ierce s ’
stories h ave an individual horror In A Vi n e on the .
H ouse he sh o ws a hideo us revenge g h o st m anif ested in a

peculiar form A co uple of m en take ref ug e in a deserted
.
ho use and no te a str ang e vi ne co vering the p or ch that

shakes unacco untably and vi olently In my stifi ca ti on .
they di g it up to find the ro o ts in the form Of a wo man s

,
’
bo dy lacking on e fo o t as had been the case wi th the

, ,
wom an wh o had lived there and wh o se husband had

killed h er secretly and buried h er besi de the p orch .
Th e r eveng e g h o st in mo dern fictio n fr equently m ani

f ests i tself in this fo rm mutilated or dismember ed each , ,
disfig urem ent Of the mortal b o dy sho win g itself in a

r elentless imm ortality and adding to the h orr o r of the
haunting There seem s to be n o seat of g ho stly mind or

.
soul for the bo dy can perform i ts functio n Of haunti ng

,
i n whole or i n part unaided by the head or heart li ke a

, ,
secti o n of a snake that h a s lif e apart from the main bo dy .

M o d ern Ghos ts 91
An d this i dea of detached part of the form acti ng as a

determi ned ag ent for r eveng e adds a new horror t o fic
tio n I haven t as y et fo und an instance of a wom an s
.
’ ’
heart bleedi ng and broken co min g up a ll by i tself to

, ,
haunt the deserti ng lover but perhaps such stori es will be ,
written soon An d think what terro rs wo uld await the

.
careless phy sici an or surgeo n if each o utra g ed o rgan

or dism ember ed limb c am e back t o seek vengeance o n
hi m !
Gh o sts mo dern
fictio n a re mor e co nvi ncing in thei r
of
r e a lity than the specters Of early tim es They a re .
stro nger m ore vi tal ; there seems to be a stren g thening Of

,
g h o stly tissue a stiff enin g o f super natural m uscle in these

,
day s Gho sts a re more healthy m ore active more ali ve

.
, ,
than they used t o be There is n ow a s befo re a stro ng .
resem blance t o the pers o nali ty befor e death the sam e ,
imm ortality of looks that i s disco urag ing t o the prospects

of h o m ely pers o ns wh o have ho ped t o be m o re hands o m e
i n a f utu r e state Fi ctio n g ives n o basi s for such hope

.
.
P ecul i ari ties of appear ance a re carri ed o vee wi th dist ress

i n g f ai thf ul ness t o detail each fr eckle each wrin kle each , , ,
g r ay hai r sh o win g with the clearness of a ph o t o g r aphic

proof N o te the lif elik eness Of the g o verness s descri pti o n
.
’
o f Pe ter Q uint in The Tu rn of the S crew .
He has red hair very red very clo se curling a n d a p ale

, ,
-
,
face l on g in shap e with straig ht g ood f eatures and little

, , ,
queer whiskers that a re as red as his ha ir Hi s ey ebrows a re .
som ehow darker and p articul arly arched as if they m ig ht

m ove a g ood deal Hi s ey es a re sharp strang e awful Hi s
.
, ,
.
m o uth is wide hi s lip s thin , .
Thi s seems an un sp ectra l descri ptio n for red hai r i s n ot ,
wr ai th lik e y et a red headed gh o st that lif ted i t s y e

e
- -
,
bro ws unnatur ally wo ul d be alarmi ng Sh e says Of hi m .

92 M o d ern Ghos ts
He wa s absolutely on thi s o ccasi o n a li vi ng dan gero us

, , , ,
detestable presence .
E ach m in or disfig urement i s r etai ned a s the l o ss of the ,
tooth i n Cr awford s screaming skull the mi ssin g toe in

’
,
B i erce s Mi ddl e Toe of the Ri g ht F oot the lacking foo t

’
,
in the g hostly vine and so forth N o thi ng i s neglected to

,
.
m ake identificatio n abs o lute in p resent tales Of horr or .
The spirits described by B ram S t o k er have red vol up tu ,
o u s lips and pink cheeks and the spiri t of S i r Oliver s ’

,
mother in De M o rgan s A n Af a i r of Di shonor that c om es

’
, ,
to m eet hi m as he passes h er maus oleum o n hi s wa y to the

shameful duel l i rn p s as in lif e so that he recog ni zes h er
, , ,
thoug h the cloaked and h oo ded fig ur e h a s i ts face turned

from hi m Jessie A delaide M iddl eto n sho ws us on e g ho st
.
with half a face .
Gh o stly appar el co nstitutes an interest i ng f eature of

supernaturalism in literature There seem to be a s defi .
ni te co nven tions co ncerning spectral clo thes a s r eg ardi ng

the garb of the living f ashionables It i s m ore diffi cult .
to un derstand the imm or tali ty of cl o thes than Of hum an

i ty for b o dil y tissue even of g h o sts might qui te con cei v
,
ably renew itself but n ot so with the gho stly g arments

, .
Of what stuff a re g h o st cl othes made ? An d why d o they

-
never wear out ?

In olden times when peo ple wore clo thes of less radical
styles than n ow and f ewer Of them masculi ne spiri ts were ,
i n part i dentifi ed by thei r fami li ar arm or Ar m or i s so .
materi al and heavy that it seems inc o ng r uo us to the

gho stly functio n y et shields and acco uterm ents were
,
necessary accompani ments of every kni g htly spook He .
must be ever r eady t o tilt wi th ri val g ho st Th e Go thi c .
phantoms were well pano pli ed and one remembers p ar

ti cul a rly the gi ant armo r in Walp ole s no vel N o wadays
’
.
the law forbids the carrying of weap o ns whi ch restri c ,
ti on seems t o have been extended to gho stdom a s well .

S pecters thus placed at a di sadvantage for on e woul d

are ,
scarcely expect to see even the wr ai th of a T exas cow-boy

to ti ng a pi sto l .
S pecters usually appear i n the garments i n whi ch the

beholder saw them last i n life S tyles seem petri fied at .
death so that Old ti m e g ho sts n ow look li ke fig ur es from

-
the m ovi es or guests at a masquerade ball On e o ther .
p oin t t o be noted i s that women phantom s a re frequently

seen in black or i n whi te Wh ite seems remi ni scent of the .
Shro ud a s well a s of yo uth and inno cence so i s appro pri

, ,
ate whil e black co nno tes g lo om so i s sui tabl e y et the

, , ,
r eally f avor ed c olor i s g ray M o st of the specters thi s .
seaso n a re dr essed in gr ay I scar cely kno w why this is .
aff ected by shades y et the f act rem ains that m any wrai ths
,
both m en and wom en a re thus atti red Gray i s the to ne .
that wi tch es Of mo dern tastes choo se als o whereas their ,
anci ent forbear s went in black and red M o dern gho sts .
a re at a disadvantag e i n the m atter Of cl o thes co m par ed
wi th the earli er o nes since the styles n ow chang e so qui ckly

,
and so deci dedly that a ghost i s ho pelessly pa sse before he ’
has tim e to m ateri ali ze at all in m o st instances .
E xamples of g h o stly garm ents in later ficti on evi dence

th eir vari ety K atheri ne Ful lerto n Gero uld shows u s
.
1
thr ee gho sts on e Of a woman i n a blue dress on e of a r attle

, ,
snake and on e of a Zul u warri or weari ng o nly a loi n

,
clo th a no se ri ng and a scowl (We do n ot often see the

,
-
, .
nude i n gh o sts perhaps because they have a shade of

,
mo desty ) Co opera ti ve Ghosts

. depi cts a man clad
- 2
i n th e wr ai th of a tweed suit mi d Vi ctori an wi th tho se ,

-
,
f ami li arM atthew Arn old si de whiskers In addi ti on t o -

.
M r M orley s co at tail butt o ns which we glanced thro ugh

’
.
-
hi m t o see we Observe that he wear s gho stly Spectacles a

, ,
p i g tail tights and b oo ts and a prim wai st co at In Ki p

- - .
, ,
li ng s They we see the gli nt of a small b oy s blue blo use

’ ’
,
1
In On the S ta i rs .
2
By F Converse
. .
94 M o d ern Gho s ts
whi le another Kipli ng y o ungster a gho st strut s

, wa r - ,
1
aro und i n his comi cal first tro user s which he wo uld n o t be
ro bbed Of even by the Germ an s oldi er s that m ur der ed hi m
“
”
.
Other childr en in the sam e st ory a re sai d t o have o n di s

g r acefully di rty clo thes I do no t recall a n y soil ure on
.
Go thic g arm ents save spectra l bl oo d stains and the

,
-
mo ld of gr aves N either did I disc o ver a n y chil d wr ai th

.
in Go thicism save the pitif ul sp iri ts of baby vi ctim s in

The A lbi g en ses and the baby wr aiths in Ho gg s The Wool
’
g a therer Th e E n g lish m an driven m a d by the appari tio n

.
o f the wo m an he has wro nged i n Ki plin g s st ory is de ’ 2
scribed by hi m as wearing the dress in which I saw h er last

alive ; she carried the sam e tiny handkerchi ef in h er ri ght
hand and the sam e card case in h er left -
(A wom an eig ht.
mo nths dead with a car d case ! ) B lack wo o d sh ows us a

-
g ho st in pur ple knee br eeches and velvet co at ; in The Gra y

-
Guest the r etu rning N ap oleo n wears a l o ng military clo ak

3
o f g r ay and m ilitary b o o ts whi le Cr awf or d h a s o n e d read

,
ful g ho st c o min g back t o wreak revenge in wet o il —ski ns .
T h e eccentric sp o o k in J o sephine D askam B aco n s The

’
H eri ta g e i s dressed in brown and sits st olidly and silently

o n the side of the bed wi th i t s back tur ned Think Of .
being haunted by an unbudg ing br o wn back ! N O wo nder

it drove the y o ung husband t o spend his wedding nig ht
huddled on the stair s We have instances of a g ho st
.
in a red vest a r elentless r eveng e spirit that h o unds

,
‘
fro m o cean to o cean his m urder er and the bet ray er of hi s

daug hter and another of a g ho st in a red shir t There
, .
is on the whole as m uch variety and appro pri ateness

o f c o stum e in m o der n g h o st ficti o n as i n B ro adway
melo dram a .
A no ther p oi nt of diff erence between the specters Of to

day and tho se of the past i s in the extensi o n Of thei r ave
1
In S wep t a n d Ga rni s hed .
2
P ha n tom Ri cksha w .
3 B y La uren ce Cl a rke .
nues of app ro ach t o u s Gh o stly appeal to the senses is

.
more vari ed n ow than i n ear lier ti m es Th e classical as .
well a s the Gothi c gh o sts appealed in general o nly t o the

si ght and heari ng as well a s of co urse t o the sixth sense
, , ,
that reali zes the presence of a supernatural being Ghosts .
were seen and heard and were content wi th that B ut .
nowadays more p oints Of co ntact a re o pen to them and

they haunt us thro ugh the t o uch the sm ell as well a s si ght , ,
and heari ng Th e taste as a m edi um of impressio n h a s

.
n o t yet been expl o ited by ficti o n wri ters th o u g h do ubt
less i t wi ll be work ed o ut soo n There i s a folk tale Of the .

-
Skibo s that wo lves eat g h o sts and find them very a p p eti z
i n g and the devi l i n P o e s B on B on say s he eats the spi rits
’
o f mo rtals On e m i g ht im ag i ne what haun ting dy spepsia

.
co uld resul t if an ill tempered spook were devo ured agai nst
-
h i s wil l It i s co nceivable too that g astro no mic gho sts

.
, ,
mi ght haunt canni bals ; and wh o kno ws that the dark

brown taste i n the mo uths of ri oto us li vers i s n ot so me
specter strivi ng to exp ress itself through that medium
i nstead of bein g merely ri ot o us li vers ?
Th e appeal of gho sts t o the sight has alr eady been
di scussed so need n o t be m enti o ned here B ut the ele .
ment of invisib il i ty enters in a s a new and very terrible

f orm of supernatural m anif estatio n in later ficti on In .
spite of the g eneral vi sib ili ty s ome Of the mo st h orrible ,
tales turn o n the f act that the haunter is unseen H G . . .
Wells s In vi si ble M a n i s a hum an bein g n o t a g ho st ; y et

’
the story has a curdl in g p o wer that few straig ht g host

.
stories p o ssess M a up a ssa n t s L a H orla is a nig htmare

.
’
story o f an i nvi si ble bei ng that i s terrifi c in i t s eff ect Th e .
victi m kn ows that an unseen yet definite and determined

s om ethi ng IS shut i n his room wi th hi m nig ht after nig ht ,
eatin g drinki ng reading si ttin g on hi s chest dri vi ng hi m

, , , ,
ma d Am bro se Bi erce s The Da mned Thi ng i s a gruesome

.
’
story of i nvi si bil ity Of a s omethi ng that i s abro ad wi th

,
96 M o d ern G ho s ts wi ll
u nearthl y p ower oi evil whose mo vements can be meas

,
ured by the bendin g Of the g rasses which sh uts the

kpf
f ,
li ght from other o bjects as i t passes which struggles wi th ,
the do g s and with m en til l it finally ki lls and horri bly

,
mang les the ma n wh o has been studyin g it but i s never ,
seen Another h a s for i ts central fig ure a bein g that

.
1
vi olently attacks m en and 1S o verp o wered and t i ed only by

abnormal streng th that struggles on the bed showin g i ts
, ,
i m pri nt o n the mattr ess that i s imp ri so ned i n a plaster

,
cast t o have i ts mold taken that i s heard br eathi ng ,
lo udl y till i t dies o f starvation yet i s abso lutely never ,
vi sible B lackwoo d s Fire Elem ental m a y be seen mov

.
’
in g al o ng o nly by the bending of the g r ass beneath i t and

by the tr ail it leaves behind f or th o ug h it i s audible y et it
i s never seen .A s a br ave m a n said of it
“ ,
I a m n ot af rai d ,
o f any thing that I can see ! so these stories o f sup em a
tural invi sibil ity have a chilling horror m ore intense than
that of m o st g ho stly tales Th e elem ent Of i nvi sibi lity.
o f un mistakably p r esent spirits is sh o wn in o ther st o ries .
On e tender st o ry Of an i nvisible g ho st is t old in In N o

“
S tra n g e La nd o f a m a n killed suddenly in a wr eck whil e
,
o n his way h o m e t o the birthday di nner his wif e i s p repar
i n g for him . He do es n o t kno w that he has been hurt ; but

whil e hi s dead b o dy lies m ang led under the wr eckag e hi s
sp1ri t hurries home He swears whimsi cally under hi s
.
breath at s ome mt errup ti on and thi nks with joy of the

happy little group he will m eet B u t when heenter s his .
home he cannot m ake them see or hear h im They a re .
vaguely aware of some strang e i nfluence a re awed by it , ,
and the little son wi th the p o et s heart whispers that he ’
hears s omethin g but that i s all Th e man stands by

, .
,
i rn p ot en tl y st retching ou t his arm s t o them ti ll he hears

the messeng er tell them that he is dead .
1
Wha t Wa s It A Mystery by Fi tz-J a mes O B ri en
,
’
.
2
B y Ka theri n e B utl er .
M o d ern Gho sts 97
Gho sts vari able wi th respect t o s o unds as well a s

a re
appear ance The early g ho sts were for the most part
.
si lent yet could talk on o ccas i o n and classi cal appari

, ,
tio ns were sometimes vo cal and sometim es si lent Th e .
Go thic gh ost someti mes had an im pedi ment in hi s speech

whi le at other ti mes he co uld converse fluently Th e .
Go thic spect er r eal as well as f ak ed f requently lif ted

, ,
voi ce i n s ong and broug ht terror to the guil ty bo som by

such strai ns Yet when he sp oke he was usually brief i n
.
utter ance P erhaps the reason for that lay i n the lack of
.
surety on the part of the wri ters a s to the p roper g hostly

di cti o n Go thic auth ors wer e n ot overstrong on tech
.
nique and they may have hesitated to l e t their specters be

t oo fluent lest they be g ui lty o f di alectic errors It wo uld .
seem inco ngr uo us for even an illiterate gho st to m ur der the

ki ng s E ngli sh which pr esents a diffi culty i n t h e m atter
’
o f r ealism s o per chance th e wri ters do dged the issue by

,
gi vi ng their ghosts brevi ty of speech or i n s ome cases by ,
letting them look volumes Of thr eats but utter n o word .
This m a y explai n the reas o n for the n on Speakin g g ho sts -
i n classical and E li zabethan dr am a There i s a similar .
va ri atio n in the later fictio n for many of the g ho sts a re ,
elo quently si lent whi le o ther phantoms are terrif yin g ly

,
fluent All thi s go es to pro ve the freedom of the mo dern

.
gho st f or he do es wha t he takes a no ti on t o do Th e .
i nvisible gh osts a re as a rule voi celess a s well .
Th e Gothi c romance was fo nd of mysteri o us m us i c

as an accompanim ent of supernatural vi si tation but ,
gho stly musi c i s less comm o n tha n i t used to be Yet .
i t do es come at ti m es as i n A F a r a wa y M el ody where 1

-
, ,
two spinster si sters li vin g al o ne hear heaven ly m usi c

as p o rtent - Of their dea th Gho stly song i s hear d in .
ano ther case where a wom an s spiri t comes back t o

,
2 ’
'
Sin g in a duet a t h er funeral and Crawford s g host
’ ‘
,
’
3
B yMary Wi lki ns F
reema n .
2
Two Voi ces .
3 In Ma n Overboa rd .
98 M o d ern G ho sts
co nstantly whi stles a tune he had been fo nd of during lif e .
In Co opera ti ve Ghosts the wraith o f the y o ung g irl wh o in

-
C romwelli an tim es betray ed h er f ather s cause t o save h er

’
lover s lif e sings sadly

’
I coul d love thee dear so much

n ot , , ,
L oved I n ot ho nor m or e !
In Crawf o rd s A Doll s Ghost that peculiar ex ample of

’ ’
p reternatural fictio n n o t a chil dren s story as on e mig ht

,
’
think n or y et humoro us the mechanical voi ce of the doll

, ,
and the click of i t s tiny patteri ng feet o ccur as strang e

s ounds Lord S traff ord walks with a firm audi ble tread
.
I
,
o n his wa y t o appall the kin g and in B lackwoo d s E mpty ’

,
H ou se the g h o sts m o ve with s o unds of heavy rushin g f eet , ,
fo llo wed by a n oise o f scuffl i n g and smo ther ed scr eam s as

the ancient m urder is re—enacted then the thud of a bo dy ,
thrown down the sta i rs f — after which i s a terri ble sil ence .
Th e awf ul eff ect of a sudden sil ence af ter supe rn atural
s ounds is nowhere shown m ore tensely than in The M an

key s P a w that st ory of superlative p ower of sug g esti o n
’ 2
, .
When the g ho stly visitant kn o cks l o udly at the o uter do o r ,
we f eel the sam e thrill o f chillin g awe as in the kno ckin g at

the gate in M acbeth and mo r e for the two wh o hear a re , ,
sur e that this is a presence com e back from the dead .
Then when the last m ag i c wish has been br eathed utter ,
si lence comes a si lence m o r e dreadf ul i n it s i mp ort than

,
the clamo r h as been .
N ew s o unds a re intro duced i n m o dern g ho stly t a les ,
such as the peculi ar hi ssi ng that is a mani festatio n of the

presence of the anci ent spi rit followed by the crackl i ng 3
and crashi ng of the enchanted flam es In B lackwoo d s .

’
K eepi ng Hi s Promi se the heavy stertoro us breathi ng of ,
the invi sible Thi ng i s heard and the creaki ng of the bed ,
I
In John Ing l esa n t . By W W J a cobs
. . .
3 In A Nm
e esi s o fFi re by Bla ckwood
, .
weig hted d0wn by the b o dy M ary Wi lki ns Freeman .
bri ng s in g ho stly cryi ng in a st ory while B lack woo d speaks

o f h i s Wendi g o as havi n g
“ a s ort of windy cryi ng voice
,
, ,
a s of s o m ething l o nely and untamed wild and of a bo mi n ,
able po wer Kipli ng i nt ro duces no vel and t o uchi ng

.
s o unds i n hi s st ori es of g ho stly chi ldr en Th e chi ld .
wr ai ths a re g a y y et sometim es near to tears He speaks

“ , .
of the utterly happy chuckle of a child abs orbed in s om e

lig ht mischief
“ ” sudden squeaki ng gi gg les of child
” ”
, ,
hoo d the rustle of a fro ck and the patter of feet in

,
the ro om bey o nd “ j oy o us chuckles of evasion and

, ,
so fo rth These essenti ally chi ldl ike and lifelik e s o unds
.
a re deeply patheti c as comi n g fr o m the g h o sts of li ttle
o nes that h o ver h o mesick near the ear th they dr ead t o

, ,
leave The little g ho st boy in Richar d Middlet on s

.
’
st ory manifests hi mself i nvisibly thr o ug h the little

,
I
, ,
pr ancin g steps the rustlin g o f the leaves thro ug h which he

,
r uns and the heart b r eakin g imi tatio ns of an aut o mobile

,
-
.
Later g ho stly ficti o n i ntro duces few o f the clanking s

,
o f chains and lug ub rio us g r o ans that m ade the Go thic
ro m ance mo urnful and the mo dern specters a re less wail

,
ful than the earlier b u t m or e articulate in thei r expr es ,
si o n T here a re definite g ho stly so unds that r ecur i n

.
vario us stories such as the death ra p abo ve the bed of the

,
-
dy i n g the oft m entio ned m o cking laug hter i n em pty

,
-
places the cry of the banshee which is the pr esag e of

,
death n o t o nly o f the bo dy but of the s o ul as well O n ,

.
th e wh o le the s o unds i n mo der n super natur al st o ries a r e

,
m or e vari ed in their t y pes m or e exp ressive of separ ate ,
and i ndividual horr or and with an i ntensi fied po wer of ,
h aunti ng sug g estio n than was the case wi th the earli er

fo r m s .
Th e sense of s m ell was n ot no ticeably expl oi ted i n the

ancient or Gothic gho st st ori es tho ug h certai n fo lk tales ,
-
,
I The P a ssi ng o f
“
E dwa rd .
1 00 M o d ern Gho s ts
as H awai i an st ori es of the lo wer world speak of it Th e ,

.
devi l was supp osed t o be in bad o dor for he wa s usu ,
ally accompanied by sul phuro us scents as we noti ce i n ,
C alder o n s dr am a
’
and s om e of the Gothic novels but
,
1
,
that seem s t o be abo ut the extent of the matter B ut .
m o der ns while n ot so parti al t o bri mst o ne pay co nsi der

, ,
able attention t o super natur al o dor s Th e devi l has been .
dr y cleaned but the evil o dors of later ficti o n a r e mor e

-
,
o bjecti o nable than the f umes of the p i t are mor e va r ,
i a n t mor e indi vidual and di sti ncti ve

,
Odors seem less .
subjecti ve than sig hts or s o unds and a re n ot so co n ven ,
t i o n a l i zed in g h o stly ficti o n hence when they a r e cleverly,
evo ked they a re unusually eff ective These supern atur al .
scents have a very lasting quali ty too for they li ng er on ,
after the o ther m anif estatio ns of the pr eternatur al a re

past In The H a un ted H otel the g ho st manifests itself
.
,
2
thro ugh the no strils In room number thirteen ther e i s

.
an awf ul stench for which n o on e can acco unt and which ,
cannot be rem oved by a n y disinf ectants Fi nally when .
a wo m an especi ally sy mpatheti c to a m a n m y steri o usly

dead is put in the room the g ho st appears as a decayi ng ,
head flo ating near the ceiling and emitting an intolerable

,
o do r The Upp er B erth tells o f a strange fo ul sea o do r

3
.
,
that infests a certain statero om and that n o am o unt of

fum igatin g or airin g will r emo ve A s the Thi n g co mes o u t .
o f the sea t o carry its victim away with i t the m a n in the ,
lo wer berth g ets the ful l fo rce of the unear thly smell .
Ther e ar e definite f o ul supernatur al o dor s asso ciated wi th

super natural anim als in recent g hostly t al es as that ghost
”
,
o f an unf orgettable st ran g e o do r o f a queer acri d pun g ent , , ,
sm ell like the o dor of lio ns whi ch ann o unces the pr esence ,
of the awful o ut doo r so mething c al led by the Indi an s

-
,
the Wendi g o In Ki pling s story of a m a n whose

.
’
4
El Mag i co P rodi g i os o . By Wi lki e Co l lin s .
3 B y F M a ri on Cra wford
. .
4 The M a rk of the B ea st .
M o d ern Gho s ts 10 1
so ul h a s been st olen by Indi an m agi c throug h the curse o f

a leper priest and a beast s s o ul put in i ts place his com ’
,
-
pani o ns a re sickened by an i nto lerable stench as of wild

beasts and when the curse is r emo ved and he com es back
,
t o hi mself he sn ifl s the a i r and asks what causes

,
“ such a
horri d do g g y sm ell in the ai r .
S o meti mes the ghastly pr esence c omes as a whiff of

‘
perfume wher e the spi ri t of the dead wo m an bri ngs
,
with it flo wers in ma sses wi th a heavenly perfum e which ,
linger s after the spiri t i n visi ble form has departed The .
subtlest and m o st deli cately haunting story of thi s ty pe i s

O H enry s where the lo ved dead g irl reveals herself
’ 2
.
, ,
t o the m a n wh o i s desper ately hunti ng the big city o ver

fo r h er m erely a s a whiff o f rn i g n o n et t e the flo wer she
, ,
m o st lo ved .
'
B ut it i s thro ug h the sense of t o uch that th e worst form
o f haunti ng co m es S eein g a supernatur al vi sitant i s
.
terri ble heari ng hi m i s direful sm elling hi m i s lo athsome

, , ,
but having hi m t o uch y ou i s the climax of horror This .
element co m es in m uch in recent stories Th e earli er .
gho sts seem ed t o be more r eserved to know thei r spectral ,
place better were n ot so r eady t o presume o n unwelcom e

,
f amil iarities a s th o se i n later fictio n but sp oo ks have ,
do ubtless follo wed the f ashi o n of mortals i n this easy ,
r elaxed a g e and have beco m e a shade t oo fr ee in their
m anner s Of co ur se on e r em em bers the cr ushing specter

.
,
i n O tr ant o cas tle that flattened the hapless y o uth o u t so

eff ectuall y and there a re o ther i nstances less striking
, .
B ut a s a general thi n g the Go thic g h o st was c o ntent t o

stand at a distance and hurl cur ses Fortunately for our .
ancestor s nerves he di d n ot i ncli ne m uch t o the layi ng

’
,
on o f hands M o dern gh o sts h owever have n ot been

.
, ,
taug ht to restrai n their im pulses and they venture o n

x
A i H
s n d Th by Ali
ere a n B w ere, ce ro n .
The Furni shed Room .

1 02 M o d ern G ho s ts
li berti es that Ra d cliffia n ro m ance wo uld have di s a p

proved of .
The Da mned Thi n g an exam ple of muscular g ives

supernaturalism for the my steri o us being kil ls a do g in
,
a stiff fig ht then later slay s the m aster after a terrible

,
struggle in whi ch the m a n is di sfigur ed beyo nd wor ds to

describe O B ri en sh ows a terri ble being of abn orm al
.
’
p o wer that is tied only after a trem endo us eff ort and ,
which fights violently t o free i tself An d the Thi ng in the .
upper berth had an awesom e str ength .
It was som ethin g g hostly horrible bey ond words a n d it

, , ,
m oved in m y g rasp It was like the body of a m a n lon g dead

.
a n d y et it m oved a n d h a d t h e str en g t h o f t en m en livi ng

, ,
but I g rip p ed it with all my mig ht th e slip p ery o o zy horrible , , ,
thing I wrestled with the d ea d thin g ; it thrust its elf up on

.
m e a n d nea rly broke my a rms ; it woun d its corp s elike a rms

around m y neck th e living d eath a n d overp owered m e so
, , ,
that at th e last I cri ed aloud a n d fell a n d left my hold .
As I f ell t h e thing sp ra ng a cross m e a n d s eem ed t o throw

its elf up on th e cap tain When I last saw hi m on hi s f eet his
.
f ace wa s white a n d his lip s set It seemed t o m e that he .
struck a violent blow at the d ead bein g a n d then he to o , , , ,
fell forwa rd on his fa ce .
Th e gh o stly to uch i s frequently described n ot o nly i n ,
fictio n but in rep orts o f the P sy chical S o ciety as well a s ,
being of supernatural chill or of burning heat Af ter .
wa rds brings in the i cy t o uch of the Spirit hand In cer

, .
tai n cases the gho st to uch lea ves a burn o r m ark that
never go es away .
Yet the to uch of h orro r i s n ot the o nly on e intro duced

in fictio n of the supernatural Ther e a re tender and .
lovi ng to uches as well expressing y earning lo ve and a,
longi ng to communicate wi th the living What co uld .
be more beautiful than the inci dent in They I f elt

By Fred c . S male .
M o d ern Gho sts 1 03
my elaxed h an d taken and turned softly between the sof t

r
h an ds of a chi ld The li ttle brushi ng ki ss fell i n the center

.
o f m y palm— a s gi ft on whi ch the fingers were once expected
t o clo se— a fragment of a mute co de devi sed very lo ng a g o

“
.
An d i n a sim i lar story the woman says I will swear to

”
, ,
my dyi ng day that two li ttle hands stole an d rested for a —
mom ent o nly— i n mi ne ! Wi lki e Colli ns sp eaks of hi s

story The Ghost s Touch as foll ows :
,
’
,
Th e course of this narrative leads the reader on new and

strang e gr ound It describes the retur n of a disembodied
.
“
sp irit to ea rth not occurring in the obscurity of midnig ht
—
but in the searching lig ht of d a y ; nei ther seen as a vi sion n or
h ea r d as a voice— r eveal ing itself t o mortal knowledg e thro ug h
the sen se that i s least easil y self deceived the sen se tha t feels
-
,
.
'
Th e wi do w f eel s the clasp of h er husband s hands n ot ,
o nly p sychi cally but phy sicall y an d when sh e ask s f o r a
”
,
f urther s i gn the gh o s t ki sses h er unmi stakably on the li ps

,
.
Ano ther wi dow f eels h er hand clasped by the hand o f h er

husband who h a s mysteri o usly di sappeared af ter having
presum ably absconded wi th trust funds— and knows that
he i s dead an d seeki ng to gi ve her some messag e Hi s .
ha nd gently lea ds h er t o the edge of the cliff wher e he h as

f all en o ver and been ki lled so that sh e ma y kno w the
.
’ “,
truth Th e lo ver i n Po e s E leon ora f eels a spi ritual ki ss ”

f rom the li p s of hi s beloved T h e gh o st t o uch i s an i m
.
pr essi ve m otif of strength i n r ecent ficti on and marks

an advance o ver the earli er forms showi ng an access of ,
i magi nati ve p ower and psycho lo gi cal analysi s .
Ano ther poi nt of co ntr ast between the mo dern and the
o lder gh o sts i s i n the gr eater fr eedom enj o y ed by th o se of
to d a y
-
Th e gho sts of our an cest ors wer e weak and
.
helpless crea tures i n the mai n and the Gothi c specter wa s

'
*
A P ai r f H a nds, by Q ui ll er-Co uch
o .
In OurL
La st Wal k , by Hug h Co n wa y .
104 M o d ern Gho sts
tyranni zed over to such an extent that he hardly dared

call hi s shade hi s own The sp ook of to day h a s acqui red a
.
-
latchkey and asserted hi s i ndependence H e m a y have a .
lo cal habi tati on but he isn t obliged t o stay there N ow ’

.
a days even the spectr al wo m en a re setti ng up t o be

-
femi ni sts and have p rivileg es that wo ul d have caused the

‘
Go thi c wrai ths t o swoo n with h orror Gh o sts a re n ot so .
sensitive t o the barometer n ow as they used t o be n or do ,
they have such an active influence o ver the weather as di d

the Gothi c phantom s They do n ot need a tempes t for thei r
.
m ateriali zatio n nor a supernatur al play of lightnin g fo r

thei r wi ld thr eats and compar ati vely few storms o ccur
,
in later ficti o n Yet ther e i s certainly n o lesseni ng of the

.
g h o stly thrill in co nsequence .
N ei ther a re the spirits of to d a y limited t o a n y set h o urs

-
as was the rule in Gothi cism The ty rann y of the dark .

,
the auto cratic rule o f twelve or on e o clo ck as the arbitrary ’
ho ur for appariti o ns has been removed K atherine Fuller

, .
t o n Gero uld sh o ws a ni nteresting collectio n of g h o sts tha t

com e at eleven o clo ck in the m orni ng Georgi a Wo o d
’
,
P angb orne bring s on e o u t o n the seashor e in mi d a fter -
n oon and K ipling h as vari o us gho sts that appear in dav

,
lig h t a n d in the open a i r .
Gh o sts i n m o dern fic ti o n a re not dependent up o n a set

ting of sullen scenery as in Gothi cism but m ay choose a n y ,
su rro unding s they like S ince modern household arr ange

.
m ents do n o t i nclude f amil y vaul ts a s a g eneral thi ng and ,
since cemeteries a re i nco nveni ently lo cated there i s a ,
tendency on th e part of haunters to desert such quarters .
M ary Wi lki ns Freem an and Charles E g bert Craddo ck

each h a s on e g ho st story lo cated i n a g raveyard an d ,
The L a st Ghost i n H a rmon y i s set in a bu ry i ng ground 1

-
,
but th e specter complai ns loudly o f the unsen tim ental

mi nd of the t o wn which ha s lo st i nterest i n gho sts and ,
By N . M . Ll oy d .
leaves i n di sgust Lik ewi se the domi natio n of the Go thic

.
castles tho se ghai st alluri ng edi fices h a s passed away

,
-
,
”
and m odern sp o oks a re n o t co nfined to any on e lo cali ty as
i n the pas t T hey appear wher e they will in the m o st
.
,
p ro saic places i n cheap lo d g i ng ho uses i n hall bedrooms

,
-
, ,
i n bungalows i n the stateroom s of s teamers o n tr amp

, ,
shi ps and so fo rth Algern o n B lackwoo d h a s set a n um

, .
ber o f thri ll i ng gho st st ori es o ut in the o pen in the woo ds , ,
in the desert sand wastes an d similar places On e eff ect

, .
o f such r eali sti c and un sp ectra l setti ng i s t o gi ve a greater
verisimi li tude t o the events described and the m o dern tale

“
bear s ou t Lei g h H unt s su g g esti o n that a g ho st story to
’
,
be a goo d on e sho uld uni te as m uch as p o ssible objects

, , ,
a s they a re i n lif e wi th a preternatural Spirit

,
Yet .
her e a re g ho sts that do haunt certain room s as relent

lessly as ever Go thic specter did .
T h e mo der n g h o st has p o wer o ver certain l o calities

rather than m er e h o uses or apart m ents If the h o use he .
call s hi s own is to rn do wn he bides his tim e and haunts ,
the new str ucture buil t o n the sam e sp o t Or if n o new .
house g o es up he hang s aro und and haunts the vacant

.
l ot which i s a m ore r epr ehensible p ro cedur e than the

,
o rdinary habi ts of sp o o ks On e st ory co ncerns a h o use s o

.
persistently g ho sted that its o wner to ok it do wn secti o n by

sectio n trying to arri ve at the lo catio n of the curse but
, ,
t o n o avail When the whole building had been r azed

.
and the site plowed o ver the gho st undisco ur ag ed ,
haun ted merrily on Then the owner left i n di sg ust. .
Al g erno n B lackwo o d is f o nd of situatio ns wher e l o c a lities

a re haunted by evil sp i rit s wher e a whole vi llag e I
,
i s i nhabited by the g ho sts of l o ng dead Wi tches or S ecret -

,
Worshi p th a t rel a t es the experience of a m an wh o wanders

'
wi thin the limits of a place made h o rrible by devil wor -
shi p ers lo ng dead

,
but lif e like and i nhabiting a ho use
-
,
-
,
1
As i n A nci ent S orceri es .
that has been torn down y ears before but appears as

usual where they entr ap the so uls of the livi ng for thei r
,
fiendish sacrifi ce An ot h er is the recor d of a spi ri t of

.
I
frig htful evi l that haunts a h o use bui lt o n the sp o t where

an older h o use o nce st oo d W ho se diab oli sm li ngers on to
,
curse the living Th e spiri t that haunts a lo cality rather

.
than on e ro om or ho use has a m ore m ali g nant p ower than

the m ore restricted g ho st an d this adds a new element of
definite supernatur alism t o m o dern ficti o n B ut as houses .
a re so m uch less perm anent n o w than fo rm erly g ho sts ,
wo uld be at a terrible disadva ntag e if they had to be evi cted

every tim e a building was torn do wn .
Gho stly psy cholog y is a fascinating study Th e de .
vel op m en t o f spectral pers o nality is o n e o f the evident
facts g ained from a hist o ri cal sur vey o f supernatur al

ficti on Th e mo dern gho st has m or e individuality mor e
.
,
distinctiveness in the m ain than his f orbears Th e

, , .
g h o sts o f m edievalism of ancient superstitio n and the

, ,
dram a were for the mo st part pallid colorless bei ng s in ,
character as in m aterializatio n The ancient gho sts wer e .
m ore m o urnful than the m o derns srn ce the state of the ,
dead in early tim es was by n o m eans enviable Th e .
m o st on e co uld ho pe for then was H ades while the spirits ,
wh o hadn t been buried c o uldn t find entr ance even ther e

’ ’
but were forced by r elentless spectral p olice to keep f or

ever m oving Th e ”Chr isti an r elig io n furnishes a m ore
.
cheerful o utlook so in later m ani f estatio ns the g loo m i s

,
consider ably li g h tened Yet even so the Go thic g ho sts

.
were morbid l ow minded specter s n ot m uch happi er than

,
-
the unlucky wig hts they f elt it their business t o haunt .
Their w o e beg one visag es their clanking chains and o ther

-
, ,
accompanim ents of woe beto kened any thing but cheer .
There a re s o m e unhappy spi ri ts in recent ficti o n but ,
i
A P y hi I v i
s c c n as on .
M o d e rn G ho s ts 1 07
n ot such a larg e p ro p ortio n as in the past An d there is .
usually s om e basis f or their j oy lessness ; they do n t have ’
general melanch olia with n o g ro unds for it T h e g ho st o f .
the dead wif e i n Readjustmen t is mi ser able because she I
has never understoo d h er husband ei ther in lif e or in ,
death and she comes back seeking an explanati on An

, .
o ther spectr al
‘
W o m an is wr etched because she h a s the
double crim e o f mur der and suicide o n h er s o ul P oo r .
M arley gri eves because he i s do o m ed t o see the o pp ortuni ‘

ties that li fe has off ered h im t o serve o ther s and that he
has neg lected bei ng forced to see with the clear vi sio n o f
,
the other world the evil resul ts of his o wn neg lect which is ,
en o ug h t o m ake a n y on e wretched A g ui lty co nscience i s .
lik e the bur ning heart that each spirit in the H all of Eblis
bo re in his breast In The Roll —ca ll of the Reef the troop .
,
3
o f dr o wned s o ldiers inf ant ry and h orsem en co m e rising
”
, , ,
o u t o f the surf t o answer t o their nam es E ach m a n i s

“
.
a sked by nam e Ho w is it with y o u ? and answer s wi th

,
the deadly sin that has dam ned h i m In Wil kie Colli ns s .
’
g rues o m e tale ther e is o n e spirit that is unhapp y because

4
his bo dy lies unburied a recurr ence o f a them e frequent ,
in classical stories and Go thic rom ance but rar e in later ,
fictio n For the m ost part the later g ho sts a re s om ething

.
more than m erely unhappy spirits They a re more p o sitive .

,
mo re active m ore individualis tic too phil o s o phical to

, ,
waste tim e in useless g rievi ng .
N or a re ther e m any simply happy spirits perhaps be ,
cause the j oy o us s o ul s a re lik ely t o seek their paradi se and

for get ab o ut the earth Yet there a re instances such a s .
,
th e li g ht hearted spiri ts o f childr en in vario us st o ries that

-
,
with the resilience of childhoo d shake off g lo om and a re

a
g y ; R o sa m o nd that c o m es bac k t o tell h er fri end h o w
,
s
By M H . . Au sti n .
2
In The Cl osed Ca bi n et .
3 By A T . .
Q ui ller-Couch .
4 The Queen of H ea rts .
5 In H ere and Th ere .

10 8 M o d ern G ho s ts
happy the other lif e i s the peaceful ly co ntent ,

m o ther ,
I
and others .
Th e g ho sts that a r e actively vi cio us a re the m o st vi vi d

and numerous in later ficti o n Th e spi ri ts of evil seem to .
have a terrible cum ulati ve fo rce being fa r m ore m a l eficen t ,
than the earlier o nes and m ore po werful in carryin g out

,
thei r purp o ses E very aspect of supernaturali sm seems

.
t o be key ed up t o a hig her pi tch o f terro r E vil seem s t o .
have a strang ely g r eater p o wer o f im mortality o ver that of

g oo d judg in g fr o m the p ro p or ti o n em ploy ed in mo dern
,
ficti on Ha s evi l so much m or e streng th o f wi ll so much

.
,
m ore perm anence of p o wer that i t li ves on thro ug h the .
years and centuri es while g oo d deeds perish wi th the bo dy ?

,
It wo uld appear so from fictio n Th e g ho sts of g oo d .
actio ns d o n o t li nger ro und the ab o de of the living t o any

noticeable extent but evil deeds a re deathless We have
, .
m any st ori es of places and perso ns haunted by the em

bo di ed evil o i the past but f ew by the emb o died g oo d, .
Th e r eveng e g h o sts o ut n umber the gratef ul dead by legi o ns .
M o dern specters have a m ore complex p ower than the

ol d . They a re more awf ul i n thei r im p ort for they ,
haunt not merely the b o dy but the so ul Th e wi cked , .
spiri ts will t o work d readful harm to the s o ul a s well as

the b o dy and dri ve the victi mt o so i ri tu al insanity seek
, ,
i n g t o dam n hi m for the li f e everlas tin g m aking hi m , ,
no t merely their vi ctim but thro ug h eterni ty thei r co ,
worker i n a wf ul evi l Th e vi ctim of the vam pi re f o r

.
,
i nstance wh o d i es as a r esult o f the att ack has t o becom e

, ,
in his turn a lo a thsome vampire t o prey o n o ther s ouls and

bo dies B lackwoo d s D evil wo rshipers seek to ki ll the
.
’
-
s oul as well as the b ody of their vi ctim Th e deathless .
'
ness of evi l i s sho wn i n Ly tto n s and in many of B lack 2
woo d s stori es a s where the psychi c do ctor says to a m an

’
, ,
Y ou a re n ow i n t o uch wi th certai n vi olent emoti o ns ,
1
I Th y Tha t M
n e Th H u t
ourn . d th H u t d e a n ers a n e a n e .
passi o ns purp oses sti ll active i n thi s ho use that wer e

, , ,
pro duced i n the past by s ome p owerful and evil pers on

ali ty that li ved her e .
Few writers have equaled F M ari on Crawf ord i n the .
m o dern g h o st story Hi s tales have a curdling intensity

.
,
a r ackin g h orror that set them fa r ab ove the ordinary

supernatural ficti on They ling er in the mi nd long after
.
o n e has t ried in vain t o fo rget them if indeed on e ever d o es ,
forget thei r sense o f evi l p ower T here i s in each of hi s .
stories an i ndividual horror that m arks i t a s distinct from

i t s f ell o ws a p ower chi efly w on by deli neation of thi s
,
im mortali ty of evil as in The Dead S mi l e with its d escri p

, ,
tio n of the hideo us smile that p o llutes the lips of the living
and of the dead “N ur se M cDon a ld said that when S i r
.
H u g h Ockra m smiled he saw the f aces o f two wom en i n ,
hell two dead wom en he had betray ed

, Hi s vicio us .
im pul ses last after death and from his grave he reaches
o u t t o cu rse his own children seeki ng to dri ve them t o ,
awful tho ug h unco nscio us si n

, .
H enry Jam es has drawn for us t wo characters of un mi ti

gated evil i n P eter Q uint and M iss J essel who he says
a re
“ hoverin g p ro wli ng blighting presences
, They a re
,
,
.
, ,
ag ents on whom is laid the dir e duty of causing the a i r to

r eek wi th evil H e says
“ I reco gnize that they a re n ot
.
,
gho sts at all as we n ow kno w the g ho st but g o blins elves

”
, , , ,
i rn p s d emo ns T h e essence of the m at ter was the vi llai ny

,
.
of the m o tive in the evo ked p redat o ry creatu r e What .
he wishes t o do i n thi s s tory is to express a general sense of

Spiri tual infamy n o t Speci ali zed as the h ot breath of the
, ,
Pi t usually co nfines itself t o s o m e o n e parti cular psy chical

brutali ty but as capable of every thing the worst that can
, ,
be co ncei ved How well he h a s succeeded in hi s eff ort

. ,
tho se wh o kn ow the st ory can testi fy .
Am b ro se B ier ce s stori es a re in m any i nstances r emark

’
able examples of thi s psychi c h orror The Dea th of H a l .

pi n Fra zer has a to uch of almo st unbear able dreadf ul ness .
Frazer is assaulted by an evil spirit in a wo o d at nig ht

a n d ch o ked to death the spirit inhabiti n g the dead b o dy
,
o f the m an s o wn m o ther wh o has id o lized hi m Hi s dead

’
.
m o ther s f ace t ransfixed wi th diab o l i cal hate is th rust

’
, ,
up on hi m a n d the lo ved hands that have caressed hi m

,
‘
strangle h i m T his i s similar to the situatio n of an evil

.
spirit o ccupyi ng the b o dy of a loved dead m o ther in

The M ummy s Ta l e by E llio t O D onn ell B ierce s sto ries
’ ’ ’
.
,
beat up o n the mind li ke bludg eo ns and hi s mo rbid plots

a re am o ng the m o st dreadf ul in o u r l i ter atur e One .
wo nders what abnormality of mind co nceives such themes ,
evolves such si tuations If it be true as M acaul ay sug .

,
g ests that n o t o nly every p o et but every perso n wh o

,
appreciates p o etry is slig htly unbalanced m entally surely ,
every writer o f such extrem e and horrific sto ries m ust be

abn orm al T here is m ore than o n e writer of m o dern
“
.
g ho stly ficti o n o f wh o m it mi g ht be s aid that hi s s o ul is

o pen o n the H ell side .
A n other temper ament fo und dist i nctively in the later

fictio n is the hum oro us gho st He is a r ecent develop .
m ent and as m i g ht be supp o sed is char acteri stically

, ,
Am eri can There were a f ew burlesque g h o sts in E liza

.
‘
bethan dram a the Gho st o f jack for instance and o n e
, , ,
colored g host that wo uld seem t o co nno te mi r th but the ,
r eally hum oro us specter did n ot co m e till later It .
r emained fo r the Yankee t o ev o ke the Sp o o k wi th a sense
of humo r Gh o sts a re n ot essenti ally lau g hable and t o

.
,
m ake them c om ic witho ut c o ar seness or irr everence is an

achievement N um ero us writers have busied thei r pens
.
wi th the funny spo ok and n ow we have g hostly laughter

that i s mirthful and n o t horri so nous as in o ther types .
S pecter s n ow laug h wi th us i nstead of at u s and i nstead ,
o f the m o cking lau g hter heard i n l o nely places we have
Ol d Wi v T l
’
I P l
n ee e s es a es .
hear t easi ng mi rth

-
Washi ng to n Irvi ng evo kes several
.
hum o ro us ho ax g h osts such a s the headless h orsem an

,
that created exci tem en t i n Sleepy Ho llo w and the seren

ading phant om i n The S p ecter B ri deg room .
Richard Mi ddleto n in hi s Ghost S hi p Sh o ws som e very

i nf orm al humoro us gho sts Th e g i rls and b oy s ri se from
.
their graves t o flirt o ver thei r tombsto nes o n m oonlight

nig hts and the children play wi th the vi llag e specter s a s
,
com pani o ns their favorite being the ma n that si ts on the

,
well cu rbi n g with h i s sever ed head held in hi s hands Th e .
co ttag ers r ebuke the sp ooks o verhead when they g ro w t o o

noisy and a g eneral g oo d f ellowship p revails Into this
,
-
.
setting the g ho st ship sails on e night anchori ng itself ,
in the mi ddle of a turnip patch and the rio to us captain ,
demorali zes the m en of the vi llag e g ho sts and all with hi s , ,
rum and hi s j o kes Af ter a stay of s om e tim e o n e ni g ht

.
,
i n a st orm the vill ager s look o ut .
Over our hea ds sailing very comfortably throu g h the wi n d y

,
'
stars was the ship that had passed the summer in landl ord s
,
field H er portholes a n d h er windows were ablaze wi th lig hts

.
and there was a noise of s ing i ng and fiddling on h er d ecks .
They d o sa y that since then th e turn ip s on landl ord s

’
field have tasted of rum .
Oli ve H arper t ell s a rep orter wh o is invi ted by a

I
of
cordial sp ook— wh o has been a N ew Yo rk so cial leader to —
a spectr al banquet and ball underneath Old Tri nity S h e .
sati ri zes human foibles and weaknesses showi ng g hosts ,
that go ssip and g o rmandize sim per and swear as they did
,
in lif e T hey lear n t o play p oker dance and kill tim e as

.
, ,
they used to do Frank R S t o ckt o n has written several

. .
delicio us drolleries of supernaturalism as The Tra n sf erred ,
Ghost where the sp ook of a livi ng m a n the i rascible

, ,
In The S oci a ble Ghost .

uncle of the charming M adeline t errifie s the y oung sui t or

,
wh o lacks c o ur ag e t o p ro p o se T h e audaci o us and ever

.
present gho st s wing s his feet fro m the p orch r ailin g invi si ,
ble t o the g irl as inaudible by h er and breaks i n on the ,
co nversation in a m o st disco ncerting w a y Th e y o un g

“
”
.
m a n at last c ries o u t in desperati o n What are y ou wait

,
i n g for ? I have n o thing t o sa y t o y o u ? wher eat the gi rl ,
wh o has been und o ubtedly wai ti n g t o hear the pro p o sal

the em barr assed y o uth was trying t o make thin ks he i s ,
speakin g t o h er and departs in hig h dudg eon On a later .
o ccasio n the specter co m es t o ann o unce t o h i m that he h a s
g o t his tr ansf er and m a y be s om eb o dy else s gh o st i nstead

’
o f that o f the ma n wh o was expected t o di e and di dn t

’
“
when the lo ver cries ou t I wish t o H eaven y ou were
,
mine !
,
An d M adeline m eltin g in a sig h whispers

“I
, , ,
a m y o urs ! T h e sequel t o this is als o c om ic ‘

.
B r ander M atthews has several st ories of humoro us super

naturalism Ri va l Ghosts being the acco unt of ancestr al
,
sp ooks belo ngi ng t o a y oun g brideg room and wh o resent ,
bei ng bro ug ht into enforced com panio nship by his sudden

elevation t o a title since on e g h o st m ust haunt the h o use
,
and o n e the hei r Th e i ng enio us g room at last harassed

.
,
to inventio n by the c o ntinual squabblin g of the g h o sts ,
b ri ng s abo ut a wedding between them This is the only .
instance I have fo und of a wedding between tw o specters ,
thoug h ther e a re vario us cases on recor d of marriag e

between on e livi ng and o n e Spectral pers o nage John
. .
K endrick B ang s devotes sever al volum es to the doings

and say ing s of sp ooks describing parties in a h ouse b oat
,
—
on the S ty x where the shades o f the departed g reat g ather

,
t o g ether and eng ag e in f estivities and discussi o ns and ,
showing ty pes of water g ho sts and vari o us ki nds of sp oo ks .
Th e hum oro us g h o st is a m or e fr equent pers o n than o n e

wo uld suppo se wi tho ut giving s ome th o ug ht to the subject ,
1
The S pectra l Mortg a g e .
for many wri ters have sharpened thei r wits on the comi c
haunt .
A s ma y be seen from the examples menti o ned the g h ost ,
has made perceptible pro gress in psy cho lo gy Th e m o d .
ern appari ti o n is m uch m ore c om plex in pers o nali ty than
the crude early ty pe and sho ws m uch more vari ety

, .
Th e up t o date sp oo k wh o has a chance t o talk thi ngs over

- -
wi th Wil liam James and kn o ws the laby ri nths of the hu

,
ma n mind is much better adapted t o inflict psy chal terrors

than the illiterate specter of the past He can evolve .
mental t ortures more subtle and varied than ever or he ,
can am use a downcast m ortal by his g amb ols .
S t ories show a decided advance o ver the

of t o -d a y
G o thic in the m atter of m o tives for spect ral appearance .
T her e a re it is tr ue certain mo tives i n comm o n between

, ,
them but the p resent d a y spi rit is less limited for he has
,
-
,
g ained the new witho u t l o ss of the old if he wishes t o keep ,
the o ld Th e p rin cipal im pulse that impelled classical

.
shades t o walk the earth was t o r equest burial since lack ,
i n g that he co uld n ot enter i nt o the ab od e of the dead .
This appears frequently als o in Go thic r omance It is .
shown but little in recent fictio n perhaps because the ,
m o dern g h o st is r ec oncil ed to cremati o n or is blithely

in di ff erent t o what becom es of 11 18 bo dy since it n o lo nger
rul es h i m The Q ueen of H ea rts is o n e of the f ew instances
.
o f i ts use i n mo dern fictio n fo r it i s a vanishing m o tive

,
for the mo st part Gothi c g h o sts were also w o nt to

.
r etur n t o sh o w the h i di ng place o f t r easure-

but that , ,
too i s dy i n g out as an in centive t o haunting

,
Th e .
pro sai c explanatio n here m a y be that n o w persons put

their treasure i n safety depo sits hence there i s scant ,
o ccasi o n fo r my stery co ncerning its l o cati o n af ter death .
Go thi c sp o oks cam e back on o ccasi o n to reveal parentag e ,
for par ents like valuables were frequently m islaid in

, ,
8
I I4 M o d ern Ghos ts
terror romance Thi s i s n ot so i mp ortant n ow si nce vi tal

. ,
statistics usually keep such m atters dul y recorded yet ,
i nstances d o s om etim es o ccur .
Gh o sts in the terro r rom ance cam e to m ake requests ,
apart from the petitio n f or burial whi ch tendency i s sti ll ,
o bserved on the part o f later sp oo ks th o ug h n o t t o the ,
sam e extent as formerly The requests a re psychologi cally

.
inter esting as they usually relate to si mple ties of aff ecti on

, ,
i llustrated by the m o ther sp i r i t wh o asks h er friend t o

- I
take h er children Go thic Spiri ts cam e back often to make

.
r evelati o ns c o ncerning the m anner o f thei r death which is ,
n o t of ten the case n o w th o u g h it do es s om etim es happen

,
.
A n d D ickens sh o ws us on e gho st returni ng t o i nfluence

the jury that i s tryin g a m a n for m urder S pecters used .
t o appear t o for ewarn the living against i m pending danger ,
which im pulse is rather lacki ng i n later fictio n tho ug h i t

still o ccurs The curi o us elem ent of futurity enters into
.
sever al of these g ho stly warning s a s in Di ckens s The ,

’
S i g n a l M a n wher e the appariti o n presag es the man s death

’
,
as in Alg erno n B lackwoo d s st o ry is related the in cident

’ 2
o f a m a n wh o saw the t wo Indians scalp a whi te m a n and
and the f a ce wa s my own ” “

drag hi s bo dy away at last cry ing out I saw the b o dy
,
Warni ng spirits of futurity a re

.
, ,
seen in On the S ta i rs where each ma n beholds hi s own des

,
tiny on e seeing the spectral snake that afterwards kil ls

,
hi m i n a hunti ng expedit i on on e the g ho st of a Zulu the

, ,
savag e that alm ost destroy s h i m s om e time afterwards ,
and the last the gho st of a y o un g wom an in a blue dress ,
the wom an whom he marries and wh o ho unds h i m t o hi s

death S he p resently sees h er own fate to o bu t what i t
.
, ,
i s the author do es n ot tell u s On e curi o us inci dent in the

.
story i s the i nstantaneo us appearance on the stai r s of the

wom an herself and h er gho stly double one in a whi te ,
d ress on e in the fatal blue This sort of spectral warni ng

, .
,
3
In The S ubsti tute . In A Ha unted Isla nd .
thi s wi reless servi ce for the co nveyance of bad news and

hi nt of th reatenin g danger serves t o link the g ho st st ory
,
o f the p r esent wi th th o se of the pas t T h e r ec ords o f the .
P sy chical S o ci ety Sh ow hun dreds o f such i nstances and ,
m uch u se i s made in ficti on of plots bi n gi n g on such m o ti f
”
.
S cott s W hi te Lady of Avenel appear s a s a death p ortent

’
a s also the B ahr gei st i n an o ther no vel

-
.
Th e r e veng e g ho st loom s lar ge in ficti o n a s in the drama .
H e was the m o st imp ortant fi g ure in E lizabethan as i n

'
classical dr ama and S hakespeare s gho sts a re princi pally
,
o f that class A terrible exam ple of the t y pe is i n R o bert

.
Lo vell B edd o es Dea th s J est B ook that extr aordinary ex

’ ’
-
,
am ple of dram atic supernatural ism where the g ho st of the ,
m urdered m a n c o mes back em b o died from the g rave and

i s an active character t o th e end of the play He is sum .
m on ed to lif e thro ug h a hideo us m istake the m urderer ,
havi ng asked the m ag i cian t o call up the Spirit of his dead

wi f e but the b o dy of his victim having been secre tly buried
,
beside h er so that the m urder er m a y have n o r est even in

the grave the a wf ul accusing spiri t rises t o confront hi m
, ,
i nstead of hi s wif e s phant o m Th e r eveng e g h o st is b oth

’
.
o bjective and subjecti ve i n hi s m anifestati o n and his
i mpelli ng m o tive adds a t o uch of fro zen horr or t o hi s

appearance He appears in vario us f orm s as di smem
.
,
bered parts of the bo dy illustr ated in the stories ab ove

—
r ef erred t o in a ho rrific invisibili ty in a shape of fear

, ,
vi sible only to the g uilty or in a bo dy so objecti fied as t o

,
seem absolutely real and livi n g to o ther s beside the on e

haunted Th e apparently casual idle fig ure that stroll s
.
,
abo ut the do cks and streets in The Detecti ve seen by ,
diff erent perso ns and taken fo r a ma n interested o nly i n

h i s own pursuits i s a revenge gho st so relentless that he
,
ho unds hi s vi cti m from co untry to co untry at last killi ng ,
him by sh eer force of terror a s he sits on hi s bed a t ni ght ,
leaving th e i mpri nt of hi s b o dy on the mattress besi de the

dead man who se face i s ri gi d wi th ma d horror He h a s .
come back in phy si cal embo di ment to aveng e the betray al

o f hi s daughter Am bro se B i er ce sh ows u s many spi ri ts
.
anim ated by cold and awf ul revenge som etim es vi sible

”
,
and s om etim es unseen a s where a s oldi er ki ll ed for stri k

i n g an offi cer answers
“ ,
H ere ! t o the roll call just at

,
-
,
which mom ent a my sterio us bullet from nowhere strikes

the o ffi cer thr o ug h the heart Crawford sends a d ro wned
.
1
sailor back i n wet oi l skins to slay hi s twi n bro ther who has
-
impers onated him t o wi n the gi rl they b o th loved When .
the two bo dies wash ashore on e i s a newly dead corpse ,
the o ther a skeleto n in oil ski ns ; while the dreadful rattle

o f the accusing l ump o f lead in the wife s skul l in ano ther
’
story i s a turn of the s crew of h er horri d reveng e Th e .
r even g e gh o st in mo dern ficti o n i s m o r e vari ed i n form s of
manifestatio n at ti m es m ore subtle in sug g esti o n and

,
gho stly psy cholo g y than the co nventi o nal ized ty pe of the
,
dr am a and rem ains on e of the mo st dreadful of the form s

of f ear .
In g eneral the m o dern stori es sho w a greater i ntensity

,
of p ower in em pl oy in g the m o tives that earlier form s had
used a s well as f ar g reater r ange of m otivatio n Th e .
earlier g ho sts were limited i n their impul ses and their ,
psy cholog y was compar atively simple N o t so wi th the .
apparitio ns of to day They have a fa r wider r an g e of

-
.
m otives a re moved by m ore complex i m p ul ses and mixed

,
mo ti vatio n in m any cases difficul t to analy ze

,
.
Th e Go thic g h o st had some co nscience ab o ut wh om he

haunted He had too much reserve to for ce him self
.
needl essly up o n those that had n o co nnectio n wi th his

past If he kne w someo ne that deserved punishment for
.
wrong done hi m or hi s he tried to haunt hi m and let ,
o ther s alo ne Th e m o der n gho st is n ot so c onsi der ate

.
.
He is actuated in m any cases by sheer evi l that wr eak s i t

In Hi s Two Mi li ta ry E xecuti on s .
self up o n any o ne in r ang e D eath gi ves a terri ble i m

.
m ortali ty and access of p ower to th o se wh o se lives have

been particularly evi l and the results a re dangero us t o
,
s o ci ety D ark di scarnate hate m anif ests i tself to tho se

.
wi thi n r each Al gern o n B lackwoo d wo uld have us believe

.
that all aro und us a re r eservoir s of unspeakable horror and

that a ny m om ent of weakness on o ur part m a y bri ng
down the ho sts of dam natio n up o n u s This i s illustr ated .
i n such st ori es as Wi th In ten t to S tea l wher e the spirit o f ,
a m an wh o has hang ed him self com es back with hy pnotic

p o wer f or ci ng other s to take their lives in the sam e wa y ,
o r i n a n o th er showing p ower exerted vicio usly against

,
I
hum an beings in a certai n building or still ano ther ,

2
wher e the wi tchcr aft holds the villag e in thr all and else ,
where Ambro se B ier ce B r am S toker F M ario n Craw

.
, , .
for d and Ar thur M achen have wri tten a number of st ori es

,
bringi ng o ut this side of g ho stly psy cholo g y showin g the ,
bands of o utlawed spirits that prey on so ciety T her e .
a r e spect ral bandits and b r avo s that answer the call of
any for ce ho stile to m a n or act of their own accord fr om

,
an imp ul se of malici ous mischi ef .
Th e jealo us g h o st is so m ewhat c omm o n of late Sho wi n g ,
that human em o tio ns a re carried over into the lif e bey o nd .
In vari o us stories we find the dead wi f e interf ering to

p revent a second marri ag e or t o mak e lif e wr etched for
,
the interloper even after the cerem ony B ut the m o st .
extrem e case of j ea l ou sy — even ex ceeding the i nstance

o f the m a n wh o se wif e and physi cian c o nspi red t o gi ve h i m
an o verdo se to put hi m o ut of the way and wh o i s fr anti c

t o p revent their m arriag e— is fo und in Arn old B ennett s
’
no vel The Ghost H ere the spirit of a m a n wh o has m adly

, .
lo ve d an oper a singer haunts every sui tor of hers and

-
ei ther drives him to abando n hi s co urtshi p or kills hi m ,
till finally the si ng er begs the g ho st t o Spar e the ma n she

1
The E mpty H ouse .
3
S ecret Worshi p .
I1 8 M o d ern Gho s ts
loves ,
he sadly d o es and depar ts Thi s i s remi
whi ch ,
.
n i scen t o f on e of M ari e de F r ance s la i s

’
.
Th e varyi n g m otives for appear ance ma y be i llustr ated

by r ef er ence t o a few g ho sts in mo dern fictio n such a s the ,
'
woman wh o com es t o drive away a wr iter s sense of
x
humor — than which there co uld be n o greater spiritual

,
brutality and set him to writing vi le debased trag edies

, ,
.
P erhaps she has tr ansf err ed h er attentio ns t o o ther authors

than the on e in the story ! Other in stances a re the little
Gray Gho st in C o r nelia A P C o m er s st o ry by that nam e
’
.
.
,
wh o i m pels a str ang er t o take h er chil d from an orphan

asy lum and ado pt it much ag ainst his will ; the imm ortal
,
lovers that haunt a wom an wh o has made a marri ag e of

co nvenience which has turned o ut t o be a m arriag e of
—
i nco nvenience for h er husba n d ; the talkative sp oo k in z
A ndrew Lan g s In Ca stl e P eri l ou s that disco urses learnedl y

’
,
o n its o wn m ateriali zatio n speaking in technical term s , ,
po kes fun at S hakespeare for the g low worm on a winter -
nig ht and the cockcrow in his H a ml et and — but these a re

, ,
perhaps enoug h If on e ma y judg e fro m g ho stly ficti o n

.
,
death subtr acts no thing from human em o tio n but rather

adds to it so that the spectral im pul ses a re m ore p o ig nant
,
and intense Th e darker passio ns a re retai ned with

.
cumul ative po wer and ther e is a terrible im mo rtality of

,
hate o f jealousy and reveng e

, .
There is n o m or e imp ressi ve r evenant than on e Cole

ridg e gi ves i n his Wa n deri n g s of Ca i n the m o urnf ul phan ,
t o m of Abel appearing t o C ain and hi s little son E n o s

“ , .
Th e child say s t o his f ather I saw a m a n in unclean ,
g arm ents and he uttered a sweet vo ice f ull o f lamen

t a ti on s C ain asks the unhappy spirit
. B u t didst th o u ,
n o t find f avo r i n the Sig ht o f the Lo rd t h

y Go d
‘
t 0 whi ch
“
the sh ape answers The Lor d is Go d of the livi ng o nly
, .
Th e dead have an other Go d !

In A P sychi c In va si on . In The L ong Cha mber .
C ai n after the shape and the shape fled shriekin g

ran
o ver the sands and the sands ro se lik e white mi sts behin d
the steps of C ai n but the feet o f him that was like Abel di s
t urbed n ot the sands .
On e the mo st i nteresti ng phases of co mparati ve

of
gho st lore i s the study of the i ntricate pers o nality o f

-
specters With respect to dual pers onality the late

.
supernatur al stori es are curi o usly rem iniscent of the

.
animi stic belief that a g ho st i s a d o uble of the m ortal a ,
vap ory projecti o n of his actual bo dy t o be detached at ,
will duri ng lif e and permanently at death I d o n ot know .
o f a n y instances o f d o ubles in classical literatur e n or i s ,
the i dea used in Go thic rom ance Lik ewise S hak espeare s .
’
g h o sts a r e all Spirits o f per s o ns safely dead It rem ain ed .
for the mo dern writer wi th 1118 ex pertness i n psycholo gy

and psychiatry to evoke the g ho sts of the livi ng persons ,
the strange cases of dual per so nali ty and of separate p er

so n al i ti es super natur ally m erged i nt o o n e and th o se i n ,
explicable g ho sts of subli minal mem ories Al l these form s .
appear i n elusive analy si s in complex sug g esti veness

, ,
i n mo dern uncanny st ori es and c o nsti tute on e of the di s

,
tin ct m arks of advance o ver the earlier ty pes .
The do uble a frequent figur e i n E n g lish fictio n bears

, ,
a resemblance to the D oppelganger of Germ an folk—tales .
N um ero us exam pl es of dual per so nality of on e being ,
appearin g in two forms a re seen with diff er ent twists

, ,
t o the i dea y et much ali ke

, It h a s been sug g ested that
.
thes e stori es have their germi nal orig in i n C al dero n s ’
play wherea ma n i s haunted by him self Po e s Wi lli a m

,
1
.
’
Wi lson i s a tense and tragic st ory o f a ma n pursued by

hi s do uble ti ll i n desper ati o n he kil ls hi m o nly t o real i ze
, ,
that he h a s slain hi s better self hi s co nsci ence Hi s

“
.
,
dupli cate cries out Henceforward tho u a rt also dead

, ,
1
E l E mbozado .
1 20 M o d ern Ghos ts
”
dead to the world to H eaven and to ho pe ! In me tho u
,
didst exist and in my death see by this thine imag e which , ,
i s thi ne own h ow utterly th o u hast murdered thyself !

,
S tevens o n s M a rkhei m sh ows in the per s o n of the strang er

’
the incarnate co nscience an embo dim ent of a man s ,

’
nobler self that l eads hi m thro ugh the labyri nth of self
examin ati o n t o the knowledg e o f the s o ul s truth Th e ’
.
strang er tests the m ur derer by off eri n g hi m a way of

escape by sug g esting f urther crim e to him by showi n g
, ,
him r elentlessly what the co nsequence of each act will be ,
til l in despair M a rkh eim realizing that his lif e i s hope,
lessly weak and involved deci des t o surrender i t rather ,
than t o sin further S tep by step the nameless visitor

.
leads hi m M a rkh ei m shuddering back from the evil that

,
i s suggested thinking the st rang er is a demo nic tem pter

, ,
till at last the tra n sfig ured face sho ws hi m to be the nobler
ang el S tevenso n s Dr Jekyll a n d M r H yde is of course
.
’
. .
, ,
the best kno wn i nstance of this s ort of dual pers onality

-
,
thi s walki ng f orth i n phy sical form of the evil in o ne s ’
o wn nature wi th a separate exi stence of i t s own N o

, .
writer co uld ho pe to express this idea m ore p owerfully

than has been done in thi s chemical all eg o ry this biolo gi cal ,
dissectio n of the s o ul The thrill of suspense the seem

.
,
i n g ly i nexpli cable my stery the dram atic tenseness of the ,
closin g scenes m ake this sermo n i n story form unforg et

table Kipling has g iven a strikin g story of a ma n haunted
.
by hi s own phant om b o dy in A t the E n d of the P a ssa g e , .
Hi s own fi g ur e slipped sil ently before h im as he went

thro ug h his lo nely ho use “ When he came in to dinn er
.
he found him self seated at the table Th e visio n ro se and .
walked out hastily E xcept that i t cast n o shadow it wa s

.
in all respects real Th e horr or of this haunti n g Specter

.
o f hi mself this double of hi s own bo dy and s o ul dri ves

, ,
the m a n to suici de af ter which a pecul i ar twi st of horror

,
i s gi ven by the detail at the cl ose of the di scovery by hi s ,

c omrade of the man s own pho to graph i mprinted on the

,
’
dead reti na and r epro duced by the cam era ho urs after his
death In Juli an H awthorne s al l eg ory th e dead m an s
.
’
,
I ’
spi ri t m eets the devil who i s his o wn evi l self in carnate

, .
E dith Whart o n s Tri umph of N i g ht r eveals a g h o st of a

’
living ma n standing behind his do uble s chai r vi si ble to ’
the perso n o ppo site and showing on the g ho stly f ace the
evil impul ses that the livi n g co untenance cleverly m asks
“
.
J ohn K endrick B ang s has his hero sa y I cam e f ace to ,

2
f ace with my self with that o ther self i n whi ch I r ec og nized

, ,
developed t o the fullest extent every bit of my capaci ty ,
f or an evil lif e and B lack wo o d relates the m eeting of a

,
3
m usician and his g h o stly do uble in an o per a hall Mr . .
Ti tbo tt o m thro ug h the p ower of hi s mag i c spectacles

,
4
reflectin g his i mag e in a m irror sees him self as he r eally is , ,
a s he looks t o Go d and flees h orror stri cken from the

,
-
sig ht This sy m b olic repr esentatio n is akin t o the P ro

.
p heti c P i ctu res o f H awthorne where a wo m an s g riefs and

’
,
m arks of a g e a re sh own i n h er pictured face before they

a re r evealed i n h er actual experience a pictur ed f uturi ty ,
.
Th e m o st im p ressi ve i nstance of this r elatio n between a

hum an bein g and his p ortr ait is in O scar Wilde s P i cture ’
of Dori a n Grey that str ang e study o f a m an s r eal natur e

’
expressin g itself on his painted likeness whil e the livin g ,
f ace bears n o m ark of S i n or sham e or age until the tragi c ,
r evelatio n at the end E dith Whart o n also r epr esents a

.
5
supernatural duali sm the wom an s statue showing on its ,

’
m arble f ace the chang i n g horror of h er o wn stricken

co untenance The Whi te S leep of A u ber H u rn is a curio us
.
story of a spi ri tual do uble a psy cholo g ical study of a m a n ,
wh o wa s in t wo places at o nce seen by vari o us pers o ns wh o ,
1
L overs i n Hea ven . In Th url ow s
’
Chri stma s S tory .
3 In The Ma n f rom the Gods .
4 In G eorg e W am Cur ti s s P rue a n d

illi ’
I .
5 In her Duchess at P ra yer .

1 22 M o d ern Gho sts
knew him in each case bei ng kil led i n a trai n wr eck many ,
mi les away fro m his roo m where he wa s lyi ng asleep i n hi s

bed —a sleep that knows n o waki ng
,
.
D istinct from the exp ressi o n of o n e perso nali ty i n two

b o dies the supernatural merging of two separate person
,
a l i t i es int o o n e appear s in r ecent g h o stly fict i o n It forms .
a subtle psy cho lo g ic study and i s un cannily eff ecti ve .
H G Wells s S tory of the La te M r E lvesha m i s a peculi ar

’
. . .
narrative of a transf er of pers o nality as the result of a

my sterio us drink by whi ch an ol d m a n takes p o ssessi o n
,
o f a y o un g m an s b o dy leavi ng the y o uth t o i nhab i t the

’
,
worn out shell o f the do tar d Al g erno n B lackwoo d i n

-
.
The Terror of the Twi ns descri bes a supernatural mer gi n g

o f two natur es i nt o o n e by the p o wer of a dead father s
’
i nsane curse T h e y o ung er son lo ses hi s vi tality hi s

.
,
m ind h i s perso nality all of which i s sup erm ort all y gi ven
, ,
t o his older bro ther whi le the depri ved so n di es a dri vel,
ling idio t o f sheer in ertia and utter absence of vi tal

p ower M ary H eato n Vo rse describes a neuro tic wo man
.
2
wh o co m es back from the g rave t o o bsess and p o ssess the

i nterlo per in h er h ome th ro ug h the imm ortal for ce of h er ,
jealo usy maki ng the li vi ng wom an actually becom e the

,
1
Other stori es of double p
ersona li ty a re The Ivory Ga te, by Wa l t er
B esa n t ; The Ma n wi th a S ha dow, by Georg e M F en n ; The Jolly Corn er, by .
Henry James ; The ra nsf erred Ghos t by F T ra n k R S tockto n ; On the S ta i rs ,

, .
by Ka therin e F ull erton Gero ul d ; E l i xi re des euf el s by E T A H off mann ; T , . . .
’
q
H owe s Mas uera de by Ha wt horn e ; The Recen t Ca rni va l of Cri me i n Con
,
n ecti cutt, by M a rk T wa in ; The Q ueen of S heba b

y Th oma s B a il ey Al dri ch ; ,
The Doppel g dn g er, by E li za beth E i sla n d Wetmore .
Georg B ra n des i n hi s a rti cl e , Roma n t i c Redu li ca t i on a n d Psy ch ol og y ,

, p
in Ma i n Curren ts f Ni neteen th Cen tury Li tera ture, p oi n t s o u t th e p reva
“
o
len ce of thi s mo ti f i n Germa n fict i on . He sa y s It fin ds i ts first

p
ex ressi on in Jea n Pa ul ’
s Lei bg eber S cha ppe, and i s t o be fo un d in mo st
al a ll
of Ho ff m a nn s ta les , rea chi n g i ts clim a x in Di e E l i xi re des eufel s

’
It cro s T . p
'
up i n t h e wri ti n g s o f a ll th e Roma n t i ci sts, i n Kl ei st s A mp hi tryton , i n
Achirn von Arn irn s Di e B ei den -Wa ldema r, i n Cha mi sso s E rschei nung
’ ’
.
B ren t a n o tre a ts i t comi ca ll y i n Di e Mehreren Wehmul l er .
‘
In The S econd Wife .
M o d ern Ghos ts 1 23
rei ncarnati o n of the dead wife Thi s story naturally .
sug g ests P o e s Li g ei a which i s the cli max of g ho stly horror

’
o f this m o tif with i t s thesis that

,
“ma n do th n ot yi eld
himself to the ang els n o r unto death utterly save thro ug h
the wea kness of his own feeble will expressed in a terrible
crescendo of g hastly h orror P o e s M orella is a simi lar
.
’
study of the supernatur al m erg i ng of an exterior p er

so n al i ty int o a l i vi ng b o dy where the dead m o ther and
,
her chil d a re liter ally on e flesh and on e spirit B lack .
woo d s The Retu rn i s an example o f the compact g ho st

’ ‘ -
,
that com es back at the ho ur of death t o reveal him self to

his friend as he lo ng a g o p romised he wo uld Th e dead .
artist manif ests him self thro ug h a sudden and wo nderful

real izatio n o f the beauty of the wo rld t o which the m ateri
a li sti c fri end h a s her eto fo r e been blinded and indiff er ent .
Feeling this sudden rapturous sweep of beauty thro ug h

his s oul the livi ng m a n kno ws that his artist friend is
,
dead and that his spirit h a s become a par t of his own

being In the sam e manner the little lo nely s o ul i n
.
Granvil le B arker s wo nderful piece of sy m b olism S oul s

’
,
on F ifth enters i nt o the being o f the m a n wh o h a s the

,
understandi ng heart and co nti nues h er existence as a part
An essentiall y mo dern type of gho st st o ry i s that whi ch

h a s its explanati o n on the basis of subliminal m em ories .
It seems that all aro und u s a re reservoirs of ancestral

m em ories r ecords of the vi tal th o u g hts and actio ns of the
,
lo ng dead psy chical i ncarnatio ns of their suprem e

,
m om ents their striki n g h o ur s i nt o whi ch the living at

, ,
ti m es stum ble and a re submerged S om e slig ht spiritual .
accident ma y bring do wn up o n m ortals the p oig nant

suff eri ng and bli ss of the dead in who se pers o nality they
a re curi o usly dupli cated T hese g h o sts o f dead selves
.
from the past a re diff er ent from the do ubles that are
projectio ns of the li vi ng or pro pheti c specters of the
,
f utur e , and a re clearly di sti ng ui shed The B orderla n d .

,
by Francis P arso ns tells of a y o ung army offi cer wh o i s

,
o bsessed by sublim inal self the g h o st o f h i s g randfather ,

.
He feels that he i s his g ran df ather livi ng ano ther existence , ,
y et he lacks the pluck the m anhoo d that t h e o l d pi o neer

, ,
p ossessed A t a crisis i n his mil itary affairs the ol d

.
,
fr ontier sm an c o m es vi sibly forwar d t o g ive hi m the

co ur ag e that is needed after which he m anif ests himself ,
n o m or e T h e scene of this sublimi nal haun tin g i s a

.
T exas pr ai rie during a bor der fig ht r ather an ung h o stly

, ,
setti ng y et on e which makes the supernatural seem more

actual Arthur John son presents the case of a ma n wh o
.
I
sees the g hosts of ancestral m emory in a vi vi d form He .
sees and hear s his own do uble wil dly accuse h i s wif e
wh o is the d o uble of hi s own —betro thed after havin g ,
ki lled h er l o ver Hi s hand is wo unded and the fing er s

.
leave blo o dstains as they snatch at the g r ay chiff o n

r o und his wi f e s thro at Af ter a fit of unco nsci ousness
’
.
into which he f alls is o ver the mo dern ma n awakes t o ,
find his hand strang ely wo unded and o n the fl oor of the ,
upper room he picks up a scrap of bloo dstain ed g ray

chiff o n ! B lackwoo d s Old Cl othes shows a li ttle g irl
’
o bsessed by sublimin al m em o ries S h e i s haunted by .
terrible experiences in which she say s that she and s o m e

of th o se ar o und h er have been co ncer ned S h e g o es i nto .
co nvul sions if any thing is fastened aro und h er waist and ,
sh e cri es o u t that s o m e cruel m a n has shut h er up in the
wall to die and has cut off Phi li p s hands so that he canno t ’
save her Investig atio ns b ring t o li g ht the f acts that a

.
lo ng dead ancestress li vin g in the sam e ho use had been

-
, ,
walled up alive by h er husband after he had cut off h er

lo ver s hands before h er f ace Th e skelet o n i s found
’
.
chai ned by the waist insi de the ancient wall B lack .
wood s A nci en t S orceri es depi cts the g ho sts of buri ed

’
In Mr . E berdeen
’
s H ouse .
lif e of a whole villag e enchan ted by the past and li vin g

,
o ver agai n the wi tchcraf t o f the l o ng a g o AS J o hn S ilence

.
,
the psy chic do ct or tells of the E ng lishman wh o drops

,
casually i nto the vi llage and i s drawn i nt o the magi c :

Vesin was swept into the vortex of forces arising out of the
intense activities of a p ast life and lived o ver ag ain a scene
in which he had often p lay ed a p art centur ies a g o For .
strong action s set up forces that are so slow to exhaust them

selves that they ma y be said i n a sen se never to die In this .
cas e they were n ot comp lete enoug h t o rend er the illusion

p erfect so the little ma n was co nfused between the p r es ent
,
and the p ast .
T hat story of unusual psy chi cal experience A n A d ,
ven tu re by t wo Oxf or d wom en can be explained o n n o

, ,
o th er basis than s o m e such theo ry as this Th e b ook .
clai ms to be a truthf ul acco unt of a happeni ng at Vers ai lles ,
where two E ng lish women teachers and daug hters of

,
clergy men saw i n bro ad day lig ht the g ho sts o f the past
, ,
the figur es of M arie A nt oinette and h er court Th e wri t .
ers off er the explanat i o n that they stum bled int o a s ort
of p o cket o f the unhappy queen s m emori es and saw the

’
past relived befor e their ey es because She had felt i t so

keenly and vi vidl y l o ng a g o Other i nstances mi ght be
.
gi ven but these are suffi cient t o il lustr ate the type
, .
S uch st ori es have a curi o us hauntin g p ower and a r e

among the mo st eff ective narr atives Th e idea is mo dern .
and illustrates the complexi ty of later thought a s compared

wi th the sim pli city of earli er tim es .
A comparative study of g h ost st ori es leads on e t o the

co nclusi o n that the gh o st is the mo st mo dern of ancients
and the mo st ancient of mo dem s In s om e respects the
.
present specter i s lik e and in s om e unlike the p revi o us

form s . Gho sts whether r egarded a s c o njective or purely
,
subjecti ve a re closely related to the percipi ents tho ughts

,
’
.
126 M o d ern G ho s ts
Pri miti ve ti mes pro duced a p ri mitive supernaturali sm

and the gradual advance in i ntellectual development
has bro ug ht abo ut a heig htening and co m plexi ty o f the
weird sto ry Ti s i n o urs elves that g h o sts a re thus and
.
’
so !
Th e sp oo k of to da y is o f a hi g her nervo us org ani zati on
-
than his forbears In m any i nstances the latter day .

-
g h o st is so distr acted by cir cum stances that he hardl y

knows where he s at as for i nstance the gho st in such case
’
, ,
as The Tryst by Alice B ro wn wher e a m a n is tho ught to

, ,
be dro wned and his g ho st comes o ut t o comf ort hi s

sweetheart o nly to have the dro wned m a n bro ug ht back
,
to lif e p resently ; and in The Woma n f rom Yon der by ,
S tephen F rench Whitm an wher e a scientist with im per ,
ti n en t zeal b rin g s lif e back t o the b o dy o f a wom an wh o

had bled t o death whil e H annibal wa s cro ssing the Alps
and been buried in a g lacier till the g lacier spat h er o u t .
N ow what was the status o f th o se g ho sts ? Wa s ther e a

,
g h o st if the pe r s o n wasn t r eally dead ? B u t if a wo m an

’
isn t dead after she has been in an ice pack f or two

’
-
tho usand y ears or thereab o uts what surety is there for the
standing of an y g ho st ?
Th e apparitio ns of t o da y have more lines of inter est -
than the ancient g ho sts Th e Go thic specter was a on e .
i dea cr eatur e with a sin g le t rack br ain

, H e wa s not a -
.
gho st—of all work as a re som e of the later sp ooks . He wa s

- —
a sim ple so uled being wh o f elt a call to haun t s omeb o dy

—
fo r s o m e purp o se or o ther so he just went and di d it , .
Th e specter s of to da y a re m or e versatile - they can turn —

,
their hand t o a n y kind of hauntin g that is desir ed and

show an admirable p ower of adaptability tho ugh there ,
a re hig hly devel o ped special i sts as well Th e psycholo gy .
o f the p rimitive g h o st and o f the Go thic Specter was
si mple T hey knew only the elemental passi o ns of love

.
and hate Gothic sp ooks haunted the vi ll ai n or vi llai ness

.
l them in their wi cked desig ns or puni sh them for

t o fo i
past mi sdeeds or ho vered o ver the hero or heroine t o
,
advi se comf ort and chapero n them B ut the mo dern

ghosts a re n o t sati sfied w
.
, ,
i th such S i t by the fir e j o bs a s - - -
these They like to keep i n the van of acti vi ty and do

.
what mortals do They run the whole scale of human

.
m otions and emo ti ons a n d on e needs a s m uch handy

psy cholo gy to i nterp ret their hauntings as t o read George
M er edi th They a re actuated by subtle m o tivatio ns of
.
jealo usy ar dent lo ve tempered fri endshi p curi o si ty

, , , ,
mi schi ef vindictiveness r eveng e hate g r atitud e and all

, , , , ,
o ther c o nceivable im pulses Th e B il ly S unday s ort of.
g ho st wh o wants t o c o nvert the wo rld the phil anthro pic ,
spirit wh o wants to hel p hum anity the s o cialist specter ,
that reads the mag azine the friendly vi sit or that sends its
,
hands back t o wash the dishes the li ttle shepherd lad that ,
returns t o tend the sheep a re amo ng the new co ncepts in

,
ficti o n of the supernatural Th e g h o st of awf ul m alice t o

.
,
be explained o nly o n the basis of comp o und interest of

evil stored up for many y ears i s a new for ce , .
T ho ugh the gho stly narr ative has Shif ted i t s center of
g r avity fro m the n o vel t o the sho rt st ory since Go thic
tim es and m any more of the m o der n instances a re in that
,
form the supernatural n o vel has r ecently tak en on a new

,
lease of lif e Ho nors are alm o st even between the E ng li sh

.
and the Am eri can g ho st story a s mo st of the repr esenta ,
tive wri ters on each si de turn thei r pen at s o me tim e to

wri te terror tales Th e g h o st has never l o st h i s p o wer over
.
the human mind J udg ing from the past o n e may say
.
,
that the po pularity of the g ho st st ory wi ll continue

undi minished and wi ll perhaps i ncrease C ert ain ly there .
h a s been a new i nflux of st o ries within later tim es What .
mines of horror y et rem ain unt o uched for wri ters of the
f utur e i t wo uld be har d t o say y et we d o no t f ear for the
, ,
'
exhausti o n of the type On the co ntrary g ho sts i n .

,
fictio n are becomi ng so numero us that o n e wo nders if the

M althusi an theory will n ot in tim e aff ect them We a re .
t o o fo nd o f being fo o led by phant o m s t o surr ender them

“
”
,
for the slow t ouch of a fro zen fing er traci ng out the
spine is an awes om e joy For oursel ves we a re co ntent
'
.
,
f or the p resent t o f uncti o n on o n e plane but we lo ve to ,
adventure on another plane thro ug h spectral substi tutes .
We m a y g ive up the m ortal but we ll n ot willi n g ly gi ve ’
up the g ho st We love hi m We beli eve in him Our a t

. . .
t i tu d e t o war ds specter s i s m uch like that of the little black

boy that E llis P arker B utler tells ab o ut i n Dey Ai n t N o
’
“
Ghosts wh o sees a terrify in g array of all de sp eri t s in de
,
world an all de ha nt in de wo rld an all de h obgo blins

’ ’ ’
”
, ,
in de world an all sp i cters in de world an all do g h ostes

"
’ ’
, ,
in de world com e ou t t o bri ng a fearsome messag e t o a

,
fri g htened pickanin ny .
De king ob d e g h ost es whut nam e ol d S kull a n B ones he

,
-
’
-
,
p l a ce h e han d on d e head o b li l black M ose a n de hand f eel

’ ’
,
like a wet ra g an he sa y ’
“Dey a i n n o g hosts ! ’
,
An on e ob d e hairs on de h ead ob li l black M o se turn white

’ ’ ’
.
An d e m on strous bi g ha nt what he na m e B loo dy B o nes he

’ ’
l a y he hand on d e h ead o b li l black M o se a n he hand f eel

’ ’
”
,
like a toad stool in d e cool ob de da y an he sa y :

-
’
“Dey a i n n o g hosts ! ’
,
An a n ud d er on e ob d e hairs whut on de head ob li l black

’ ’
M ose turn white ’

.
A n a h eeju s sp eri t whut h e nam e M oldy P a m p lace he

’ ’
hand on d e hea d ob li l black M ose an he hand feel like de

’ ’
”
,
y un n er side ob a lizard a n he sa y
’
“Dey ai n n o g hosts ! ’
,
An d throug h the assem bly S m al l w onder that

so on .
the terrifi ed y o ung ster is lo ath to g o up t o the loft to bed

al one that night an d demurs to the dem a nd .
So ,
o b wh en d ey ain n o g ho sts ?
’ ”
he m a she sa y Gi t erlong wid y ou ! Whut y ou skeered
A n li l black M os e he scro og e a n he twist an he p ucker

’ ’ ’ ’
up he m o uf a n he ru b he ey es an p ri si n tl y he sa y rig ht l o w :
’ ’
“I ain skeered ob de g ho sts whut am ca se de ain n o

g hosts .
” ’
”
, y
’ ’
D en whut a m y ou skeered 0b ? ask he m a
”
.
N uffi n sa y de li l black bo y wh ut he nam e a m M o se

’
,
but I jes f eel kin der on ea sy bout d e g ho sts whut ain t !

’ ’
J es lack white folks J es lack white folks

’
.
’
.
C HAPTE R IV
T h e De v il a n d His A llie s
H OS TS a re but devi ls a re plenty said Cotton

f ew ,
M ather but his say in g wo uld need t o be i nverted

,
to fit p resent —d a y E n g lish fictio n N o w we have .
g h o sts in abundance but devils a re scar ce In fact they .

,
bid f air t o beco m e extinct in o ur rom ances at least in ,
the form that i s easily reco g ni zable S atan will probably .
s oo n be in solutio n identified merely as a state of mi nd

,
.
H e has been so B urba n ked of late with his d aem oni c ,
characteristics rem oved and hum anities added that save ,
for sp or adic reversio n to ty pe the old f amiliar dem o n ,
is almo st a vanished form Th e mo dern mind seem s to .
cling with a new fo ndness t o the gho st but has turned the
cold shoul der to the devil perhaps because m any m o dern
,
i st S believe m or e i n the hum an and less in the supernatur al

—
and after all g ho sts a re hum an and devi ls a re n o t
, .
T h e demo n has disp o rted him self in var io us form s in

literature from the scarlet fiend of m o nkish leg end the
, ,
ni mble i mp and ti ta nic nature devi l of folk lore to Mil - -
to n s epic m ajestic S atan and Go ethe s m o cking M ep hi s

’
, ,
’
t0p h el es passing int o alleg o ric sym b o lic

, and satiric , ,
figures in later fi ction He has been an i mpressive charac

.
t er in the d rama the epic the n o vel in p o et ry and the

, , , ,
short story We have seen hi m as a lo athly brutish

.
,
demo n i n D an te a s a superm an a s an i ntellectual satirist

, , ,
and a s a human bei ng appeali ng to our sympathy He .
1 30
T he D evi l and H is A ll i es 13 1
has gradually lo st hi s epi c quali ti es and become human .
He i s n ot p resen t i n li terature n ow to the extent to whi ch

'
he wa s kn own i n the past is n ot so i mpressi ve a fig ure as ,
heretofore an d a t ti mes when he do es appear hi s perso n

, .
al i ty i s so ambi guo usly set fo r th that i t requi r es clo se
li ter ary a n al ysi s to pro ve hi s p resence .
In thi s chapter the devi l will be di scussed wi th refer en ce

t o h i s appeara n ces on earth whi le i n a later di vi si on he ,
wil l be seen i n h i s own h ome It would be hard to sa y .
wi th cert ai nty when and where the devi l ori gi nated y et ,
he undo ubtedly belongs to on e of our first f amilies and i s

s ai d to have been born theolo gi cal ly i n P ersi a abo ut the
year 900 c He ha s appear ed under vari ous ali a ses as
.
,
Ah rim an of the Zo ro astri an system Pluto i n classi c al ,
my tho lo gy S atan B eel zebub P ri nce of D arkness an d by

, , , ,
man y o ther ti tles In hi s A ddress to the De i l B urns ’

.
i nvokes hi m thus :
Oh Thou ! whatever titl e suit thee

,
Aul d Horni e S atan N ick or Cl outre !

, ,
,
”
He has m anif ested himself in ficti o n under di verse nam e s ,
as Dem o n Lucif er S atan M ephi sto pheles Pri nce Luci o

, , , , ,
Th e M an i n B lack and so forth but whateve r the nam e he

, ,
answer s to he i s kn o wn in every land an d h a s wi th

,
ast oni shin g ada ptabili ty made hi mself at home i n every

literatu re .
Th e devi l h a s so changed his form and hi s manner of

appearance i n later li terature that i t i s hard to identify
hi m as hi s an ci ent self In early stori es he wa s heralded
.
by supernatural thunder and lightni ng and accom p an ied

by a strong smell of sul p hur He dressed i n character .
co stum e sometirn es in red sometim es i n black but alway s

'
, , ,
i ndubitably di aboli c He wor e h orns a forked t ail and

.
, ,
cl o ven h o of s and wa s a gener ally unprep ossessi ng c reature
whom any one c oul d kn ow for a devi l N ow hi s role i s .

1 32 T he D evi l a nd H i s A l l i es
not so typi cal and hi s garb not so declarati ve He wears .
a n eveni ng sui t a scholar s g o wn a parson s robe a

’ ’
, , ,
hunti ng co at wi th equal ease and i t i s someti mes di fficult

, ,
to tell the devi l f ro m the hero o f a m odern st ory He h a s .
been deodori zed and n o lo nger r eeks warni ngly of the Pi t .
Th e medi d mi nd c o nceived of the devi l a s a sort of

combination of mytholo g i c satyr and reli g i o us dragon .
It i s i nteresti ng to note h ow the pagan devi l myths have -
been engr afted up on the ideas of Chri sti ani ty to fa de out ,
very slowly and by degrees In mo nki sh legends the devi l

.
wa s an energeti c per so n wh o woul d hang ro und a lik ely

soul for years if need be on the chance of nabbi ng him
, , .
M any mo nki sh leg ends have com e down to us .
Th e di aboli c elem ent in E ng lish f olk lore shows a ri ch -
field for study Th e devil here as in the mo nki sh legendry

.
appears a s an enemy o f so uls a tireless tempter He li es , .
in wai t for any un wary utter ance and the least menti on ,
of hi s n ame any tho ug htless expletive such a s

, Th e devi l ,
take me ii bri ngs i nstant resp o nse from hi m to cli nch

th e bargai n Yet the devil of rusti c folk lore i s of a
.
-
bucoli c dull ness less clever than in a n y phase of li terature

, ,
more gulli ble more easily im p o sed on

, E ngli sh folk lore .
-
,
especi ally the Celtic branches sho ws the devi l as very ,
closely related to nature He wa s wo nt to work off hi s

.
surplus energ y or hi s wr ath by disturbi ng the landscape ,
an d ma ny st ori es of hi s pr ankish pique have com e down
to us . If anythi ng vexed him he mig ht st amp so hard

up o n a plai n that the print of his clo ven hoof woul d be
im pri nted perm anently He was f o nd of dri nki n g out of
.
pure Spri ngs and leavi ng them cur sed wi th sulphur an d ,
he s ometim es showed annoy ance by bi tin g a secti on out

of a mountai n D evi l s Bi t M o unt ai n i n I rel a nd bei ng
’
on e of the i nstances In general any peculi ari ty of

.
,
nature mi ght be attri buted to the acti vi ti es of Aul d

Horni e .
T he D evi l a nd H i s A ll i es 1 33
Th e devi l h a s always been a pushing forward sort of ,
perso n so he wa s n ot co ntent wi th bei n g handed round by

,
wor d of mo uth in m o nkish legend or rustic fo lk lore but -

,
must worm his w a y int o li terature in general S ince then .
m any ink p o ts have been empti ed up o n hi m besi des the

-
o n e that Luther hur led agai nst hi s Cl oi ster wall Th e devi l .
i s seen frequently in the mi racle plays sho wi ng g rot es ,
q u eri e the begi nnings of that sard o nic hum or he i s t o

,
di splay in more i mp ortant works later In hi s appearan ce .
i n liter atur e the devil is larg ely anthro p om orphic Ma n .
'
creates the devi l i n his o wn i m a g e on e wh o is n ot m erely

,
perso nal but racial a s well r eflecting hi s creator In

, .
mo nki sh tradi ti o n an adversary in wait for s o ul s i n rustic ,
f o lk lo re a ro llickin g buff oo n with wag gi sh pr anks in

-
,
mir acle play s reflecting the mingled serio usness and com ic
elem ents of p opular beliefs he mirrors his m aker B ut it
, .
i s in the g reat p o em s and dr am as and st ories that we find

the more personal aspects of devil pro ductio n and i t i s -
,
these epi c and dram atic co ncepts of the devil that have
greatly i nfluenced mo der n fiction While the Gothic .
r o m ance w a s but lig htly t o uched by the epic super
natur ali sm the liter atur e since that tim e has r eflected it
,
more and the S atanic character s of D ante M ilt o n

, , ,
C aldero n M arl owe and Go ethe have cast lo n g shad ows

, ,
o ver mo der n fictio n Th e r ecent r evival of interest in

.
D ante has do ubtless had i ts eff ect here .
B ur ns i n h i s Address to the De i l sh ows his own kindly

’
heart and ho nest tho ug h ofttim es misdirected im pul ses

by suggesti ng that ther e is still ho pe fo r the devil t o r epent
and trusting that he ma y do so y et Mrs B rowning in . .
,
h er Dra ma of E xi l e likewi se sho ws i n Lucif er s ome appeal

,
t o o ur sympathi es r eflecting the pity i ng heart of the

,
wri ter showi ng a certain ki nship to Milto n s S atan y et

,
—
’
wi th weakened i ntellectual p o wer She m akes Gabri el .
sa y to hi m
The D evi l and H i s A ll i es
the sin A ng el of ,
S uch as thou stand est — p ale i n the drear l ig ht

,
Which rounds th e rebel s work with M aker s wrath ’ ’
Thou shalt be an Id ea t o all soul s ,
A m on um en tal m elancholy g loom
”
, ,
S een down all ag es whenc e t o m ark des p air

An d m easur e out the distances from g oo d .
'
B y ro ns devi l in A Vi si on of Judg men t i s li ke Cali ban s
’
,
ideas of S etebo s alto gether such an on e as B yron

,
concei ved himself to be He i s a terri ble figure who se

.
,
Fierce and unfathomable thoug hts eng ra ved

E ternal wr ath on his imm ortal face .
”
He shows diab olical sar casm when he says I ve king s ,
’
eno ug h belo w God kno ws , An d h ow like Oscar Wilde

is the devi l he pi ctures t o u s in his sym bolic story The ,
Fi sherma n a n d hi s S oul Th e prince of darkness wh o

.
appears t o the y oung fisherman that wi shes to sell hi s

“
s o ul to the devi l i s a m an dressed in a sui t of black velvet
cut in S panish fashion Hi s p ro ud face was strangely
.
pale but hi s lips were like a pro ud red flower H e seem ed

”
.
,
weary and was leani ng back t oy i n g in a listless m anner

wi th the p omm el of his saddle When the fisherm an .
untho ug htedly utters a pray er that ba ffl es the fiend for

th e tim e the dem o n mo unts hi s jennet wi th the silver h a r
,
ness and ri des away still with the pro ud di sdainful f ace
, , ,
sai d wi th a bla s e weariness unli ke the usual aler tness o f

’
the devil He has a sort of B lessed D am o zel dro o p t o

.
his figur e and the bor ed patience of a lo ne ma n at an

,
af t ernoo n tea Wilde shows us so me little m o cki ng red

.
devi ls in another of his stories and The P i cture of Dori a n ,

I
Grey i s a co ncept of diab olism .
S cott i n The Ta li sma n puts a st ory of descent fro m the

1
A Leg en d f S ha rp
o .
Th e D evi l a nd H i s All i es 1 35
E vi l On e i n the mouth of the S aracen the legend o f the ,
spi ri ts of evi l who formed a league wi th the cruel Zo h a uk ,
by wh ich he gai ned a dai ly sacrifi ce of blood t o feed two

hideo us serpents that had become a p art of him self .
On e day seven Si sters of wo nderful beau ty are bro ught ,
who se lo veli ness appeals to the i mmortals In the mi dst .
of supernatur al ma ni f estatio ns the e art h i s r ent an d seven
y ou ng men appear Th e leader says to the eldest sister :

.
I am Cothreb king of the subt erranean world I and my

,
.
brethren a re of those wh o created out of elem en tary fir e

, ,
disdained even at the comm and o f Omnipoten ce to d o homag e ,
t o a clo d of ea rth beca use it i s call ed m an Thou m ay es t .
have hea rd of us a s c ruel unrelenting and persecuting It is

, , .
fal se
. We are by natur e kind and g enerous ven g eful o nly ,
wh en insul ted cruel onl y when aff ront ed We are true to th ose
,
.
that trust us ; and we h ave heard the invocations of t hy

father the sag e M i thra sp wh o wis ely worship s n ot o nly the
,
Orig in of Good but that which is called the S ource of Evil .
Y ou and y our Si sters a re on t h e eve of death ; but let each g ive

to us on e hair from y our fair tres ses in t oken o f feal t y a n d we ,
will carry you many miles to a p la c e of saf ety wher e y ou ma y

bid defiance t o Zoha uk an d his ministers .
Th e m ai dens acc ept the ofi er and become the bri des of
the spiri ts of evi l .
T h e devi l i n S cott s Wa n deri ng Wi lli e s Ta le also

’ ’ I
,
speaks a good word for him self When the g udesire .
meets in the woo ds the strang er who sympathizes wi th

hi s o bvi ous di stress the unkn o wn off ers to help hi m
“ ,
sayi ng If y ou will tell me y o ur gri ef I am on e that

, ,
,
tho ugh I have been sai r mi scaa d in the world a m the ’

, .
o nly hand for helpi ng my freen d s Th e gudesi r e tel ls hi s

.
wo es and says that he woul d g o t o the gates of hel l and ,
f arther t o get the recei pt due h i m up on wh i ch the h os

, ,
In Red Ga untlet .
1 36 The D evi l a nd H i s A ll i es
p i ta bl e str anger c o nducts hi m t o

the place m enti o ned Th e .
canny S cot obtains the do cum ent o utwits the devi l and , ,
wins hi s way back to earth unscathed .
On e marked aspect o f recent devil ficti o n i s the tendenc y -
t o g l o ze o ver his sins and t o hum ani ze hi m Thi s i s .
'
shown t o a m arked deg ree in M arie Co relli s sentimental
novel The S orrows of S a ta n where she expends much
, ,
anxio us sy m pathy o ver the fiend To M iss C orelli s .

’
agi tated mind S atan i s a much mali g ned m arty r wh o

r egretf ully tem pts m ortal s and i s grieved when they
y iel d
to his beg ui lem ents Her perf ervid rhet oric pictures hi m
.
as a charming p rince handsom e wealthy yet very lo ne

, , ,
some wh o warns persons i n advance that he i s n ot what

,
he seems and that they wo uld d o well to avoid hi m B u t .
the fools rush in crowds to be dam ned A ccording to h er .
theory the devil is attem pting to work out his own salva
,
tio n and co uld do so save fo r the weakness of ma n He is .
able t o get a n otch nearer heaven for every s o ul that r esists

hi s wiles th o ug h in Lo nd on ci r cles hi s prog ress is back
,
ward r ather than forward How is Lucifer f allen ! T o be .
m ade a hero of by M ari e Corelli m ust seem t o M ephisto

lif e s final indig nity ! Her characterizatio n of the fiend
’
sho ws s ome reminiscence of a hasty r eadi ng of Milt on ,
Go ethe and the B y ro nic C ain

,
.
Th e devi l h a s a hum an as well a s d aemo ni c spi ri t in

Israel Zan g will s They tha t Wa lk i n Da rkness wher e he
’
,
appears as S atan M a ketri g a r ed —haired hunchback wi th

”
, ,
gi g anti c m arble brow cold keen steely eyes and hand

, , , ,
some clean shaven lips

,
-
He seem s a no rmal hum an
.
being i n this reali sti c Ghetto setting tho ug h he bear s a ,
nameless sense of evil ab out with hi m In his p resence .

,
o r as he passes by all the latent evil in m en s so uls co m es

’
,
to the surf ace He lures the rabbi away from his wif e
.
,
from Go d and from all virtue y et to see hi m at the end

, ,
turn away agai n i n spiri t to the goo d spurni ng the tem pter ,
T he D evi l and H i s A ll i es 1 37
whom he reco g ni zes at last a s d mmon i c There i s a hum an .
ang uish in the ey es of S atan M a ketri g that sho ws hi m t o ,
be n ot altog ether diab o li c and he seem s mo urnful and ,
appeali ng i n his wi ld lo neliness Hi s nature is in contr ast .
t o that o f the fiend in S tanley J Wey ma n s The M a n i n

’
.
B la ck H er e hi s c old sar do nic jestin g that causes hi m t o

.
,
play wi th life and death so lig htly his di abolic Cunning , , ,
h i s kn owledge of the human heart and h ow t o t orture it ,
r emind us of Iag o Th e dark shade exten d s t o the skin as

.
well as to the heart in the m a n i n black in S tevenso n s ’
Tkra wn Ja n et for he ex er cises a weir d p o wer o ver hi s

,
vassal the old s erva nt and t errifies even the minister

, ,
.
An d Wa r L etters f rom a Li vi n g Dea d M a n written by ,
E lsa P ar ker but said t o be dictated by a c orr esp o ndent

p resum ably fro m som ewher e in hell Shows us Hi s S atanic ,
M ajesty with g rim r ealism up t o date .
Th e devi l appears wi th m o urnf ul hum an dig nity y et , ,
wi th superhum an g ig antism in Al g ern o n B lackwo o d s ’
S ecret Worshi p wher e the l o st s o uls enter int o a rio t of

,
devi l worship int o which they seek to draw living victim s

-
, ,
to damn them b o dy and s o ul On e victim sees the devi l .
thus
At the end of the room where the windows seemed to have
disap p eared so that he coul d see th e stars there rose u p into ,
Vi ew fa r ag ainst the sky g rand and t erribl e the ou tlin e o f a

, , ,
ma n . A kind o f g ra y g lo ry en velo p ed hi m so that it re

sem bled a steel cased statue imm ens e imp o sing h orrific
-
, , ,
in its distant S p l en dor Th e gr ay radiance from its mig htily

.
broken visag e aug ust a n d mo ur nful beat do wn up o n hi s so u l

, , ,
p ulsing like s om e d ark star with the p owers o f sp iritual evil .
H ere as in m any instances elsewhere the sadness of

, ,
the diabolic character is em phasized a definite hum an ,
elem ent The M il to nic i nfluence seem s evi dent in such

.
cases .
1 38 The D evi l and H i s A ll i es
Ki pli ng has a curio us daemo ni c study i n B ubbl e Well Roa d ,
a story of a patch of gro und filled with devils and g ho sts

c ontrolled by an evil mi nded nati ve p riest whil e i n
-
,
H a u n ted S uba ltern s the im ps terrori ze yo ung army offi cers

by their m alicio us m ischief .
Th e alleg orical and sy m b olic studi es of di ab oli sm are

am ong the m ore impressi ve creatio ns in later fiction a s in ,
T olst oi s Iva n the F ool where the demo ns a re resp o nsible

’
, ,
for the m arshaling of armies the tyr anny of mo ney and, ,
the i nverted i deas of the value of servi ce Th e appearance .
o f the devi l in later st o ri es i s m or e terrible and eff ecti ve
in its variance of ty pe and i t s secret sy mboli sm than

the crude eng inery of diab olism in Go thic fictio n as the ,
muscul ar fien d that athletically hurls the m a n and wom an

I
fro m the m o untain t o p or the invisible phy sical str engt h

,
m anif ested in M elmoth the Wa n derer T h e crude vi olence

,
.
o f these n o vels is in keeping with the fictio n o f th e tim e ,
y et m o dern st ories sh o w a distinct advance as such ,
instances as J H S h orth ou se s Coun tess E ve where the

. .
’
,
devi l appears diff erently t o each tem pted s o ul em bo dy ing ,
wi th hideo us wi sd o m the form of the sin that that p a rti cu ~
l a r s o ul is mo st liable t o comm it He bears the shape of .
comm itted si n sug gesting that evi l i s so po werful as to

,
have an independent existence o f i t s own apart from the ,
mind that g ave it birth as the devi l appears a s evi l tho ught
,
m ateriali zed in F ern a c M o lnar s dram a The D evi l Fio na

’
.
,
M cLeo d s strang e Gaelic tale The S i n E a ter intro duces

’
,
-
demo ns sy mbolically Th e sin eater is a perso n that

.
-
by an ancient formula can remove the sins from an

unburied corpse and let them in turn be swept away from
hi m by the act i on o f the pur e a i r B u t if the si n eater .
-
hates the dead m an he has the p ower t o flin g the trans

,
g ressi on s int o the sea t o turn them int o demo ns that

,
pursue and torment the flyi ng so ul till Judgment D a y .
In The Monk o r Zofl oya .

Th e D evi l and H is All i es 1 39
One aspect of the recent st ori es of di ab olis m is the

subtlenes s by whi ch the evi l i s suggested Th e reader .
feel s a mi asmati c atmosphere of evil a smear on the soul

, ,
and knows that certai n i ncidents i n the acti o n can be

accounted for on n o other ba si s than that of de mo ni c
pr esence as in B arry P ai n s Moon Madness wher e the
,
’
prin cess i s mo ved by a str ang e i rresi sti ble lure t o dan ce
al o ne ni g ht af ter ni ght i n the heart of the secret laby ri nth
t o mystic m usi c that the white moon m akes B ut o n e .
night after sh e i s di zzy and exhausted but i mpelled to keep

,
o n she f eels a h ot h a nd g r asp hers ; s om eone whi rls h er

,
m adl y ro und and sh e kno ws that she i s n ot da n ci n g a l on e!

S h e i s seen n o mor e of men and searchers find only the
,
prints of h er li ttle dan cin g slippers in the sand with the ,
ma rk o f a clo ven hoof beside them T he mo st r evo lti ng

.
i nstances of su ggest i ve diab olism are found in Ar thur

M achen s st ori es where supernatural sci ence o pens the
’
wa y for the devi l t o enter the human s oul since the ,
biolog ist by a cunni ng o per atio n on the brai n r emoves

the moral sense takes away the s oul and leaves a bein g
, ,
abs olutely di aboli zed Worse sti ll i s the hi deo usness of

.
S eei n g the Grea t God P a n wher e the daemoni c character i s

,
a compo si te of the lo athsome aspects of Pan and the devi l ,
from whi ch h orri ble pater nity is b orn a chi ld that em b o di es

all the unspe akable evil i n the world .
In pleasant contrast to dreadful st ori es a re the tales o f

the am usi ng devi ls that we find frequently The comi c .
devil is much older than the comi c gho st as authors ,
sho wed a levi ty t oward demo ns long before they treated

the specter wi th di srespect — on e rather wonders why
,
.
Clo wnish devi ls that appear ed i n the mi r acle plays

pr epar ed the way for the hum o ro us and sati ri c tr ea tm ent
o f the E lizabethan dr am a and late fict i o n Th e litur gi cal
.
i mps wer e u sually f unny whether thei r authors intended

them a s such or not but the devi ls i n ficti on are qui te
,
1 40 T he D evi l and H i s A l l i es
co nsci ous of their own wit in fact a re rather conceited

, ,
abo ut it Po e shows us sever al amusing demo ns wh o

.
di spl ay his curi o us satiric hum or for instance the ol d ,

—
,
g entlem an in N ever B et the D evi l y ou r H ea d When .
T o by D amm it m akes hi s r ash assertio n he beho lds ,
th e fig ure of a little l ame

tl em an of venerable asp ect
old g en .
N o thin g coul d be m or e reverend than his whol e ap p earance ;

for h e n ot o n ly h a d on a full suit of black but his shirt was ,
p erfectl y cl ean a n d the coll a r turned down very neatl y over a

white cravat whil e his h air was p arted in fron t like a g irl s
,
’
.
Hi s han ds were clasp ed p ensively o ver his stom ach and his ,
t wo ey es wer e car efully roll ed u p int o th e t op of his hea d .
This clerical pers onag e wh o reminds us of the devi l in

P eer Gy n t wh o als o appear s as a par s o n claim s the better s
’
, ,
head and neatly carries it off This is a m o dern versio n of

.
an incident sim ilar t o Chaucer s Fri a r s Ta l e where the ’ ’
devil claim ed whatever was off ered him in sincerity .
T h e c o m binatio n of humor and my stery in Washing t o n

I rving s The Devi l a nd Tom Wa lker shows the black
’
woodsm an in an am using tho ug h terri f y ing aspect as he ,
claim s the keepin g of the co ntracts m ade wi th hi m by

T om and his m iserly wif e When T orn g o es t o sear ch f or
.
his sp o use in the wo o ds he fails to find h er

, .
She had p roba bly attem p ted to deal with the black ma n as
sh e h a d b een accust om ed t o d ea l with h er husband ; but
thoug h the femal e scold i s g en era lly con sidered a match f or

t h e d evil y et in this in stanc e sh e ap p ears t o h ave h a d t h e
,
worst o f it S h e m ust have died g am e however for it is sa id

.
, ,
T om n o ticed m an y p rints o f cloven f eet d eep l y stam p ed

about th e tr ee a n d foun d han dsful of h air th a t /l ooked as if
,
they ha d b een p lucked from the coars e shock o f the black

woo dsman Tom knew his wife s p rowess by exp erience He
.
’
.
shrug g ed his shoulders as he looked at the fierce Sig ns o f

T he D evi l and H i s A l l i es 14 1
clap p er clawi ng -
g ! he . E ad ”said to him s elf ,
Old S cratch
must have had a to u g h tim e of it I"
Th edevi l am uses hi m self in vari o us way s as i s seen by ,
the antics of the mysterio us strang er i n Po e s The Devi l i n ’
the B elfry wh o c om es curvettin g int o the old D utch

,
vi llage wi th hi s audacio us and sinister f ace and curi o us

c o stum e to upset the sacred tim e of the place T h e
, .
visitant in B on B on i s lik ewise queer a s t o dress and habits .
He wear s g arm ents in the sty le o f a century befo r e havin g ,
a queue but n o shi rt a cravat with an ecclesiastic su g g es ,
tio n also a sty lus and black b oo k Hi s facial exp ressio n

, .
i s such a s wo uld have str uck U ri ah H eap dum b wi th

envy and th e hint o f hoofs and a f o rked tail is cleverly
,
gi ven tho ug h n o t o btruded Th e m o st rem arkable .
f eature of his appear ance ho wever is that he has n o ey es , , ,
simply a dead level o f flesh H e declares that he eats .
soul s and p refers t o buy them alive to insure freshness H e .
h a s a taste for philo so phers when they a re n ot t oo t o ug h , .
T h e satiric devil like the satiric g h o st is seen in m o dern

, ,
ficti on Eug ene Field has a st ory of a demo n wh o seem s

.
sy m pathetic weeping large g ummy tears at hearing a

, ,
'
mo rtal s wo es and sig ning the co nventio nal co ntr act o n a
,
piece of asbesto s paper He agrees t o do every thing the .
m a n wishes for a certain term of y ears in return fo r which

, ,
he is t o get the soul If the devil forfeits the co ntract he .

,
lo ses n ot o nly that vi ctim but the so uls o f t w o thousand

alr eady in hi s clutches Th e m a n shrewdly dem ands .
try ing thi ngs of hi m but the dem o n is g ame building and , ,
endowing chur ches carrying on philanthro pic and reform ,
work witho ut com plaint but balking when the m a n asks ,
hi m t o clo se the sal oo ns o n S unday R ather than d o .
that he r eleases the two tho usand and on e so uls and flies
,
away twitchi ng hi s tail i n wr ath .

I
1
D a n i el a nd the Devi l .
1 42 T he D evi l a nd H i s All i es
T he mo st ecent as perhaps the m o st stri ki ng instance

r , ,
o f the satiric devi l i s in M ark T wain s p o sthum o us n o vel

’
,
The Mysteri ous S tra n g er A y o uth charmi ng co urtly . , , ,
and handsom e appears in a m edieval village confessing ,
t o tw o b oy s that he i s S atan th o ug h n o t the o rigi nal o f ,
that nam e but his nephew and n am esake He insi sts

,
.
that he i s an unfal len angel since hi s uncle is the o nly ,
m ember of hi s f amily that h a s si nned S atan reads the .
tho ughts of mortals kindles fire i n hi s pipe by breathi ng

,
o n i t suppli es mo ney and o ther desir able thi ngs by m ere

,
sug g esti o n is invisi ble when he wi lls i t so and is generall y

, ,
a gi fted bei ng Thi s perenni al boy o nly si xteen thousand

.
—
years old— m akes a charming companio n H e says to .
M arget that his papa is in shattered health and has n o

property t o speak of — i n fact no ne of a ny earthly val ue
, , ,
but he has an uncle in business do wn in the tro pics wh o ,
is very well off and h a s a monop oly and i t i s from thi s

, ,
uncle that he drew his supp ort M ar g et expresses the .
hope that h er uncle and his wo uld meet some d a y and

S atan say s he ho ped so t o o
“M a y be they wi ll says , .
,
,
M ar get D o es y o ur uncle travel m uch ?

“
”
.
Oh y es he g o es all ab o ut
, ,
h e has business every ,
—
where .
Th e b ook is ful l of this o bli que humor satiri zi ng earth , ,
heaven and hell Th e stranger by his comm ents on

,
.
theologi cal creeds satirizes r eli gi o n and S atan i s an i n

“
”
,
tended paro dy of Go d H e sneers at m an s mo ngrel .

’
moral sense which tells hi m the distinctio n between g oo d

,
and evi l i nsisting that he sho uld have n o cho ice that the
, ,
ri ght t o ch o o se m akes hi m inevitably ch oo se the wro ng .
He m akes little fi g ures ou t of clay and gi ves them life ,
o nly t o destroy them with casual r uthlessness a li ttle

'
la ter and send them t o hell In answer to th e ol d servant s .
fai th in God when she says that He will car e for h er a n d

,
h er mistress si nce not a sparrow falleth t o the g r o und

,
wi tho ut Hi s K nowledge he sneers B ut i t falls just

the sam e ! What s the goo d of seei ng i t fall ? He i s a
’
, ,
” ,
new diaboli c figure yet showi ng the co mpo site traits of the
,
ol d ,the d aemo nic wi sdom and sarcasm the superhum an ,
mag neti sm t o d raw m en to hi m and the human quali ties ,
of g eni ality sy m pathy and b oy i sh charm

, ,
.
On e of the mo st si g ni ficant and fr equent mo ti fs of the

di aboli c i n literatur e i s that of the barter of the hum an
soul for the devil s gi ft of some earthly bo on lo ng li f e or
’
wealth or p ower or wi sdom or gr atificati on of the senses

, , .
It i s a them e of u nusual po wer what could be gr eater ,

-
than the s trug g le o ver o ne s own imm ortal so ul — and well ’
mi g ht the g reat m inds o f the world engage them selves

wi th i t Yet that them e i s but little apparent in later
.
St o ri es We have n o such char acter i n recent literature

.
that can com pare with M arlowe s Dr Faustus or Go ethe s ’

.
’
M ephi st o pheles or C aldero n s wo nder working m agi cian

’
-
.
H awthorne s S ep ti mi us F elto n makes a barg ain wi th

’
the devil to secur e the eli xir of life there is a leg end in ,
H ar dy s Tess of the D Urbervi ll es of a m a n that sold him self

’ ’
t o the minister o f evi l and the inci dent o ccurs in vario us ,
stori es of witchcr aft yet wi th wani ng p o wer and less ,
fr equence Th e mo st si g ni ficant r ecent use of it is in

.
W B Yeats s dram a
. . Thi s i s a dram a of Ir eland where
’
.
,
the peasants have been driven by famine t o barter their

soul s t o the devil t o buy their chi ldren foo d but their ,
C o untess sells h er own so ul t o the demo n that they m a y

save theirs Thi s vicario us sacri fice adds a new p oignancy
.
to the situa ti o n and Yeats has tr eated it wi th p o wer .
This is the o nly r ecent appear ance of the devil on the stag e
for he h a s p r acti cally disappear ed fro m E nglish drama ,
wher e he wa s o nce so p rominent Th e demo n was a .
fam i liar and leadin g figur e on the mir acle and E lizabethan
stag e but like th e gho st he shows more vi tality n ow
, , ,
1
Coun tess Ca thl een .
1 44 T he D evi l and H i s A ll i es
in ficti o n Th e devil i s an o lder figure in E nglish

.
dr am a than is the g ho st but he seem s t o have play ed ,
o ut .
Th e analy sis and r epresentatio n of the devi l as a char

acter in literature have co vered a g reat rang e from the ,
bestiality of Dante s D em o n in the Inf ern o to Milton s

’ ’
mi g hty angel in ruins with all sor ts of variati on s between

, ,
fro m the sneerin g cynicism of Go ethe s M ephist o t o the

’
pinchbeck diab olism of M arie Corel li s sorro wf ul S atan ’
and the merry humor and blasphemo us satire of M ark

Twai n s mysterio us str an g er
’
We no te an especi al i n .
fl u en ce of Go ethe s M ephist o pheles in the sati ric studi es

’
o f the dem o n an echo of his diabolic climax when in

,
answer to Faust s o utcry o ver M arg ar et s do wnfall and

’ ’
,
“
death he say s S he i s n ot the firs t !
, On e hear s echo ing
thro ug h all liter ature M a n Friday s unanswerable ques ’
,
“
tio n Why n ot Go d kill d ebbil ? Th e uses o f evil in
Go d s eternal schem e the s o ul s free ch oice y et pitiful
’ ’
,
weakness a re sounded ag ain and ag ain Th e great

, .
diab olic fig ures in their essential hum anity their i n tell ec

, ,
~
tual dignity their sad intr o spectio n their pitiless testing

, ,
o f the human s o ul to its pr edestined f all a re terrible ,
alleg orical im ag es of the evil in m a n hi m self or concepts ,
o f so ci al sins as in Iva n the F

, ool Th e devils of the gr eat , .
wri ters reflecting the tim e the racial char acteristi cs the
, , ,
personal natures of their creator s a re deeply sy m b olic , .
E ach ma n cr eates the devil that he can understand that ,
r ep resents hi m fo r as Ami el say s we can co m prehend

, , ,
nothing of which we have n o t the begi nni ngs in o urselves .
A s each ma n sees a diff erent H amlet so each on e h a s hi s ,
o wn devil o r i s his own devi l

, This i s illustr ated by the .
figure in Julian H awthorne s Lovers i n H ea ven where the ’
dead m an s spirit m eets the devi l in the after life wh o i s

’
,
—
hi s own i m age his d aemo ni c do uble S ome have on e great

, .
fiend while others keep packs of li ttle snarling i mps of

, ,
darkness A study of com par ative di a boli cs i s illu minati ng

.
and mi ght be usef ul to us all .
Th e Wi zar d a n d th e Wi tch Th e demo n has his ear thly

.
partners in evil members of the firm of D evil and Com

pany Certain pers o ns that have m ade a pact with hi m
.
a re g i ven a shar e in his p o wer and a p o rti o n o f hi s dark ,
m antle f alls up o n them T h e so rcer er and the wi tch

.
a re ancient fi g ur es in literature and like o thers of the ,
supernatur al kin gdom no tably the devil they have thei r

, ,
ori g in in the E ast the cuneiform writing s o f the Chaldeans

,
Sho wing belief i n witchcraft A n d the Witch of E ndor .

,
summ o ning the spirit of S amuel t o co nfro nt S aul is a very ,
r eal fi gur e in the Ol d T estam ent Th e Gr eeks believed .
i n witches as did the R o m ans

, M ero e a witch i s .
, ,
described i n the M eta morphoses of Lucius Ap p u lei u s from

whom perhaps the witch M ero e in Peel e s Old Wi ves Ta le ’
g ets h er nam e and char acter In classical times witches .
were tho ug ht t o have p ower t o turn m en into beasts ,
ti gers m o nkeys o r asses s o m e perso ns still believe that

, ,
—
women have that p ower and m ight gi ve authenticated

i nstances.
Th e sor cer er or wi zard or warl o ck or m agi cian as he

, , , ,
i s vario usly cal led was a m ore c o mm o n fig ur e in early

,
literatur e than in later perhaps because a s i n so many

”
, ,
o ther cases his pro f essi o n has suff er ed a f em inine invasio n

“
.
,
T he A n g l o S ax o n word wi cca m eaning

-
wi tch is ma s
, ,
cul ine which m a y or ma y not m ean that wi tchcraft was

,
a m anly a rt in those days and the mo st f am o us m edieval

,
enchanter M erli n was a m a n it sh o uld be noted Th e

, , ,
.
sorcerer of primitive times ha s been g radually reduced in

po wer changing throug h th e astrolo ger and alchemist of
,
m edieval and Go thi c rom ance int o the bacteri o l o g ist and
bi olog ist of recent ficti o n where he works o ther wo nders
,
.
In g eneral warlo cks and wizards while frequent eno ug h

, ,
i n early li terature and i n mo dern f olk tales have become -

,
IO
1 46 T he D evi l a nd H i s A ll i es
less num erous i n later ficti o n S cott h a s a medi cal .

I
m ag i cian wi th supernatural p o wer of healing by means

o f an amulet which put t o the n o st rils o f a pers o n p r a cti
, ,
cally dead revives him at o nce but whi ch lo ses i ts effi cacy
, ,
if g iven in ex chang e f or mo ney H awt h orne h a s an ol d .
Indian sachem with wizar d p o wer wh o h a s conco cted ,

2
the elixi r of lif e We see the passing of the anci ent sor
.
cerer into the scientific wo nder worker in such ficti o n as -
S ax Roh mer s F u M anchu st ories that depict a Chi nese

’
-
terror or in H G Wells s supernatural investig ator s in

, . .
’
hi s vari o us st o ries of sci ence Th e m agi ci an i s n ot really .
dead in ficti o n but h a s passed over in to ano ther form for ,
the m ost part .
We stil l have the hoo doo m a n of colored persuasio n ,
and the r edskin m edi cine m a n to gether with Ori ental -

,
sor cerers fro m Kiplin g and o thers E xamples a re :In the .
H ouse of S uddoo by Kipling where the wonder worker

, ,
-
unites a canny knowledg e of the telepho ne and tele

g raph al o ng with hi s unholy a rt ; Red D ebts by Lu mley
'
Deakin where the Indian mag ician exacts a terrible

,
penalty for the wro ng do ne him and where his dia ,
bolio appearance t o claim h i s vi cti m leaves on e i n do ubt

a s to whether he h a s no t sent hi s chief in his place ;
The M on key s P a w by W W Jaco bs a cur dli n g st ory of

’
.
, .
,
a m agic curse g iven by an Oriental s orcerer by which ,
the paw of a dead mo nkey grants three wi shes that have

a dreadful boom erang p ower ; B la ck M a g i c by Jessie ,
Adelaide West o n — wh o clai ms that a ll h er supernatural

,
stori es are strictly true the narrati ve of an ol d Indian —
s orcerer that chang es hi mself into a hair ma t and i s shot

for hi s pai ns He h a s o btained p o wer o ver the ho use by
.
being g iven a hair from the m a t by the uninitiated mi s

tress H ai r y ou must know has great p ower of evi l
.
, ,
in the hands of wi tches and sorcerers as in the case of the ,
I I Th T li m
n e a s an I hi S pti mi us Fl t
. n s e e on .
T he D evi l and H i s A ll i es 147
evi l o nes i n The Ta li sma n wh o recei ved their thrall over,
the m aidens by on e hair from each head F M ario n . .
Cr awford s K ha l ed is a st ory o f m a g ic a rt Khaled i s

’
.
on e of the g eni i c o nverted b

y r eading the K o ran wh o ,
wishes t o be a mort al ma n with a s o ul He i s g iven .
the rig ht t o do so if he can win the lo ve of a cert ain

woman H ence he i s b orn int o the world like Adam a
.
, ,
f ull g r o wn m a n t o be m ag ically clo thed and equipped

-
, ,
by the t r ansform atio n of leaves and twig s int o g arments

and armor and the chang ing of a l o cust into an Arabian
,
steed Af ter m any supernatur al adventures he receives

.
,
hi s s o ul from an ang el Th e s oul at first a crescent

.
,
flame ,
i mm M i a t el y
took shap e a n d became the brig hter imag e of
Kha led him self An d when h e h a d looked at it fix edly for a
.
few minut es— the visio n of him s elf h a d disap p eared a n d b ef or e

he was aware it had en tered his own bo dy a n d taken u p its
li fe with hi m .
This i s a paral lel t o the cases of gho stly do ubles di s

cu ssed in the p revi o us chapter .
Th e m ag ician sho ws a disp o sitio n t o adapt himself t o con

tem p orary co nditio ns and to change hi s pers onality with the
ti mes N ot so the witch S h e i s a permanent fig ure S he
. . .
has appeared in the va rio us form s of literature in E li za ,
bethan drama in Gothic romance in mo dern p o etry the

, , ,
no vel and the short st ory and is very m uch alive to da y ,

-
.
We have wi tches y o ung and ol d We have the fake wi tch . ,
lik e the ho ax g ho st ; the im puted witch and the g enui ne

arti cle We have witch stori es m elo dr am ati c romantic
. , ,
tr agi c comi c and satiri c sho wi ng the i nfluence of the

, , ,
g r eat c r eati o ns of past liter atu r e with mo dern adaptatio ns
and additio ns E ng lish p o etry i s f ull of wi tchery p er

. ,
haps largely the resul t of the Celti c influence on ou r

li terature Th e p o eti c type of wi tchcraft i s bro ug ht o ut
.
I4 8 T he D evi l a nd H is A ll i es
in such po ems as Coleri dg e s Chri sta bel where the beauty ’

,
and su g gestiveness veil the sense of unearthly evi l ; or i n

S helley s Wi tch of A tl a s where the wo m an appear s a s
’
a sy m bol o f alluring loveliness p o ssessin g no ne of the

hideo us aspects seen in o ther weir d women Th e water .
enchantress in S helley s frag m ent of an unfinished dram a

’
mig ht be m entio ned as an o ther example whil e K eats s L a

’
B el l e Da me sa ns M erci h a s a m ag ical cha rm all h er o wn .
Christina R ossetti s Gobli n M a rket sh ows a peculiar aspect

’
o f m ag ic as als o M rs B ro wning s The La y of the B rown

’
.
,
Rosa ry On the c o ntr ary Milt o n s Camus R o bert H errick s

’ ’
.
, ,
The H a g and J am es Ho g g s The Wi tch of F i f e i llust r ate

’
the uglier aspects of enchantment .
Ther e a re t wo definite ty pes of wi tches seen in E ngl i sh

fictio n the first being m er ely the reputed wi tch the wo m an
, ,
wh o is f alsely accused or suspected of black arts and wh o ,
either is persecuted or else g ains what she wishes by hin ts

,
o f h er t r a ffi c in evi l like the O ld Gr anny Y o ung in M i ne

,
H ost a n d the Wi tch by Jam es B ly the wh o chants as a

, ,
charm rune
-
,
A cu rse shall l a y on water a n d land

For the thing denied the wi tch s ha n d ’
,
so that everybo dy is afraid to refuse h er whatever sh e

dem ands This i s a hig hly co nventio nalized ty pe of the
.
mo tif and th o ugh it is fo und in g reat numbers in mo dern

,
fiction is n ot particularly imp ortant Th e principal co m

, .
plications of the plot a re usually the sam e the ch aracter ,
kno wn as the witch bei n g either an appealing fi g ure wi n

ning sy m pathy because of h er beauty and y o uth or else ,
to uching t o pi ty becaus e of h er a g e and i nfirrn i ti es N o .
perso n of averag e age or pulchritude i s ever accused of

witchcr aft in E ng lish fictio n Sh e i s alway s very ol d and .
p o or or y o ung and lovely Item also she in vari ably h a s

.
,
t wo lo vers in the latter case S h e is m er ely a ro manti c peg

, .
o n which t o han g a st o ry n o t alway s r eal as a human being

,
and n ot a real wi tch In these stories the o nly mag ic used

.
i s l o ve the f air m aid havi ng uni nte ntio nally charm ed the
,
heart of a vil lain wh o f ai li n g t o wi n h er accuses h er of

, , ,
wi tchcraft in or der t o fri g hten her int o lo ve In s ome of .
the no vels and stories the victim i s actually executed ,
whi le i n other s she i s rescued by h er noble lover at the

fifty ni n th sec o nd
-
We have the pursuing villain the
.
,
distr essed in no cence the chivalric lover disporting them

,
selves in late Gothic f ashio n o ver many ro m ances E ven .
M ary J o hnst o n with h er kno wledge of Co lo nial ti mes

and h er po wer t o g ive atm o sphere to the past do es n ot
succeed in impartin g the br eath o f life to h er late no vel
o f wi tchcraft The Wi tch ,
These pink and white beauties
.
- -
wh o speak in E uphuistic sentences wh o s h ow a lamblike ,

'
defiance t owar d the dark tem pters wh o breathe p ray ers ,
t o heaven fo r p ro tectio n and f o rg iveness t o their enem ies

in on e breath wh o die or a re rescued with equal gr ace
,
and pro priety on e i s carried away fro m the scaff old

,
—
by K idd the pirate thus delay in g for several chapter s

, ,
h er r escue by h er f aithf ul lo ver— d o n ot r eally t o uch the

hear t a n y m or e than they interest the intellect Yet there .
a re o ccasio nal instances o f the i mputed witch wh o s eem s
r eal despite h er handicap of beauty and yo uth as Iseult ,
l e Desi reu se in M aurice Hewlett s F ores t L overs wh o m

’
, ,
P ro sper l e Ga i weds t o save fro m the hang m an The .
y o ung woman in F M ario n Crawf ord s Wi tch of P ra g ue

.
’
mi g ht be called a pro blem at i c witch for while she d o es ,
undo ubtedly work mag i c it i s for the m o st part attributed,
t o h er p o wer s o f hy pn o tism r ather than t o the black a rt

i tself. We find an excell ent exam ple of the reputed
witch wh o is a woman of real charm and indivi duality ,
in D An n un zi o s The Da ug hter of Jori o where the y o ung

’ ’
gi rl i s beset by cruel dangers because of h er charm and her

lo nely co ndition and wh o rises to trag ic heig hts of sacri

,
fice t o save h er l over from death ch oo sing t o be burned ,
t o death as a witch t o save him fro m paying the penalty

o f m urder Sh e actually co n vrn ce s hi m as well as t h e
.
,
o thers that she has bewi tched hi m by unholy p owers

, ,
that she h a s slain his f ather and m ade hi m believe that h e

him self did it t o save h er ho no r and she go es to her death ,
with a white f ervo r of co urag e wi th n o word of complain t , ,
save on e gentle rebuke to him that he sho uld n ot revil e

h er .
Th e ag ed pseudo wi tch i s in the main m ore appeali ng

-
than the y o ung on e because more rea listi c Yet there i s

, .
n o mo der n i nstance that i s so t o uchi ng a s the p oo r ol d
cro ne in The Wi tch of E dmon ton wh o is persecuted for ,
bei n g a wi tch and wh o turns up o n h er torm entors with

a speech that remi nds us o f S hy l o ck s fam o us o utcry ’
,
showi ng clearly h ow their suspicion and accusatio n have

made h er what sh e i s We see here a wi tch i n the .
m aking an in n o cent ol d wo man wh o is harried by

,
human being s till she makes a co mpact wi th the devi l .
M eg M errili es is a problematic wi tch a m ajestic

I
, ,
siby lline fig ure very indivi dual and hum an y et with

, ,
m o r e than a su g g estl on of superhum an wi sdom and

p ower S co tt lim ned h er with a lo vin g hand and K eats
.
,
was so i mpressed wi th h er perso nali ty that he wro te

a p o em co ncerning h er E lizabeth E n derfiel d i n H ardy s
.
,
’
Un der the Green wood Tree is a r eputed witch and wi tch ,
p ricking i s also tried in hi s Return of the N a ti ve Vari o us .
experim ents with m ag ic a re used in Har dy s work a s ’

,
the instance of the wom an s t ouching h er wi thered arm ’
t o the neck of a m a n that had been hanged co nsulti ng ,
the conjurer co ncerning butter that wo n t come and so ’
forth O ld Aunt K ezi ah in H awthorne s S epti mi us Felton

.
’
mi ght be called a pro blem atic wi tch a s the wo m an in The ,
Guy Ma nn eri ng
’
Of S cott s .
T he D evi l and H is A ll i es 1 51
Wi tch by E den Phi llp o tts a gr eat number of

. Sh e ha s
cats and so m ethi ng dreadful happens to any o ne who
,
injur es o n e of them ; sh e calls the three black to ads her

servants and g o es thro ugh i ncantati o ns o ver a snake
Skeleto n the carcass of a to ad and the m ummy of a cat
, , .
M o ther T a b m a y or m a y n ot be a bona fide witch but ,
she causes much tro uble to tho se asso ciated with h er .
Th e unquesti o ned witch p o ssessi ng indubi table p o wer s

,
of enchant m ent o ccur s fr equently and co nvey s a g enui ne

,
thrill Her attributes have been less co nventionali zed

.
than th o se of h er y o uthful com pani o ns wh o a re merely

under the i mputatio n of black a rt and sh e p o ssesses a ,
di ab o lic indi viduality Th o ug h she m ay n ot r em ai n

.
lo ng in view She is an im pr essive fig ure n ot soon for

,
gotten T h e ol d cro ne in S co tt s The Two Drovers gi ves’
“
.
warning t o R o bin Oi g walki ng the deasil as it i s

, ,
called aro und hi m tracing the pro pitiatio n whi ch so m e

, ,
thi nk a r eminiscence of Dr uidi cal mytholog y — which i s ,
perform ed by walki ng three times ro und the o n e in

dang er m oving accor ding to the co urse of the sun In the
”
.
,
midst of h er incantatio n the h a g exclai ms B loo d on y o ur ,
hand and it i s E ng lish bl oo d !

, True en o ug h before h i s ,
j o urney s end y o ung Robin do es m urder his E ng li sh com

’
pani o n In the s am e story o ther evidences of wi tch

.
cr aft a re shown as the directi o ns fo r keeping away the evi l

,
influence from cattle by ty i ng S t M ungo s knot on their .

’
tai ls
.
Th e subject of wi tchcraft greatly i nterested H awthorne ,
for he i ntr o duces it in a n umber of instances You n g .
Goodma n B rown sho ws the aspects of the diab oli c uni on

bet ween the devi l and hi s earthly companio ns their unholy ,
c ongreg ati o ns in the forest rep orts thei r sar do ni c co nver

,
sa ti o n s and suggesti o ns o f evi l in o thers and pictures the ,
witches ridi ng on broom sti cks hi gh in the heavens and

worki ng thei r magi c spell s Th e y o ung husband sees i n
.
1 52 The D evi l and H i s A ll i es
that convo cati on all the perso ns who m he h a s most

r evered — hi s mi ni ster his S abbath schoo l teacher and
,
-
,
even his y o ung wife so that all hi s after —li fe i s saddened

,
by the tho ug ht of it Witchcraft enters into The S ca rlet

.
L etter M a i n S treet and F

,
ea thertop
,
and i s mentioned ,
i n o ther st ories .
Old M o ther S heehy i n Kipling s The Courti ng of Di na h ’
S ha dd p ro n o unces a m aledicti o n against Pri vate Mu lva n y

and the g irl he loves pro phesy ing that he wi ll be reduced
,
i n rank instead o f bei ng p ro m o ted wil l be a slave t o ,
dri nk so that hi s y o ung wife wi ll take in washing for

o fli cers wi ves instead of herself bei ng the wi fe of an
’
o ffi cer
, and that their o nly child will die — every bitter ,
wor d of which co m es true in after y ears The o l d witch .
mo ther i n Ho war d Py le s The E vi l E ye inspires h er ’
daug hter t o cast a spell o ver the m a n she l o ves but wh o

d o es n ot think of h er causing hi m t o leave his betrothed
,
and wed the wi tch daug hter When understandin g com es .
t o hi m and wi th it l o athin g the gi rl seeks t o reg ain his

, ,
lo ve by followi ng the co unsel of an o l d m agi ci an wh o ,
gi ves h er a n im ag e t o be burnt B ut that burnin g of the .
im ag e kills h er and looses the m a n from h er spell That .
incident is similar t o that i n D An n un zi o s S og no d u n ’ ’ ’
Tra mon to d A utun n o wher e the D o garessa seeks t o slay

’
h er rival bo th p ro bably being based on the unfor gettable

,
employ ment of the them e in Ro ssetti s S i ster H elen ’
where the young gi rl causes the death of h er betr ayer

by melti n g the i m age .
In Gordo n B ottoml ey s play Ridi n g to Li thend three

’
, ,
o l d wo m en enter wh o seem t o partake o f the natur e of

,
the Par c ae as well as of Shakespeare s Weird Si sters They ’

.
have bat webbed fing ers the ho und bay s uncannily at thei r
-
,
appro ach ; they show supernatural kno wledge of events ,
and they chant a wi ld prophecy of do om then mysteri ously ,
di sappear Fate marches swi ftly on a s they foretell

.
.
The D evi l a nd H i s A ll i es 1 53
Th e y o un g and beautiful witch can work a s m uch evil as

the ancient cro ne perhaps more since h er em oti o ns are
, ,
wi lder and m or e unrestr ained S h e can project a curse .
that reaches i ts victim acro ss the o cean when the on e ,
wh o sent the cur se i s rotti ng in the t om b as in The Curse ,
of the Ca shmere S ha wl where a betrayed and deserted ,
woman i n India sends a r are shawl t o h er rival then ,
drowns herself M o nths af ter when the husband

.
, ,
forg etful o f the s o ur ce lays the shawl aro und hi s wif e s

’
,
shoulders the dead wom an takes h er place After this

, .
gr ueso me transfer of perso nality the wife im pelled by a , ,
terrible urge sh e canno t understand dro wns herself as ,
the other h a s do ne m o nths before Oscar Wil de shows .

I
a vo ung and lovely witch with a hum an lo ngi ng for the

love of the y o ung m a n wh o throws away hi s s oul for love
of a m erm aid T hro u g h lif e s tragic satir e sh e i s com
’
.
,
p el l ed i n spi te o f h er entr eaties t o sh ow hi m h ow he

, ,
may damn hi mself and win the o ther s aff ectio n Th e

’
.
jealo usy shown here and i n o ther instances is an illustr a

tio n of the human nature of the wi tch wh o ; like the devil , ,
m akes a stro ng appeal to o ur sympathy in spi t e of the

undo ubted iniqui ty .
T h e element o f sy m b oli sm enters larg ely int o the

wi tch creatio ns even from the tim e of S hakespea re s
’
-
,
Thr ee in M a cbeth wh o a re terri ble sy mb o lic fig ures of the

,
evil in m an s s o ul They appear as the visible em bo di

’
.
ment of M acbeth s th o ug hts and by their my sterio us

’
,
sug g esti ve utterances tempt him to put his unlawf ul

dream s in t o acti o n They seem bo th cause and eff ect.
here for tho ugh when they first appear t o hi m his hands
,
a re i nn o cent of bl o o d hi s heart is tainted wi th selfish

,
ambitio n and thei r whispers of promise hurry on the

,
deed In A nci en t S orceri es by Alg erno n B lackwo o d

.
, ,
the vill ag e i s full of pers o ns who at night by the

i In The Fi sherman a nd hi s S oul .
I S4 The D evi l and H i s A ll i es
p ower of an ancestral curse a heritag e of sublimi nal ,
memory bec ome wi tches horri ble cat cr eatures un

, ,
-
,
human that dance the blasphemo us dance of the Devi l s

,
’
S abbath Th e st ory sy m b oli zes the eternal curse that

.
rests up o n evi l the undy i ng quali ty of th o ught and a o

,
tio n that canno t cease when the bo dy of the sinner ha s

becom e dust but r eaches o u t in to endl ess g enerati ons
,
.
In Old Fi res a n d P rofita bl e Ghosts by A T Q ui ller—Couch . .

,
we see a witch a y o un g wom an who se so ul i s under a spell

,
from the devil Sh e gi ves rich g if ts t o the chur ch but her

.
,
off ering s turn i n t o t o ads and vi pers defil i n g the sanctuary , ,
a nd a s she sing s h er wi ld s o ng s the b o dies of dro wned m en
come flo ati ng to the surface of the water and j oin in the

words of h er s o ng Her beauty i s sup ernatur al and .
accursed y et h er s o ul is inno cent of wi sh t o do evil thoug h

, ,
it leaves h er b o dy and g o es lik e a cresset ed fl am e at

nig ht t o f ollo w the devil whil e the bo dy is p owerless in
,
sleep Finally the devil com es in the form o f a M o or

.
,
p ossi bly a sug g estion from Zofl oya and summ ons h er , ,
when sh e dies wi th a cr uci fix clasped over h er heart

, .
W B Yeats has pictured sever al wi tches for us a s

. .
,
the cro ne of the g ray hawk in The Wi sdom of the K i n g , ,
a wom an tall wi th mor e than m ortal heig ht with ,
f eathers of the g ray hawk gro wing in her hai r wh o st oops ,
o ver the roy al cr adl e and whisper s a str an g e thi ng t o the
chi ld a s a result of which he g ro ws up in a s olitude o f hi s

,
o wn my sti c th o u g hts with dr eam s that a re like the m ar ch
i n g and co unter m arching of armi es -

When he real izes .
that the sim ple j oy s of lif e and love a re n ot fo r hi m he ,
di sappears some sa y t o m ake his hom e with the i mm ortal

,
demo ns s ome say with the shadowy go ddesses that

,
haunt the midnig ht p ools in the forest In The Curse .
of the F i res a n d the S ha dows Yeats pi ctures ano ther ,
wi tch tall and in a g ray g o wn wh o i s standing in the

, ,
ri ver and washin g washi ng the dead bo dy of a man

, .
The D evi l and H i s A ll i es 1 55
As the troo per s wh o have murdered the friars and bur ned
down the chur ch ri de past each m a n r eco g nizes in the ,
dead f ace hi s own f ace — just a mo m ent before they ,
all plung e over the aby ss t o death .
T her e a r e witches i n mo st collectio ns of E n g lish f o lk

tales for the sim pler peo ple the more elemental natures
, , ,
have a stro ng f eeling f or the twilig ht of nature and of

lif e Th e wei rd wom an has p o wer o ver the forces of
.
natur e and can evo ke the wrath of the elem ents as

o f unh o ly p ower s against h er enem ies S t o ries of witches .
,
a s o f sor cerer s o ccur in Indian f o l k tales as well as i n th o se

,
-
,
o f the Am erican Indi an diff ering in detail s in the tribal

,
collectio ns y et sh o win g sim ilar essential ideas The .
S c o tch Sh o w special p r edi lectio n fo r the witch since ,
with thei r tense stern natur es they stand i n awe of the

, ,
darker p o wers and of tho se that call them forth T hey .
r elate curio us in stances o f the r elati o ns between the
anim al world and witchcraft as in The Da rk Na me ,
l ess On e by F ,
io na M cLeo d the story of a nun that ,
falls in lo ve wi th a seal and is f or ced t o live for ever i n the

sea weavin g h er spells wher e the white fo am fro ths and
, ,
knowin g that h er so ul i s lo st Thi s is akin t o the them e .
that M atthew Arnold uses tho ug h with a diff erent ,
treatm ent showi ng simil arity t o H ans Chri stian Ander

,
sen s tale of The Li ttle M erma i d T h e ca ill ea ch ui sg e

’
.
,
or the water wi tch and the m a i g h d ea n mh a ra th e

-
, ,
m erm aid and the kelpi e the sea beast a re cursed wi th

, ,
-
,
daemonic spells and live forever in their witchery When .
mo rtals for sake the earth and foll o w them their chil
dren are bein g s that have n o s oul s Th e I rish folk .
tales on the other hand while having their quo ta o f

, ,
wi tches d o n ot thi n k so m uch ab o ut them o r take them

,
quite so serio usly inclin i ng m ore t o the f aery form s of

,
supernatural ism sui ted to their p o etic natures Th e .
t
In hi s Forsa ken Merman a n d The N ecka n .
1 56 T he D evi l a nd H is A ll i es
sense of beauty of the I ri sh is so vi vid and thei r i nnate

p o etry so intense that they g limpse the lo velin ess of
magic and their enchanted being s a re o f beauty rather
,
than of horror .
We even have the humoro us and satiric wi tch to ,
corresp o nd to sim ilar representatio ns of the g ho st and the

devil in m o dern fictio n T h e instance in B urn s s Ta m .
’
O S ha n ter needs o nly t o be r ecalled wi th the ludi cro us

’
descriptio n o f the wil d race at nig ht to escape the dread

p owers B on es S a n ders a n d A n other by E dg ar W allace
.
, , , ,
i ntro duces a wi tch wi th c om ic qualities a wom an wh o se ,
husband has been a m agi cian and the reputed f amiliar ,
o f a devil S h e cures peo ple by lay ing h er hands o n

.
them o nce causi ng a bo ne that was cho ki ng a child to

”
,
fly out with a cry terrible t o hear such a cry as a leopard ,
m akes when pur sued by g ho sts When this wi tch with

”
.
a sense of hum or is arr ested as a tro uble m aker by an -
army o fficer she er adicates h er clo thes causing very

, ,
comi c compli catio ns Th e best example of the satiric

.
wi tch is H awthorne s M o ther Rig by in Fea thertop wh o

’
, ,
co nstructs a ma n from a broom stick and o ther materials

for a scar ecro w In this satiric serm o n up o n the Sham s and
.
hy p o cri sies of lif e M other Rig by wi th h er sar do nic humo r

, , ,
h er cy nical c om ments par o dies s o ciety h olds the mirror

, ,
up t o hum an life and shows m ore than on e p oor painted

scarecro w sim ulacrum of hum anity m asqueradi ng a s a
, ,
ma n . Th e fig ur e that she cr eates with his yearni n g s and ,
hi s pri de hi s h orror when he r ealizes h i s own f alsi ty and

,
emptiness is m ore human m ore a ma n than many a

, , ,
being we m eet in liter ature or in life .
B arry P ain has several witch st ori es that d o n ot fal l

readily int o a n y categ ory curi o us stori es of sci entifi c ,
dream supernaturalism in the realm of the unreal

-
, .
E xcha n g e is the acco unt of a supernatural wo m an whether ,
a wi tch or on e of the Fates o n e do es n ot know wh o , ,

comes clad in scarlet r ag s to show human souls thei r des

, ,
tini es S h e permi ts an exchange of f ate if on e is willin g

.
,
to p a y h er p ri ce which is in each case terr ible en o u h

,
g .
On e y o un g gi rl gi ves up her pictured future of lif e and

lo ve and surr enders h er mind for the purpo se of saving
,
h er baby bro ther fro m his destined f ate of suicide in

manh o o d Th e cro ne appears t o an ol d ma n that lo ves the
.
chi ld who takes up o n him self h er fate of being turned

,
int o a bi r d to be tortured after human death so that the ,
y o ung gi rl ma y have hi s f uture t o be turned into a white ,
lamb that dies after an ho ur then be a so ul set free , .
The Gla ss of S upreme M omen ts is an other st o ry of p ro

p h eti c witchery o f r evealed f ate seen in supernatur al
,
dreams A y o ung m a n in his colleg e study sees the

.
fireplace turn into a silver stairway do wn which a lovely

gr ay ro bed wom an comes t o hi m S h e sho ws hi m a
-
.
mirror the glass of sup rem e m oments in which the

, ,
hi g hest instants of each man s lif e a r e shown Sh e says ’
“
.
o f it All the ecstasy o f the world lies ther e

, Th e .
supr eme mom ents of each man s lif e the scene the spo ken ’
, ,
words all lie there P ast and present and future— all
—
.
a r e there Sh e sho ws an em o tio n m eter that m easur es

.
the thrill of joy After he has seen the cli macti c instants
.
of hi s fri ends lives he asks t o see hi s own when she tells

’
hi m hi s a re here and n ow S h e tells h i m that h er name is

.
D eath and that he will die if he kisses h er but he cri es ,
o ut,
I wi ll die ki ssi ng y ou ! A n d p resently his m ates
return t o find his b o dy fallen dead acro ss hi s table .
Ther e i s som ething infi nitely appealin g abo ut the char

acter of the wi tch Sh e seem s a creature of tragi c l on eli
.
ness co nsci o us of h er own dark p o wers yet co nscio us

, ,
also of h er exi le fro m the goo d and knowi ng that all

the evi l sh e evo kes wi ll s omeho w com e back to her that
,
h er curses will co me h om e a s in the case of Wi tch H a zel , ,
where the wi tch by maki ng a cake of hair to o ver come h er

,
ri val i n love bring s on a tempest that kills h er lo ver and

,
dri ves h er ma d Each evi l act each dark im agi ning

.
,
seems t o create a demo n and turn hi m loo se to harry

hum anity wi th unceasin g for ce as M atthew M aul e s ,
’
curse i n The H ou se of S even Ga bl es casts a spir itual shadow

o n the h o m e Y et the witch is s ometi mes a mi ni ster of
.
goo d as M ephisto pheles says of him self achi evi ng the goo d
, ,
where he m eant evil ; som etim es typifyi ng the mysteri o us

mo ther natur e as the ol d Wi tti ki n in H auptm ann s S un ken
,
’
B ell neither goo d n or evil neither alt o gether hum an n or

, ,
supernatur al H er strange sy m b oli sm i s always i mpr essi ve

. .
De mo ni c S p i ri ts— Vam pi re s Clo sely r elated t o the

.
devil a re certain diab olic spi ri ts that a re gi ven super

natur al p ower by hi m and ackno wledg e hi s suzerainty .
These include g ho ul s vampires wer ewo lves and o ther

, , ,
dem oniac ani m als as well as the hum an beings that

,
thro ug h a com pact with the fiend shar e in hi s dark force .
S ince such cr eatur es p o ssess dr am atic p o ssibiliti es they ,
have gi ven interest t o fictio n and o ther liter ature from

early times This idea of an unholy alliance between
.
earth and hell has f ascinated the human mind and been
,
r eflected ast o nishin g ly in literatur e In studying the .
appear ance of these beings in E ng lish fictio n we note as , ,
in the case of the g ho st the wi tch and the devil a certai n

, , ,
leveli ng infl uence a tendency t o hum anize them and

,
gi ve them characteri stics that appeal to o ur sy mpathy .
Th e vam pi re and the g h o ul a re clo sely r elated and by

s ome authori ties a re co nsidered the sam e yet there i s a
“
”
,
disti nctio n Th e g houl i s a being t o quo te Poe neither

.
, ,
ma n n or wom an neither brute n or hum an that f eeds

,
up o n corpses steali n g o ut at midnight for lo aths om e

,
banquets in gravey ar ds He devo urs the flesh of the .
dead while the vampire drains the bloo d of the livi ng

, .
Th e gh o ul is an A siatic cr eature and has left but slig ht

impress upo n E ng lish literature whil e the vampi re h a s ,
T h e D evi l a nd H i s A ll i es 1 59
been a defini te motif Th e vampire superstiti o n go es .
back to ancient times being r ef erred to on Chaldean and

,
A ssyr i an tablets Wil liam of N ewbury of the twelfth

.
,
century i n E ngland relates sever al stories of them ; o n e

,
vampire was burned i n M elro se Abbey and t ouri sts i n ,
Ir eland a re stil l shown the grave of a vampire Perhaps .
the vampire super sti tio n g o es back to the savag ery of

remo te t i m es and i s an anim istic survi val of hum an
,
sacri fi ces of cannibali sm and the lik e Th e vampir e

, .
i s tho ug ht of as an evi l spirit issuin g f orth at ni ght t o

attack the livi n g 1n thei r sleep and drain the bloo d which
i s necessary t o p rol o ng its own revolting existence C er .
tain pers o ns were tho ught t o be especially liable to becom e

vam pir es at death such as suicides witches wizar ds
, , , ,
pers o ns wh o i n lif e had been attacked bv vam pires out ,
casts of vario us ki nds as well as certai n animals were

, ,
wolves dead li zar ds and o thers

, , .
Th e vam pir e superstitio n wa s g eneral in the E ast and

extended to E urope it is th ought by way of Greece
, ,
.
Th e Gr eeks tho ug ht of the vampir e as a beautif ul y o ung

woman a lami a wh o lured y o ung m en to their death
, ,
.
Th e belief wa s particul arly stro ng i n central E uro pe ,
but never seemed t o g ain the sam e foothold i n Eng land

that it di d on the co nti nent tho ug h it is evi dent here ,
and h a s influenced li teratur e Th e vampire has been the . .
i n spir atio n f or several Operas and has fig ured in the ,
dr ama i n p o etry in the no vel and short st ory as well as

, , ,
i n folk tales and m edieval legends

-
Th e st ories show .
the vario us aspects of the belief and i t s anci ent h old on the
p o pul ar mi n d Th e vampire as well a s the g ho st the
.
, ,
devil and the witch h a s appeared on the E nglish stage

, ,
.
The Va mpi re an ano ny mo us mel o dr am a i n t wo acts

, ,
The Va mpi re a tragedy by S t J o hn D orset

,
The .
Va mpi re B ri d e a play Le Va mpi re by Alexander Dum as

, , ,
p ere
,
and T he Va mpi re or the B rid e of the Isl es by J R
, ,
. .
P lanche , were present ed in the Lo ndo n theater The .
latter whi ch wa s publi shed in 1 820 i s remarka bly simil ar

t o The Va mpyre a no velette by P oli dori publi shed in
.
, ,
1 8 19 -
,the story wri tten after the famo us ghost sessi o n
where B yron the S helley s an d Po li dori agreed each to
, ,
wri te a gh o stly st ory M ary S helley wri ti ng F ra n kens tei n

, .
P oli dori s st ory li ke the play r eferred t o h a s for i t s

’
, ,
pri nci pal character an E ng lishm an Lord Ruthven the , ,
E arl of M arsden wh o is the vampi re In each case

, .
there i s a supp osed death where the dyi ng ma n asks ,
tha t hi s bo dy be placed wher e the last rays of the moo n

can fal l upo n i t The co rpse then mysteri o usly vani shes
. .
In each story there i s a com plicatio n of a r ash pledge of

sil ence made by a ma n th at di sco ver s the di aboli cal natur e
o f the earl wh o havi ng risen fro m the dead i s r avagi ng
, , ,
s o ciety as a vampire In each case a peculi ar turn of

‘
the story i s that the masculine vampi re requi res for hi s

subsistence the blo o d of y o ung Women to whom he ,
must be m arried He de m ands a new vi cti m hence a

.
,
hurri ed wedding i s planned In the play the cerem o ny .
i s i nterrupted by the b ride s f ather but i n the novelette

’
,
the plo t i s fini shed and the g irl becomes the vi cti m of the
destroy er It i s a questio n whi ch of these producti o ns
.
was wri tten first and which i mi tated the o ther or if

, ,
they h ad a commo n so ur ce Th e author of the dr am a .
admi ts getting hi s m ater ial from a French play but ,
where di d Poli dori get his ?

B yro n seems t o have been f asci nated wi th the vampi r e
theme for i n addi ti o n t o his unsuccessful short story
, ,
he has used the theme in his p o em The Gi a our Here , .
he bri ngs i n the i dea that the vampi re curse i s a judg

ment from Go d for si n and that the mo st terri ble p art ,
o f the pun i shment i s the bei ng fo r ced t o p rey up on th o se
wh o i n lif e were dear est t o hi m whi ch i dea o ccurs i n ,
va ri o us stori es .
B ut first on earth as Vamp yre sent

Th y corse shall from its tomb be rent '
Then g hastly haunt t h y native p lace

An d suck the bloo d o f all th y race ;
There from th y da ug hter si ster wif e , , ,
At midnig ht dr a in th e stream of life ;

Yet lo athe the banquet which p erforce
M ust feed thy livid living co rse, .
Th y victim s ere they y et exp ire

,
S hall kn ow the d emon for their sire ;

As cur sin g thee tho u cursin g th em
, , ,
Th y flowers ar e withered on the stem .
B u t on e that for th y cri m e m ust fall

, ,
Th e y o ung est bes t bel oved of all

,
-
,
S hall bl ess thee with a f a ther s nam e

’
That word sha ll wrap thy hea rt in fla m e !

Yet m ust thou en d th e task a n d mark
H er cheek s last ting e h er ey e s last sp ark
’ ’
, ,
An d the last g lassy g lan ce must vi ew

Which freezes o er its lif eless blue ;
’
Then wi th unhallowed han d shall tear

Th e tr es s es of h er y ell ow hair ,
Of which 1n life a lo ck when shorn

,
Aff ectio n s fo nd est p l ed g e was worn ,
B u t n ow is borne away by thee

M em oria l o f thine ag on y !
Yet with thine own best bloo d shall drip
Th y g nashin g teeth and hag g ard li p ;
Then stalking t o t h y sull en g rave
G o— a n d with g houl s a n d Afrits rave ,
Till these in horror shrink awa y

From sp ecter more accursed than they !
S o uthey in hi s Tha l a ba sh ows

us a vampi re a y oung ,
gi rl i n thi s case , wh o h a s been torn

away from her husband
on thei r wedding day Th e curse impels her to attack
.
hi m to seek to d rain hi s lifeblo o d He becomes .

aware of the truth and takes h er father wi th hi m to the

t omb to await h er coming fo rth at midnig ht whi ch i s
, ,
the striking ho ur fo r vam pires When sh e appears

“
”
.
,
i n h er ey es a bri ghtness mo r e terrible than all the

lo athsomeness of death h er f ather has the co urage to,
strike a lance thro ug h h er heart t o dispel the dem o n and

let h er s o ul be at peace .
Then howling with the wound

Th e fiendish tenant fl ed .
An d g armented with g lory in their sig ht

On ei za s Spirit sto od
’
.
K eats uses the Greek idea of the vampire a s a lami a or

beautif ul y o ung wom an luring y o ung m en to death ,
the same them e em ploy ed by Go ethe in his Di e B ra u t

von Cori n th In L a mi a when the evil spiri t in the f orm
.
,
of a l o vely alluring wo m an is accused by the ol d phi l o

, ,
so pher She gi ves a terrible scream and vani shes This

, .
vanishing business is a favo rite trick with vampires

they leave suddenly when circum stances crowd them .
F M ari o n Cr awford in For the B lood Is the Life h a s

.
, ,
gi ven us a terrible vampir e st ory in which the dream ,
element i s present t o a m arked degree Th e y o un g man .

,
wh o has been vainly l oved by a y o ung gi rl is af ter h er ,
death vampiri zed by h er s om ething after the f ashio n ,
of T urg eniev s Clar a M ili t ch and when his fri ends g et

’
an inkling of the truth and g o t o rescue hi m they find

, ,
hi m on h er g rave a thin red line of blo o d trickli n g fro m

,
his thro at .
An d the flickerin g lig ht of the lantern p lay ed upo n another

face that looked u p from th e feast up on two d eep dead ,
—
,
ey es that saw in sp ite of death— up on p a rted lip s redd er than

lif e itself up on g leaming teeth on which g listened a rosy
—
drop .
Th e hawthorne stake i s dri ven thro ugh h er heart and

the vam pi re expires after a terrific st rug gle utteri ng dia ,
boli c human shri eks

, Ther e is a certain sim ilarity
.
between this and Gautier s L a M orte A moreuse where the

’
,
truth is co ncealed till the last of the story and only the
ini tiated woul d perhaps kno w that the reincarnated wom an
wa s a vampir e It is also a bi t lik e Tur geni ev s P ha n ’
.
toms where a subtle sugg estio n at the last g i ves the r eader
,
the clue to vam pirism tho ug h the author real ly asks

,
the question at th e clo se Wa s sh e a vampire ? Th e char

,
acter of the wom an i s pro blematic here a s in Gautier s ,

’
story less pro nounced than in Cr awfo r d s

,
’
.
Th e idea o f o ccult vam pirism used by T urg eniev is

also em ploy ed by R egi nald H o dder in his wo rk The ,
Va mpi re H ere peculiar p o wer is p o ssessed by a wo m an

.
leader of an o ccult band wh o vampirizes by m eans o f a

,
talism an H er ravag es a re psy chic rather than phy sical

. .
T heo so phi sts acc ording t o the Occul t M a g a zi n e believe

, ,
in vam pires even in the p resent A ccording t o their .
theory on e wh o has been very wicked in life is i n death

,
so inextricably entang led with his evil m otives and acts
th at he is ho pelessly lo st and kno ws it yet seeks to delay ,
for a tim e his final dam nati o n H e can ward off Spiritual
.
death so lo ng as he can keep alive by m eans of bloo d

his physi cal corpse Th e Occult Revi ew believes that
.
p ro bably o nly tho se acquainted wi th black m agic in their

lif etim e can become vampires a tho ug ht comforting ,
—
t o som e o f us .
It i s in B ram S toker s Dracu la that o n e finds the tensest

’
,
mo st d readful mo dern story of vam pirism This n ovel .
seems t o omit n o detail of terror for every aspect of va m ,

'
pire h orror is to uched up o n wi th brutal and ghastly
effect The com binatio n of gho uls vampi r es gho sts were
.
, , ,
wolves and o ther a wful elem ents i s alm o st unendurable

, ,
yet the b ook lo ses i n effect towar d the last for the ,
1 64 The D e vi l a nd H i s A ll i es
mi nd cannot endure fo ur hundred pag es of vampiric

o ut rage and r esp o nd t o fr esh im pr essi o ns of h o rro r Th e .
initi al vampi re her e is a H ung arian co unt wh o after , ,
terrorizing his own co untry f or y ears transp orts himself ,
to E n g land t o start his r avag es ther e E ach victi m in .
turn becom es a vam pir e Th e com bi nation of mo dern

.
science with m edieval supersti tio n to fight the sco urge ,
using g arlic and spri g s o f the wild ro se tog ether with

bl oo d transfusio n i s interesting Al l the r eso urces of
, .
m o dern science a re pitted ag ainst the infectio n and the

co m plicatio ns a re dram atically thri lling Th e book is .
n o t advised as suitable r eadin g fo r on e sitting al o ne at
night .
Ther e a re other ty pes of vampiri s m in additi on t o the

co nventio nal theme and the o ccult vampirism H G . . .
W ells gi ves hi s cust omary twist of novelty to super

naturalism by the i ntro ductio n of a bo tanical vampi re
in his The F loweri n g of the S tra n g e Orchi d An o rchid .
collector is fo und unacco untably dead in a jung le i n the

Andam an Islands with a strange bulb ly ing under h i m
, ,
which bulb is broug ht to Eng land and watched carefully

by a b o tanist there till it c om es to flo wer When at .
last its blo ss oms burst o pen great tentacles reach out t o
,
grasp the m a n sucking his blo o d and strang ling hi m Th e

, .
tentacles dri pp i ng bloo d have t o be torn away and the

m a n sn atched vi olently fro m the plant just in ti m e to
save his life .
Al g er no n B lackwoo d who h a s t o uched up o n every

,
terri ble aspect of supernaturalism gi ves u s two typ es of ,
vampires in his st ory The Tra nsf er Th e o n e i s a psy chic

, .
vampire steali ng the vi tal p o wer from o thers a human

, ,
spo ng e absorbin g the streng th the ideas the so ul of

o thers
,
Th e g o verness descri bes hi m

.
“ ,
I watched his
, ,
hard bleak face ; I noti ced h ow thi n he wa s and the

, ,
curi ous oi ly bri g htness of hi s steady eyes An d every

, .
T h e D evi l a nd H is A ll i es 1 65
thi ng he said did anno unced what I m a y dare to call

the sucti on of his presence
or
This human vam pire com es .

”
i n c ontact with o n e of an o ther s ort a s oil vampir e the , ,
Forbi dden Corner a bald s ore place in th e ro se garden

, , ,
like a dang ero us bo g Th e wo m an and a little child .
kn ow the truth of this sp ot so barren i n the mi dst of

luxurio us growth so sinister in its look and implicatio n
“
.
,
Th e chi ld say s o f i t It s bad It s hung ry It s dy i ng’ ’ ’
”
. .
,
because it can t get the foo d it wants B ut I kno w what

’
.
would m ake it f eel rig ht Th e earth vampir e str etches.
o u t silent f eelers fro m i t s secret str eng th when the m a n
com es near the evil sp o t ; the empty y awn ing sp ot gi ves ,
o u t audible cri es then laug hs hideo usly as the m a n f alls
fo rwar d int o the m iddle of the patch

,
“Hi s ey es as he .
,
dr opped f aded sho ckin g ly and acro ss the co untenance

, ,
was wri tten plainly what I can only call an expression of

destructi o n T h e m a n lives on phy sically y et wi th o ut
.
,
vitality wi tho ut r eal life B ut i t wa s o therwise with the

, .
Forbi dden Corner for s o o n it lay unt o uched full of

”
, ,
great luscio us drivi n g weeds and creepers very stron g

, , , ,
full fed and bur sting thick with lif e

- .
A n d so the vampir e st ories vary in them e and in treat

ment . Indian folk tales appearing in Eng lish show that
-
th e J ig ar K ho r o r Liver eater o f India is a c o usi n t o the

—
,
-
vampi r e f or he can steal y o ur liver by just l ooki ng at

,
y ou.
( It has lo n g been kno wn that hearts can be fil ch ed
in this wa y but the liver wri nkle is a new on e ) There
,
.
a r e sever al p o ints t o be n oted in c o nnectio n with these
stories of the U n dead the incorr uptible co rpses the

—
, ,
lo athsom e spirits that haunt the livin g M any o f the .
sto ries have a setting in the co untries where the vampi r e

superstition has been m o st comm o n tho ug h ther e a re ,
Eng lish setting s as well C o ntinental co untries a re richer

.
in vam pire lo re than E ng land which explains the lo catio n ,
o f the i nci dents even i n m any E ng lish st o ries and p o em s .

1 66 T he D evi l a nd H is A ll i es
Ano ther p oi nt to be no ted is the ag reem ent of the st ori es

in the essential featur es While there a re num ero us .
variants of course there i s less diverg ence than in the

, ,
case of g ho sts for instance Th e descripti o n of the

, .
daemoni c spiri t tenanting the b o dy of a dead pers o n ‘

,
driving hi m by a dreadful urg e t o attack the livin g ,
especially tho se dear to h i m in li f e is m uch the same , .
Th e perso nality of the vampir e ma y vary i n one lin e ,
o f st o ries being a y o ung wom an wh o lures m en t o

death in the other a m a n wh o m ust quench his thi rst
,
with the bl oo d of brides These are the usual types .

,
tho ugh there a re other variants .
Th e Werewolf an d O th ers Ano ther daem o nic figur e .
p opul ar in fiction i s the wer ewolf Th e idea is a very ol d .
o n e havi n g been m entio ned by va ri o us classical writer s it

, ,
i s said including Po mp o n i u s M ela H ero do tus and Ovid

, , , .
Th e leg end of the wer ewolf is fo und in pr actically all

E uropean co untries especially tho se where the wolf i s
,
comm o n In France m any stories of the lo up g aro u a re

.
-
current Th e werewolf is a hum an bein g cursed with the

.
po wer or the o blig atio n to be transformed into an ani mal

wh o g o es forth t o slay and devo ur Like a vampir e he .
,
mig ht become such as a curse from Go d or he mig ht ,
be an inno cent victi m or mig ht suff er from an atavi stic

,
tendency a cannibali sti c craving f or bloo d Disti nctio n

,
.
is to be made between the real werewolf and the lycan

thrope —the latter a human being wh o o n acco un t of s ome
, ,
peculiar twi st of insanity f ancies hi mself a wolf and acts

,
according ly T here is such a character i n The Duchess

.
of M a lfi a m ani a c wh o thinks hi msel f a ma d wolf and

, ,
ano ther in The A lbi g en ses a creature that crouches in a ,
corn er of i t s lair g nawing at a skull snatched from the

,
g ravey ard uttering besti al gro wls

,
Al g erno n B lackwoo d .
has a curdling sto ry of ly canthro py wher e the in sane ,
m a n will eat no thi ng but ra w m eat and devo urs every

thin g li vi ng that he can get hold of He conf esses to a .
visitor that he used to bite hi s ol d servant but that he

”
,
g ave it up since the ol d Jew tasted bi tter Th e s ervant

“
.
,
also i s ma d and hides in a vacuum when his m aster

,
go es on a ram page S tori es of ly canthro py i llustrate an

‘
.
interesti ng aspect of the asso ciati o n between i nsani ty

and the supernatural in fictio n .
Th e m o st r evolting st ory of ly canthro py i s in F rank
N orri s s p o sthumo us no vel Va n dover a n d the B ru te This

’
.
,
‘
is a stu dy i n so ul deg eneration akin to the m or al decay ,
that Georg e E li ot h a s shown in the char acter of Ti to

M elem a but g ro sser and utterly lacki n g in arti stic re
,
straint We see a yo ung m a n at first sensi tive delicate

.
, , ,
and with hig h i deals g radually thro ug h love of ease and

,
self indulgence thro ug h taking always the line o f least

-
,
r esistance becomi ng a moral o utcast The brute that

,
.
ever strains at the leash i n m a n g ai ns the m astery and t h e

artist s o ul ends in a bestial creatur e Dissipatio n bring s
”
.
on m adness called by the do ctor s ly canthropy m athe

,
-
sis. In his paroxy sm s of i nsani ty the wr etch thinks

that hi s b o dy i s turned into the beast that his s o ul sy m
bol i zes and runs ab o ut his ro om naked fo ur foo ted
, , ,
-
,
g ro wling like a jung le anim al and uttering harsh rauco us ,
cries of Wolf wolf ! -
K iplin g s The M a rk of the B ea st i s m idway between a

’
ly canthro pe and a were wolf st ory for while the so ul of the ,
beast or whatever passes for the brutish s oul enters

— —
into the man and dri ves o ut hi s spirit and whil e ,
many besti al characteristics r esul t includin g the re ,
vol ti n g o dor the m a n do es n ot chang e his human

,
f orm .
Whil e lycanthro py has never been a them e in fr equent

fiction the werewolf i s a comm o n fig ure appearing in
, ,
vario us form s of literatur e from medieval ballads and ,
legends to mo dern short stori es M ari e de France the .

,
Ang lo -N orm an wri ter , tells of a werewolf that i s by day

a gallant knig ht and ki ndly g entlem an y et g o es on ,
n o cturnal maraudin g expeditio ns W hen his wife sho ws .
curi o si ty concernin g hi s absences and pr esses hi m for an

explanati on he r eluctantly tells h er that he i s a werewolf
, ,
hidi ng his cl othes in a holl ow tree and that if they were ,
remo ved he wo uld have t o r em ain a wolf S h e has h er .
lo ver steal his clo thes then marries the lo ver On e day
, .
lo ng afterward the king s attentio n is called t o a wo lf that

’
r uns up t o hi m and acts st r ang ely It i s a tam e and well .
m annered beast till the false knig ht and his wif e appear ,
when he tries to tear thei r thro ats Investigatio n reveals .
the truth the clothes a re fetched and the curse removed

, , .
Arthur O S h a ug h n essy s m o dern versio n of this , as of

’ ’
o thers o f M ari e s l a i s i s charm ing

’
.
,
Li ke the vam pir e the werewolf is under a cur se that

,
impels hi m t o pr ey up o n tho se dearest t o hi m Co ntrolled .
by a d aem o nic spirit the h um an being that in his n orm al

, ,
personali ty is kindly and g entle becom es a j un g le beast ,
wi th r avening instincts Th e m otif is o bvio usly tang led

.
up with the vampir e superstiti o n here and it woul d be ,
interesting if p o ssible to trace o ut the two to a p oint of

, ,
combination This irr esistible i m pul se to slay hi s dear

.
o nes i ntro duces a dram atic elem ent int o the pl o t her e a s ,
in the vampire stories Th e wolf i s n ot the o nly anim al

.
aro und whom such plots center but being mo st comm o n ,
he has gi ven hi s nam e to the type The A lbi g enses .
tell of a y o ung husband who as a werewolf slays hi s , ,
bride then vanishes to be seen n o m or e

, .
T here a re interesting variants of the werewo lf st ory ,
intro duci ng other elem ents of supernatur alism In A .
Ven detta of the Jun gl e we have the i dea of successi ve

,
2
inf ecti o n of the m oral curse si mi lar to the co ntinuatio n of

,
In her la y of B i scl a vera t .
pp
B y Arth ur A l i er a n d H S i dney . Warwi ck .
vampi ri sm M rs Crump a lady i n India i s eaten by a

. .
, ,
ti g er wh o has a goo d digesti o n for he assimilates n ot

,
o nly h er b o dy but h er so ul S o that n ow it is M rs . .
Crump Tiger we mi g ht sa y that g o es about the jun g le

-
, ,
eating perso ns In time sh e devo urs h er successor in

.
h er husband s aff ectio n Th e ma n i s awar e that it i s

’
.
hi s fir st wi f e who has eaten hi s seco nd so he starts out t o ,
ki ll the anim al t o clear off the score B u t by the tim e he .
r eaches the jungle the beast has had tim e t o di g est his
m eal and when the husband levels his g un to fire the ,
ey es that look out at hi m from th e b rutish face a re hi s

belo ved s ey es What could he do ?
’
.
E ugene F ield g i ves a new turn t o the i dea by represent

ing the werewolf curse a s a definite atavi stic throw back -
.
Hi s wolf m a n i s an inn o cent m arauder the reincarnati o n

-
,
of a wicked gra ndf ather y et a gentle chivalro us s o ul very

, ,
diff erent from his g r andparent Th e old g entlem an h a s .
left him heir t o nothing but the curse and a m agi c spear
g i ven h i m by the wi tch B r unhilde Th e wer ewolf bear s .
a charm ed lif e against which n o weap o n of m a n can

avai l and the co untry is panic stricken o ver hi s ravag es
,
-
.
Th e leg end is that the beast s fu ry canno t be st o pped till

’
som e m a n off ers him self as a voluntary sacri fice t o the

wolf Th e y o uth does n o t kno w that he i s the gui lty
.
o n e until his r epr ehensible grandf ather appear s t o hi m in
a vi sio n dem anding hi s so ul He hears that there is to be

,
.
a meetin g in the sacred g rove on a certain da y and beg s

his beloved to r em ain away lest the werewo lf com e ,
.
B ut when she insists that she will g o he g i ves h er hi s ,
m agi c spear telling h er t o strike the wolf throu g h the

,
heart i f he appro aches h er True t o his accur sed desti ny .
the wolf do es com e t o the gro ve and lung es at the gi rl Al l .
the m en flee but on e and his weap o ns f ail then the terri
, ,
—
fied gi rl hurls the spear strikin g the beast to the heart B ut

,
.
when he falls i t i s y oung H arold wh o i s dyi ng who h a s

, ,
I 70 T he D evi l a nd H is A ll i es
gi ven hi mself a voluntary sacri fice to save o thers Th e .
curse i s lifted but he i s dead .
In The Ca mp of the Dog by Alg erno n B lackwoo d we , ,
have another unco nscio us werewolf a gentle mo dest , , ,
m anly y o ung f ello w m adl y in lo ve wi th a gi rl wh o d o esn t

’
care for hi m In his sleep he go es questing for h er

. .
While h i s bo dy lies shrunken o n a cot i n his tent his so ul ,
takes the form of a wolf and g o es to the hill to p utteri ng ,
unearthly howls By an equally stro ng psy chic di sturb

.
ance the gi rl is impelled to g o in a somnambuli stic state

t o the hillt o p E ach i s in waki ng ho urs utterly unaware
.
of thei r st r an g e jaunts ti ll the father shoots the wolf

, .
Th e y o ung m a n in this case suff ers o nly curi o us psy chi c

wo unds fro m which he reco vers when the gi rl promises
,
to m arry hi m a n d the wolf i s seen n o m or e

, .
Th e panther play s his part in this were menagerie -

.
Ambro se Bi erce i n The E yes of the P a n ther tells of a

, ,
y o un g gi rl wh o because of a pr enatal cur se similar t o

,
that aff ecti ng E lsie Venner is n ot wholl y hum an Sh e is

, .
co nscio us of h er dual natur e and tells the ma n sh e loves

that she cannot m arry hi m sin ce she is a panther by nig ht .
He thinks h er mildly insane till on e ni g ht a settler sees a

beast s ey es glaring into hi s wi ndo w and fires When they
’
.
fo llo w the blo o d tr acks they find the gi rl dyi n g

-
, T his .
i s on e of the c onventi o ns o f the wer ewolf sto ry the ,
wo unding of an ani m al that escapes and the bloo d tr ail -
that leads to a hum an bei ng wo un ded just a s the beast

was .
E lli ott O D on n ell i n a volume called Werewol ves pub

’
,
li sh ed i n Londo n in 1 9 1 2 g i ves seri ous cr edence t o the

,
exi stence of werewolves n ot o nly in the p ast but also

i n the pr esent He tells a num ber of st ori es of what he
.
clai ms a re authenticated in stances of such beings in actual

lif e He relates the experi ence of a ma n wh o told h i m
.
that he had himself s een a y outh turn hi mself i nto a

tiger af ter preparatory passes of enchantment Th e .
watch er m ade haste t o cli mb a sacred Vishnu tree when the

transform ati o n wa s com plete O Don n ell tells a tale of a .
’
wi do w wi th three childre n that m arried a R ussian noble

ma n . S h e saw hi m and hi s servant change into were
wolves a t least partially rem ai ning in a half state
, , ,
devouring h er chi ldren whom she left behi nd i n h er escape .
O D on n ell relates several st ories of authentic ( accor ding

’
t o him ) werewo lf st o ries o f E n g land in r ecent ti mes ,
gi vi ng the dates and places and nam es of the persons

wh o sa w the beasts Th e inci dents m a y be si milar t o
.
th o se sp oken of in Dicken s H a un ted H ouse where the ’

,
f amo us oo d ed wo m an wi th the h o w was seen — or at

’
least many pers o ns saw the owl and knew that the woman
,
m ust be near by T hese witnesses o f werewolves m a y

.
have seen anim als all rig ht eno ug h M o dernity is co m

, .
bi n ed with m edieval super stiti o n her e and it seem s ,
uncanny for instance t o identify a werewolf by m eans

, ,
o f an electric p o cket flashlig ht .
In collectio ns of fo lk tales the tri bal leg ends of the

-
,
Am erican re dm en as well as of K iplin g s India and of

’
E ng land ther e a re vari o us st o ries of wer ewolves

,
Am o ng .
pri m itive peoples t her e i s a clo se r elatio n between the

br ute and the hum an and the attributi ng of human char
a ct eri st i cs and p owers t o the beast and vi ce versa is co m
mon so that this supernatural transfer of perso nality is

,
natur al eno ugh A ma dwolf mi g ht sugg est the idea for

.
a werewolf .
Alg erno n B lackwo o d advances the theory that the were

.
wolf i s a true psy chi cal f act of profo und imp ortance ,
however it m a y have been g arbled by superstition He .
thinks that the wer ewolf i s the pro jectio n of the untamed
slum berin g sang uin ary i nstincts of ma n sco uring the
world i n hi s fl uidi c bo dy the b o dy o f desi re A s the
,
,
.
”
mi nd wanders free from the co nsci o us co ntrol of the wi ll
in sleep so the bo dy may free i tself from the fetters of

,
mind or of cust om and g o forth in elem ental form to satisfy

i t s c ravi ng t o slay t o slake its wil d thirst for bl oo d
,
.
O Don n ell say s that we r ewolves ma y be phantasms of

’
the dead that cann o t be at peace or a certain ki nd of ,
E lementals He als o thi nks that they m a y be the p rojec

.
tio n o f o n e phase of man s natur e of the cruelty latent in

’
mankind that seeks exp ressio n in this way A ccording .
t o that the o ry a chap m ig ht have a wh ole m enageri e

,
inside h im t o turn loo se at intervals whi ch wo uld be

, ,
exci ti n g but r ather ri sky for s o ci ety It wa s do ubtless .
a nature such a s this that M aupassant attempts t o

descri be i n hi s st ory The Wolf where the ma n has all the,
instincts of the wolf y et never chang es his hum an form .
Th e wer ewolf in fictio n has suff ered the sam e level in g

in fluence that we have o bserved in the ca se of the g ho st ,
the devil the witch and the vampire He is becomi ng a

, , .
m ore psy chical c reature a rom antic fig ure to be sym,
p a thi zed with rather than a beast t o be utterly co n

,
dem n ed . In recent fictio n the werewolf i s repr esented

as an involuntary and even unco nsci o us departure from
the human wh o is sho cked when he learns the truth
,
ab out himself Whether he be the vi ctim of a divin e

.
curse an ag ent of atavistic tendenci es or a bei n g wh o thus

, ,
g ives vent t o his real and br utish instincts we feel a sy m ,
pathy with hi m We analy ze his motives a t a saf e

.
—
distance— seek to understand his vagaries and to estim ate

his kinship with us We thi nk o f hi m n ow as a noble
.
fig ure i n fiction a lupine Galahad like B lackwoo d s a

,
’
,
renunciat o ry hero lik e E u g ene F i eld s or what n ot

’
Or .
we reflect that he ma y be a case of metem psy cho sis and

treat hi m co urteo usly f or wh o kn o ws what we m a y be
,
o urselves s o m e d a y ? Th e werewolf has n o t figured i n

p o etry or i n the drama a s have o ther supernatural bei ng s ,
a s the gh ost the devil the wi tch the vampire — on e

, , , ,
The D evi l and H is A ll i es 1 73
wo nder s why He i s a dram ati c figure and hi s character

.
analy sis mi g ht well furnish them es for p o etry tho ug h stag e

p resentati on wo uld have its diffi culti es .
P erhaps the revival of interest i n Eli zabethan literature

has had a g oo d deal to do wi th the use o f supernatural
being s in literature of r ecent tim es The devi l and the .
daemo nic spirits he contro ls the witches and wizar ds the

, ,
vam pir es the enchanted anim als to whom he deleg ates

, ,
a part of his infernal p o wer appear as im pressive m oral

,
alleg ori es ; my stical stories of lif e sy mb ols o f truths As

, .
literature is a reflectio n of lif e the evi l as well as the g oo d

,
enters in B ut since the thing s of the spirit a re intang ible

.
they must be represented in co ncrete form as definite ,
being s whom our m inds can apprehend Thus the p o ets .
and dr am atists and sto ry m akers m ust show us im ag es

-
t o shado w f orth spiritual things A s with a shudder

.
we close the boo ks that tell us horrify ing tales of satani c

spirits o f accursed beings that a re neither wholly ani mal
,
n o r hum an o f m o rtals wi th diab o lic p o wers

,
we shrink ,
fro m the evil s of the s o ul that they repr esent and re ,
co g nize their essential truth in the g uise of fictio n .

V
Su p ern a tu ra l L i fe
fiction deali ng with immortal lif e sho ws more

HE ,
than a n y other aspect of the subject hum an ity s ,

’
deep hung er for the supernatur al Whether it be .
stories of co ntinuance of earthly existence witho ut death

as in the leg ends o f the undy ing pers o ns like the Wanderi ng
Jew ; or o f supernaturally renewed o r preserved y o uth as
described in the tales of the elixir of lif e ; or of the transf er
ence o f the so ul after death into ano ther bo dy ; or of lif e
continued in the spirit in o ther worlds than this after the
b ody s death — all Show our cravi ng f or so mething abo ve
’
and bey o nd what we know here and n o w Conscio us .
of o ur own helplessness we lo n g t o f eel o ur selves leagued
with imm ortal p ower s ; sh rinkin g aff rig hted fr o m the

g rave s near b rink we y earn fo r that which wo uld spar e
’
'
us death s sting and vi ctory S adly knowin g with what
.
swif t relentless pace ol d a g e is o vertaking us we wo uld

,
f ai n find somethin g t o gi ve us eternal y o uth B ut since .
we cannot have these gi fts in o ur own pers o ns we seek

them vi cari o usly in fictio n and for a few ho urs leisured
,
’
forgetfulness we a re end owed wi th i mmortal yo uth and

‘
joy Or l ooking pas t death we can feel o urselves mo re

.
, ,
than conquerors i n a life bey ond .
Oh world unkn owable we touch thee !

,
Inap p rehensible we clutch thee !

,
I 74
Su p erna tu ra l Life 1 75
We somehow snatch a strang e comf ort fro m these

sto ri es of a li f e bey o nd our own We a re comforted for
.
o ur mortali ty
when we see the tr agedy that d0 g s the steps
of th o se wh o ma y n o t die whether S wift s lo athsom e ’
S truldbrugs or the W andering J ew Our own ignorance

.
of the fu ture m akes us credul o us of any m an s dream of

’
heaven and at the same ti me scepti cal of any bo dy else s ’
hell We a re such i ndestructible optimi sts that we

.
can take any s ort of ra w materi al of fictio n and tr ans

m ute it int o stuff that ho pe is m ade of .
Th e Wan de ri n g Jew Ther e is n o legend m ore impres

.
sive than that of the W andering J ew and no ne save th e ,
Faust them e that h a s so i nfluenced literature The story .
i s as deathless as the per s on it p ortray s and h a s wander ed

in to as m any lands th oug h it is impo ssible to tr ace wi th
,
certai nty its origi n o r fir st mig r atio ns There is an Arabian

“
.
leg end of on e S ami ri wh o forever wanders crying T o uch , ,

"
m e n ot ! a s there i s a B uddhi st acc o unt of a m a n cursed
fo r worki ng mi r acles for sh ow t o wh o m B ud dha said
“ ,
Tho u sh alt n o t attain N irvana whi le my r eli gi o n lasts .

” ,
Ther e a r e si mi lar C hinese and In di an versio ns an d the

idea o ccurs in E nglish folk tales where the plo vers are
-
,
tho u g ht to be the s ouls of th o se that crucifi ed Chri st ,
co ndemn ed to fl y forever o ver the wo rld utteri ng thei r ,
plain tive cry .
T h e fir st appear ance of the Wanderi ng Jew in E ngli sh

literature i s in the C hronicles of Ro g er of W endo ver wh o ,
r ep o rts the leg end as bein g t old at the m o nastery o f S t .
Albans by an Ar m enian bisho p in 1 2 2 8 but t o hearer s

, ,
alr eady f amiliar with it There a re t wo distinct versions

.
o f the st ory appearin g in E n g lish liter atur e On e r elates .
that the wanderer i s a certai n Ca rta p h ol u s a servant in ,
Pi late s palace wh o struck Jesus a br utal bl ow a s H e was

’
” “
,
led fo rth to death and to whom He said Tho u shalt

, ,
wander ti ll I come ! Th e o ther i s o f Germ an ori gi n

I 76 Su p ern a tu ra l Li fe
g i ving the perso nali ty of Ahasuerus a Sho em aker of ,
J erusalem wh o m o cked the S avio r as H e passed t o Gol g o

,
tha B o wed under the weight of the cro ss C hrist leaned

.
,
for a m oment s rest against the d o or of the little sh o p but

’
,
Ah asuer us said sc or nf ul ly Go faster Jew ! Wi th

“
”
, ,
o n e loo k o f deep r ep ro ach C hrist answer ed I g o but , , ,
tarry thou till I com e !

Th e W anderin g J ew st ory is co smo p olitan used i n the ,
literatur e of m any lands In Germany it has eng ag ed .
the attention of B erthold A uerbach Ki n g ema n n S chleg el , , ,
Julius M o sen and Chamisso in Fr ance that of Edg ar

, ,
Q ui net and E ugene S u e H ans Chri stian A ndersen has .
used it while Hei jerm a n s h a s wri tten a D utch play on it

and C arm en Sy lva late Q ueen of Ro um ania made it the , ,
basis for a long dram atic p o em .
T h e them e has appeared in vari o us forms in E ng lish

literature besides in fictio n where it has been mo st p ro
,
minent A com edy was published in 1 797 by An dr ew

.
I
,
Fr anklin tho ug h the wanderer is here used only as a h o ax

, .
Wordsworth has a po em entitled The S on g of the Wa nd er

i n g J ew and S helley was f ascinated by the leg end as
, ,
we see fro m the f act that he used it three tim es On e of .
his first p oem s a lo ng dram atic attempt written at ei g h

, ,
teen i s The Wa n deri ng J ew a f evered p o em showing the

, ,
sam e weaknesses that his Go thic rom ances r eveal y et ,
with a hint of his later p ower Th e Wandering Jew .
appears as a definite char acter in bo th Queen M a b and

H ella s in the first Ahasuerus bei n g summ o ned t o testify
,
concernin g Go d while he appears in the latter t o g i ve,
supernatural visio n of events In bo th p o ems he i s very .
o l d f o r in the first it is said

,
“ Hi s p ort and m ien b ore ma rks of m any y ears .
Yet his cheek b o re the mark o f y o uth while i n the ,
latter he is descri bed as being so ol d he seems to have

Th W d i g J w
e L v
an M q d er n e , or o es
’
a s uera e.
Su p erna tu ra l Li fe 1 77
o utli ved a world s decay S helley follo ws the Germ an

’
.
versio n as used in a fragment he picked up torn and

,
s oiled i n Li ncoln s Inn Fi elds who se author he did n ot

’
,
know .
Mr E ubul e E vans in a l o ng dram ati c p o em of con

.
-
,
si d era bl e p o wer
I tells the sto ry of Theudas wh o could be
, ,
r eleased fro m hi s d o o m o f i mm o rtality i f o nly he wo uld
repent but he wi ll n ot H e renews hi s y o uth every

, .
fo rty y ears g rowing suddenly fro m a decrepi t m a n t o a

,
handsome gi fted y o uth whi ch natur ally sug g ests com

, ,
pli cati o ns of hum an love aff ai rs O ther elem ents of -

.
supernaturalism a re used a s ang els dem o ns and so forth , , ,
while the Al o ns and the Int ermedii (who ever they a re ! ) ‘
appear a s chor us .
The Wa n deri n g J ew a Chri stma s Ca rol r etells the

, ,
2
story with variatio ns and with som e p o wer Th e Jew .
here i s shown to be very ol d and f eeble clad i n antique ,
rai ment with sti g m ata of the wo unds o n hands and f eet
, .
H e is sy mb oli c of the Ch rist of Hi s failure t o win men ,

.
For 10 at last I knew

, ,
T h e lineam ents of that diviner J ew ,
That like a Phan tom p asseth every where ,
Th e world s last h 0p e a n d bitterest des p air

’
,
Deathless y et dead ! ,
An d 10 ! while all m en com e and p a ss away

That p h a n t om o f the Christ forl orn and gr ay
Ha un t eth the earth with des ol a te fo otfall ,

,
.
” ,
Th e Wanderi ng Jew
seen definitely o nce in Go thi c is
ficti o n in Lewi s s The Mon k where a mysterio us strang er
,
’
, ,
beari ng on hi s forehead a burning cro ss imprinted appears ,
and is sp oken of as the Wan dering J ew H e is unable t o .
stay m ore than fo urteen days in a n y on e place but must

2
The Curse of the Wan deri ng J ew .
2
By Ro bert B uchan a n .
12
I 78 Su p ern a tu ra l Life
forever hurry on Rev T Clark g i ves a bi rd s ey e ’

2 -
. . .
vi ew of hi story such as a perso n of the lo ng lif e and exten

sive migratio ns of the wanderer wo uld see it .
Th e idea of a deathless m a n appealed stro ngly t o H a w

thorne wh o play s wi th the them e in vario us passages
,
i n hi s works and n o teb o o ks In A Vi rtuoso s Collecti on ’

.
,
where P eter R ugg the M issing M an i s do or keeper and

, ,
-
where the collectio n includes a letter from the Fly i ng

D utchman to hi s wi fe to gether with a flask of the eli xi r ,
of life the vi rtuo so him sel f is n o ne o ther than the Wander

,
ing Jew H e speaks of his desti ny and say s that human

.
p rayers wi ll n ot avail to a i d hi m Th e to uch of his hand .
i s like ice co nveyi ng a sense of Spiritual as well as phy si cal

,
chi ll Th e character appears also as on e of the g uests

.
in A S el ect P a rty of whom the autho r rem arks : This

,
per so nag e h owever had latterly g rown so comm o n by

, ,
mi ng ling in all so rts of so ci ety and appearin g at the beck

o f e very entertainer that he c o uld hardly be deem ed a
proper g uest in an exclusive circle Thi s bi t of satire .
i llustrates h ow comm o n the theme had become at that

tim e in fiction .
T here a re vari ous threads of narr ati o n tan g led up with

the Wanderi ng Jew mo tif He is said by s om e wri ters .
t o have supernatural p ower t o h eal disease while by o ther s ,
he i s tho ught to be the helpless bearer of evil and death .
E ug ene S ue in hi s n ovel r ep resents hi m a s carryi ng the

plag ue knowi ng hi s awful destiny y et whi le wi ldly
, , ,
r egretti n g it p owerless i n the clutch of fate Here he

, .
appears as a voluntary agent of g o o d t oward the R enne

p ont f ami ly and an involuntary minister of evil in other
ways An ano nymo us story uses the same i dea of the
.
2
plague asso ciatio n but carri es it further for here the ,
2
I Th W d i g J w
n e th T v l d Ob v ti
a n er n e , f B h
or e ra e s an ser a ons o a rea c
the P rol on g ed .
2
In the T ra ck o f the Wa nderi n g J ew .
S up erna tu ra l L ife 1 79
wanderer i s not a person ali ty but the plagu e itself pass

'
i n g lik e a d oom o ver the world whi ch sh ows h ow f a r ,
that phase of the legend has g o ne .
T h e legend h a s been uti li zed vari o usly t o impr ess

r eligi o us t ruths Charles Gr anvi lle writes a sy mbo lic l
.
st ory wi th a definite reli gi o us m essag e Th e i dea of the .
i mm ortal wanderer i s r epresented a s the co ncept of a part

of hum ani ty urg ed by an earnest l o ngi ng whi ch do mi nates
their whole lif e and tho ught the desire that a new ki ngdom ,
o f Go d m ight co m e T h e b ook is a s o cial sati re an appeal

.
,
f or the comi ng of a r eal dem o cr acy r eal justice an d genuine ,
spiri tuali ty George Croly has for his purp o se the provi ng
.
2
that Chri st s seco nd coming i s near at hand Lew Wa l

’
.
lace wh o hi m self uses the them e o f the W anderer tho ught

, ,
this bo ok on e of the half do zen volumes which taken alo ne

wo uld co nsti tute a B ritish liter ature We a r e likely .
t o find o urselves questi o ni ng W allace s jud g m ent in the

’
m atter for whi le the no vel is interesti ng and h a s a sermo n

,
i mp ressed with so m e i nter est it is by n o means a g reat ,
p i ece of li terature S alathi el i s pi ctured a s a y o ung

.
,
enthusi asti c passi o nate J ew stri ving to def end hi s co untry

,
ag ain st the wo es that thr eaten h er Hi s lif e i s gi ven in .
detai l i mm edi ately following hi s unpardo nable si n and ,
hi s defini te career ends wi th the destructio n of Jer usalem ,
tho ug h his imm ortali ty i s suggested at the clo se Th e .
book describes m any supernatur al happeni ngs the mi ra cu ,
lo us phenom ena accompany ing the death of Chri st and

manif estati o ns fo llowi ng the fate of the ci ty .
In Lew Wall ace s The P ri n ce of In di a the deathless

’
ma n appears agai n In the beg i nning of the story he

.
enter s a vault from whi ch he remo ves the treasure from

m ummy cases r emarki ng that the place has n ot been
,
vi si ted si nce he wa s there a tho usand years before He .
2
In The P l a i n t f
o the Wa n deri ng J ew .
2
In S a la thi el the Immorta l , or T
a rry Th u Ti ll I Com
o e
.
1 80 Su p ern a tura l Life
has numero us i m pr essi ve experiences such as seeing a ,
m o nk that seems the reincarnati o n of J esus and heari ng ,
ag ain the centurion s call to hi m Wallace pictur es the

’
.
Jew as ol d a philo s o pher in co ntrast to S a l a thi el s im petu

, ,
’
o u s y o uth He is striving t o b ring the so ns of m en int o

.
clo ser spiritual truth with each o ther and wi th Go d as ,
S alathiel tries t o pr event the m aterial destructi o n o f the

city Th e sense of resp o nsibility the f eeli ng of a mission
.
,
towar d others expressed in this no vel m ay be compared

, ,
with that of E ug ene S ue s W andering Jew wh o acts a s a ’
friend t o the R ennep o nt f ami ly p ro tecting thei r inter ests ,
against the wi ly Jesuits .
Th e Wandering Jew has been r ep resented i n m any

ways with str ess placed on vari o us aspects of hi s lif e
,
and char acter H e has been depicted psy cholo gi cally

.
,
as a suffering human being my tholo gi cally t o illustr ate ,
the g rowt h and chang e in life religi o usly t o preach ,
certain tenets and beliefs and sy mbolically to sho w ,
forth the so ul of m a n He appears sym b o lically as the

.
creature accursed of Go d driven forever in the f ace of ,
do om S helley and others sho w hi m as vainly attem pting

.
suici de but living on ang uished yet deathless in the f ace

, , ,
o f every effort t o take his own li f e as in the teeth of t ortur e
fro m o thers H e stands at o nce for the undy in g p ower

.
o f Go d s plan and as in R o bert B uchanan s versio n fo r

’ ’
, , ,
the ty pified failure of C hrist s m issio n He i s used t o ’

.
p rove that Chri st s second comi n g is near and t o prove

’
,
also that He will never com e To the Chri stian he stands .
for the evi dence of Christ s p ower of divi nity whi le t o

’
the J ew he is a symb ol of that unhappy race that wander s

ever wi th n o hom e in a n y land
,
.
B esi des th o se mentio ned o ther E nglish and American ,
writers who have made use of the leg end are Ki pli ng ;
B r am S t oker wh o discusses hi m i n hi s assembly of F
, am o us
Imp o stors ; M D Conway wh o gi ves vario us versi o ns

. .
,
Su p ern a tu ra l Li fe 181
of the story ; Davi d Hoff man Henry S eto n M erri man S , , .
B aring Go uld W H Ai nsworth and o thers

-
, . .
, .
A legend closely ass oci ated wi th this and yet separ ate i s ,
that of a wo man who bore the curse of eternal wanderi ng .
On e versi o n bri ng s in Hero di as a s the doom ed woman ,
whil e the ch aracter of Kundry i n Pa rsifa l represents

another femi ni ne wanderer Wil li am Sharp i n hi s Gypsy .
,
Chri st gi ves the story di ff erently sti ll say i ng that it i s no t

, ,
correctly told i n P a rsifa l As S harp tells i t it is a pi ece

.
,
o f trag i c sy m b olism K un dry a g y psy wom an of evil

.
,
lif e mo cks Chri st on Golgo tha and dem ands of Hi m a si gn

“
, ,
t o who m H e say s T o thee and thine I bequeath the sig ns

,
of my P assio n t o be a sham e and h orror amo ng th y peo ple
for everm or e ! Up o n h er hands and feet appear the

stig mata of Hi s wo unds never to f ade away and to be
, ,
borne by h er descendants in every third g enerati o n .
Vario us o nes o f h er descendants a re cruci fied and wher ever ,
the wanderers g o on earth they bear the m arks of horror .
Th e cur se wo uld be li fted fro m them o nly when a Gy psy

Chri st sh o ul d be bo r n of a vi rg in ; but then the Childr en
o f the Wind sh o ul d be di spersed and vani sh fro m am o ng
men In the last chapter N ao mi pro phesi es that she i s

.
to gi ve birth t o the Gy psy Chri st .
Th e them e of the Wanderi ng Jew whi le ri valli ng the ,
Faust leg end i n i m pr essi veness and in the frequence with

whi ch i t has been used i n literatur e y et i s diff erent in ,
having had n o adequate r epr esentati o n N o truly g reat .
po em or drama or no vel has been wri tten co ncerning

this tr agi c deathless character Perhaps it m a y co me y et
,
. .
Only hints of his pers o nali ty have appear ed in very recent

ficti o n such as the r eincarnatio n i n the character of the
,
yo un g Jew i n A T Q uil ler Co uch s story The M ystery of

. .
-
’
Josep h La q uedem o r the humo ro us r efer ence to hi m i n

,
Brander M a tth ews s P ri mer of Ima g i n a ry Geog ra phy

’
,
o r The H ol y Cross by E ugene F i eld W her e the wander er ,

1 82 S u p ern a tu ra l Li fe
is piti ed by a S pani sh priest in Cortez s trai n in M exi co ’

.
Hi s pray ers wi n f or gi veness and the t ortured Jew di es .
Af ter h i s death an earthquake supernaturally spli ts a

g ul f o n each side of the g r ave and a cro ss of sn o w appears
there to rem ain forever P erhaps the them e i s f ading
, .
o u t n ow i n fictio n and dram a t o disappear c om pletely

‘
, ,
o r perhaps it is lyin g fo rg o tten fo r a whi le waiting the ,
m aster hand that shall g ive it adequate t reat m ent .
Elixir of Lif e Immo rtality that p ro ves such a curse

.
i n the case of the Wanderin g Jew form s the basis for

vari ous other stories The elixi r of life was a favorite .
them e with the Go thicists bei ng used by M aturi n , ,
Go dwi n and S helley and has c o ntinued to furn ish

, ,
compl ication fo r fictio n since that tim e Th e theme .
h a s been p o pular on the co ntin ent a s well as in E ng land ,
B a l zac and H offman bei ng the m o st im p ressive users

o f it .
B ul wer Ly tt o n in A S tra n g e S tory int ro duces the elixir

-
, ,
of lif e t o g ether with o ther form s o f supernaturalism such ,
as m esmeri sm m ag i c spectral apparitio ns i nvisible

, , ,
m anif estati o ns awf ul b o diless E yes a g ig anti c F

, oo t and , ,
so f orth M arg rave attem pts to co nco ct the p otio n that

.
shall g ive hi m endless lif e but after my sterio us prepara ,
tions i ncantations and supernatur al manifestatio ns at

, , ,
the crucial mo m ent a stampede of maddened beas ts ,
urg ed forward by the dreadful Foot dashes the beaker ,
fro m hi s lips Th e irreplaceable liquid wastes i t s for ce

.
o n the desert sands where a m agic richness of herbage

,
instantly spri ng s up in co ntr ast t o the barrenness aro und

it . Flowers blo om my riads of insects hover ro und them
, ,
and all is lif e but the ma n wh o so ug ht the elixi r wi th such

,
pains li es dead Th e author sug g ests a sy mbolic m eani ng

.
'
for hi s sto ry hinti ng that th e scientist s lab orat ory h olds
,
m any elix irs of lif e that all g rowth and lif e a re magi cal
, ,
that all being i s miraculo us .

S u p ern a tu ra l L ife 1 83
Ri der H aggar d in S he and A yesha i t s sequel descri bes

, , ,
a wonderful wom an wh o po ssesses the secret of eternal

lif e and h a s li ved for tho usands of y ears ever y o ung and ,
beautif ul sup ernaturally enchanti ng Her m agi c p o ti on

, .
n o t o nly gives h er len g th of day s but p ro tectio n ag ainst
dang er a s well for h er rival s dag ger g lances harmlessly

,
’
away from h er and she is pro of ag ainst chance and f ate

,
.
Sh e gains h er immo rtal lif e partly by bathing in a secret

essence or vap or wh ose em anatio ns g ive her mysti c for ce
and immo rtal beauty Ther e a re m any o ther elements.
of super naturalism i n ass o ci at i o n wi th the n o t i mp o ssible
She —
, mag ic vi sio n r ei ncar natio n a my st i c lig ht that
, ,
envelops h er b o dy the po wer t o call up the dead t o

, ,
'
r eanim ate the Skelet o ns in the desert and raise them
t o dr eadful lif e S h e is an interestin g but f earsom e p er

.
so n a l i ty .
In A hri nzi ma n by Anita S i lvani we have m agi c chem

, ,
i stry yi eldi ng up the eli xir of life Jelul uh di n h a s li ved

.
- -
f or five hundr ed years and l ooks f orwar d to a stil l mor e

pro tracted exi stence Hi s mag i c drug n ot o nly g ives hi m
.
p rolo ng ed lif e but wi ll do any thin g he wi shes besi des

sin ce he has hy pno ti zed it Yet he is fo und dead .
“ On .
,
his wri sts were marks of g iant fingers scorched and burnt ,
into the flesh like m arks of h o t iro n A n d on his thro at

”
.
were m arks of a sim ilar hand whi ch had evidently strang led
hi m . It i s apparent that his m aster the D e i l g ot ,
’
,
i m pati ent and cut sh ort the lei surely exi stence that he
f elt bel o n g ed t o h i m .
H awth orne was greatly inter ested in the theme of the

elix ir of lif e He g ives u s two brews of it in S epti mi us
.
Felton on e an Indian p otio n conco cted by an old sachem

, .
Th e re d ma n g ets so ol d that his tribe find hi m a g reat

nuisance an d o bstacle t o pro g ress so they g ravely r equest
permi ssio n to kill hi m B ut h i s skull is so hard that the
.
stone hamm ers a re smashed when they try to brain hi m ,

1 84 Su p erna tu ra l Li fe
hi s skin so t oug h that n o arro ws wi ll pi erce i t and ,
n o thi n g seem s to avail Finally they fill his mo uth and

.
n ostril s with cl ay and put hi m in the sun to bake ti ll ,
presently his heart bursts with a lo ud explo sio n teari ng ,
hi s b o dy t o frag m ents T his b rew of his is m atched by

.
o n e made by an Eur o pean scientist af ter l o n g endeavo rs .
H ere t h e ultim ate ing redient is supp o sed t o be a st range

herb that g rows from a my sterio us g rave At last just .
,
when the y o uth thinks he has the right combi nati o n the ,
woman wh o has lured him on t o destru ctio n dashes the

cup from hi s li ps savi ng hi m from the p oiso n he wo uld
,
have drunk Th e flower has gro wn from the grave of

.
h er l over whom the yo un g scientist has m ur dered

, .
In The Dolli ver Roma nce that pathetic frag ment H a w ,
thorne left unfini shed at his death we find another treat ,
ment of the them e It seem s sy mb olic that in his o l d

.
age and fail i ng p owers he sho uld have been thinki ng of,
imm ortal y o uth of deathless lif e ,

In this story various .
m agical elements a re intro duced Th e herbs g ro wn in .
ol d Gr andsi r D olliver s g ar den have a strang e p o wer

’
,
for when a wom an lay s a fl o wer from on e on h er b reast ,
it g lows like a g em and lends a bloom of y outh to her

cheeks Th e ol d m a n seeks the one unknown essence
.
,
the incalculable elem ent necessary t o m ake up the elixi r

of lif e as did the y o uth in S ep ti mi us F
,
el to n He dri nks .
o ccasi o nal m o uthful s o f a str ang e co r dial that he finds
i n an ol d b o ttle o n the shelf and seem s t o g ro w y o ung er ,
and strong er He too like S ep ti mi us has a vi si tor ; a

.
, , ,
m a n that demands the cor dial as bel o ngi ng t o h im by

ancestral rig ht snatches it fro m the ag ed hands drinks
, ,
it down at a drau g ht and gro ws vi olently y o ung but dies ,
i n c onvul sio ns .
In Dr H ei di gg er s E xperi men t H awt horne g i ves u s

.
’
another sa d sy mbolic story of the quest of the eli xi r of

yo uth Th e ol d physi ci an i nvi tes fo ur aged fri ends to
.
Su p ern a tura l Li fe 1 85
make an experi m ent t o dri nk o f a cordi al which shall

,
rest o r e y o uth but which he hi m self i s too wi se t o shar e

, ;
Th e str ange p o tio n pr oves its p o wer by rest ori ng t o beauty

and perf ume a ro se that has been dead for over fifty years .
When the old pers o ns drink they becom e y o ung and

happy and beautif ul o nce m ore Ag e drops from them .
lik e a m antle discarded and the world g lo ws ag ain with pas

sio n and color and joy B u t alas ! it is o nly ephem eral for
.
,
the eff ects s oon pass away and seni li ty i s do ubly tragi c
af ter on e snatched ho ur of jo y and y o uth There is a .
sad phil o s ophy o f lif e expressed i n these sy mb olic allegories

such as H awthorne alo ne kno ws h ow to tell .
E lsewher e H awt h orne sh ows his deep i nterest in the

them e In The B i rthma rk the scientist intim ates that he
.
could brew the lif e elixir i f he wo uld but that it wo uld ,
pro duce a discord in nature such as all the world and ,
chiefly he that dr ank it wo uld curse at last Th e subject

, .
is referr ed to i n other places I and a flask of the precio us , ,
dreadf ul elixir is o n e of the treasures in the Virtuo s o s ’
collectio n In a note co ncerning his use of the them e

.
in The D olli ver Roma nce H awt horne states that he has
been accused of plag iari zing from D um as but that in ,
r eality D umas plag iarized from hi m si nce hi s b ook was ,
many y ears the earlier .
H G W ells uses this them e com bined with the t ransfer

. .
2
o f pers o nalit y An ag ed ma n bar g ains wi th a y o uth

.
t o m ake h i m his heir o n certain c o nditio ns Th e pur p o se .

,
unknown t o the y o ung fello w is to rob h i m o f his y o uth ,
t o r eanim ate the ol d m a n A m a g ic drink t ransf er s the

.
pers o nality of the o ct o g enarian to the b o dy of y o uth

and leaves the y oung man s s o ul cabi ned in the worn ’
o u t fr am e B u t the dru g is m o re p o werf ul than M r

. .
E l vesh am supp o sed for i t brin g s death t o b o th wh o dri nk

,
I
In D r B ulli va n t
. .
In The S tory f the La te Mr

o . El vesha m .
1 86 S u p erna tu ra l Life
it and the bargain has a g hastly cli max B arry P ai n h a s .
a somewhat similar situation of the tragi c mi scalcul atio n ,
in The Wrong E li xi r the st ory of an alchemi st wh o brews

,
the lif e g ivi ng p o ti o n but m eans t o keep i t all to him

-
self On a certain nig ht he will drink it and become i m

.
mortally y o ung in a world of dy ing men

,
While he wai ts .
,
a gypsy g irl asks hi m to g ive h er a p oi so n t o kil l a m an she

hates He prepares the p o tio n for h er and sets i t aside
. .
H e drinks at the tim e he planned but i nstead of eternal ,
life the draug ht b rings him swift foo ted death Do es he

,
-
.
drink the wrong elixir or have all hi s calcul ations been

,
wro ng ?
An exam ple o f the way in which the mag i c of the ol d
fictio n of supernaturalism h a s been transf err ed into the
sci entific in m o dern tim es is seen in The E li xi r of Youth
, ,
by Albert B ig el o w P aine A m a n in an upper room

.
alo ne is wishing that he had the g ift of imm o rtal y outh ,
when a str ang er in black enters and answers his tho ught .
He tell s hi m that to read the mi nd is n o t black magi c ,
but science ; that he i s n ot a m agi cian but a sci enti st and , ,
a s such he has co mp o unded the elixir of y o uth which he ,
wi ll gi ve t o hi m This dr ug wi ll enable a m a n to halt hi s

.
a g e at a n y year he ch oo ses and t o m ak e it perm anent a s ,

“
P eter Ibbetso n and the D uchess of To wers did i n their
dream lif e Th e stranger leaves the fl ask wi th the m an
-
.
and goes away B u t the o n e wh o wi shed for imm ortal

.
lif e deci des that after all Go d must know best and , ,
thoug h his deci sion n ot to drink h a s n ot crystalized he ,
i s not g reatly s orry when the flask i s shattered and the

li quid spi lled This i s sy mboli c of the real wi sdom of
.
li fe.
Th e fr equent u se of the them e of the eli xi r of lif e of ,
deathless y o uth illustrates h ow humanity clutches at

,
y o uth wi th path os and shri nks fro m age R ed Ra n rah an .

,
the loved si nger of Ireland whom W B Yeats creates , . .

S u p ern a tu ra l Life 1 87
for us wi th unforgettable words makes a curse agai nst ,
o ld age when he f eels it creeping o n hi m .
V ario us other sto ri es of supernatur al length of years

appear i n E ngli sh fictio n besides tho se based on the ,
definite u se of the life eli xi r The Woma n f rom Yonder .

,
by S tephen F rench Wh i tman sh ows u s the revi ved re , ,
a n i rn a t ed b o dy of a wo m an wh o h a s been buri ed i n a
glacier since H anni bal cro ssed the Alps ti ll sh e i s dug o ut ,
and mi racul o usly restored by bloo d transfusio n by an

“
-
, ,
i nterf eri ng sci enti st Th e wri ter queries . If the so ul ,
exis ts where had that s oul been ? What reg i ons did i t
,
r eli nquish at the co mm and o f the r evivi ng b o dy ? A

hum orous appli cati o n of the idea of the deathless m a n
i s seen i n A Co nan D oy le s The L os A mi g os F
’
. i a sco ,
where the ci tizens of a fro ntier town wishing to ki ll a ,
crimi nal by som e other m etho d than the t rite rop e try to ,
kil l him by putti ng hi m i n connecti o n wi th a big dynam o .
B u t thei r amateur eff orts have a peculiar eff ect T hey .
succeed o nly in so m agnetizing his b ody that i t i s i mp ossi

ble for hi m to di e T hey try shoo ti ng hangi ng and so
.
, ,
forth but he h a s gained such an access of vi tali ty from

,
electrici ty that he comes o ut unscathed thro ugh every

thin g resembling the ancient sachem in H awt horne s
,
’
novel .
Th e F ly i ng D utchman form s the theme for stori es in

fol klor e of a wander er of the seas co ndemned t o to uch
,
shore o nly once in seven years because he swore he woul d ,
ro und C ape H orn i n spi te o f heaven and hell H awthorne .
h a s pr eserved a letter from the D utchm an t o hi s wif e i n ,
the Virtuos o s collectio n and John K endri ck B angs h a s

’
f urni shed th e inevi table paro dy in his P u rsui t of the H ouse

boa t . The Dea d S hi p of H a rp well i s ano ther st ory of a
wanderi ng accursed ship There i s a simi lar legend t old
, .
by C M S kinner of a ma n who for a cruel murder of a

. .
, , ,
I
In Myths a nd Leg en ds f Our
o La n d .
1 88 Su p ern a tu ra l Li fe
servant was co ndemned to wear alway s a halter ro und

,
his neck and was unable t o die .
B ram S toker fur nishes us wi th sever al inter esting

speci mens o f supernatural life alway s tang led with ,
o ther uncann
y m o tives Th e co unt in Dra cula wh o
.
, ,
has li ved his vampi re li fe for centuries is said to be hale ,
and fr esh as i f he were forty Of c o ur se all va m .

,
pires live to a str ange lease o n life but mo st of them ,
a re spi ri ts r ather than hum an beings as was D racula .
In The L a i r of the Whi te Worm S toker tells of a woman ,
wh o was at o nce an alluri ng wom an and a snak e tho usands

o f years ol d Th e snake i s so large that when i t go es ou t
.
,
t o walk it lo o ks li ke a hi g h whi te t ower and can gaze o ver

, ,
the t0 ps of the trees .
B ul wer Lyt ton s The H a un ters a nd the H a un ted tells the

’
-
story of a my sterio us being wh o passes thro ug h un told

y ears with a str ang e p ower o ver lif e and the perso nali ty o f
o thers H e appears n o ma n kn ows whence nor why and
.
, ,
di sappears as strang ely whi le abo ut his whole career

,
i s a shro ud of mystery T hackeray i n hi s N otch on the

.
,
A xe burlesques thi s and similar st ori es i n playful sati r e

, ,
y et seem s t o enj o y his theme It is no t wholl y a burlesque

.
,
we may suppo se He adds a to uch of realis m to his

.
hum oro us descri pti on by the fact that thro ugho ut hi s ,
'
hero s lo ng co ntinued life or seri es of lives o n e do esn t
’
-
,
—
know whi ch— h e r etains alway s his German Jewish a c -
‘
cent Andrew Lang descri bes the perso n wh o ma y have
.
been the o ri g i nal of thes e stories in r eal lif e Horace .
Walpole has m enti o ned hi m i n his letters and he seems

to have a teasing m y stery ab o ut hi s life and car eer that
makes him m uch talked of - .
E dwi n Lester Arnold tells a st ory of co nti nued lif e wi th

2
an Ori ental setti ng and mystery E dward B ellamy s .

’
In S t Germa i n the Dea thl ess

. .
3
In The S tra ng e Adventures of P hra the P hoeni ci a n .
Looki n g B a ckwa rd , by the i ntro ductio n of a magi c sleep

m ak es a man li ve fa r bey ond the natural span and be able
to see into the di stant f uture whi le the y o uth i n M ark ,
T wain s A Connecti cut Ya n kee a t Ki n g Arthur s Court h a s

’ ’
a magi c leng th of life livi ng a dual existence in Art huri an

, ,
E ng land and in p resent d a y Am erica H G Well s uses

-
. . .
I
so m ethi ng of the sam e idea in that he m akes hi s hero ,
live a very lo ng ti me i n a few ho ur s compr essing tim e ,
i nto minute tabules a s it wer e a s he d o es in another st ory

, ,
o f the m a g i c acceler at or that ma k es a m a n li ve f ast and
furi o usly wi th tenfo ld p owers at crucial mom ents Th e .
story of P eter R ugg the M issing M a n is that of another

, ,
i mm ortal wander er who se st ory is t old in Myths a nd

,
L eg end s of Our L a nd and utilized by Alfr ed A ustin

,
He .
go es o ut into a storm say ing I will see hom e t o nig ht

, ,
-
"
o r I will never see it ! H e flies forever pur sued by the
storm never resting and never seeing his home This is
, , .
symboli c of the haunted so ul pursued by its own destiny .
Th e them e of the elix ir o f lif e i s on e of the ol d m o tif s

of supernatur al i sm retained i n m o dern ficti o n T he con .
ven ti on a l alchem ist has g iven place t o a m o r e u p —t o date -
investig at or in the chemical laboratory y et the same thrill ,
o f i nter est is im parted by the th o ug ht o f a ma g ic p o ti o n
prepared by m a n that shall endo w hi m with earthl y im

m ortality Th e theme h a s changed less in its treatm ent
.
and symb olism than mo st of the supernatural elem ents i n

fictio n f or tho ug h we see the added elements of m o dern
,
satir e and symboli sm its essenti al aspects r em ai n the

,
same .
M etemp sychosi s Th e i dea of metempsycho si s the

.
,
tho ught that at death the s oul of a human bein g ma y

pass i nto another mortal bo dy or i nto a lo wer stag e i nto ,
an anim al or even a plant h a s been used co nsiderably ,
in E ngli sh ficti o n This Oriental beli ef has i ts basis i n

.
I hi s Ti m M hi
n e ac ne .
I 9O Su p erna tu ra l Li fe
anti quity i n a n irhi sti c i deas i n primiti ve cul ture One of

,
.
the earliest appearances of the theme in E ngli sh ficti o n i s

that middle eig hteenth century story of Dr J o hn H awkes
- - .
worth s an acco unt of a s oul that h a s n o t behaved itself

’
seeml y so descends in the spiritual scale ti ll it ends by

,
being a flea Th e Germ an Hoff m ann used the theme

.
r epeatedly and P o e wh o was t o a certain extent i nfluenced

, ,
by hi s supernaturalism em ploys it i n several stori es In ,

.
A Ta l e of the Ra gg ed M ou n ta i n s the yo ung m a n named ,
B edl o experi ences i n dr eams of extraordi nary vi vi dness

, ,
the li fe of battle of c onf usio n ending in death in a tropi

, , ,
cal city H e sees hi mself die struck on the temple by a

.
,
p ois oned arrow He i s r eco g ni zed by an elderly ma n as

.
the exact co unterpart of a M r Ol deb wh o peri shed in the .
m anner dreamed of i n a battle in B enares M r B e dl o . .

,
whi le wandering in the mo untains of Virg inia co ntracts ,
a cold and fever for the cure of which leeches a re applied

, ,
but by mistake a poiso nous sangsue i s substituted for the

leech and the patient di es of a wo und on the temple
, ,
simil ar to that caused by a p oiso ned arrow P o e s con .

’
cept in other stori es i s n o t that of the conventionally

easy passag e of the so ul in to the b o dy of a new—born babe
that woul dn t be expected to put up m uch of a fig ht
’
,
but he m akes the psy chic f eature the centr al horror ,
sayi ng in that connectio n that m a n i s on the brin k of -
tremendo us psychi cal discoveries In M orella the them e .
i s used wi th telling p ower wher e the wif e o nce gr eatly , ,
lo ved but n ow loathed on h er deathbed tells h er husband ,
that h er chi ld will live after h er Th e daug hter g rows .
up into supernatur al likeness of h er mother but rem ai ns ,
nameless since h er father for a reaso n he canno t analyze

, , ,
hesitates to g i ve h er a ny name B ut at last a s sh e stands .

,
before the altar to be christened s ome fo rce o utsi de the ,
father causes hi m t o call h er Morella .
The T a n mi g ti
r f S ul s ra on o a o .
Su p ern a tu ra l Life 191
What m o re than fiend convu lsed tures of my ch ild th e fea ,
and oversp read them with th e hues of d eath a s starting at , ,
that scarcely audible sound she turned h er g lassy ey es from

”
,
earth t o heaven and fallin g p ro strate on the black slabs of

“
,
our ancestral vault resp o nded

, I a m her e l ,
Th e yo ung gi rl is fo und to be dead and the father say s

With my o wn hands I bore h er to the tomb ; and I laug hed
”
,
wi th a lo ng and bitter laug h as I fo und n o traces of the

,
first in the cham e! where I laid the seco nd M orella .
An o bvi o us i m itatio n of P o e s st ory is fo und in B r am

’
S t oker s n ovel The Jewel of S even S ta rs wher e the s o ul

’
, ,
o f an E g y ptian p ri ncess enter s int o the b o dy o f a baby

“
.
born to on e of the explorers wh o rifle h er to mb Th e .
chil d g rows i nto the perf ect duplicate of the princess ,
even showin g on h er wri sts the m arks of violence that

cut off the murnmy s hand The E gy ptian s fam iliar a
’
.
’
,
mummi fied cat c om es t o lif e t o reveng e itself up o n the

,
archaeolo gi sts wh o have di sturbed the to mb When by .
m agi c incantations and sci entific experim ents c ombined ,
the c ollect ors try t o r evivify the m ummy the bo dy ,
m y steri o usly disappear s and the y o ung g irl is fo und dead

, ,
leading u s to supp ose that the rea n irn a ted pri ncess has
stolen the g i rl s lif e f or h er own
’
.
In Li g ei a another of Po e s m orbi d studies of met emp sy

,
’
ch o si s
, the them e is clearly ann o unced as quo ted from ,
Jo seph Glanvil le Ma n do th n ot yi eld him self t o the

'
angels nor unto death utterly save o nly thro ugh the
weakness of hi s own f eeble wil l T h e wo rshipped Li g eia
.
dies and i n an ho ur of m adness h er husband marri es

,
the Lady Rowena Th e bride s o o n si ckens and as the

.
husband watches alo ne by h er bed at mi dnight he sees ,
dro ps of ruby liqui d f all from s om e my sterio us so urce i nto ,
the wi ne he i s off eri ng h er When the Lady Rowena .
p resently di es the husband ag ai n alo ne wi th her sees

, , ,
I 92 Su p erna tu ra l L ife
the corpse underg o an awf ul tr ansfo rm ati o n It i s .
reanimated but the b o d

, y that lives i s n o t that o f R o wena ,
but of Lig eia wh o has come back t o life ag ain by exerting

,
h er deathless will o ver the phy sical bei n g of h er ri val .
Th e clim ax with which the st o ry cl o ses has perhaps n o

parallel in fictio n A s fo r the ruby drops a re we to
.
,
think of them as an elix ir of lif e for the dead Li g ei a strug

g ling back t o bein g or as p ois o n t o slay the living Ro wena ?
,
Ligeia s st o ry is r eflected o r at least sho ws an evi dent

’
,
influence in The S econ d Wi fe by M ary H eato n Vorse

, ,
.
H ere again the dead wif e c om es to o ust h er supplanter ,
but in this instance the interloper do es n o t di e but wi thout ,
dy ing m erely becomes the perso n and the pers o nality of

the first wif e The chang e is g radual but inco ntrovertible
.
,
f elt by the wom an herself befor e it is c om plete and ,
noticed by the husband and the m other i n —law H ere the -

.
hum an will indestructible by death asserts i tself over

, ,
m ortal flesh and eff ects a t ransfer of pers o nality B ut
”
.
wher e did the second wif e s s oul g o pr ay the sh e o ’

, ,
—
’
the sh e as P atience Worth wo uld sa y ?

A similar transf er of so ul eff ected whi le b oth pers o ns
,
a r e livi ng but caused by the m ali g nance of an evil dead
spirit is fo und in B lack woo d s The Terror of the Twi n s

,
’
.
A f ather wh o resents the f act that instead of a si n g le heir

,
twins a re b orn t o hi m swears in hi s m adness befor e he

,
di es that before their m aj ority he will bring it to pass

,
that there shall be only on e B y the help of p owers .
from the Pi t he fil ch es from the y o ung er hi s vital ity hi s ,
strength of mi nd and so ul and bo dy his perso nali ty and , ,
gi ves this access of p o wer to the elder The y o unger .
dies a hopeless idi ot and the elder lives on with a do uble

d ower of bei ng Am bro se B ierce carries thi s idea to a
.
clim ax of h orror when he m akes an evi l spi rit take

,
I
p o ssession of a dead mother s b o dy and slay h er son who ’
In The Dea th f Ha l pi n F
o ra zer .
S u p ern a tu ra l Life 1 93
r eco gni zes hi s loved mother s face knows that it is h er ’

,
ey es that glare fien d like at hi m h er hands that a re

-
,
strangli ng hi rn — yet cannot know that i t i s a hi deous

,
fiend i n h er corp se .
Th e theme of metempsych o si s i s fo und tangled up with

vario us other moti ves i n fictio n the use of the el i xir of ,
lif e hyp no tism dr eam sup em a turali sm wi t chcraf t and so

, ,
-
,
forth . Ri der H aggard has gi ven a curi ous combi natio n of

m etempsych o si s an d the supernatur al conti nuance of life
,
by m eans of the elixi r in S he and i ts sequel A yesha , , .
Th e w o nderful woman the dread S he who must be ,

- - -
o bey ed wh o k eeps h er y o uth and beauty by m eans o f
bathi ng i n the m agi c flui d reco gni zes i n vari o us stag es ,
of h er existence the l over who m sh e h as kn o wn tho usands
of y ear s befor e N ot havin g the advantage of the Tur ki sh

.
bath or patent medi ci ne he dies periodi cally and h as ,
to be b o rn all o ver again in s om e o ther century This i s .
ag i ta tin g to the lady so she determi nes to i noculate hi m

,
wi th i mm ortali ty so that they can rei gn t ogether wi th o ut

th o se tro ublesome interruptions of mortali ty B ut the .
i m patient lover i nsi sts on ki ssing h er whi ch p ro ves to o ,
m uch for hi m si nce her divi nity i s fatal to m er e m anki nd

, ,
so he di es agai n .
T h e cl o se relati o n betwee n m etempsy ch o si s and h yp n o t

i sm is shown i n vari o us st ori es S e veral cases of t ro uble .
s om e atavi s ti c personality or rei ncarnati on a re cured by

psy cho therapy Theo dor a a y o ung woman i n a novel by
.
,
Fr ances Fenwi ck Wi lli am s beari ng that ti tle nam e re ,

-
,
a li ze s herse lf to be th erei ncar natio n of a remote a ncestr ess ,
an Ofi en tafist a Wi tch who has terrori zed the co untry

, ,
wi th h er sorceri es Sh e i s cur ed of h er m ental haun tings

.
by m eans of hyp no ti sm A n o ther n ovel by the s am e

.
auth o r
I gi ves al so the rei ncarnati o n of a wi tch char acter
,
i n mo dern lif e wi th a cur e eff ected by psycho analysi s

,
-
.
I A S l Fi
ou on re.
13
I 94 Su p erna tura l Li fe
Th e y o un g woman di scovers herself t o be the hei r ess of a

curse which i s rem oved o nly after study of p re natal
,
-
infl uences and investi gatio ns co ncerni ng the subco nsci o us

self.
As i s seen by these examples the relati o n bet ween wi tch

,
craft and m etempsy cho sis i s very clo se since in recent ,
fic tio n the witch char acters have unusual p owers of

r etur ni ng t o lif e in s o m e o ther fo rm In Algern on B lack.
woo d s A nci ent S orceri es we have wi tch metempsy cho si s

’
,
-
o n a large scale the p o pul ati on o f a wh o le vi llag e bei n g

,
but the reanim atio ns of lo ng dead witches and wi zards -
wh o o nce li ved ther e I kn ow of n o o ther case of m ob

.
me tempsy cho si s in En g lish fictio n but the insta nces ,
wher e several a re rei ncarnated at o nce a re numero us .
Alg erno n B lackwoo d s r ecent n ovel J u les L e Va llon i s

’
, ,
based on a story of collective reincarnation the chief ,
character s in the dram atic actio n realizing that they

have lived and been asso ciated with each o ther befo re ,
and feeling that they m ust expiate a si n of a previo us

existence Ano ther recent no vel by B lackwo o d The
.
,
Wa ve has for i ts them e the reincarnatio n of the prin

,
ci p a l characters realized by them

, B lackwo o d h a s been
.
m uch drawn to psy chic subjects in g eneral and m etem

psy cho sis i n particul ar for it ente rs into m any of hi s
,
stories In Old Cl othes he gi ves us an instance of a

.
chil d wh o kn ows herself to be the reb orn perso nal ity

o f so m e o n e else and suff ers p oi g nantly in relivi ng the
experiences of that lo ng dead ances tr ess wh ile tho se

-
,
around h er a re reco gnized as the com panions of h er lif e

of the f a r pas t th o u g h they a re una ware of i t
, The .
f atuo us rem ark of lovers in fictio n that they f eel that ,
they have li ved and loved each o ther i n a previ o us exi st

ence i s a literary bromide n ow but h a s i ts basi s in a
, ,
r ecurr ence i n ficti o n Anto ni o F o g a zzaro s no vel

’
.
The ,
Woma n i s a go o d example i n Ital i an — for the wom an feels

, ,
Su p erna tu ra l Li fe 195
that sh e and her lover ar e rei ncarnati ons of lo ng dead selves -
wh o have suff ered tragi c experiences t og ether which ,
mo rbi d idea culmi nates i n trag i c m adness .
The M ystery of Joseph La g u edem by A T Q ui ller ,

. .
C o uch i s a striking story of dual reincarnatio n

, A .
yo ung Jew i n E n g land and a half witted g i rl a farmer s -

,
’
daug hter reco gnize in each o ther and in themselves the

, ,
perso nal ities of a yo un g J ew led t o the lio ns for becoming

a Chr i stian and a Roman p ri ncess wh o loved him They
,
.
r ecall their successive lives wherein they have kn o wn
and loved each other to be separ ated by cruel destiny

,
each tim e but at last they die a tragi c death tog ether
,
.
Th e character of the ma n here i s gi ven additio nal interest

'
for us in that he i s said t o be a r eincarnatio n of C a r

t a p h o l u s Pilate s p o rter wh o struck Jesus bidding H i m
’
, , ,
g o f aster and wh o i s imm o rtali zed as the W anderin g Jew

,
.
H ere he lives successive lives r ather than a c o nti n u o us

existence S omewhat sim ilar t o this is ano ther combi
.
nation of hy pnotism and metem psy cho sis in The Wi tch

of P ra g u e by F M ario n Cr awfo rd wher e U orn a makes
,
.
,
Israel K afka g o thro ug h the phy sical and psychi cal t or

tur es of S im o n A beles a y oung J ew killed by his people
,
for bec omin g a Christian B y hypno tism the y o ung m a n

.
i s m ade t o pass thro ug h the experiences of a dead y o u th

o f who m he h a s never hear d and t o die his death anew ,
.
T here is a cl o se relati on between d ream s and m et emp sy

ch osi s as is seen in certain st ories K iplin g s charm ing
’
.
,
pro se idy ll The B rushwood B oy m a y be called a piece of

, ,
dream m etem psy chosis for the y o uth and g irl wh en they
-
,
first meet i n real li f e reco g nize in each o ther the co m

panio ns of their chi l dh oo d and adolescent dream lif e and -
,
complete their dual mem ories They have dream ed .
the sam e dr eam s even to mi nute detail s of co nversa

ti on and f amil i ar names Du M auri er combines the two
, .
mo ti ves very skil lfully i n h i s no vels for i t i s in succes ,

I 96 Su p erna tura l Li fe
sive dreams that the M artian reveals herself t o B arty

J oscely n telli ng hi m of h er lif e o n ano ther planet and ,
inspiring hi m t o wri te— or writin g for him— bo oks of

genius before she takes up earthly li fe in on e of his chil
,
dr en S h e tells hi m that she will com e to him n o more

.
in dr eam s but that she will live in the chi ld that is to

,
be b orn An d in dual dream s P eter Ibbetso n and the

.
D uchess of T owers live o ver ag ain their chil dhoo d lif e

t o g ether a re able to find at will their g olden y ester day s
, ,
and kn ow i n happy reality the j oy s of the past whil e ,
the present keeps them cruelly apart They a re able to .
call back t o shadowy lif e their co mm o n ances tors t o see ,
and hear the j oy s the work the g rief s they knew so lo ng

, ,
ag o . T hey plumb their su b co nsci o usness dr eam o ver -

,
again their sub dream s until they at last n ot only see

—
,
these lo ng dead m en and wom en but became them

-
, .
We could each be a sp ace (thoug h n o t both of

Ga ti en n e for
us tog ether) a n d when we resum ed ou r own p erso nality ag ain
we carried back with it a p ortion of h ers n ever t o be lo st ,
ag a in stra ng e p hen om en on i f the r ead er will but think of

—
it an d constitutin g the g erm o f a comp arative p ersonal im

,
m ortality on earth .
N ot o nly
do es P eter live in the past but he has the p ower ,
t o tr ansp ort these dead ancest ors o f his t o his pr esent

and let them shar e i n his lif e so that Ga t i en n e a French , ,
wo m an dead for g ener atio ns lives o ver ag ain in an E ng lish ,
pris on as P eter Ibbetso n or travels as M ary T o wers , ,
seeing thing s she never had dream ed of i n h er own lif e .
H G Wells in A Drea m of A rma g eddon gives a curi o us

. .
story of the dream futur e A m a n in co nsecutive vi si o ns

-
.
sees him self killed He then dr eam s that he i s an o ther

.
ma n livi ng in a diff erent part of the w orld fa r in the

, ,
f uture till he sees him self di e i n h i s sec o nd perso nality

“
, .
He descri bes hi s experi ences as gi ven in a dream so a o

S u p erna tu ra l Li fe 1 97
.
”
curate that af terwards y ou remember li ttle detail s y ou had
forgo tten He suff ers t o rtu res of l ove and gri ef so that ,
hi s dream life of the f uture is i nfin i tely mor e real t o hi m

-
than hi s actual exi stence of hi s own ti me Wh at was the

“
.
r eal hi m 0 hi m to quo te P ati ence Worth the ma n

’
, ,
of the d r eam futur e or the busi ness man of the pr esent

-
,
telli n g the story to hi s fri end ?

A di fi eren t versi on of m etempsych osi s i s shown i n
The Immorta l Gymn a sts by M ari e Cher for here the , ,
beloved tri o P antal oo n Harlequi n and Columbine a re

, ,
emb odi ed a s human being s and come to li ve among men .
H arlequi n h a s the p ower of magi c vi si o n whi ch enables
of -
”
hi m t o see i nt o the mi nds and hearts of mortals by means
clo ud currents T hi s questio n of— shall we sa y
.
tr ansm igr ati on —of fictive char act ers i n to actual lif e i s
fo und in var i o us stori es su ch a s Ki pli n g s The La s t of
’
,
the S to ri es J ohn K endrick B an g s The Rebell i ous H eroi n e

’
, ,
and o thers It i llustrates the fantasti c use t o whi ch

.
every serious theme i s s oo ner or later put There is n o .
mo tif in supernatural li teratur e that i s n ot paro di ed i n

s om e form or other if o nly by suggesti o n,
.
Th e sym boli c tr eatment of m etempsych o si s i s str o n g ly

evident in recent ficti o n as the theme lends i tself p a rti cu
,
l arly well t o the al lego ric a n d symb oli c style B ar r y .
P ai n s E xcha n g e shows aspects of t ransmi grati o n diff erent

’
from the co nventi o nal t reatm ent for he describes the ,
s o ul of the ol d man as gi vi ng up i ts ri ght t o peace that i t

mi g ht purchase ease for a s o ul he l oved He passes .
i nt o the b o dy of a capti ve bir d beatin g i t s h opeless win g s

ag ainst the bars and tortur ed with p ai n and thir st as a ,
mark of the wi t ch wom an s wr ath whi le the so ul of the

’
yo ung gi rl go es i nto the bo dy of a snow white lamb that -
li ves a day then i s set free A s she passes by i n the state

.
,
of a fr eed s oul sh e sees the piteo us b i rd and says to

“
herself I am glad I was never a bi rd
,
,
.
,
I 9S Su p ern a tu ra l Life
Al g ern o n Blackwoo d i n The Return , gi ves a peculi ar

,
story of metem psycho si s where the selfish materiali st ,
finds him self suddenly reinf orced wi th a new perso nality

from witho ut H i s ey es a re o pened miracul o usly to the
.
mag i c and beauty of the wo rld and he kno ws bey ond ,
do ubt that his friend the arti st wh o promi sed to come

, ,
t o him when he died h a s died and that hi s s o ul h a s bec o me

,
a part of hi s own bein g Th e m o st im pressi ve example .
o f this sudden m er g ing of two natur es two s o uls i n t o ,
o n e i s fo und in Gr anvi lle B arker s S oul s on F i f th H er e

’
.
,
a ma n suddenly acquires o r reco gni zes the p o wer to see , ,
the s oul s that lin g er earth bo und aro und hi m and com es -
”
,
t o have a strang e sy mpathy wi th that o f a wom an whom

“
,
he calls the Li ttle S oul Whenhe speaks of g oing away

.
,
a ft er a tim e she beg s him no t t o leave h er sin ce she i s very

,
lo nely in thi s wilderness of unbo died soul s S h e asks .
that if he will n ot take her into his s o ul he carry h er ,
t o s o m e wide p r airie and ther e in the un spaced expanse

,
leave h er but instead he g ives a r eluctant consent f or

,
—
her t o enter int o his lif e He presses the li ttle symb olic
.
fig ure to his heart then f eels a new sense of being of

, ,
pers o nality and knows that h er soul h a s become forever

,
a part of his .
Lor d D unsany wh o lends a strang e new beauty t o

, ,
every supernatural them e he to uches h a s a li ttle pro se ,
po em of sy mbolic metempsy cho sis called Usury where , ,
Yohu on e of the evil spirits lures the shado ws to work for

, ,
him by g ivi n g them g le amin g lives t o p olish .
An d ever Yohu lures m ore shadows a n d sen ds them t o

brig ht en his Lives sendin g the old Lives out ag ain t o make
,
them brig hter still ; a n d som etimes he g ives to a shadow

a Life that was once a king s a n d s endeth h i m with it down t o’
the earth to p lay the p art of a beg g ar or sometimes he s end eth ,
a beg g ar s Life to p lay the p art of a king What careth

’
.
Yohu ?
Su p ern a tu ra l Li fe 1 99
S pi ri tual i sm a nd P sychi cal R e s e a rch influence . Th e

of m o dern S piritualism and P sychical R esearch o n the
literature of supernaturalism has been m arked espe ,
ci a ll y of late y ear s It wo uld be inevi table that move

.
m ents which inter est so many perso ns amo ng them ,
many of m ore than ordi nary i ntellig ence sho uld be re ,
fl ected in ficti o n . These two aspects of the subject wi ll

be treated to g ether since they a re cl o sely alli ed For .
th o ug h S piritualism is a form o f relig io n and Psy chical

R esear ch a new sci ence and so called relig io n and so
,
— -
called science a re n ot alway s parallel the lines of in ves —
t i g a ti o n her e a re simil ar While S piritua lism endeavors

.
t o get i n t o uch with the sp i rits o f the dead that the liv
i n g ma y be co mf o rted and enlig htened and P sy chical ,
R esea rch attem pts t o classif y the supp o sedly authentic

cases o f such comm unicatio n and in so m uch their ,
m eth o ds of appro ach a r e diff erent —yet the results ma y ,
be discusse d t o g ether .
H awthor ne was inter ested i n S pirituali sm as literary

material since a discussio n o f it is i nt ro duced in B li theda l e
,
Roma nce and vari o us passages in his n o teb oo ks treat of

the matter sho wi ng the f as cin atio n it had for hi m Mrs . .
Elizabeth S tuar t P helps War d in additio n t o h er ficti o nal

,
treati ses of heaven takes up S piri tualism as well In

, .
The Da y of M y Dea th she gives a satiric acco unt of the

r eturn of a spi ri t wh o say s he i s a l o st s o ul t o rtured i n hell
.
.
H e do ubtless deserves i t f or he sti cks the baby full of

,
pins and ties it t o a tree and folds the clo thes from the
,
wash in the shape of co rpses H e is still in terested i n this

.
lif e ho wever since he requests a pi ece of squash pie In

, ,
.
K en tu cky s Ghost sh e depicts a spirit actuated by defini te

’
m alice . In the pr evi o us st ory seven m ediums tell a m an

that he wil l di e at a certai n da y and ho ur but he li ves ,
cheerf ully on .
W ill i am Dean Howel ls h a s g iven a study i n hi s usual

zoo Su p erna tu ra l Life
kin dly sati re and sy mpatheti c serio usness of the phen ,
o m ena o f S pi ritualism and mesm erism in The Undi s covered ,
Cou n try .Dr B o y nt o n a mistaken zeal o t h olds seances

.
, ,
assi sted by his daug hter a delicate sensitive gi rl wh o i s

, ,
phy sically pro str ated after each perform ance and begs
h er father t o spar e h er S h e acts as m edium wher e the
.
usual eff ects of rapping table levi tatio n and so forth take
, ,
place where spirit hands wave in the a i r and m essages

, ,
g rave and j o cular a re deli vered

,
Th e characteri zati o n .
i s handled wi th skill t o brin g o u t the sincerity o f each

pers on i nvolved in the web of supersti ti o n and false belief ,
and Howells shows real sympathy with each the scoff ers ,
as well as the misguided f anatics It i s o nly when the

.
.
do ctor l o oks death in the face that he realizes his error

and seeks t o kn ow by faith in the B ible the truths of the
fa r co untry o f the s oul .
Haml in Garland has shown co nsiderable interest in

S piritualism in his fictio n He refuses t o commit himself
.
as t o hi s own o pinion of the questio n but he has written ,
two n o vels dealin g with i t The Tyra n n y of the D a rk and

,
The S ha d ow World T h e fo rm er is c o nsider ably like

.
Howell s s no vel for here als o a y o ung g irl i s made the

’
,
inno cent victi m o f fanatics h er m o ther and a preacher

,
wh o has f allen in l o ve wi th h er S h e i s m ade t o tak e part

.
in spi ritualisti c manif estati o ns whether a s a vi ctim o f ,
fr aud o r as a g enui ne m e dium the auth or leaves i n d o ubt .
When the g irl casts him off the preacher kil ls him self that
he ma y com e into cl oser co mm unicatio n with h er after
death than he has been able to do in lif e Ri char d H arding .
D avis has c o ntri buted a volum e wi th a simi lar pl o t the ,
exploitatio n of an inno cent and of co urse beautif ul gi rl , ,
by fanati cs i n Vera the M edi um

,
Here the gi rl i s more .
than half aware that she is a fraud and in h er last seance ,
at the conclusio n of which she is t o be carried tri um

p h a n tly away by h er l over the N ew York di strict att orney
, ,
she dram ati cally confesses h er decepti o n As a sympathy .
getter she pleads that sh e was very lonely that because

, ,
h er g ra ndmo ther and mo ther wer e medi um s she had been ,
cut off from soci ety I used to play ro und the ki tchen
.
st o ve wi th Po caho ntas and Alexander the Great and ,
M arti n Luther li ved i n our chin a cl oset .
D avi d B elasco s The Return of Peter Gri mm dram a and

’
”
,
n ovel i s based up on spiritualisti c manifestati o ns We

,
“
.
a re t old that the envelo pe or shadow self of a sleeper -
has been photographed by m eans of radi o pho to g raphy - .
When a certai n part of the shado w b o dy i s pri cked with a

pin a s the cheek the correspo ndi ng p orti o n of the sleeper s
, ,
’
b o dy i s seen to bleed P eter Grim m com es back from the

.
o ther world t o di r ect the actio ns of the livi n g and tho ug h ,
at fir st o nly a chi ld sees h im — for chil dr en are the best

,
sensi ti ves save a n irn al s — eventual ly the adults recognize

,
him al s o and yi eld t o his g uidance S piri tualism enters .
directly or i ndi rectly i nto many works of ficti o n of late

y ear s Whether people believe i n i t or n ot they a re
.
,
thi nk i ng and wri ti ng abo ut it The subject receives its .
usual humorous turn i n vario us stori es a s N els on Lloy d s ,

’
The Las t Ghost i n H a rmon y the st ory of a specter wh o

,
compla in s of the sci entific u nim agi nativeness of his vi l

lag e say i ng th at tho ug h he had entreated the spo o ks
,
“
t o h o ld o ut f or a li ttle whil e as he had heard S pi ri tualism

was headed that way and wo uld b ri ng ab out a revi val o f
in terest i n gh o sts the spiri ts all g o t di sco uraged and quit
,
the place An d we recall S andy s mournful comm ent t o

.
’
M ark T wai n s Captai n S tormfi eld that he wi shed ther e

’
,
was so methi ng i n that miser able S pi ri tualism so he co uld ,
send word back to th e folk s .
Th e Pro ceedi ngs of the P sychical R esearch S o ci ety have

a twofold associ ati o n wi th literatur e for n o t only have ,
vari o us mo dern novels and sto ries been i nspi red by such
m ateri al but the i nstances record ed ar e si mi lar i n many
,
2 02 Su p erna tu ra l Life
cases to the classi cal gho st stori es Lacy Colli so n -M orley .
i n hi s Greek a nd Roma n Ghost S tori es say s , There a re a

number of stories of the passi ng of s oul s whi ch a re cu
ri o u sl yli ke som e of tho se co llected by the P sychical Re
Di a log ues .
”
search S o ci ety in the Fo urth B o o k of Gregory the Great s
,
Th e d o uble s ource of many m o dern stori es

’
ma y be fo und by a c omparati ve study of C olli s o n—M o rley s

’
book and M y er s s H uma n P ersona li ty whi le G H Ger

’
, . .
o ul d s volum e The Gra tef ul Dea d i ntro duces r ecent

’
, ,
i nstances that a re l ik e classi cal st ori es Th e inability of .
the soul t o have rest in the o ther world if i ts bo dy wa s

unburi ed as held by the anci ents i s reflected i n Go thi c
, ,
rom ance ,E lizabethan dram a a s well as in the classi cs .
Th e gho st of Jack whom P eele tells u s ab o ut i s a case of

, ,
a gho st comi ng back to befri end hi s undertaker From .
these compari sons i t wo uld appear that there i s somethi ng

inherently true t o humanity in these beliefs for the ,
r evenge gh o st and the gratef ul dead have ap pear ed al l
along the line P erhaps hum an perso nality i s larg ely the
.
same i n all lands and all tim es and g ho sts have the sam e ,
elem ental em oti o ns however much they may have a c

quired a veneer of mo dernity .
T here a re many i nstances of the compact gho st the -

,
Spi rit wh o returns just after death in accordan ce wi th a

promi se m ade i n li f e to mani fest hi mself t o som e fri end
,
o r t o s om e skeptic Al g ern o n B lackw oo d gi ves several

.
stories based on that them e on e a curio us case where the ,
gho st is so lifelike his friend do es no t dr eam he i s n o t the

livi ng m a n and assi g ns him to a bedr oom Later he i s
, .
invisible yet undoubtedly present for hi s heavy breathin g

, , ,
mo vements of the covers and i mp ress on the bed a re ,
bey ond dispute Af terwa rds by Fred C S male shows a

.
, .
,
ghost returni ng to attend a neighborhoo d club When hi s .
name i s called by mi stake he takes part on the pro gram, ,
speaki ng thro ugh the li ps of a y oung ma n present wh o ,

S u p erna tu ra l Li fe 2 03
go es off i n a catal epti c trance D uring thi s com a the

.
y o uth wh o i s i gn orant of m usic gi ves a techni cal discussio n

, ,
o f n otatio n anal y zing di at onic semi to nes and discussing

,
-
the note a ni ghtingale t rills on Wh en he wakes he say s

.
he h a s f elt a chill and a to uch Al ice B ro wn r elates a .
story of a lover wh o p romi sed t o come t o hi s sweetheart

at the moment of death but wh o li ke Ahi rn ea s in the
, ,
B ible r uns befor e he i s ready and keeps hi s gho stly t ry st

, ,
whi le the rescuers b ring him back to life He hasn t .

’
r e a lly been dr o wned at all .
A r ecent n ovelette by F r ances H o dgso n B urnett called ,
The Whi te P eopl e has psy chical phen om ena for i t s

,
central inter est A little chi ld bo rn after h er f ather s

.
,
’
tr agi c death and when h er dy ing mother is co nsciou s of hi s

spiri tual presence g ro ws up with a strang e sensitiveness
,
t o m anif estati o ns fro m the o ther world H er hom e i s o n a
”
.
lo nely estate in S cotland so that h er chief com panio nship

“
i s wi th the white peo ple
,
the spirits of the dead tho ug h

, ,
sh e do es n o t so reco g nize them Her play m ate i s Wee.
B ro wn Elsbeth wh o has been m ur der ed hundreds of

,
years before and sh e i s able t o see the dead ho ver near

,
their lo ved o nes wherever she go es S o when sh e co mes .
t o r eali ze what a str an g e visio n is hers she h a s n o ho rro r ,
o f death and when h er l o ver di es she do es n o t g riev e but

, ,
waits t o see hi m st and smiling beside h er a s in life Th e .

‘
them e of the story i s the nearness of the dead t o the livi ng ,
the thi n texture of the veil that separates the two worlds .
B asil King tells a p oi gnant st ory of a so ul try i ng vainly

t o return in b o dy to rig ht a wr o ng do ne in li fe but unable
t o acco mpli sh h er purp o se by phy sical m eans At last .
sh e eff ects it by i mpr essing the m ind o f a living wo m an
wh o carries out the sugg esti o n psy chically g i ven On e of .
the m o st effective recent acco unts of a Spirit s r eturn t o ’ '
earth to influence the li f e of the livi ng t o gi ve messages or ,
t o co ntro l desti ny i s i n E llen Glasgo w s The S had owy

’
,
2 04 Su p ern a tu ra l Life
Thi rd . the g ho st o f a child a little gi rl whom h er

H er e ,
stepfather has done t o death for h er mo ney returns t o ,
cause his death in an unusual way S h e thro ws h er little .
skipping rope car elessly on the stai rway where he must

-
tri p up in it when he sees h er phantom fig ur e i n front of

hi m in the g loom so t o f all headlo ng t o hi s death
, Thi s is .
an impressive reveng e g h o st .
H enry J am es based his gho st story The Tu rn of the ,
S crew on an incident rep orted t o the P sychi cal S o ci ety

, ,
of a spectr al o ld w o m an co rr upting the m i nd of a child .
Th e central char acter in Arnold B ennett s n o vel The

’
,
Ghost is a specter on e of the mo st r abi d reven g e g h o sts

, ,
in literature wh o is eaten up with jealo usy lest the wom an

,
he l oved in lif e shall care for s om e on e else Al g erno n .
B lackwo o d uses m uch ps y chical m aterial in his num ber

less stories of the supernatural often m entio ning the ,
wo rk of the S o ciety and Andrew Lang has co ntributed

,
m uch t o the subject Ar thur M achen has just published

.
a collectio n of sto ries of wa r appari tio ns that a re interest

-
ing psy chical specim ens called The B owmen In on e

, .
story i n the volum e he sho ws us h ow a co ntemp o rary

leg end ma y be bui lt up since from a short pi ece of fictio n
,
written by hi m has evolved the mass of m aterial r elating

t o the ang els at M o ns On e tale is a st o ry of the super
.
natural interventio n o f S aint Georg e and hi s army t o

drive back t h e Germ ans and save the ho ur f or the Allies ,
whi le another describes the vi sio n of a s oldier wo unded in

battle defending his co mrades wh o sees the l ong dead ,
-
hero es o f E ng land file past h i m t o pr aise him for his valor .
The minister g ives him wi ne t o drink and
Hi s voice was hushed For as he lo oked at the minister

.
t h e fashion of his vesture wa s cha n g ed H e was all in armo r .

,
if arm or be m ade of starlig ht of th e ro se of d awn and of sunset

, ,
fir es ; and he lifted up a g reat sword of flam e .

Full in the m idst his Cross o f Red

,
Trium p hant M icha el brand ished

An d tramp led the Ap o state s p ride
’
.
A no ther case of collective apparitio ns is the experience

o f a s oldier wo unded in battle wh o tells o f str ang e
, ,
fig hters wh o have come i n t o aid the Eng lish He thinks .
they a re som e of the tri besm en that B ritain employ s ,
but from his descriptio ns the minister knows that they

a re the l o ng dead Greeks wh o have ari sen t o take part in
-
the strug gle which their m o dern descendants a re r eluctant

t o share . These st ories a re o nly a few am o ng the m any
instances of supernaturalism in fictio n tr aceable to the
i nfluence of the wa r .
C ertai n vo lum es of g ho st st o ries have appeared claim ,
in g t o be n ot fictio n but f act acc o unts o f actual appari ,
tio ns seen and snap sho tted T his s ort of pro blem atic fi c
-
.
tio n is n ot new ho wever since Defo e lo ng a g o published

, ,
o n e o f the best of the ki nd the st o ry of M rs Veal wh o

, .
,
appear ed to h er friend M rs B a rg ra ve and co nver sed with

.
,
h er g r avely telling h er that heaven is m uch like the de

,
scri p ti o n s i n a certain reli g io us b oo k written sh ortly befor e
that S h e seem s very realistic with her dress of newly

.
,
sco ured sil k which h er friend r ubs between h er fing ers

, ,
and h er lif elik e co nversatio n This story has usually been .
r eg ar ded as o n e o f D efo e s lies lik e truth but r ecent

’
evidence leads on e t o believe that it is a rep ortorial acco unt

o f a g h o st st ory current at the tim e which missed being ,
r ep o rted t o the S o ciet y fo r P sy chical R esear ch m er ely
because the org anizatio n did n o t exist then Th e m o dern .
stories that stridently claim t o be real lack the interest

in m any instances that Mrs Veal is able t o i mpart and . ,
i n mo st cases the reader l o ses his taste fo r that s o rt of

ficti o n because i t i s rammed do wn his thro at for fact .
'
They d o n t i mpr ess on e either a s f act o r as ficti o n
’
.
,
20 6 Su p ern a tu ra l Li fe
On e the mo st interestin g aspects of the literature

of
r elating t o psy chic m atters in r ecent y ear s is the number
of b oo ks that clai m t o be spirit i nspir ed T hese i nstances

-
.
of psy cho g raphy a r e n o t what we m ig ht expect i mmo rtals
t o indite but it appears that ther e m ust be a m arked

,
decrease of intellig ence when on e reaches the o ther world .
Th e m essag es sent back by dead g enius lack the m aster

sty le even lacki ng that co ntrol o ver spelli ng and g r amm ar
,
whi ch l ow earth—b o und editors co nsider necessary B u t

, .
perhaps the spi rits of the great gro w tir ed of bei ng made
m esseng er b oy s and sh o w their resentm ent by literary
,
strikes Ani ta S il vani h a s published several volum es that

.
sh e claim s wer e written while she was in a sem i tr ance -

,
whi ch statem ent n o r eader will do ubt Her accomm odat .
i n g dictat o r f urnishes illustr atio ns for h er stuff as wel l
”
, ,
for she say s she wo uld have inner visio ns of the scenes
“
described as if a di ora m passed befor e h er These
, .
rom ances o f thr ee wo rlds a re quite peculiar p ro ductio ns .
T h e inner vo ices asked h er in advan ce n ot t o r ead a n y

literature on theo sophy or S piritualism or the super
natur al si nce they wished h er mind t o be free from a n y
p revi o us bias M rs E lsa B arker i s ano ther of these
. .
literary m edium s for she h a s put o ut two volum es of

,
letters in narr ative form which she m akes aff idavi t were ,
dictated t o h er by a disemb o died spirit the g host of the ,
late J udg e H atch of C alif ornia Sh e states that whil e she

, .
was sitting in her ro om in Paris on e d a y h er hand was ,
vi olently seized a pencil thru st into it and the autom atic

, ,
writin g beg an M rs C ampbell Pra ed is ano ther of these

. .
-
feminine sten o g rapher s for sp oo ks but like the r est she ,
has left n othin g that coul d well be included in a literary

antholo g y These spirit writer s tell us of lif e after death
.
-
,
but n othing that is a co ntributio n to exi sting i g n orance

o n the subject A ccording to J ud g e H atch wh o se p o st
.
,
mortem pen name is ! -

the present wa r h a s i ts parallel
,
Su p ern a tu ra l L i fe 207
in a co nfli ct of spi ri ts and the astral world is i n dire

,
co nfusion because of overcro wdi ng so that the s o uls of ,
the slai n must g o thro ugh torments and strug gle wi th

demo ns .
Th e m o st recent i nstance of psych ogr aphy co m es t o u s

by wa y of the o ui j a b o ar d from S t Lo ui s the authentici ty
- .
,
o f whi ch i s vo uched for by M r C asper Yo st of the edi t or .

,
i al st aff of th e Globe Democra t B ut if the ouija—b o ar d

-
.
di ctated the stori es and play s gi vi ng the name of P ati ence ,
Worth as the spi rit author a n d if Mrs Curran t ook them , .
do wn why do es Mr Yo st appear a s the aut hor ? P atience

, .
Worth says that she lived a long tim e a g o M r Y o st . .
i nsists that h er languag e i s E li zabethan but it seems ,
rather a curi o us cong l om er atio n unlik e any E lizabethan ,
sty le I a m f ami li ar wi th S h e h a s wri tten stori es l y ri cs

.
, ,
a lo ng dram a and o ther inf orm al compo si tio ns a ma r

, ,
vel on s o utput when o n e co nsiders the slow m o vements .
o f the o ui ja -b oard The co mm uni cati ons seem t o have

.
hum an i nterest and a certain li terary value tho ug h they ,
brin g u s n o messages from the E li zabethan sectio n of

eterni ty .
Automati c wri ti ng appea r s i n The Ma rti a n by Du M aur

i er wher e the spi ri t fro m M ar s causes B arty J o scelyn i n
,
hi s slee p to wri te b ooks i m po ss ible to hi m i n his waki n g

h o urs Th e ty pe h as been paro di ed by J ohn Kendri ck
.
B ang s i n hi s E ncha nted Typewri ter whi ch machi ne worked ,
i ndustrio usly r ecor di ng telegr aphi c despatches from acro ss

Oth
1
mpl s f th b k th t l im t b i pi d by pi i t
er exa e o e oo s a ca o e ns re s r s a re
A n A n g el Messa g e, B ein g a S eri e s of An g eli c an d Ho ly Co mm u ni ca ti on s

'
Rec ei ved by a Lad y ; N yn a , by Mrs Ca m bell -P ra ed ; Letters from a Li vi n g
. . p
D ead M a n , by E
l sa B arker , an d Wa r Letters f rom a Li vi n g Dead M a n ;
F
S tra ng er tha n i cti on , by Mary L Le wi s ; The S oul of the Moor , by S t ra ford
.
Joll y , Ida Lymond a nd Her H our of Vi si on , by Ho e Cra wford ; The Lif e p

Ely i s an; The Car of P hoebus; The H ereti c; A n A stral B ri deg room; hro ug h T
the M i sts, The Va grant S pi ri t, a n d L ea ves f rom the A utobi og ra p hy of a
S out i n P a ra di s e, by Robert James Lee T hi s la st-n amed g en tl ema n seems
.
p p
to be i n t o uch wi th s iri ts a s ra id in com o si tion a s Robert W Ch ambers p . .
208 S u p erna tu ra l Life
the Sty x . Th e i nvisible

perator gi ves o hi s name as Ji m
B o swell . T h e writer states :
substan ce o f the followin g p ag es has evolved itself

Th e
between the hour s of midn ig h t and fo ur o clo ck durin g a ’
,
p erio d of si x m on ths from a typ e writin g m a chine standing

-
,
in a corn er o f my libra ry manip ulated by un s een hand s

,
.
It i s astonishing h ow many gho sts a re try i ng t o break

into pri nt these day s An d after all what do the p oor
.
,
things g et out o f it ? N o royalties scant p raise and m uch , ,
ridicule when thei r s ty le fails to c o m e up t o speci ficati o ns .
Interesting psy chical m aterial i s fo und in a new volum e

o f play s by T heo d ore Drei ser He gi ves curi o us twi sts I
.
t o the unear thly as in The B l u e S p here wher e a shad o w

, ,
and a fast mail a re am o ng the dra ma ti s persona ty pify ing ,
the fate idea of the ol d dram a Th e shado w lures a child .
m onstro sity o u t on t o the railway track after he has ,
caused the elders t o leave the g ate Open a n d the tr ain , ,
made very hum an kills the child T h e psy chi c eff ects
, .
in In the D a rk a re even m ore peculiar the characters ,
including vario us spiri ts a wr aith and a g ho st with red , ,
ey es wh o circle ro und the human being s and fo rce them

,
t o disco ver a m urder that has been c o mm itted Th e .
eff ect of supernatural manifestatio n on anim als is broug ht

o ut her e in the bellowing o f th e bull and the bowling of
,
the do g s a s the gho sts pass by In A S pri n g Reci ta l tro o ps

”
.
o f ny m phs and ham adry ads fauns clo uds of lo athsom e ,
spirits of ba g s and wastrels persistences o f fish bir ds

“
and animals vari o us living and newly dead spirits
,
, , ,
wanderi ng in from the street the g ho st of an E nglish ,
m inister of S t Giles wh o died in 1 63 1 a monk of the

.
, ,
T hebaid o f date 300 and three p riests of Isis of 2 840

,
B C enter t o hear the o rganist play

. . He i s unaware that .
any b o dy i s heari ng his m usic save the fo ur hum an bei ngs

P l y f th N t
1
a s o l d th S p
e tu l
a ura an e u erna ra .
Su p erna tu ra l Li fe 20 9
who have happened i n These dramas of co urse a re purely

.
liter ary play s im p o ssible of presentati o n o n the stage

, ,
and i n thei r curi o us character sho w a li keness to som e of

the late German supernatur ali sm such as the play s of ,
Au g ust S tr amm T hey show in an extreme form the

.
tendency toward psychic material that the American and

E ngli sh dr am a h a s evi denced l ately .
Lif e af ter D e a th M ankind i s i mm ensely i nterested in

.
heaven and hell tho ugh he knows but little co ncerning

,
these places B u t man i s a bo rn traveler and gi ves m uch

.
tho ug ht to distant co untries whether he definitely expects

,
t o g o ther e o r n o t T his inter est is n o new thing for

.
,
classi cal my tholo gy i s full of do leful acco unts of the after

lif e Th e early E nglish stag e repr esented heaven and
.
hell in addi tion to the earth and E lizabethan dram a ,
shows many r ef erences to the un derworld with a strong ,
S enecan influence T her e a r e especially fr equent allusi o ns

.
t o certai n f am o us suff erer s in H ades as Ixi o n T antalus , , ,
Sisy phus and T ityus

, M o dern En g lish fictio n has like
.
wi se been influenced by the epic supernatur alism refl ect ,
ing the heaven and hell of D ante and M ilton Y et .
a s in his o wn thi nk in g each perso n lays o u t a C elestial
C ity for hi m self and pictures his own infern o t o fit hi s

i deas of m er cy and justice peo pling them with app ro priate
,
bein g s changi ng and coloring the co nceptions of B unyan

, ,
fo r instance t o suit hi s o wn desi res so it i s in fictio n

, , .
S o m e thi nk o f heaven and hell as definite places whi le t o ,
o ther s they a re states of m ind T o som e the devil is as

.
r eal a s i n the darkey folk s o ng wher e -

, ,
Up step p ed de d ebbil
Wid his iron wo oden shu bbil ,
Teari n u p de y earth wi d his bi g nail !

’
toe
-
whi le to o thers he i s an ico no clasti c new thought Heaven .
and hell have been treated i n every co ncei vable way in

I4
2 10 Su p erna tu ra l L ife
E ngli sh ficti on — co nventi o nally sy mboli cally humoro usly , , ,
and satiri cally so that on e m ay choo se the ty pe he prefers

,
.
T here a re eno ugh kinds to g o around .
Am o ng the p o rtray ers o f the tr aditi o nal h eaven and

hell Mrs E lizabeth S tuart Phelps War d is p rominent
. .
Her wo rks on co ntem p orary i mm ortalit y a re sai d to have

had a trem endous vo g ue in the perio d following the Ci vi l
Wa r when death had claim ed so m any that the livi ng
,
were thinki ng of the other wo rld m ore than of thi s H er .
pictures of heaven in Ga tes Aja r are comforti ng for she ,
assures to each perso n hi s own dearest wi sh i n ful fillment ,
t o the am bitio us y o uth his b o oks t o the y o ung gi rl h er ,
pi ano and to the small child h er gi ng er snaps i nstead of

,
-
ear thly bread and butter In The Ga tes B etween the .
phy sici an suddenly ki lled finds him self embarr assed by

, ,
imm ortality He do esn t know h ow t o adjust himself to

.
’
eternit y and at first brings m any of earth s p ro blem s wi th ’
hi m . In the third of the series The Ga tes B eyond sh e , ,
describes a very m aterial y et spiri tual heaven B o dies .
a re m uch like th o se o n earth n o t vap oro us p rojectio ns ; ,
there a re m useums ho spitals uni versi ti es teleph o nes

, , , ,
concerts and all u p to date improvem ents and convem

- -
i en ces Th e dead wom an di scovers that sh e rem ember s

.
what she read on earth takes pleasure in sim ple thing s ,
such a s the smell o f mi g no nette hears the bir ds sing a ,
Te Deum whi le a broo k and a bir d sin g a duet and the

, ,
leaves a re also vo cal There i s a Universal Lang uag e

.
which m ust be learned by each s o ul and heaven h olds ,
al l s orts of o ccupatio ns m aterial mental and spi ritual

, , , .
She say s that near earth a re many earth b o und spiri ts
”
-
o ccupied in l ow and co arse and selfi sh way s wh o

lack “ spiritual mom entum to g et away “ They .
,
loved nothi ng li ved for no thi ng believed i n n o

, ,
thing they cul tivated themselves for no thi ng but the

,
earth — whi ch may be compared wi th the state

,
Su p ern a tura l Li fe 21 1
of the so uls on Fif th Avenue described by Granvil le ,
B arker .
M rs Ward s pi ctures of heaven m a y seem sentim ental

.
’
and co nventio nal to us t o da y y et to be appreci ated they

-
,
must be c o nsidered in r elatio n t o the r elig ious tho ug ht of

h er t i m e Sh e r ep r esented a r eactio n ag ainst the ri g id
.
theolo g y the stern co ncepts of an older gener atio n than

,
h er own and she wi shed t o m ake heaven mor e h om elik e

, .
S he did have an influence i n h er d a y as m a y be i llus ,
t r a t ed by a r emark fro m a serm o n r ecently deli ver ed by

a N ew York pastor that the reading of h er bo oks had
,
exerted a great i nfluence o ver him that they m ade h eaven ,
o ver fo r h i m .
M rs Oli phant i s ano ther of the co nduct o rs of fictive

.
C oo k s t o ur s thro ug h heaven and hell after the fashio n

’
,
started by D ante and M ilto n and mo dernized by Mrs ,

.
Ward S h e devo tes volumes t o describi ng the future

.
worlds in their relation to m ortal destiny On e story .

I
tells of a s o ul that com es back from purgatory to be

comf orted by the o l d mini ster and sent away happy ;
another is the acco unt of a spirit r eturning fro m heaven
2
t o rig ht a wro n g that h er husband i s do ing ano ther S till .
another gi ves the experiences of a wom an wh o i s dis

3
tressed when she finds herself in heaven because sh e has ,
hidden h er wil l and her y o ung niece is thereby left penni

less but sh e asks advi ce o f vari ous celestial autho ri ties
,
and finally succeeds in returnin g t o earth and ri g htin g

m atter s A B elea g u ered Ci ty i s a pecul iar st ory of a
.
French to wn besieg ed by the dead wh o drive out the ,

"
i nhabitants because of their cr uelty t o war d s o me nuns .
A strang e g loom pervades the place \the cathedral bells ,
ri n g o f themselves and flami ng signs appear on the chur ch

,
do ors ti ll after much penance the citizens a re allowed to

,
r eturn and the in vading h o sts fro m eterni ty withd raw .
The Open Door . The P ortra i t .

3 Ol d La dy Ma ry .
21 2 Su perna tu ra l Life
In on e story M rs Oliphant g ives h er i deas of heaven a s

,
1
. ,
a place of lig ht of rest of joy of service where the great

, , , ,
angel P ain helps the so uls t o wisdom In a counter .
picture she shows hell the world o f the unhappy dead

,
2
, ,
where a re cruelty selfishness suffering a world filled , , ,
wi th tears that drip fro m earth Y et it i s a hell as well .
r egul ated as thoro ug hly discipli ned as a Germ an mu

,
n i ci p a li ty wi th vario us punishm ents

,
the mo st terri ble ,
—
being a lecture platform from which are deli vered eternal

addresses .
T hese wo uld be r eali stic st ories of heaven and hell

- -
s om eh o w leave the reader cold after Dante and M ilto n , ,
ho wever m uch on e m a y feel the sin cerity of the authors .
H eaven and hell a re such vast p ro vi nces that o n e canno t

chart them i n i mag in ation suffi ciently t o g rasp s om ebo dy
else s concept in story
’
.
Other st ories of l i f e after death gi ven fro m the spiri t ,
ang le r ather than from the m ortal p oint of view as in

m o st g h o st st ories a re am o ng the recent ty pes o f super
,
naturalism Al ice B rown has several stories of the kind

.
,
in on e sho wing a wom an wh o comes t o tell h er friend n ot

t o be afraid o f dy i n g because Ther e is m uch like H er e , ,
and ano ther sy m b olic of the p ower of love t o come back

even from the pit of blackness after death Olivia Howar d .
D unbar s The S hell of S en se g ives the psy cho si s of a

’
woman wh o cann o t g o to heaven because she i s jealo us of

h er husband S h e sees the form o f the wind hea rs the
.
,
ro ses o pen in the garden and senses m any thing s u n ,
kn own t o hum an bei ng s y et is actuated by very hum an ,
m otives K atherine B utler su g g ests that death m ust be a

.
3
painless pro cess and the after lif e m uch like mort al i ty ,
sin ce the m a n doesn t reali ze that he is dead but attempts

’
t o g o ab out h i s aff air s as usual .
I
Th L ttl P i l g i m i th U
e i e r Th L nd f D k e n seen . e an o a r n ess .
3 In In N o S tra ng e L a nd .
S u p ern a tu ra l Life 213
Th e symboli c treatment o f the theme of life after

death is m ore eff ecti ve and sho ws m ore literary a rt than
the co nventional pi ctur es of M rs War d s and Mrs .
’
.
Oli phant s N O hum an vo cabulary i s able t o describe

’
.
imm ortality of g l o ry or despair hence i t is m or e eff ective ,
m erely t o sug g est the th o ught by alleg ory or sy m b o lism .
H awth orne gives us a sy m b olic m oralit y i n The Cel es ti a l

Ra i l roa d wher e he pictu res the ro ad between heaven
,
and hell drawi ng on B uny an s im agery to describe the

,
’
landscape and characters Ap olly o n is eng ineer and .
emits r ealistic blasts of smo ke E u g ene Fi eld tells of a .

I
mo the r just entering heaven wh o asks an ang el where

she m a y find h er little baby dead l o ng a g o to whom the , ,
ang el whispers that she is the babe g rown t o m aturity ,
in P aradise J ulian H awthor ne s L overs i n H ea ven i s a

.
’
sy m bolic pictur e of the after lif e wher e a m a n just dead ,
g o es i n search o f the bel o ved he l o st l o ng befo r e He sees .
h er on the f ar sl o pe of a heavenly hill but befor e he can ,
r each h er the devil appea rs t o hi m i n his o wn d o uble

“
”
,
the S atan of m ine o wn self the part of m e wherein Go d ,
had n o shar e This is a quite m o dern c o ncept of

.
diabolism B u t lo ve strug gles to save hi m and he resists

.
,
his evil self .
Ahri nzi ma n by Anita S ilvani sho ws lurid pi ctures of

, ,
the world t o come In the Inf erno of the D ark S tar the
.
so ul sees the attendant g enii of his lif e each sy mb oli zi ng ,
som e passi o n of hi s nature Ther e a re horrible astral .
birds and beasts and combi nati o n s unknown to m ortal

bi ol o gy whi le vultures hover overhead and a foul astral
,
o do r fills the a i r Th e sp i ri ts a re of pecul i ar substance

.
,
for they fi g ht and slay each o ther som e being t or n to ,
pieces Th e so ul is supp o sed t o pro gress to war d the Silver

.
and later the Golden S tar M arie Corelli s Roma nce of .

’
Two Worlds i s a queer pro ducti o n preaching the d o ctri ne ,
In The M other i n P a radi se .

2 14 Su p erna tura l L ife
of psychi cal electri ci ty whi ch i s to be a sort of wo nder

,
worki ng m ag i ci an and in o ther novels sh e gi ves theori es of

,
radi o activi ty
-
a theo so phi cal cur e all for thi s world and
,
-
the next .
A Vi si on of Judg men t by H G W ells is a sati re o n ,

. .
,
m an s judg m ent of sin and char acter and of desti ny after

’
death sho wing the pettiness and folly of Ahab pro ud of

, ,
hi s sins and the hy p r o cri sy of a so cal led sai nt con

,
-
,
cei t ed o ver hi s self t orture At last the two sa t si de by
”
- .
si de stark of all illusio ns in the shado w of the robe of

, ,
Go d s chari ty like bro thers Th e pictur e of Go d and

’
, .
the throne vani sh and they beho ld a land austere and

beauti ful wi th the enli g htened soul s of men i n clean
,
bo dies all abou t hi m This sy m b olic alleg ory setting .
forth the shallo wness o f hum an judgm ent as set against

Go d s clarity of visi o n and chari ty o f wi sdom i s lik e Osc ar
’
Wilde s The H ou se of Ju dg men t a terri ble piece of sy m

’
,
boli sm expr essed in a few words A soul wh o h a s been .
altog ether evil com es at last before God to be judged .
Go d Speaks t o hi m of his vileness h i s cruelty hi s selfi sh , ,
ness to all of which the s oul m akes co nfessio n of gui lt

,
.
An d G o d ,l sing the book of the man s Life said Sur ely

c o
’
, ,
I will send thee into Hell Even un to H ell will I send .
thee .
An d the m a n cri ed out Tho u canst no t ! ,
An d God s a id t o the ma n Wherefore ca n I n ot send thee ,
t o H ell and for what rea so n ?

“B ecause in Hell I have always lived answered the ma n
,
,
.
An d th ere wa s silenc e in the house of judgm en t .
An d aft er a sp ace Go d sp ake and said t o the m a n S eeing ,
that I ma y n ot s en d thee into H ell I will send thee into ,
H eaven S urely un to Heaven I will send thee

“
. .
An d th e m a n cried ou t Thou can st n ot ! ,
An d Go d said t o the m a n Wherefore can I n ot send thee ,
unto Heaven and for what reason ? ,

B ecausenever and in n o p lace have I been able

, , , to
imag ine it an swered the ma n .
An d there was silen ce i n the house of judg ment .
'
T h e fact that a man s tho ughts make hi s heaven or hi s
’
hell i s bro ug ht out in a recent b ook The Ca se of John ,
S mi th by E li zabeth B i sl a n d whe re the central character

, ,
r ecei ves a r evelat i o n while worki ng at his typ ewriter o n e
da y. Th e m essa g e say s
“Oh P eevish and P erverse !
, ,
H ow kn ow y ou that y ou have n ot died elsewher e and that

this i s n ot the H eaven whi ch there y ou dream ed ? H ow
”
kn o w y ou that y o ur H ell m a y n o t lie o nly in n ot re
co g nizing this as H eaven ?
In m any recent ex amples of allegory and sy mboli sm w e
'
g et suggestive im pr essi o ns of the o ther lif e of the so ul s ,
r ealities . S om e of these have the inevitable wor ds ,
the fatal phrases that seem to penetrate into the real

heaven and hell for us Th e m o st rem ark able i nstance
.
o f symb o li c t reatm ent of the af ter lif e i s in S ou ls on Fi fth -

,
by Granvi lle B arker wher e the spirits of the dead a re

,
r ep r esented as unable t o r ise ab o ve the level o f the i deals
they had held in lif e and drift endlessly up and do wn the

,
Avenue s om e in the f orm of tarn ished gi lt s om e wi th

, ,
whi te plag ue sp o ts of co wardice or blisters of slandero us ,
tho ughts s om e horny with selfishness some wi th lines of

, ,
secr et cruelty T here a re few squares but m o stly irr egular

.
shapes of sin .
Th e purely humoro us tr eatm ent of lif e after death the ,
comic pi ctures of heaven and hell a re o f a piece with the ,
h urri orou s tr eatm ent o f o ther phases o f supernaturali sm ,
and a re distinctly m o dern Th e fli p p a n t w a y in whi ch .
sacred subjects are han dl ed i s a fa r cry fro m the heaven

and hell of D ante and M i lto n Mo dern wri ters slap the .
devi l on the back m ake fun of the archangels and appeal

,
t o the ri di culo us i n on e tim e sacr ed si tua ti on s wi th a

-
,
216 Su p erna tu ra l Life
fr eedom that wo uld have made the P uri tans gasp For .
i nstance S t P eter has been the butt of so m any j okes

, .
that he i s really hackn eyed .
Th e F ly ing D utchman , wh om B rander M atthews

i ntro duces in hi s P ri mer of Ima gi n a ry Geog ra phy and ,
wh o says that the W andering Jew is the o nly perso n he

can have a n y satisfact ory chats wi th n o w speaks of ,
kno win g Charo n wh o keeps the f erry acro ss the S tyx

”
, .
I m et hi m last m onth and he wa s very pro ud of his n ew

electri c launch wi th i ts storag e battery He say s that .
hell i s n ow li g hted by electricity and that Plu to has put

in all the mo dern improvements J ohn K endrick B angs .
,
in hi s H ou se boa t on the S tyx bring s to g ether the sh ades

-
,
of m any i llust ri o us perso ns ; Q ueen E lizab eth Walter ,
R aleigh S o crates ! antippe C aptain K idd and m any

, , , ,
o thers . From them we g et pictures of the life after death

and of their characteristic attitudes toward it and each
o ther
. H e co ntinues the situati o n in The Pu rsui t of the
H ouse boa t as the redo ubtable C aptain Kidd m akes off
-
,
with the ship and the ladies leaving all the m en behind , .
B ut they follow the b old buccaneer and after exciti n g

adventures r eaching fro m the S ty x to P aris they recap ,
ture the f air C aroly n W ells has r ecently gi ven us a

.
S ty x River Anthol ogy In mo dern stories we visi t the

.
comi c devil on his native heath see him in hi s own h ome ,
town as in previous chap ters we discussed h i m in hi s

,
appearances on earth K iplin g s The L a s t of the S tori es

.
’
shows us the H ades o f li terary endeavor the lim b o of lo st ,
char acters p resided o ver by a larg e and lumino us devi l

,
o f fluent t o ngue K iplin g reco gnizes m any perso ns fro m

.
ficti on and sees vario us tortures in pro cess All do

, .
o bei sance t o the shade o f R abelais the M aster K i pling , .
i s terri fied by the characters he him self h a s bro ught i nt o

bei ng and begs to hide hi s face from them F M ari o n . .
Crawf ord g i ves us ano ther gli mpse of li ter ary eter
n i ty , where the spirits of learned per so nag es meet and

di scuss li f e A recent p o em descri bes a m eeting and di a
.
lo gu e in Hades between Chaucer and Cr essi da .
It i s p o ssibly B er nard S haw wh o wo uld be mo st li able

t o pr o secuti o n by the devi l fo r l ése m ajest é f or in M a n -
,
a n d S uperma n M ine Ho st o f the Pi t i s r epr esented a s an

,
aff able g entleman wh o tri es to mak e hell attracti ve to

hi s g uests and exercises n ot the least co nstr ai nt on thei r
,
m o vem ents They a re free to leave hi m and g o to heaven

.
if they lik e — h e o nly warns them that they wi ll find it

,
ti resom e H e co nverses with Don J uan and a co uple of

.
o ther blas é mo r tals utteri ng S havian ic o no clasm s wi th an

,
a i r o f c o urteo us b or ed om He i s very di ff erent from the

.
sinister pers o nag e of co nventio nal fictio n .
M ark T wain h a s gi ven humoro us views of hea ven i n his

E xtract f rom Ca pta i n S tormfield s Vi si t to H ea ven A bluff
’
.
,
hearty old salt finds the celesti al r egi o ns very di ffer en t

fro m the tr aditi o nal descri pti ons of them Th e heavenly .
citi zens a re a p olit e s et wishf ul for hi m t o do what he

,
li kes yet he tires of the thing s he tho ught paradise

,
c o nsi sted of lay s aside h i s harp and cro wn and tak es hi s

, ,
win g s off for g reater ease H e finds his pleasures in the

.
m eetin g of an o ccasi onal patri arch or p rophet and the , ,
excitem ent of the entry of a co nverted bartender fro m

J ersey Ci ty He changes hi s views on many p oints say ing
”
.
,
for i n stance I begi n to see a m an s g ot to be in hi s own ’
heaven to be happy and again H appiness ain t a , ,

’
thing i n itself i t s o nly a c o ntrast with s om ethi ng that

,
’
‘
ain t pleasant
’
Ag ai n S andy his fri end say s f I wish
.
, , ,
ther e wa s som ething i n that miser able S piritualism so we

"
co uld send the folks word ab o ut it .
S om ethin g of the sam e c om binati o n of humor and

earnestness is found in N i cholas Vachell Lindsay s p o em ’
Gen era l Wi lli a m B ooth E n ters i n to H ea ven .
I A m g th I mm t l
n on e or a s .
218 S up erna tu ra l Li fe
B ooth led boldly with his bi g bass drum ,
A re you wa shed i n the bl ood of the L a mb?
‘ '
Th e s ain ts smiled gr avely as they said He s com e
’
.
,
A re y ou wa shed i n the bl ood f

o the L a mb
( B a ss drums )
Walking l ep ers followed ,
a k on rank r n ,
Lurchin g bravo s from the ditches dank ,
Drabs from the all ey way s a n d drug fien ds p ale

- -
M in ds still p assio n ridd en s o ul p ower frail !

-
,
-
Vermin eaten saint s with mouldy breath

-
,
Unwa shed leg ions with the way s of death ,
A re you wa shed i n the bl ood f the L a mb

o
(Reverently
sung — n o instrum ents)
An d whil e B o oth halted by the curb for p ray er
H e saw his M aster thro ug h the fl a g fill ed a i r - .
Christ came g ently with a robe a n d crown

For B ooth the soldier while the crowd kn elt down
,
.
He saw King J esus— they were fac e t o face

An d h e knelt a weep in g in that holy p lace
- .
A re you wa shed i n the bl ood f

o the L a mb
This combi nati o n of realism with idealism of hom ely ,
detai ls wi th celestial sy m bolism is also seen in ano ther ,
r ecent p o em The M a n wi th the P i g eons by Wi lli am Ro se

, ,
B enet wh o sho ws u s t wo pictu res the first of a tramp i n

, ,
M adiso n S quare Garden wh o l o ves the pi geons an d h a s

,
them ever clustering aro und hi m in devo tion Th e next .
i s of heaven wi th the celesti al g ar dens wher e amo ng the

, ,
g ol dh a i red ang els the ol d tr am p stands at h ome still ,
wearing hi s rusty sho es and battered derby hat Th e .
quaint commi ng li ng of f ancy and fact r emi nds us of

H a nn el e s dream s of heaven in H auptm ann s H a nnele
’ ’
, ,
where the scho olmaster i s co nfused wi th the angels and ,
heaven and the sordid li ttle room a re s om eho w uni ted .
H G Wells i n A Wonderf ul Vi si t sh o ws u s an o ther

. .
,
side of the picture for he dr aws an angel do wn and le ts

,
hi m tell the ci ti zens of the earth of the land he comes from .
I m ake n o attempt i n this di scussio n to deci de co ncerni ng

the per sonality of ang els whether they a re the spiri ts
,
o f the just m ade perf ect o r p re A d a m i te creatures that -
never were and never co uld be m a n For the p r esent .
purpo se they a re si mply ang els T hi s b ook of Wells s

, .
’
is an examp le of the satiric treatm ent of heaven and earth

that co nstitutes a special p o int of im p ortance i n the
mo dern supernaturalism It is a so cial satire and a
.
,
burlesque on the formal and insincere manifestati o ns of

r eligi o n .A vicar takes a p ot sho t at what he supp o ses is a
r ar e bir d seeing a r ainb ow flash in the sky
, but instead —
, ,
an ang el co m es tum bling down with a brok en wi ng T his .
thrusts hi m up o n the vicar as a g uest for s o me tim e and ,
intro duces co mplications in the villag e lif e Th e parish .
i on ers d o n ot believe in an g els save in stained g lass win

do ws o r in chur ch on S unday and they m ake lif e di ffi cult,
for the vicar and hi s guest Th e ang el shows a hum an

.
sense of humor that quai nt phi lo so phy o f the inco ng ru ous

,
which i s the basis of all tr ue hum o r and his nai ve com ,
m ents o n earthly c o nventio ns hi s smilin g wo nder at the ,
p o pular m isco nceptio ns in reg ard t o his heaven to whi ch —
he i s surprised to lear n that m ortals a re tho ught to g o ,
since he say s he has never seen a n y there— m ak e h i m a

lo vable char acter B ut vi llag e cust om co mpels hi m to
.
fo ld h i s shi ning wi n g s under a co at till he l oo ks like a

hunch back p ut bo ots o n so that he has ho of s lik e a
-
,
hi p p o g ri f a s he plainti vely says t o the vicar and he finds

, ,
co nformity to co nventi o n a pai nful p ro cess Th e novel .
ends sadly sym bolizi ng the wo rld s stupi d har shness for
,
’
,
the an g el i s sent away fro m the village a s unworthy t o

li ve am o ng the people and hi s heart is almo st broken
,
.
T h e same type of humor and sati re may be fo und

in James S t ep h en s s The Demi Gods and in Anatole
’
-
,
Fr ance s The Revolt of the An g els S t ep hen s s novel

’
, .
’
2 20 Su p erna tu ra l Li fe
co ntai ns an i nsert of a short story of heaven p re ~
vi o u sly published which depi cts a preli mi nary ski r

,
mi sh in heaven o ver a c oin a corpse has had left i n hi s

hand and has taken t o eternity with hi m In each novel .
several ang els co m e tum bling do wn from heaven and take

up earthly lif e as they find i t engag ing i n aff air s n ot ,
co nsidered ang elic S tephens in additio n to the two .

,
fig hting celestials g ives us an archang el a seraph and a

, , ,
cherub There is in b o th sto ries a certai n embarrassm ent

.
o ver cl o thes the f allen o nes arriving in a state o f nudi ty

, .
Th e necessity for d onning earthly garm ents the r em oval ,
o f the wing s and the adaptati o n to human li f e f urni sh

,
complicatio n and inter est with the added femi nine ,
elem ent tho ug h S t ep h en s s novel is n o t marred by th e

,
’
unclean im agi ning s o f A natole Fr ance .
Th e r evolters in the F r en ch n o vel take up P arisian lif e ,
while S tep h en s s ang elic trio j oin an itinerant ti nker and

’
hi s dau g hter wh o a re j o urneyi ng aimlessly ab o ut aecom ,
p a n i ed by a cart and a sad eyed phil o s o pher an ass

-
, .
They eng ag e in activi ties and j oy s n o t c o nventi o nall y

archang elic such as sm oking com cob pipes eatin g cold
,
-
,
po tato es and when necessary stealing the p otato es The

, , ,
.
contr asts between heavenly ideas and Irish tramp lif e a re

inimitable At last when the three having decided to g o
.
,
back t o heaven do n their wing s and cro wns and say

,
g o o d by e the cher ub turns back fo r o n e m or e wor d of

-
,
f arewell with M ary S eein g h er tear s o ver hi s go ing he

.
,
tears his shining wing s t o shreds and casts them fro m him ,
electing t o stay on earth with the tinker s cart for the ’

,
sake of lo ve It is r eally quite a demi g o d li ke thi ng t o do

.
- -
.
Unlike France s bo o k which is a blasting sati re on

’
,
r elig io n these two Eng lish no vels a re am usi ng

, with a ,
certain measure of satire y et wi th a whim sicality that ,
do es n ot antagonize France s ang els remai n on earth .

’
and become more corrupt than men and Wells s wonderful ,

’
Su p ern a tu ra l L ife 22 1
vi si t or i s bani shed from the vi llag e as an undesirable

a l i en S tep h en s s archangel and seraph g o back t o heaven
’
.
after their vacation whil e the cherub turns his back o n

,
mm ort a l g lory rather than b reak a wo m an s heart In ’

.
all three of these b ook s we no tice the same leveling

tendency sho wn in characteri zatio n of the angels that we
have o bserved heretofor e in the case of gho sts and devils ,
werewolves and wi tches Th e an g els a re hum an wi th

, .
,
charm ing pers onality and a piquant sense of humor ,

who se attempts to understand m ortal conventio ns r eveal
the essential absur dity of earthly ideas in m any instances .
Th e three taken t o g ether co nstitute an inter estin g case of

literary par allelism and it wo uld be g r atify ing t o disco ver
whether France was influenced by Wells and S tephens or ,
S tephens by W ells and F r ance but in a n y event Wells

,
—
can p rove a clear alibi as t o im itatio n si nce hi s novel ,
appear ed a num ber o f y ears before the o thers Th e .
p o ssible inspi ratio n for all of these in B y ro n s H ea ven ’
a n d E a rth su g gests an interestin g investi g ati o n A mo r e .
r ecent st o ry The Ti cket of L ea ve A n g el bring s an ang el

,
- -
,
down t o a N ew York apartment where he h a s peculiar ,
experiences and illustrates a new ty pe of ang elic

psy chol og y T h e tendency t o satiri ze immortality h a s
.
crept even i nto p o etry for in a recent volum e by R uper t

,
B rooke ther e a re sever al satiric studies On e entitled .

,
On Certa i n P roceedi n g s f
o the P sy chi ca l Resea rch S oci ety ,
ridicul es the idea that spi its w d etu n ea thr o ul r r to r to

deli ver the trivial messag es attributed to them and ,
ano ther H ea ven is a vitriolic thrust at the ho pe of a

, ,
better lif e after death sneering at i t wi th unpleasant

,
im ag ery .
On e of the r ecent instances o f sati ri c pictur es of the

hereafter i s Lor d Dunsa n y s The Gli tteri n g Ga te a on e
’
,
act dr ama where B ill and Ji m two burg lars crack the
, , ,
gate of heaven to get in S ardonic l aug hter s o unds whil e

.
2 22 S u p erna tu ra l L ife
they a re eng aged in the eff ort t o eff ect an entr ance and ,
wonderin g what heaven will be like B il l thi nks that hi s .
mo ther wil l be there .
I do n t kn ow if they wan t a g ood mother in there wh o

’
woul d be kind to th e an g els a n d sit a n d smile at them when they

sing a n d soothe th em if they were cross (S udd enly ) Ji m
,
.
,
they wo n t have broug ht m e u p ag ainst h er will th ey ?

’
,
Ji m : It wo uld be just like them to Very like them . .
When the g littering gate of heaven swing s o pen and the

two t o ughs enter ea g e rly they find no thing , abs olutely —
no thin g but em pty space and the sardo ni c laughter ,
s ounds in their ear s B ill cries ou t It is just lik e them !

"'
.
,
Very like them

Wa s n ot this suggested by R upert B rooke s p o em ’
,
Fa i lu re?
In the sto ries treating satirically or hum orously of the
f utur e lif e we find the purp o se i n r eality t o be t o im age this
life by il lustratio n of the o ther E ternity is described i n
.
or der t h at we m a y understand tim e a little better A n g els .
and devil s a re m ade like m en t o sho w m o rtal p oten ,
ti a li ti es either wa y Th e absurdit i es o f m ankind a re

.
i llustr ated as seen by an g el ey es the fo llies as satiri zed ,
by devi ls Th e tendency n ow is t o tr eat supernatural

.
lif e humorously sati rically or sy m bolically rather than

, ,
with the conventional m etho ds of the past C omm o n .
place treatment of g reat subjects is liable t o be un sa ti s

fact ory and a n y serio us treatment o ther than sy m b olicall y
, ,
si mple of heaven or hell seems flat after Dante an d

,
Mi lt o n .
In consi deri ng these vario us ty pes of stori es dealing

wi th supernatural lif e whether c o nt i nued bey o nd the
,
mortal span on earth renewed by reincarnati o n o r t aken

, ,
up in an other world after death we find that several ,
f acts seem t o appear Wi th ref erence t o the type cho sen for
Su p erna tu ra l L ife 23
treatment by m en a s di sti nct from

women and vi ce ,
versa . S o far as my search h a s g o ne

I have fo und n o
,
i nstance in E n g lish literature where a wom an has used

either the motif of the Wanderi ng Jew or the E lixir of
Lif e I do n ot sa y that n o such i nstances exist but I have
.
,
n o t fo und them C armen S y lva i s the o nly woman I

.
kn ow of at a ll wh o h a s taken up the char acterizati o n of

the Wandering Jew On the o ther hand wom en wri te
.
,
o ften o f heaven m o st o f the st ories o f c o nventio nal i deas

,
of heaven bein g by wo m en Where men have pictur ed

.
heaven or hell they have do ne it for the mo st part humor

o usly satiri cally o r sy mbolically They seem t o curve
, .
ro u nd the subject r ather than t o appro ach it di r ectly .
Yet where it is a questi o n of co ntinui ng lif e here in this

world by means o f an elixir o r o ther m etho d or a s an
, ,
ever livi n g being like the Jew m en have used the them e
-
,
fr equently S ince fictio n d o es r eflect o ur tho u g ht lif e

.
-
and our i ndi vi dual as well as r acial preferences the co n ,
el usi o ns that might be dr awn if o n e wer e sur e o f their

,
basi s wo uld be in teresting Ca n it be that men a re more

, .
deeply i nterested i n this lif e on earth and cli ng to i t i n

tho ught m ore tenaci o usly than women and that wom en ,
a re m or e t ruly ci tizens of the o ther wo rld ? Ar e m en

skeptical of the exi stence of any but a sati ric or symboli c
heaven or m erely do ubtful of reaching ther e ?
,
CHAP TE R VI
Th e Su p e rn a tu ra l in Fo l k -T a l es
E folk-tale i s the n ew fashi ons i n ficti on

on e o f .
T rue folk lore h a s l ong co nsti tuted an i m p o rtant

,
-
element of li terature constan tly r ecurri ng i n p oetry

,
parti cul arly i n the ballad i n the drama the novel an d

, , ,
sh o r t st o ry Yet i t h as been in so luti on It h as n ot been

. .
tho ug ht i mp ortan t eno ug h to meri t consi derati on for i ts

own sake but h a s been rather ap ologi zed for co vered up
, ,
wi th o ther m ateri al s so that i ts p resence i s scarcely

,
reco gnized N ow h owever a s Professor Ki ttredge say s

.
, , ,
folk l ore i s n o l o nger on the def ensi ve which f act i s evi

-
,
dent ln ficti on as elsewhere S cholars of our d ay a re .
eag erly hunti ng down the var io us forms of folk lor e t o -
preserve them i n li teratur e before they vani sh co m

p l etely and learned s o cieties are recordi ng wi th c ar e the
,
my ths and legends an d supersti ti o ns of peasants M any .
volumes have appeared gi ving in li terary form the fictio ns

of vario us r aces and tribes and comparati ve folk lore,
-
i s fo und to be an eng ro ssi ng science .
f Th e supernatural form s a larg e element of folk literat ur e -

.
Th e tr adi ti ons and st ori es that c ome d own t o us fro m the

chi ldh oo d of any race are lik e the stori es that chi ldr en
deli ght i n tales of the mar velo us of the i mpossi ble of
, , ,
magi c and wonder F olk l i ter atur e reeks li ttle o f r eal i sm

-
l It revels i n the romanti c the mysti c Tales of gods a n d

. .
, .
demi go ds of gi ants and demons of fai ry-folk of ani mals

-
, , ,
224
The Su p ern a tu ra l i n F o lk - T a l es 22 5
endowed wi th human p o wers of speech and cunni ng of ,
super natur al flora as well a s fauna of gho sts devils of , , ,
sai nts and miracles a re the frame work of such ficti o n

, ,
- .
E ngli sh litera ture i s especi ally ri ch in these collecti o ns ,
for n ot o nly a re the sectio ns of English speaking co untri es -
themselves fortunate fields for supernatural folk tales .

-
,
but the E nglish bei ng a r ace of colo nizers have go ne , ,
f a r in m any lands and from the distant corners of the

earth have written down the leg ends of m any tribes and
nations This discussi o n do es n ot take into co nsider atio n
.
pri maril y folk tales translated from other languages bu t

-
,
deals only with tho se appearing in E ng lish thoug h of , ,
co ur se in m any cases they a re transcripts from the sp oken

, ,
dialects of other peo ple B ut it is for their appear ance

”
.
a s E n g li sh fictio n n ot fo r thei r value as folk lo r e that,

-
,
they a re taken up here .
Wherever in fictio n the life of the peasant class is

definitely tr eated there i s likely t o be fo und a g oo d deal o f
,
folk lo re in the form o f superstitio ns tabo o s racial

-
, ,
traditio ns of the supernatural This is p resent t o a .
m arked degree i n the st ori es o f S i r W alter S co tt and in ,
fact o n e mi g ht write a volum e on the supernatur al in

S co tt s work alo ne
’
For example we have Ori ental
”
.
,
m agi c and wo nder supernatur al visio n superhum an ,

I
,
2
fo rekn owled g e unearthly stirs , the White Lady of

3
,
4
A venel the ba h r
, i
ge st 6
5
besides hi s use of diabo lism witch , ,
craft and so forth already di scussed T hom as H ar dy s

, .
’
work r elating as it do es alm o st wholly to rustic life is rich

, ,
i n superstiti o ns and traditio ns of the peasants The .
'
Wi thered A rm g i ves a gruesom e acco unt of a wom an s
attempt to cure h er afflictio n by to uching h er a rm to the
c o rpse of a m an wh o has been hanged the compli catin g ,
'
1
In The Ta li s ma n . In My A un t M a rg a ret s Mi rror .
3 In The Two Drovers .

4 In Woodstock .
5 In The Mon a stery .

6
In The B etrothed .
Is
226 The Su p erna tura l i n F o lk-T a l es
horror bei ng furni shed by the f act that the yo uth i s h er

husband s secret son He gi ves a story o f a super
’
.
I
natur al co ach that heralds certain events i n the famil y

lif e charms for securing lo ve as for m aking refractory
,
butter com e when the churn is bewitched and so ,
fo rth . Si milar elem ents o ccur in o thers of hi s n o vels

and sto ries Eden Phillp o tts ficti on ‘ sho ws a larg e a d
.
’
m ixture of the folk supernatur alism of the D artm o or

-
peasants as do Lorna Doone Wutheri n g H ei g hts and

, ,
numberless other n ovels and stories of o ther secti o ns .
T her e a re g uild superstitio ns reflected in the work of

'
vari ous wri ters of the sea as in W W Jacobs stories , . .
,
for instance tales of m ining lif e and so on

, , .
Am erican ficti on is equally rich in such m aterial .
S t ories of the S o uth sh owing lif e in c o ntact with the

,
neg ro es r eveal it t o a m arked deg ree a s in the work

, ,
o f T h om as N elso n P ag e J o el Chandler H arri s R uth , ,
M cE n ery S tuart Will Allen Drom g oo le and others Th e

, ,
.
Cr eole sense of the supernatur al appears in Georg e W .
C able s n o vels and st ories the m o untain superstiti o ns

’
,
in those of Jo hn Fox Jr and Charles Egbert Craddo ck , .

, ,
tho se of N ew Eng land in M ary Wil kins Freeman Ali ce ,
B ro wn and their followers the Indian tr aditio ns in H elen

, ,
Hunt Jackso n J F en i rn o re C oo per

, .the D utch super ,
naturalism in Washing to n Irving wh o also gi ves u s the ,
leg endry of S pain in his tales of the Alhambr a Thom as .
A Janvier has r ecreated antique M exic o for us in his

.
stories of g hosts and saints of devils and mir acles , .
. In mo st fictio n that r epr esents t ruly the lif e of sim ple

people there wi ll be found a certain amo un t of superstitio n
which i s inherent in practically every so ul T here is n o .
o n e o f us but h a s hi s ideas o f f ate o f luck o f tab o o We , , .
a re so used t o these elem ents in lif e that we scarcel

y p ay
heed to them in fictio n yet a bri ef g lance at b ooks wi ll ,
I T n ess Chi ld
.
f th Mi t Th Wi t h d th ren o e s , e c , an o ers .
T he S u p erna tu ra l i n F o l k-T a l es 22 7
r ec al l thei r fr equent appearance They color p o etry t o a .
m arked degree In f act witho ut the sense of the m a r

.
,
velon s the unreal the wo nderful the m agical what wo uld

, , , ,
p o etry mean to us ? S o we sho ul d feel a keen lo ss in o ur

fictio n if all the vag ue elem ents of the supernatur al were
effaced Absolute reali sm i s the last thing we desi re
. .
N ow the folk tale t o ld frankl y a s such wi th n o ap olo g y

-
, ,
for i t s unr eali ty n o attem pt t o m ake of it m erely an

,
al leg ory or vehicle for teaching moral truth has taken its ,
place i n ou r literature Th e science of ethnolo gy has .
bro ug ht a wider in teres t in the or al heritag e of the pas t ,
linking it t o our life of the present An d the multiplica .
tio n of vol um es r ecording stories o f sy m bolic phenom ena

o f nature o f g o ds dem i g o ds and hero es of supern o rm al
, ,
-
, ,
anim als and plants of f airi es banshees bo gles giants

, , , , ,
saints mi racles and what n ot m ake it po ssible t o compare

, ,
-
the widely disseminated stories the variants and con ,
t r a sti n g types o f fo lk supernaturali sm B u t my purp o se

-
.
i n thi s di scussi o n is t o sh o w the p resence o f the fo lk

su p em a tu ra li sm in literature in p ro se fictio n particularly , .
T here i s n o science m ore f ascinating than c o m parative

fol k lor e and n o lan g uag e affor ds so m any origi nal exam ples
-
of or al lit er ature as the E nglish A s we study i t s i n .
fl u en ce o n ficti o n and p o et ry we f eel the truth of what ,
"
Tylor say s
Little by little in what s eem s th e most sp on taneous fiction

, ,
a m ore comp r ehen sive study of t h e sources o f p o etry a n d

ro m ance beg in s t o d iscl ose a ca use for each f a ncy a st or y o f ,
inherited m aterials from which ea ch p ro vin ce of th e p o et s ’
lan d has been shap ed a n d built over and p eop led .
Th e C elti c R evi val , the enascence of wo nder in Ireland r ,
ha s do ne more than anythi ng else to awaken mo dern

In P i mi ti v C l tu
r v l i
e u p g 73 re, o . . a e 2 .
2 28 T he Su p erna tu ra l i n F o l k—Ta l es
love for antiquity , to bring o ver into li terature the legends

o f go ds and m en
B ey o nd th e mistysp ace
Of twi ce a thousa n d y ears .
While the m o vem ent c o ncerns itself m or e with p oetry

and the dram a than with pro se —Ireland has been likened
to
”
a nest o f si ng ing birds th o ugh the voi ces of som e
,
,
have been sadly silenced of lat e — y et fiction h a s felt i t s

influence as well Th e land of the imm ortals g looms and
.
g leam s again fo r us in st oried vi si o n and the ancient past ,
y ields up t o u s i t s m agi c i t s laug hter its tear s

, T hese , .
ro m ances a re written n o t in pedestrian p ro se as o rdi n ary

,
f olk tales but with a bardic beauty that gi ves t o style the
-
,
lifting wing s o f verse E ach fact and fig ur e is exp ressed

”
.
in p o etic sy mb ols which Y eats calls stream s of passion

,
p o ur ed abo ut concrete form s A sense of ancient divi ne

.
,
p owers is in every bush and bo g every lake and valley , .
I reland has enriched univer sal f ancy and the effect on

li ter ature will perhaps never be lo st .
On e ofthe mo st interesti ng aspects o f folk l ori sti c -
supernatur alism is that co ncerned with nature Th e .
p rimitive mind needs n o scientific proof fo r theori es of

causation since gi ven a beli ef in go ds it can manag e the
, , ,
r est for itself With the C elts ther e is ever a f eeling of

.
nature a s a mighty perso nality E very aspect every .

,
phase o f h er p ower is endowed with lif e and tem peram ent .
Celtic pantheism sa w in every form a spirit in every sp ri n g ,
o r clo ud o r hill t o p in every bir d or blo sso m so m e un

-
”
,
earthly divi nity oi being A p rimro se is vastly m o re than

“
.
a yellow primro se but o n e of the dear golden folk ;

,
the hawthorn is the barki ng o f ho unds leek i s the tear ,
o f a f air wo m an and so o n whi ch p o eti c speech bears a

, ,
likeness to the Icelandic co urt p oetry Thi s figur ati ve .

T he Su p erna tu ra l i n F o lk —T a l es 2 29
sense suggests an af ter thoug ht o f the ol d nature worshi p

- -
li ngeri ng y et ab out the fj or ds and g len s where Dr uidi sm

n ever was qui te overc om e b
y Ch risti ani ty It lends to .
the C eltic folk tales their wi ld unearthly beauty thei r p a s

-
, , _
si o n a t e p o etry and my stic symb olism a kin t o the classic
my th ol o gy and such as we find in n o o ther folk literature -
o f the pr esent tim e .
In the stories of Lady Greg ory Jo hn Sy nge Yeats , , ,
L ady Wilde and vari o us other chro ni clers o f C elti c

,
legendry we find explanatio ns of m any pheno m ena

, ,
accounts of diverse o ccurr ences Lady Wi l de (S per anza) .

I
tell s of natural appearances such as a g r eat chasm whi ch

,
w a s o pened t o swallo w a m a n wh o incurr ed the ang er of

Go d by challengi ng Hi m t o com bat for destroy ing his
cro ps A supernatural whirlwind caug ht up the blas
.
p h em er and hurled h i m int o the chasm that yawned t o

r eceive him . M any of the aspects of nature a re a t
tri buted to the activities of gi ants and later of demons ; as ,
the pi li ng up of cy clo pean walls massive breast works of ,

-
earth or gi g antic masses of ro cks said to be the work of

,
playf ul or i rate gi ants Th e titans were frolicsom e and

.
delig hted in f eats to sho w off Ther e is a larg e b o dy of .
leg ends of diabolized natur e as the chang ing of the land

,
scape by demo ns the sulphurizing of sprin g s and the

, ,
cursing of lo cal ities .
M any o ther aspects of nature a re m ade the basi s for

supernatural fo lk tales too num ero us t o m entio n S tories
-
.
o f the enchanted bird m usic and water appear in vari o us

, ,
form s and the droll tellers of the C o rnish co untry tell

,
-
m any st ories of the wei rd asso ciated with o ut of d oors - -

.
Th e C eltic super stitio ns and tales have lived on thro ug h

successive invasi o ns and thro ugh m any centuri es have
‘
been t old beside the peat fire T hey have been p reser ved .
as an o ral heri tage or else in almo st illegi ble m anuscripts
In A nci en t Leg en ds an d S upersti ti ons f

o Irel a n d .
2 30 T he Su p ern a tu ra l i n F o l k-Ta l es
in anti que li brari es from whi ch they a re taken to be put ,
i nto literatur e by the C eltic patriots of letters Th e sense .
o f terror and of a we a belief in the dark er p o wers as well , ,
a s an al l envel opi ng f eelin g of beauty i s a heri tage of the

-
Celti c m ind It i s i nteresting t o note the o bsti nacy of

.
these panthei sti c drui dic stori es i n the f ace of Iri sh ,
Cath ol ici sm In many o ther bo di es of folk supernatural

.
-
i sm i n E nglish we have sim i l ar legends of natur e a s i n the ,
H awai i an the Indi an Af ri can C anadi an M exican stori es

, , , , ,
and elsewher e B ut the m ateri a l i s so volumi no us that

.
o n e can d o n o more than sug gest the field .
Certai n forces of nature a re g i ven supernatural p ower i n

drama and ficti on a s the sea that i s an awf ul bro o ding Fate
, , ,
i n Syn g e s drama or the wi nd and the fl am e in Algerno n

’
,
B lackwo o d s story The Reg enera ti on of Lord E rn i e or the

’
, ,
goblin trees in ano ther of hi s tal es that sig nif y di aboli c ,
spi rits or the tr ees that have a stran ge c om pell ing p ower
, ,
o ver men d r awi ng them g o in g o ut b o di ly t o m eet them

, , ,
lurin g them to destructi o n B lackwoo d has stressed thi s .
form of supernatur ali sm t o a marked degree In S a nd .
he shows desert i nca ntatio ns that embo dy m ajestic

forces evo cati ons of an ci ent deiti es that brin g the S phyn x
,
'
to lif e and o ther si ni ster p o wers
, He tak es the folk .
l ori sti c aspects of natur e and m ak es them li ve pers o ni fyi ng ,
the forces of o u t door life a s my thology di d Th e tr ees the

-
.
,
sand the fire the sn ow the wind the stream the sea a re
, , , , ,
all ali ve with pers onali ty with em o ti o n and definite bei ng

, , , .
Hi s trees a re m or e a wesome th an the woo ds of D un si n a ne '

,
for they actual ly d o move upo n thei r foe In The S ea Fi t .
he contends that the go ds ar e n o t dead but mer ely wi th ,
drawn that o n e true wor shiper can call them back to

,
earth especially the sea go ds Th e sea comes in p ower for

,
-
.
the ma n with the Vi ki ng so ul and takes him to i tself

.
.
Hi s g oing i s sy mboli c .
I Th M
n Wh mthe T s L v d
e an o ree o e .
The Su p erna tu ra l i n F o lk —Ta l es 23 1
Uttering the sing ing sound of falling waters he bent for ,
ward turn ed Th e next instant curvin g o ver like a fallin g

, .
,
wave he swep t alo ng the g listening surface of the sands and

was g one In fluid form wave like his being slip p ed away
.
,
-
,
int o the B eing o f the S ea .
Th e uncanny p otenti aliti es of fire a re revea l ed wher e I
the in ternal flame breaks o u t of itself the inner fire that ,
burns in the heart of the earth and i n men s hearts The ’

.
artist tryin g to pai nt a g reat pictur e of the Fi r e wor -
s h i p er is co nsum ed b
y an intense r aptur o us f eve r and , ,
as he dieshis f ace i s like a white flame Th e sno w appears .
embo died as a luri ng wom an S h e t ries t o draw a m a n .

2
t o his death with dae mo nic charm seen as a l o vely wo m an

, , ,
but a sn ow dem on B lackwoo d shows the curious .
co m binatio n of the s o ul of a dead wom an wi th the spiri t

o f a place where a m a n is ejected by his own estate
,
3
,
turned o ut b o dily as well as psy chically because he has ,
beco m e ou t of harm ony with the l o cale N atur e her e i s .
sentient em otio nal p o ssessing a child expressing thro ug h

, , ,
h er lips and hands a m essage of menace and warnin g .
Th e mo o n i s g iven diab olic p o wer i n on e o f B arry P ain s

’
st ories and the m aelstrom descri bed by P oe has a sinister

, ,
more than hum an p o wer A ug ust S t ramm the Germ an

, .
,
dr am atist has g iven an uncanny for ce t o the m oor in on e

,
o f his play s m aki ng it the p rinci pal char acter as well as

,
the setting for the act1o n T his emb o diment o f natur e s .

’
phases and phenom ena as terrible p owers g o es back t o

ancient my tholog y with a revi vif y ing influence .
Th e supernatur al beast tale has alway s been a belo ved -
fo rm ! Eso p s f ables the beast cy cles of m edievali sm

’
-
.
, ,
R ey nar d the F o x the Germ an Rei n ech e F

,
uchs all show ,
h o w fo nd hum anity i s of the st o ry that end o ws anim als

wi th hum an p o wers N aturally o n e thi nks of Ki pli ng s
’
.
In The H ea th Fi re. In The Gl a mor o f the S n ow .
3 In The T mpta ti
e on o f the Cla y .
23 2 The Su p erna tu ra l i n F o lk- T a l es
Jung le Ta les and Jo el Chandler Harri s Un cle Remus ’
stories as the best mo dern exam ples and these a re so ,
well known as t o need but m entio n S imil ar beast .
cy cles a re fo und in the folk ficti on of o ther co untri es — .
Of co urse it is underst oo d that the Un cle Remus st o ries

,
a re n o t native t o Am erica but wer e br o ug ht fro m Af rica

,
by the slaves and handed d o wn thro ugh generati ons i n the

f orm in which H arris hear d them by the cabi n firesi des i n
“
his boy hood They a re n ot cooked o r edited a n y more
.
”
than he coul d help he tells us but g i ven i n the dialecti c
, ,
form in which they cam e t o hi m T her e a r e vari o us tales .
simi lar to this series as K a fli r tales collected by Theal

, , ,
Amazo nian t orto ise m y ths bro ug ht t o g ether by Charles F .
Hart and Rey n a rd the F ox i n S ou th Af ri ca by W H I

, , . . .
B lee J W Po well in his i nvestig ati o ns fo r the S mith

. .
s o n i a n Institute f o und leg ends am o n g the Indians that led
hi m t o believe the Un cle Remu s stories were o ri g inally

learned fro m the red m en but H arris tho ug ht there was
,
no basis f or such theo ry A n a n si S tori es by M ary .

,
P amela M ilne—H orne includes anim al tales o f the African

,
ty pe Anansi is a my sterio us bei ng a supernatura l ol d

.
,
ma n like a S candinavian troll o r E ng lish lubber—fien d wh o ,
play s tricks like those of the fox and like the jackal in
Hindu st ories He is a spider as well a s a m a n and can
.
assum e either shape at wil l .
In primitive races an d i n the chi ldhoo d of peo ples

there is the sam e element of clo se a sso ci a tron between
m a n and the animals that o n e finds i n child life An -
.
animal i s often nearer and dearer to a chil d than is a hum an

bei ng as in crude r aces m a n is more like the ani m als
, ,
candi d careless un refl ecti n g Hi s sensatio ns and emo

, , .
tions a re simple hung er lo ve hate fear A nimals i n

, , , , .
,
turn a re lifted nearer the human i n m an s thi nking and

,
’
a re gi ven hum an att ributes i n folk l or e whi ch bri dges -
the g ulf that ci vi li zati on h a s tended t o fix between man

T he Su p ern a tu ra l i n Fo lk T a l es - 2 33
and anim als and gi ves on e more of a sense of the s o ci al

,
uni o n that B urns lo ng ed for Ther e is in these stories of .
whatever country a nai vete reflecti ng the chil dhoo d of the

r ace and o f the wo rld a pri mitive simplicity in deali ng ,
wi th the supernatur al .
Th e f olk ficti on of each c o unt ry gi ves st ori es of the

-
animals co mm on t o that sectio n In tropi c countries .
we have st ories o f supernatur al snakes wh o appear in ,
vari o us forms as were snakes shall we sa y ? by turns

,
-
,
repti les and m en wh o m arry m ortal wom en or as diab oli c

, ,
creatures that lik e the devil lo se their divi nity and becom e
, ,
evil p owers We als o see in the tro pics elephants lions

.
, ,
tig ers bab oons g oril las and so f orth as well as certain
, , , ,
insects whil e in colder clim es we have the fox the wolf

, , ,
the bear and their co nfreres In island co untries we find

, .
a larg e elem ent o f the supernatural asso ciated with fishes

and sea anim als H awaiian st ories r eco unt adventur es
—
.
of m ag ic being s b o rn of sharks and wo m en wh o a re ,
them selves by turns hum an being s livi ng a norm al hum an

, ,
lif e and sharks devo uring men and wom en S everal of

, ,
.
E ug ene F ield s sto ries a re dr awn from H awaiian folk

’
supernaturalism as The E el ki n g and The M oon La dy

,
-
, .
Th e Gaelic st ories of F io na M cLeo d sho w the super

natur al r elatio n existing between mortals and seals .
Th e seals ma y wed human being s and their chil dren a r e

bein gs wi tho ut s o uls wh o m a y be either m o rtal or anim al , .
Th e p o wer o f enchantm ent ex er cised by the cr eatures o f

the sea ma y turn m en and wo m en int o sea beasts forever -
,
t o l o se their s o uls T his m a y be c o mpared with The P a g a n

.
S ea l Wif e by E ug ene F ield H ans Christian A ndersen s ’

-
, ,
sa d st o ry o f the little merm aid and The F orsa ken M erma n , ,
by M atthew Arnold Fio na M cLeo d tells the st ory of the

.
D ark N am eless One a nun wh o becam e the p rey o f a se al ,
and was cursed with the penalty of livi ng under the sea
to weave f atal enchantm ents Th e mermai ds the kel .
,
2 34 T he Su p erna tu ra l i n F o l k-Ta l es
pi es the sea beasts a re all half hum an half sea beast

,
- -
,
-
,
and have a fatal p o wer o ver human s o uls dr awing them ,
wi th a st ran g e lure t o g ive up their i mm ortali ty Th e .
kelpie appears in several o f F io na M cLeo d s stories and ’
in The J udg men t of God the ma i g hde a n hm a ra a sea ,
maid bewitches M urd o ch c o ming up o u t of the water a s a

, ,
seal and turning h i m int o a beast to live with her forever , ,
a black seal that laug hs hideo usly wi th the laug hter of

M ur do ch E dwar d S heldo n has recentl y wri tten a play
.
x
using the m erm aid mo tif and H G W ells em ploy s it as a

, . .
vehicle fo r s o cial satir e where a m erm aid c o mes ashore

2
fro m Th e Great B ey o nd and c o nt r asts m ortal lif e with

hers The M erma n a n d the S era ph by William B enjami n
.
,
S m ith is an unusual c om binati o n of unearthly c reatures

, .
In The Old M en of the Twi li g ht W B Yeats descri bes , . .
the enchantm ent infli cted on the o ld men of learning ,
the ancient D ruids wh o were cursed by being turn ed into

,
g r ay hero ns that m ust stand in useless m editatio n in

p ools or flit in s olitary flig ht cro ss the world like passing ,
sig hs L ady Greg ory tells of m ag ic by which Lug h of the

.
Lon g H and puts his s o ul int o the b o dy of a ma yfl y that

dro ps int o the cup that D ech ti re drinks from so that sh e ,
drinks his s o ul and must follo w h i m to the dwell in g place -
of the S idhe o r f airy peo ple

,
H er fif ty m aidens must g o
.
with h er under a like spell that turns them into bir ds ,
that fl y in nine flo cks linked t o g ether two by two wi th

,
si lver chains save tho se that lead wh o have g olden chains

, .
These beauti f ul birds live in the enchanted land f a r away

from their l o ved o n es J H P ear ce tells a t o uching st ory
. . .
of the Little Cro w o f P ar adise of the bir d that was cur sed,
and sent t o hell because it mo cked Christ on the cro ss ,
but because it had pi ty o n a mortal suff erer i n hell and

broug ht s om e co oling drops of water in its bill t o co ol his
parchin g to ngue i t was allowed to fl y up and li ght o n the
,
l
The M erma i d . In The S ea Lady .
T he Su p erna tu ra l i n F o lk -Ta l es 235
walls of P ar adi se where i t r em ai ns forever Oscar Wilde s .

’
st ory The N i g hti n g a le a nd the Rose is sy mb olic of trag ic

geni us of vain sacri fice where the tender hearted bird
, ,
-
gi ves hi s lif e bloo d to stain a white ro se red because a

-
careless gi rl h a s to ld the p o et wh o lo ves h er that she must

wear a red ro se t o the ball B ut at the last she casts the
.
rose aside and wears the jewels that a richer l o ver has sent ,
whi le the ni g hting ale lies dead under the ro se tree -

.
S o we see e verywher e in folk ficti o n the supernatur al -
po wer g iven t o animals which acts as an aid t o ma n a s

, ,
a shield and p rotectio n for him or for his undoing We ,

.
see hum an bein g s turned into beasts as a curse from the

g o ds f er sin o r as exp r essing the kinship between m a n and
natur e In the diff er ent cy cles o f beast tales we find a
. .
-
larg e elem ent of humor the keener witted anim als ,

-
p o ssessing a rar e sense of the co m ical and relishi ng a j o ke

on each o ther as o n m a n Th e Un cl e Remu s st ories a re
.
o ften laug ha ble in the extreme and B re er R abbit ’

, ,
wh o we m i g ht at fir st th o ught deci de wo uld be stupid

, , ,
i s n o m ean wit We see a tr ag ic sy mbolism in the st o ries

.
o f unhappy beasts wh o m ust lur e m ortals t o their d a m
natio n y e t f eel a sense of hum an s orro w and r em orse In

,
.
these anim al stories we find mo st of the sig nificant quali

ties of liter atur e humor romance tragedy my sticism
, , , , ,
and symbolic p o etry with a deep underly ing phil o so phy

,
of lif e pervadin g them all .
Lor d D unsany in his mo der n aspects of my th ol o gy ,
perhaps drawn in part from classic my thology tho ug h

perhaps altog ether C eltic in its m aterial brin g s tog ether ,
ani mals to which we a re n ot accust omed He has a sto ry .
o f a centaur a frolics om e cr eatur e t wo hund red and fi fty

,
years y oung who g o es car acolin g off the end of the world
,
t o find hi s bri de Al g ern o n B lackw oo d tells of a man wh o

.
r em ember s h a vrn g been a centaur and lives i n memo ry
metempsych o si s hi s experiences of t hat far off ti me -

.
236 T he Su p erna tu ra l i n F o lk-Ta l es
D unsany i ntro duces ther curio us unfami l iar beasts to

o ,
us as the bri de whom the m an hor se seeks in h er temple

,
-
besi de h er sad lake sepulchre S ombel en e of immortal

-
, ,
beauty who se father was half centaur and half g o d

, ,
who se m o ther the chi ld of a desert lio n and the sphi nx .
Ther e is the hi g h priest of M a h a rri on wh o is nei ther

-
,
bir d n or ea t but a weird gray beast like b o th There

,
.
i s the l o aths om e d ra g o n with g litterin g g olden scales

that rattles up the Londo n streets and sei zes Miss Cub
big e from h er balco ny and carries h er off t o the eternal
lands of rom ance ly i ng f a r away by the ancient s o undl ess ,
sea We m ust n ot f org et the Gladsom e B east he wh o

.
,
dwells underneath fairyland at the edge of the world , ,
the beast that eats m en and destroy s the cabbag es of the

Ol d M a n Wh o Loo ks after F airy land but is the sy no ny m ,
for joy Hi s j oy o us chuckles never cease till Ackro n n i on

.
si ng s of the m alig nity o f tim e when the Glads om e B east

,
weeps g reat tears into an ag ate bo wl T here a re the .
hipp og riffs dancin g and whirling in the fa r sunlig ht

, ,
coming t o earth with whirring flig ht bathing in the pur e ,
dawn on e to be caug ht with a m agi c halter t o carry i t s

, ,
rider past the Under Pits t o the City o f N ever Ther e a re
”
.
the g n ol es in their hig h ho use who se sil ence i s unearthly

“ “
”
,
like the touch of a g ho ul o ver which is a lo o k i n the

,
sky that is worse than a sp o ken d o om that watch the ,
nrort al s thro u g h h o les i n the tr unks of t rees and bear
them away t o their fate Lor d D unsany loo ses the rein s
.
o f his f ancy t o carry h i m int o fa r ancient lands to sh o w , ,
us the wo nders that never were .
M agi c form s an alluring elem ent of the supernatural

rom ance and we find i t m anif esti n g
, itself in m any way s .
In the rom ances of Wi lliam M orris pro se as well as p o etry , ,
we find enchantment recurri ng agai n and ag ain as in ,
The Wa ter of the Wondrous Isl es The Wood beyon d the ,
World The Well a t the World s E nd and o thers Yeats

,
’
, .
The S u p erna tu ra l i n F o lk - T a l es 2 37
sai d that M orri s s sty le i n these ol d stories was the m o st

’
beautiful pro se he had ever read and that i t influenced ,
hi s own wo rk g r eatly H e has unearthly characters .

,
such a s the Witch wif e the Woo d wif e the S t o ny -

,
-
,
P eo ple and so f orth

, He sh ows us the enchanted b o at
.
,
the S ending B o at the cage wi th the golden bars which

,
pri so n the three maidens m ag ic runes wi th m ig hty ,
p ower the Water of M ig ht which gi ves to the on e drink

,
i n g it supernatural vi sio n and mag ic p o wer the changi n g ,
skin the W ai ling Tower the B lack Valley of the Grey

, ,
weather s and so forth Bi rd a l one s swoo n dream i n the

, .
’
-
Wh i te P alace is unearthly as the witches wordless howls ,

’
.
P art of t h e weir dness of M orris s p ro se i s due t o the

’
antique to ne the forg o tten words the rune lik e quali ty

, ,
-
o f the rhy th m .
Yeats tells of m ag ic whereby a wo m an i s gi fted wi th

i mmo rtal yo uth and beauty so that she ma y wed the ,
p rince of the fairies ; o f the g lamo u r that f alls o n a mortal

s o that he l o ses his wits and r em ains with his head on his
knee s by the fir e t o the d a y of h i s death ; of shado w
”
hares of fire to ngued ho un d s that follow the lo st s oul
,
—
a cro ss the world o f whistlin g seals that sink great ships

, ,
o f bat like darker p o wers o f the little gray cl o ves o f the

-
,
g oo d .
D r Hy de in his P a u deen O K ell y a n d the Wea sel speaks

’
.
, ,
of a sun my th o f a haunted fo r est o f a princess super

-
, ,
naturally beautiful of the witch wh o co mplains to the

,
ro bber Wh y did y o u brin g away m y g old that I was for

,
five hundred y ears gathering thro ugh the hi lls and hollows
o f the wo rld
Lady Gregory tells of Diarm uid s lo ve sp ot wher e

’
-
,
Yo uth t o uched hi m on the forehead so that n o wo m an ,
co uld look up on hi m witho ut gi vi ng hi m h er love ; of

Mi a ch wh o put the eye of a cat in a m an s head wi th ’
,
inco nveni ent results for ,

238 The Su p ern a tu ra l i n F o lk- Ta l es
when he wanted to sl eep and take hi s r est it is then the ey e ,
woul d start at the squeaking of th e mice or th e flig h t of birds , ,
o r th e m o vem en t o f t h e rushes ; a n d wh en h e was wan tin g t o
watch an army or a g athering it is then it wa s sur e t o be in a

,
sound sleep .
S h e sh ows us Drui d ro ds that chang e m o rtals i nto bi rds ;

o f D r uid mists that envelo p arm ies and let the ancient
hero es win ; of D ruid sleep that lasts som eti m es for y ear s ;
o f the screami ng st o ne ; of kisses that turn int o bi r ds
“
som e of them sayi ng Com e ! Com e ! and o thers I g o !
,
“ ” ,
I o f invisible walls th a t shield one from si ght ; of

mag i cthat m akes a rrrri es from stalk s of g rass ; of wells of
heali ng that cure every wo und .
Oscar Wilde in h i s f airy st ories and sy m b olic allegori es

, ,
tells of magi c whereby the H appy P rince high on the

, ,
pedestal on the square has a heart of lead because he

,
sees the misery o f the peo ple and sends a swallo w as his
,
messeng er t o pick o u t his jeweled ey es and take them t o

the suff erin g o nes He speaks of the wo nder by which
. -
the b odies o f the m erm aid and the fisherm an wh o lo st hi s

so ul for love of h er when they a re buried i n un con
,
secra t ed g ro und send forth str ange flo wers that a re

,
placed on the sacred altar .
T h e dark enchantm ent appears in the p o etry as often as

in the pro se from Coleridge s Chri sta bel to the p resent
,
’
.
Gor do n B ott oml ey s The Cri er by N i g ht is a st ory of an

’
evil presence that lurks in a p ool com ing o u t t o steal the ,
so uls of tho se i t can lure into its waters The wo m an .

,
desperate from jealo usy wh o invo kes i ts ai d says :

, ,
For I can use this bo dy worn to a soul

To barter wi th the Crier o f hidd en thing s
That i f he tang le hi m in his chill hair
Th en I will foll ow and follow and follow and follow
T he Su p ern a tu ra l i n Fo lk-Ta l es 2 39
P ast
An d
where the rin g ed sta rs ebb p a st the lig ht
turn to water und er the dark world ! ”
Th e f ai ry has always been a f avorite being wi th p o ets ,
dr amati sts and ro mancers from S hakespeare S penser

, , , ,
and Mi lto n t o the present ti me There is n o figure more .
firml y establi shed in f olk literature no ne more difficult -

,
t o di slo dge despite their deli cacy and ether eal qualiti es
than the Little P eo ple Th e belief in f airies is firmly
.
established in Gaelic speaking sections and the Celtic

-
peas a nt wo uld as so o n gi ve up hi s r eligi o n as hi s belief

i n the S idhe W B Yeats in Celti c Twi li g ht tells of an
. . .
, ,
Iri sh wom an of daring unbelief in hell or in g ho sts wh o , ,
sh e held wo uld n o t be permi tted t o g o t ra p si n ab o ut the

’
,
earth at their own fr ee wi ll but wh o asserted There a re , ,
f ai ries and little lepr echauns and water h orses and

, ,
-
,
f allen angels Every b o dy am o ng the peasantry believes

“
.
in f airi es for they stand t o r easo n

, An d there a re n ot .
wanting other s more learned that believe in the small

fo lk as W Y E W entz wh o in hi s volum e F
, . . . a i ry F
, a i th
i n Cel ti c Cou n tri es puts up a l oy al argum ent for the

existence of the S i dhe He says : .
Fairies exist because in all essentials they ap p ear to be

,
the sam e as the intellig ent forces n ow recog ni zed by p sy cho

lo g ical researchers be they thus coll ective units of con scious
,
ness like what Willia m Jam es calls soul stuff or more indi vidual -
units like veridical ap p aritions .
If it were left to me I d as soo n n ot believe i n f airies as

,
’
have t o think of them as veridical units ! M r Wentz .
h a s never seen a n y f airi es him self but he tells a num ber of ,
stori es t o substantiate his fai th in them .
Th e volum es of fairy st ories a re by n o m eans all for

juvenile consumptio n si nce the mo dern adult dearly
,
lo ves the type him self M any o r mo st of the st ori es of

.
, ,
2 40 T he Su p ern a tu ra l i n F o l k Ta l es -
fai ri es t old frankly fo r chi ldren a re adaptatio ns or vari ants

of co nti nental fo lk legends Th e m o re liter ary si de o f
-
.
fai ry li ter ature h a s com e fr om the C eltic lor e for the

-
,
Di m P eople a re dearest of all supernatur al bein g s to the

C eltic s o ul T h e I ri sh m o r e innately p o etic than mo st
.
,
races cling m o r e f o ndly t o the being s o f beauty and gather

,
ro und them delicate undy ing sto ries W B Yeats

, . . .
,
Lady Greg o ry L ady Wilde O scar Wilde Jo hn Si nge and

, , , ,
Fiona M cLeo d have gi ven i n p o etry and lyric p ro se th e

C eltic f ai ry lo r e and have m ade us kno w the sam e wi ld
-
, ,
sweet thrill that the peasants f eel Th e p o eti c tho ught .
o f the prim itive r aces peo ples everythi ng in natur e every ,
bird and blo ssom and tree with its own fai ry perso nali ty
,
.
Thacker ay h a s written a f ai ry pant omime for gr eat

and small children as he say s in which the adventures
, ,
of P ri nce Gi g li o and P rince B ulb o a re r ec o unted E ug ene .
Field has a charming story of the Fa i ri es of P esth and ,
Charles K in g sley s Wa ter B a bi es enriched the i m agi natio n

’
o f m o st of us in y o uthful or adult y ear s wi th i t s charming
no nsense o f being s p o ssible and im p o ssible J M . . .
Barrie in P eter P a n won the do ubtful world o ver t o a

co nf essed faith in the fai ry folk for did we n ot see the -
,
m arvels before our ey es ? In The Li ttl e Whi te Bi rd B arrie

tells us h ow f ai ries cam e t o be that they have their ,
—
o ri g i n in the first laug h o f the fi rst baby that b roke int o a
milli o n bits and went skipping ab o ut each on e a f ai ry , .
H e sho ws us the wee folk in K ensin g to n Gardens where ,
by the ig norant they a re mistak en fo r fl ower s but childr en ,
and tho se with the po et heart can see the flashing f aces
and green g arm ents of the f airies am o ng the pansy beds .
W B Yeats is a f avorite wi th the f airies for they have

. .
,
gi ven hi m the dower of m ag ic visio n to glimpse the ,
unseen thin g s t o hear the faint m usical voices of fairy

, ,
p ipes and s o n g He tells us m any st o ries of the Di m

.
P eo ple in his tales and dram as

, The L a nd of H ea rt s .
’
The Su p erna tu ra l i n F o l k-T a l es 24 1
Desi re , the story of the strugg le between the di vi ne and

mortal forces and the p o wers of the Sidhe to claim the
so ul of the y o ung wife and of the trium ph of the fairies ,
by which the g i rl s b o dy f al ls lif eless by the hearth while

’
her spi ri t speeds away t o li ve for ever in the lan d wh er e

nob o dy gets ol d o r sorry or p oor has a p o ig nant patho s ,
” ,
a wil d dr eamy beauty that to uches the heart Yeats

, .
tells of the I m perishable Ro se of B eauty o f fantasti c ,
doi ng s of the fairy folk wh o steal m ortals away especially

-
,
new—b orn babies or new wed brides of evil f airies wh o -

,
slay men in m alice and of the dances by moonlit hil l

,
side when mo rtals a re asleep .
Jam es S tephens i n The Crock of Gold mi ng les deli ght

f ully f airy l o r e with o ther elem ents of the supernatur al
-
,
as talkin g beasts and insects the g o ds a leprechaun and

, , , ,
P a n c om binin g with the dro ll phil o so phy of the bachel or

,
m a n t o m ake a charm ing so cial satir e Th e unio n of the .
worl d o f r eality with that o f the wee peo ple is seen i n the
sa d little st ory o f H G Wells The M a n Who H a d B een
. .
,
in F a i ryl a nd A crude m aterialistic m iddle class E nglish

.
,
-
m a n i n l o ve with an ordi nary y o un g wom an f alls asleep

, ,
o n a f airy kno ll o n e ni g ht and is kidnapped by the Di m
P e ople wh o tak e him t o thei r c o untry wher e thei r queen ,
f alls in lo ve wi th hi m S h e vainly wo o s hi m but he i s

.
,
stolidly true to the thi ck ankled gi rl of the to wn u n trl -

,
the f ai ri es send hi m back i n sleep to mortal lif e B u t .
when he wakes on the knoll he is hom e si ck for f airyland -

,
he car es n o more for the vil lag e girl wh o seems co arse and
repul si ve co m pared wi th the el fin creatur e wh o se l o ve he
mi g ht have kept i n the land of wo nder so he is wretched , ,
unable t o fit ag ain int o mortal life and unable t o reopen

the doors that closed inexor ably up o n hi m by his wi sh .
T hi s is a m o dern versi o n o f the mo tif of the mortal l o ver

and the f ai ry bride that we find so often i n medie val bal
lads and romances a survival of the C elti c wo nder lore
,
-
.
16
2 42 T he Su p ern a tura l i n F o lk Ta l es -
Ar thur Lewi s i n L on don Fa i ry Ta les writes phi lo so phic

hum an stori es i n the g uise of fairy tales attempting ,
fr ankly t o b ri ng the i m p o ssible int o co ntact wi th dai ly

life They a re weir d little sy mbolic sto ries with an earthly
.
wisdom asso ciated with unearthly being s The P a ssi on .
a te Cri me by E ,
T em ple Thur st o n is a sy m b olic f airy
.
,
no vel the f airies being fig ures of the man s besetti ng sins

,
’
b o diless presences blown on the winds of f eelin g as the ,
wo man he lo ves is lured by the fairy of h er own beauty .
Whether f airyland be an actual place o r a state o f

m ind it is a p ro vince still o pen t o ro m ancers and folk
, ,
l o ri st s have aro used a new interest in the Little P eo ple

wh o ma y c o m e near er t o us than befo re Th e fl oo d of
.
volumes reco unting C eltic folk tales with their fairy

-
lor e alone wo uld m ake a lo ng catalo g ue and o n e can do n o

,
mor e than sug g est the p resence of the fairy in E ng lish

fiction Andr ew L ang was a faithful lover of the S idh e
.
and m ade m any collectio ns of f airy stories E den Phil l ,
p o tts h a s written m uch of them and vario us writers have

,
o pened their m ag ic t o us S om e place the land of f aerie

.
under the g ro und s om e in secret caves so m e in the m ind

, , ,
and Lor d Dunsany say s that the Ol d M a n Wh o Looks

after Fairyland lives in a ho use who se parlor windows
“
lo ok away from the wo rld and em pties his slo ps sheer
o n to the S o uthern Cr o ss .
We find m any st ories of g o ds demig o ds and hero es

, ,
tang led u p tog ether in folk—t ales and in the literature they
have influenced It is s om etim es difficult t o distinguish
.
between them and ag ain i t is interesting t o no te how the

,
hero myth has been co nverted i nt o the t al e of a g o d

-
.
C eltic ro mances and f o lk supernatur alism g ive many

-
stori es of g o ds demig o ds and hero es of superhum an

, ,
fo r ce . It wo uld be inter esting if on e coul d trace them to

thei r ultimate s ources and disco ver h ow much they have
been sug g ested or influenced by classical mytholog y .
T he Su p ern a tu ra l i n Fo l k-Ta l es 2 43
In Fi cti on of the Iri sh Cel ts by P atrick K ennedy a re

, ,
numberless stori es of the Fi anna Ei ron n or H ero es of ,
Ir eland s om e of whom really fl o urished in the third

,
century and who se adventures wer e the favorite stories

o f the ki ng s and chief s as sun g by the ancient bar ds .
K ennedy als o r etells m any of the Ossianic legends In .
B a rdi c S tori es of Irel a n d he r elates the expl oi ts of p er

son a g es datin g back t o druidic tim es and earlier wh o ,
r eflect the rem o te sta g es of the leg endary hist ory o f the
peo pl e such a s the antique King Fergus who wa s gi ven

, ,
supernatural p ower by the f airi es and slew the sea

m o nster ; Corm ac wh o did m any d o ug hty deeds assisted
,
by the p o wer s of the I mm o rtals , and m any others W . .
B Yeats in his S tori es of Red Ra n ra ha n gives us g lim pses

.
, ,
of an I rish F r anco is Vill o n a m a n of wandering nature

, ,
o f hum an fr ai lties y et with a d i vine g if t o f s o ng

,
.
L ady Gr eg o ry tells the wo nderf ul sag a of C uchul ain ,
the hero g o d of Ireland in Cu chul a i n of M ui rthemn e

“
-
, ,
whi ch W B Yeats calls perhaps the best b o o k that has

. .
ever co m e ou t of I reland It was hi s mo ther Dechti re

.
that dr ank the s o ul of Lug h of the S tro ng H and as he ,
flew into her wine cup in the form of a M a y fl y so that

-
,
sh e wa s b o und by enchant m ent and carried away with
h er fif ty m aidens as a fl o ck of l ovely bir ds When ang er .
cam e up o n hi m the hero lig ht wo uld shin e ab o ut his head ,
he understoo d all the arts of the d ruids and had super

natural beauty and streng th in battle C uchulain the .
,
Ho un d of Ulster an d hi s Red B ranch have filled the

,
legendry of Ireland wi th wo nder .
Lady Gr eg ory tells o f the hi g h king of I r eland wh o

m arri ed E tain of the S idhe ; of the nine pipers that cam e
o ut o f the hil l o f the S idh e wh o m t o fight with wa s t o
,
fig ht wi th a shado w for they co ul d n ot be kil led ; of

,
C o nch o bar the king that l o ved D eirdre of the burni ng

, ,
beauty for whom m any candles of the Gael were blown

2 44 T he Su p ern a tu ra l i n F o lk—T a l es
ou t ; o f Cr uachan , wh o knew druid enchantments g r eater

than the mag ic of the f airies so that he was able to fight
wi th the Di m P eo ple and o vercome them and to co ver ,
the whole province wi th a deep sno w so that they co uld

n o t foll o w hi m In Gods a nd Fi g hti n g M en Lady Gr egory
.
tells of ancient divi nities that m et m en a s equals We .
co m e t o know O isin son o f Fir m wh o i s king o ver a divine

, ,
c ountry ; of the M en of Dea wh o fo ug ht ag ainst the mi s

sh apen Fomer M en a re called to the co untry of Under
.
Wave where the g o ds p romi se them all their desi res as the ,
g o d M edhi r tells Q ueen E tain that in hi s co un try on e

never gro ws old that there i s n o s orro w n o care amo ng
, ,
invisible go ds S he tells us of Fi r m who fo ught wi th

.
,
mo nsters wh o killed m any g reat serpents i n Lo ch Cui li nn

, ,
and S hadow shapes at Lo ch L ein and fo ug ht with the

-
,
three headed h a g and nine headl ess bo di es th at raised

-
,
harsh screeches We meet Diarm uid wh o married a

.
,
daughter of King Under Wave wh o raised a h o use by en -

,
chantm ent and whom Grania of the f atal beauty loved

, , , .
Jer emiah Curtin Al di s Dunbar and many ano ther, ,
wri ter have t o ld u s of the wo nderful leg ends cf the C elti c

go ds and heroes wh o som eho w seem m ore hum an than
,
Arthur and his T able R o und or any of the E nglish mythi

cal hero es .
It i s Lord Dunsany ho wever wh o speci ali zes i n g o ds i n

, ,
recent tim es He f airly revels i n divi nities and dem o ns

.
,
in i dols and out of the wo rld creatures Hi s dram as of

- - -
.
thi s natur e are m entioned in another con necti o n as A ,
N i g ht a t a n In n wher e a jade idol slays wi th silent h orro r

,
the men wh o have stolen hi s em erald eye ; The Gods of the

Moun ta i ns where seven beg gars m asquerade as the
,
mo untain g o ds come t o life and s ome of the people beli eve ,
but s ome do ubt B ut at last the seven go ds fro m the

.
mo unt ai n c om e do wn terrible figures of g reen st o ne and

, ,
wi th sinister m enace p oint terri ble fingers at the beggars ,

Th e Su p ern a tu ra l i n F o l k—T a l es 2 45
wh o stiff en as on ped estals draw their feet under them

,
like the cro ss legg ed p o stur e of the i mages and turn to

-
,
sto ne so that the people coming say : They were the

”
,
true go ds They have turned t o sto ne because we do ubted

.
them . In The Gods of Feg a n a a re m any fantasti c tales

o f divi nit i es never heard o f befor e who m D unsany calls
,
t o lif e with the lavi sh ease of geni us and m akes imm o rtal .
In Ti me a nd the Gods we see m any go ds wi th thei r servant ,
the swart sinister Ti me wh o serves them but mali ci o usly

, , .
Th e g o ds dr eam marble dreams that have m agic p o wer

“
fo r with d o m es and pinnacles the dr eam s aro se and st oo d
,
whi te t o the m ornin g .

”
up pro udly between the ri ver and the sky all shimm eri ng
B ut S a rd a th ri on thi s ci ty of
,
visi o ns i s o verthrown by hateful Time whereat the

, ,
mi g ht y g o ds weep g rievo us tears He tell s u s of S lid a

.
,
new g o d that co m es striding thro u g h the star s past where: ,
the ancient divinities a re seated on their thro nes as a ,
milli o n waves m arch behind hi m ; of Inz a na the daughter ,
o f all the go ds wh o play s wi th the sun as h er g o lden ball
and weeps when i t f alls into the sea so that Umborodom ,
with his thunder ho und must seek it ag ain and ag ai n fo r

h er. H e whisper s t o us of th e p ro phet wh o saw the
g o ds o n e night as they stro de knee deep in stars and
-
,
abo ve them a mi g hty hand showi ng a hig her p ower

, .
Th e g o ds a re jealo us of hi m that he has seen so they rob ,
hi m o f kn owledge o f the g o ds of m oo n and sky of butter

, ,
fli es and flowers and all lo vely thi ng s An d last they steal

, .
hi s so ul away from hi m from which they m ake the S o uth

,
Wind forever to ro am the waste Spaces of the wo rld

, ,
mo urnful unr emembering

, .
In The B ook of Won der a re still other go ds as Hlo Hl o ,

-
,
wh o wear s the hal o es o f o ther g o ds o n golden ho oks alo ng

his hunting belt ; the S phinx who rem embers in h er
”
-
,
srrri tt en mi nd at whi ch little b oys n o w leer that sh e o nce ,
knew well th o se thing s at whi ch man stands ag hast ;

2 46 T he Su p ern a tu ra l i n F o l k-T a l es
the certain disr eputable g od who knows nothi ng of eti

q u e t t e and w i ll g r ant p r ay e r s that n o r espectable g o d
would ever co nsent to hear ; Ch u chu and S h eemi sh who -

,
becom e ang ry wi th each o ther and raise ri val earth

quakes that destroy thei r temple and them We a re .
told of the Gi bbeli n s that eat m en who se ho m e i s bey o nd ,
the known regi o ns and who se treasures m any burg lars

,
try in vain t o steal o nly t o m eet death i nstead Al d eri c .
tries a crafty way t o evade them but they a re waitin g for

him
“An d witho ut say ing a word or even smi li n g they
”
.
neatly hang hi m on the o uter wall — and the tale is on e ,
o f th o se that have n o t a happy endin g B ut eno ugh of .
g o ds tho ug h we sho uld n ot forget the Aztec leg end

—
on which Lew W allace s n o vel The F a i r God was fo un ded

’
, , ,
o f the white divini ty wh o was t o c o m e and rule the peo pl e .
There a re m any o ther elem ents of fo lkl oristic super

naturalism that cannot be m entio ned as the banshee the , ,
wailful creatur e that is a p resag er of death and the lo ss of

the so ul ; the f etches g ho sts of the living whom John and
, ,
M ichael B anim write much ab o ut ; the pixi es a s appear ,
i n g in such works as S B aring Go uld s E ve and S t ep h en s s

’ ’
-
.
,
The Crock of Gold; the mo untain tro lls that play pr ank s on
“
’
worri e co w-
”
Ibsen s P eer Gy nt and Irvi ng s Ri p van Winkle ; the ’
that S co tt tells abo ut ; the saints and

m i racles that ab o und in C eltic liter ature as in that of any
C atholic co untry and such as Thom as A Janvier h a s t old
, .
o f so deli g htfully in his leg ends o f the City of M exico Th e .
gi ant has almo st faded from fictio n since p o or thi ng he , , ,
d o esn t fit in well wi th the mo dern schem e of housi ng

’
.
He cam e int o the Go thic n o vel fro m the Oriental t a le

where he had his orig in but n ow he appears in o ur fictio n
,
o nly sp or adically as i n Oscar Wi lde s The S elfish Gi a n t

,
’
i n a co uple of st ories by B lackwo o d and a few ot hers , .
We are glad to meet hi m o ccasio nally in fra nk folk tales -
si nce literature at l arge repudiates thi s favori te of our

The Su p erna tu ra l i n F o l k-Ta l es 24 7
yo uth He woul d n ot sui t wel l on the stage for o bvi o us

.
,
r easo ns an d r eal i sm r eject s hi m

, .
Lor d D unsany tells of elves and gn om es of the M oomo o , ,
o f the m agi c sword called M o use o f the n ol es that caught

g ,
To nk er of the anci ent T huls of the wi ndo w that Opened

, ,
t o the m agi c of the wo rld a n d o f m any o ther thi n gs whi ch

,
o nl y the very y o ung or the very wi se car e for .
Arthur M achen deals with strange s i ni ster aspects of ,
supernaturali sm unli ke the wholes ome folkl ore that other

wri ters reveal t o us He seem s to take hi s material
.
chiefly from the Pi t t o let loo se up on the world a slim y

,
hor de of unn arn a ble spirits of ag eless evi l One reads o f .
the Wh i te P eo ple wh o a re mo st lo athsome f airies under

,
who se in fluence the ro cks dance o bscene dances in the

Witch es S abbath and the g reat whi te moon seem s an
’
,
un clean thi ng Im ages of clay made by human hands com e

.
t o diab o li c lif e and at my stic incantati o ns the ny mph

,
Al anna t urns the p ool i n the wo o dland t o a p o o l o f fir e .
In The Grea t God P a n the tim eless menace comes to earth

ag ain corrupti ng the s ouls of m en and women renderin g
, ,
them unbeli evably vi le In The Red H a nd he brin g s .
to g ether anci ent runes wi th m agi c p ower black sto nes ,
that tell secrets of buried treasur e fli n ty sto ne lik e ,
o bsi di an ten th o usand year s old that m ur der s a ma n on a
Lo ndo n street a whorl of figur es that tell of the blac k

,
heaven gi vi ng an impressio n of vast ages of enig matic

,
p ower On e f eels on e sh ould rinse hi s mi nd out after

.
r eadin g Arthur M achen s st ori es parti cul arly the collee

’
,
tio n called The Three Imp ostors .
T hi s di scussi o n has taken m ore n ote of the C eltic

folk ficti on th a n of a n y o ther g ro up in fluen ce because
-
,
m or e than any other i t h a s lef t i t s i mpri nt on mo dern

literatur e Ther e a re hun dreds of volumes of folk tales
.
-
o f the supernatural in E ng l i sh but the Cel ti c R evi val h as ,
mo lded i t s legends i n to liter atur e that i s i ts own excuse

248 T he Su p ern a tu ra l i n Fo lk Ta l es -
fo r bei ng In the work of this scho ol we g et a passio nate

.
my sticism a p o etic sy mb olism that we find scarcely any

,
wher e else i n E ng lish pro se save in such rhapso dic ,
passag es as som e of De Q uincey s im passio ned pro se ’

.
M elo dy which form s so larg e a part of the eff ect of super

,
naturalism in p o etry is here empl oyed to heig hten lyric

,
pro se S om e o f the wild stories a re like the croo n of the

.
peasant m o ther by h er cradle beside the peat fire some -

,
lik e wi ld barbaric runes of terrible ung uessed im p ort ,
s o me like the battle cry of hero g o ds s ome like the

- -
,
keening of wom en beside their dead Th e essenti al p oetry .
of the C eltic s o ul p o urs itself fo rth in r apturo us wi stf ul ,
m usic n ow like a chant a hymn a wedding s on g a

, , ,
-
,
lament for the lo st s oul .
In the Celtic folk tales we g et a mixture of romances

-
,
o f the survivals o f barbari c day s the anci ent druid myths , ,
the pag an legends savage beliefs overlaid and interwo ven

,
wi th the later Ch ristian traditio ns S om etim es the ol d .
pag an my ths themselves become moral allegories the ,
leg end being used to tell a late learned m oral truth B u t -

.
,
for the m ost part there is n o at tempt at teaching save

,
that which com es sp ontaneo usly the o utburst of passio n ,
ate p o etic rom ance the heritag e of a people that l ove

, ,
wo nder and beauty .
Th e pag an p o etry of the Gaeli c r ace lives o n and thro bs

o ver agai n in F iona M cLeo d s sy mb olic m oralities Th e ’
.
my stical fig ur es of awe and woe appear fro m the di m past ,
a r apturo us pag anism showi ng thro ug h the m edieval

r elig i o us b r oo ding Y et they a re so sy m b olic o f the spirit
.
that they a re tim eless Co ming as they d o o u t of the dim

.
leg endary past they ma y reflect the veiled y ears of the

,
f uture . They a re my stic chro nicles o f the s o ul as in The ,
Di vi n e A dven tu re where the B o dy and Wil l alike shrink

“ ,
back from that silent sad ey ed fo reigner the S oul ,

-
, .
In the stories of Yeats we get simi lar eff ects the wei r d ,
T he Su p ern a tu ra l i n Fo l k Ta l es - 2 49
p o wer of the ol d curse maki ng bards the g if t of second

-
,
sight a spiri tual vi sion the spi ri tual sense that hears
, ,
past the broken di scor dant so unds the music of the world
“
”
,
the p ower to catch the m om ent that tr embles with the

S o n g of I m mortal Po wers We hear f ai nt whispers
.
,
catch fleeting glim pses of the Di m P eo ple see again the ,
druids the culdees the anci ent bards and hero es We

, , .
discern in the C eltic literatur e a sadness di m unreas oning , ,
y et deep such as we see in the f aces of ani m als and little

,
children We see such sy m bolism as that of the self

.
center ed l overs wh o have heart shaped mirrors instead of -
hearts seeing o nly their own imag es thr oug ho ut eternity

,
.
We f eel the p o etic tho ug hts drifti ng past us like sweet

f alling ro se leaves bri g ht with the c ol ors o f by g o ne y ears
—
, ,
li ke flutterin g bir d wing s like happy si g hs Yet ag ai n

-
, .
they a re terrible tr um pets blo wn in the da y of do om .
We have the m o dern my sticism and sy mb olism side by

side with the o l d druidic my sticism which seem s like ,
dream stuff with deep spiri tual i mp ort Yeats makes us

-
.
f eel that the ol d divi nities a re n o t dead but have taken ,
up their abo de in the hearts of p o ets and writers of

r om ance and that the land o f f aery is all ab o ut us if we
,
wo ul d o nly see B u t we lack the p o etic visio n He m akes

. .
us see the actuali ty of tho ug ht that thin king has its own ,
vital bein g and g o es out into the world like a living thing ,
p ossessed by some wanderi ng s oul He shows us that .
tho ug ht can create black ho unds o r silver do ves to follow

the so ul bri ng to li f e at will a divi nity o r a dem o n
,
.
A certain supernatur al elem ent of sty le seems t o lend

i tself t o s ome o f the writer s o f str ange ficti o n S om e of .
Oscar W ilde s sentences unfold like wild exo tic flo wers in

’
, ,
a perfum ed beauty that suggests a subtle p oiso n at the

heart Lo r d D unsany writes j oy o usly of f antastic crea
.
tures wi th a happy g race so m etimes like a lilting laug h

, ,
s ometi mes a lyri c rhaps o dy Hi s evoked beings a re .

2 50 The Su p erna tu ra l i n F o l k-T a l es
Sp orti ve or awesome but never unclean Ar thur Machen s

.
’
stori es have an eff ect like a slimy tr ai l o f some loathly

beast or serpent William M orris s style i s lik e an ol d
.
’
N orse rune whi le Alg ern o n B lackw o o d makes us thi nk

,
of awakened element al forces h o sti le t o m a n

,
We feel
.
bo di less emo ti o ns feelings unclo thed wi th flesh sad

, ,
forml ess Spirits blow n on the winds of the world These .
folk -tales reflect the sweet ca r el essness of the Iri sh s oul ,
the stern sadness of the S cotch the p sychi c subtlety of the

,
'
mo dern E nglish An d a s the study of folk lore has

.
-
i nfluenced the ficti on o f th e supernatur al so these p ub

,
li shed romances have aro use d a wo ndering i nterest i n the

legendry of the past an d made of folk lo re a sci ence
- .
C HAP TE R VII
Su p e rn a tu ra l S c ie n c e
E applicati o n of mo dern science t o supernatur ali sm ,
or of the super natural t o m o dern science i s o n e ,
of the di sti nctive f eatur es of r ecent literatur e .
Gho stly ficti o n t ook a new and defini te turn with the rapi d
advance in scientific knowledg e and investi gati o n in the
latter part of the nineteenth century for the work of ,
D arwi n S pencer H uxley and thei r co lab orers di d a s

, , ,
-
m uch t o qui cken tho ught in rom ance as in o ther lines .
P r evio us liter atur e had m ade but scant eff ort t o reflect
even the crude sci ence of the tim es and what wa s wri tten ,
w a s so unco nvi ncin g that i t m ade c ompar ati vely li ttle

i m pr ess . Al mo st the o nly science that Go thi c ficti o n
dealt wi th to a n y no ticeable extent was asso ciated with
, ,
alchemy and astrolog y Th e alchemist so ug ht the

.
p hi los opher s sto ne and the elixir of life while the astrolo g er
’
tried t o di vi ne hum an desti ny by the star s Zofl oy a .
dabbled in di aboli c chemistry and Fr ankenstein created ,
a ma n mo nster that wa s noteworthy a s an incursio n into

-
supernatur al biolog y y et they are almo st i solated i n

,
stances N ow each advance i n sci ence has had i t s re

.
fl ecti on i n supernatur al fictio n a n d each phase of resear ch

co ntri butes plot materi al whi le some of the elements
,
o nce c o nsidered wh o lly o f the devi l a re n ow sci enti fic .
Th e s or cerer h a s gi ven place t o the bacteri ol ogi st and the

bo tani st the m arvels of disco very have di splaced mi racles
,
251
2 52 Sup ern a tu ra l S ci e n c e
as basi s f or unearthly plot m aterial and i t i s from the ,
lab or atory that the g ho stly stori es a re n ow evolved ,
r ather than fro m the vault and char nel ro o m as i n the p a st — .
S cience n o t o nly f urnishes extraor di nary si tuati o ns for

curdling tales but it i s an excellent h ook to hang super
,
natural tales up o n for it gi ves an excuse fo r believin g

,
any thing however incredible M a n i s wi llin g to accept

, .
the imp o ssible if he be but gi ven a m o dern excuse for it

, .
He will swallow the wildest i rnp roba bili ty if the bai t be

label ed science or psychical r esear ch N o supernatur al .
i sm i s i ncredible i f i t is exp ressed in techni cal terminol og y ,
and n o miracle wi ll be rejected i f i ts setting be in a lab ora

tory On e peculi ar thi ng abo ut mo dern scienti fic tho ught
.
in i t s reactio n up o n ficti o n is that i t i s equally eff ective

in reali sm such as sh own in the naturalistic novels of
,
Zo la the play s of B rieux and o thers and in super natural

, ,
i sm as i n the wo rk of H G W ells for instance wher e the

, . .
, ,
gho stly i s g rafted on to cold r ealism .
T h e tr ansiti o n fro m the s or cerer the wi zard the war , ,
lo ck of older fiction t o the scientist in the p resent has been

gr adual Th e sorcerer relied who lly up o n supernatur al
.
,
chiefly diaboli c ag encies for his p ower whil e the wi z ar d

, ,
o f the m o der n lab or at o ry applies his kno wledg e of m ole
cules and g ases to aid his sup erm o rt al for ces M o dern .
science itself seem s miraculo us so i t s em ploym ent i n ,
gho stly stories is but natur al Th e A ra bi a n N i g hts Ta les

.
’
seem n ot m ore m arvelo us than the stories of mo dern

i nvesti g atio ns H awthor ne s narratives stand between the
’
.
ol d and the new ty pes of science hi s R a p p a c ci n i D r , , .
Hei di gg er Gaff er Dolliver S ep ti mi us F

, elto n and hi s
,
ri vals in search for the elixir of y o uth a s well as the ,
husband who so ug ht to eff ace the birthm ark from hi s

y o un g wif e s cheek being related in theme t o the o lder
’
,
conventio nal ty pe a n d in treatment t o the new P o e s .

’
scientific stories a re mo re mo dern in m etho d and materi al ,

S u p ern a tu ra l S ci en ce 2 53
and i n f act he made claim of origi nali ty of i nventio n for

the i dea of maki ng ficti on plausible by the use of scientifi c
laws Hi s D escen t i n to the M a elstrom M S Found i n a
.
,
.
B ottl e and o ther st o ries were n o vel in the manner i n whi ch

,
they uni ted the sci entifically real and the supernatural .
The P i t a nd the Pen dulum wi th i t s di ab oli cal machi nery , ,
i s aki n t o the mo dern m echanistic st ori es r ather than t o

,
anythi ng that had p receded i t Poe paved the way for .
H G W ells s use of the gho stly mechani cal and sci entific
’
. .
narr ati ves a s hi s stories of hy pn otism wi th i ts hideo us

,
af t erri ra t h o f h o rror must have gi ven suggesti o n fo r Arthu r
M achen s r evolting stori es of phy sical o perat i o ns wi th

’
unearthly co nsequences An exam ple of the later mani .
f est a ti on s of supernatur alism in co nnectio n wi th sci ence

is in S a x Roh m er s tales of Fu M anchu the Chinese ’
-
,
terror the embo died Spirit of an ancient evi l that entered

,
into hi m at his birth because of hi s nearness t o an ol d ,
buryin g gro und and wh o to hi s unholy alli ance unites a

-
, ,
wi zar d kn o wledg e of mo dern science i n i t s vario us aspects .
With every p o wer o f cunnin g and intellect in tensi fied ,
with a techni cal kn owledge of all m eans wi th which to

fig ht hi s enemi es he r avag es so ciety a s n o m ere s orcerer
,
‘
o f early fictio n c o ul d do .
Th e mo dern st ories o f m ag i c have a skil lful p o wer of

sug gestiveness being so cunnin gly co ntrived that on the
,
surf ace they seem plausible and natural with nothing ,
Supernatur al ab o ut them Yet behi nd this seeming .
sim pli city lurks a my stery an un answered question an , ,
uns olved problem W W Ja cobs s The M on key s P a w. . .

’ ’
for i nstance i s o n e of the mo st eff ectively terrible st ories

,
o f m agi c that on e co uld co ncei ve of Th e shriveled paw .
o f a dead m onkey t hat i s believed by s o m e t o g ive i t s

,
p o ssessor the ri g ht t o have three wi shes g r anted becom es ,
the sy mbol of i nescapable desti ny the Weird or Fate of , ,
the old tragedy though the horrors that follow up o n the

,
2 54 Su p erna tu ra l S ci en ce
wi shes rash utterance ma y be explained on natural

’
gr o unds The i nsidio us eni g ma i s wh a t m akes the story

.
unforg ettable B arry P ain s E xcha n g e mig ht be gi ven as

.
’
another example of p ro blem ati c mag ic that o wes i t s power

t o elusive my stery Th e witch wo m an the so litary F
. ate -
, ,
wh o appear s t o per s o ns o ff ering them such dr eadful

alternatives mig ht be conceived of as the fig ment of sick
,
brai ns y et the reader kno ws that she is n ot

,
.
Richard M id dl et o n s The Goj i n M ercha n t seems si mple

’
eno ug h on the surface and the li teral mi nded coul d ex ,

-
plain the o ccurrence on normal g ro unds y et the story ,
h a s a pecul iar hauntin g supernatur alism A coffi n .
m erchant claims t o be able to kn o w wh o am o ng p a ssers

by wil l die s oon a n d hands a m a n an advertisem ent for a
,
coffin asserting that he will need it Th e ma n later g o es

, .
t o the sh o p t o r ebuke the m er chant for his m eth o ds but

ends by sig ning a co ntract for his own funer al On .
leaving he shakes hands with the dealer after whi ch he

, ,
unco nscio usly puts his hand to his lips f eelin g a Slig ht ,
sting H e dies that nig ht — of what ? Of p oiso n o f f ear

.
, , ,
o f supernatur al su g g estio n or i n the natur al co urse o f ,
events ? Th e series called The S tra n g e Ca ses of Dr .
S ta nchi on by J o sephine D askam B aco n sh ows instances

, ,
o ccurri ng amo n g the clientele o f a famo us b r ain special ist ,
where the materialist might put aside the explanatio n of

the supernatur al only to be co nfro nted by stil l g r eater
,
problems Th e r elatio n between insanity and g hostli ness

.
in recent fiction i s si g ni ficant and forms the crux of m any

a story since Poe M rs B aco n s The Mi ra cle fo r in stance
. .
’
, ,
has i ts setting in an insane asy lum but the uncanny ,
happening s almost convi nce us of the sanity of the

patients and the paranoia of the o utsiders We com e to .
a gree with the specialist that every pers o n is m or e or less
a paranoiac and none more so than he wh o scoff s at the

,
supernatural .
Su p ern a tu ra l S ci en ce 2 55
An o ther aspect of the transfer of magi c i n mo dern

fiction to a sci enti fic basis is that of seco nd sight or super
natur al vi si o n Thi s motif still retai ns all i ts form er eff ect
.
o f the uneart hl y perhaps

g aining mor e s i nce the sci enti fic
, ,
twi st seems to gi ve the idea that the gho stly po wer r esides
i n the at om s and molecul es and gases and m achi nes
themselves rather than in the perso n wh o manipulates
,
them whi ch i s more subtly haunti ng i n i t s i m pressi o n

, .
S eco nd si ght h a s been used a s a means for p ro duci ng

uncanny eff ects all al ong the li ne of fiction Defo e even .
used it i n a number of his ho ax pamphlets as well as in ,
h i s H i s tory of Du nca n Ca mp bell and folk lor e i s f ull of ,

-
such stori es es pecially i n the Hi ghl ands

, .
Th e modern use of supernatural vi si o n i s based appar

ently o n natural s ci ence which mak es the wei r d po wer
,
mor e strikin g The B l a ck P a tch by R andolph H artley

.
, ,
tells of an experiment i n o ptics that pro duces a strang e

resul t .N o students exchan g e left eyeballs f or the p ur
p o se of studyi ng the eff ects of the operati on leaving the ,
right ey e i n each case unim pair ed When the y o ung m en .
r eco ver fro m the o per ati o n and the bandages a re rem o ved ,
they disco ver that an extr aordi nary thi ng h a s t a ken place .
Th e fir st whi le s eei n g wi th hi s rig ht eye h i s own surroun d

,
i ng s a s usual sees al s o wi th hi s left— whi ch i s hi s fri end s

’
lef t tha t i s— what that fri end is l ooki ng at wi th his ri ght

,
eye th o usands of mil es away Th e severi ng of the o pti c

, .
nerve h a s n ot di sturbed the sy m patheti c vi si on between

the compani on eyes so this curio us do uble si ght results
,
.
In a quarrel ari si ng from thi s peculi ar si tuati o n the ,
firs t man kil ls the seco nd and sees on hi s left ey e the ,
hi deo us im age of hi s own f ace di storted wi th mur dero us

rage a s h i s fri end sa w i t which i s never t o be eff aced
, , ,
because the compani on eye i s d ea d and wi ll see no more .
A n o ther i nstan ce o f f ar si ghtedness i s t old in J ohn

Kendri ck B a ng s s The S peck on the Lens where a ma n h a s
’
,
2 56 S u p erna tu ra l S ci en ce
such an extraordinary left ey e that when he looks thro ug h

a lens he sees ro un d the world and gets a g limpse of the
,
back of his own head which he thin ks is a speck on the

lens O nly two m en i n the world a re supp o sed t o have
.
that p ower .
The Rema rka bl e Ca se of Da vi dson s E yes by H G Wells

’
, . . ,
is an interesting exam ple of this new sci enti fic tr ansference

o f m ag ic visio n D avids on is wo rking i n a lab orat ory
.
which is struck by li g htni ng and after the sho ck he finds

,
him self unable t o vi sualize his surro unding s but instead ,
sees the other side of the world ships a sea sands Th e , , , .
explanation g i ven by a prof essor turns on lear ned theories

o f Space and the F o urth Dim ensio n He thinks that .
D avi dso n in st 00p i n g between the p o les of the electro

,
magnet experienced a queer twi st in his m ental retinal

,
.
elem ents thro ug h the sudden force of the lig htning As

“
.
the author say s : It sets on e dreami ng of the o ddest

p o ssibilities of intercomm unicati o n in the futur e of ,
spending an intercalary five minutes o n the o ther si de of
by unexpected ey es
”
the world o f bein g watched in our mo st secret o perations
,
D avi dso n s vi sio n comes back

.
’
queerly for he beg ins t o see the thi ng s aro und him by
,
piecemeal as appar ently the two fields of visio n o verlap

,
for a time .
B rander M atthews in The K i n etoscope of Ti me int ro

duces an instrum ent with ey epieces that sh ow magi c
visi on Th e beholder sees scenes from the past from
.
,
li terature as well as from life has g limpses of S alom e

,
dancin g of E sm erelda witnesses the co mbat between

, ,
A chi ll es and H ecto r the t o urney between S al adi n and

,
the K night of the Leopard The magi ci an off ers to show

.
hi m hi s f uture — for a p ri ce but he i s wi se en o ug h t o

g
r ef use .
M agi c views o f the future consti tute an i nteresti ng

aspect of the supernatural vi sion i n mo dern stories .
Su p ern a tu ra l S ci en ce 2 57
The L if ted Vei l ,by George E li ot i s an acco unt of a ma n ,
wh o h a s p ro phetic gli m pses of hi s f ate which seem p ower ,
less to warn hi m since he m arries the wom an wh o he

,
kno ws will be hi s d oom and he i s aware that h e wi ll die ,
alo ne deserted even by hi s servants y et cann o t help it

, , .
He sees hi m self dyi ng with the attendants off on their ,
o wn c o ncerns kno ws every detai l beforehand but u n

, ,
avai li ngly Thi s suggests A mos Judd by J A Mi tchell

.
, . .
,
whi ch i s a curi o us instance of the transitio n stage of

seco nd si ght related b oth t o the ol d s orcerer type and to
,
the new sci enti fic ideas Amo s J udd so called i s the son.
, ,
o f an Indian r ajah sent o ut o f hi s co untry because of a

,
r ev o lutio n and b ro u g ht up in igno rance o f h i s bir th in a

,
N ew E n g land f armh o use Vishnu in the fa r past has .

, ,
laid hi s finger on the bro w of on e of the rajah s ancesto rs ’

,
thereby endo wing hi m with the gi ft of m agic vi sion which ,
descends o nce in a hundred y ears to s om e o n e o f his line .
Amo s Judd theref or e can see the futur e by pi ctur es

, ,
beholdi ng clearly every thing that wi ll happen t o hi m .
He sees hi mself lyin g dead at a desk o n which stands a ,
calendar m arking the date N o vember 4th Hi s friends ,

.
persuade hi m t o live past the date and they think all is ,
well till on e da y while he is on a visit t o a strang e ho use

,
he is killed by an assassin They find h i m lying at a desk .

,
with an out of date calendar beside hi m m arking N o vem

- -
,
ber 4th .
B arry P ai n endows a bulldo g wi th the p ower t o foretell

the futur e t o reveal disaster and o pp o se it Zero in the
,
.
,
st ory by that nam e is a commo n bulldo g greatly valued

,
because he has a super natural knowledg e of a ny e vil that

threatens tho se he loves and by his canine sagacity he ,
for estalls f ate In the end in pro tecting his m aster s little ’
.
,
child he is bi tten by a m a d dog who se co ming he h a s

, ,
supernaturally fo reseen and he commi ts suicide as the ,
o nly way out of the diffi cul ty Arthur M achen i n The .

,
2 58 Su p ern a tu ra l S ci en ce
B owmen tells vari ed stories of superna tural

a nd Others ,
vi si o n asso ciated wi th the wa r .
The Door i n the Wa lt by H G Wells depi cts a m a n wh o in

, . .
,
hi s dreamy chi ldho o d wanders int o a secret g arden wher e

he is shown the b o ok of hi s past and future but wh o ,
afterward s is unable t o find the do o r by whi ch he enters ,
tho ug h he seeks it often Later in life at several tim es .

,
when he is in a spe cial haste t o reach some place for an

i mp ortant app ointm ent he sees the d oor but d o es n o t
, ,
enter Finally he g o es in t o hi s death Thi s i s an instance

. .
o f the sug g estive supernatur al ism ass o ci ated wi th d ream s
and vi sions .
Th e use o f m i rrors in supernatur al V l S l Ol l i s si gni ficant ’
and appears in a number of way s in m o dern fictio n .
S co tt s M y A u n t M a rg a ret s Il/
Ii rror i s an early i nstance
’ ’
,
where the m ag ician shows the seeker a g lass wherein she

sees what is taking place in another co untry sees h er ,
husband on his wa y to the altar with another wom an sees ,
a strang er sto p the m arriag e and witnesses the fatal duel , .
H awt h orne has used m irror s extensively as sy m b olic o f

an i nner visi o n of a lo o k into the realities of the s o ul Fo r
, .
instance when p oor Featherto p the m ake believe m a n

, ,
-
,
the anim ated scarecro w lo oks into the mirror he sees ,
n o t the b r ave figure the wo rld beh o lds i n hi m but the ,
thing of sticks and straw the sham that he i s as the , ,
m inister shrin ks from the mirrored reflectio n of the black

vei l symb ol of m y stery that he wear s H awt ho rne else
, .
where speak s of E cho a s the Voice of the r eflectio n in a

m irror and say s that our r eflecti ons a re g h o sts of our
,
selves Mr Ti tbottom in Georg e William Curtis s P rue

. .
,
’
a n d I wh o has the p ower o f seeing int o the s o ul s of hum an

,
beings by means of his m agi c spectacles and catchi ng

symb oli c glimpses of what they a re instead of what they
appear to be beholds hi m self i n a mi rro r and shri nks back
,
aghast from the revelati on of hi s own nature B arry .

S u p ern a tu ra l S cie n ce 2 59
P ain s story r eferred to i n another co nnectio n shows a

’
, ,
mi rro r wherein a supernatural vi sitant reveals to a y ou ng

m an the supreme mo ments of lif e hi s own and tho se of ,
o thers pictures of the highest moments of ecstasy or

,
despai r of ful fillment of dear dream s

, .
The S i lver Mi rror by A Co nan Doy le r ep resents a

, .
,
m a n alo ne nig ht a fter nig ht working with o verstrained ,
nerves on a set of books wh o sees in an anti que mi rror a ,
strange scene re enacted and finds later that the g lass has
-
o nce belo nged t o M ary Q ueen of S co ts and that he has , ,
seen the m ur der of Ri zzio B rander M atthews also has .
a story co ncerned wi th re created im ages in an ol d mi rror -

.
Th e l o o kin g g lass in fictio n seem s t o be n o t o nly a s ort o f

-
hand conscience as M a rkhei m calls it but a betr ay er of

, ,
secrets a revealer of the forg o tten past a pro phet of the

, ,
futur e as well It is also a strang e sy mbo l t o sho w hearts

.
as they a re in real ity r eflect ing the s o ul rather than the

,
b o dy It is em ploy ed in diverse way s and is an eff ective

.
m eans of supernatural sug g estio n o f g h o stly p o wer , .
Th e F o urth Dim ensi o n is ano ther mo tif that seem s to
i nter est the writers of r ecent g h o stly tales They m ake .
use of it in vario us way s and seem t o have diff erent ideas

co ncerni ng it but they like t o play wi th the tho ug ht and
,
twi st it t o their whim A mbro se B i erce has a collection.
o f st o ries dealin g with my steri o us disappear ances in

”
,
which he tells of perso ns wh o a re transferred from the

,
“
kn own calcul able space to s ome n on E uclidean space -
where they a re l ost In s ome stran g e p o ckets of n owhere

.
they f all unable t o see o r to be seen to hear or t o be

”
, ,
heard neither living n o r dy ing since in that space is

, ,
n o p o wer of lif e or o f death It is all very my sterio us .
and uncanny He uses the them e a s the basis for a

.
number of short stori es of g ho stly p o wer which off er n o ,
s olutio n but leave the mystery in the a i r In s om e of .
these sto ri es B i erce represents the pers on as crying o ut ,

2 60 S u p erna tu ra l S ci ence
and bei ng heard but n o help can g o because he i s i n

, ,
vi sible and intangible n ot kn owing where he is n or what

,
has happened to him H G Wells in The P la ttn er Ca se

. . .
, ,
which shows an o bvi ous influence of B ierce gives a si mi lar ,
case He explains the extraordinary happeni ng s by

.
advancin g the theory that Plattner has chang ed si des .
A ccor din g t o m athem atics he say s we a re t old that the , ,
o nly w a y in which the rig ht and left sides of a so lid b o dy
can be chang ed is by takin g that bo dy clean o ut of space

as we kn ow it ou t of or dinary existence that is and
, , ,
turning it s o mewhere o utside space Plattner has been .
moved ou t int o the F o urth Dim ensio n and been r eturned
t o the wo rld with a curi o us inversi o n of b o dy He i s .
absent from the world f or nine day s and has extraordi n ary
experi ences in the Other World This happens thro ug h -
.
an explo sion in the lab oratory where he is worki ng simi ,
l a rl y to Wells s st o ry o f D avids o n where the infring ement

’
o n the F o urth Dim ension is the r esult o f a lig htning st ro ke .
M ary Wilkins Freem an deals wrth the Fo urth Dim eh

sio n in The H a ll B edroom where the b o arder drif ts off ,
into unkno wn space never t o return from g azing at a

, ,
picture on the wall as has happened in the case of p re

,
vi o u s o ccupants of the room Richar d M iddlet o n em plo y s

.
the same idea in a st ory of a co njurer wh o ni g htly play s a

tri ck in public causing his wif e to seem t o disappear into
,
space O ne nig ht she actually d o es so vanish never to be

.
,
seen ag ain Other instances o f the form m a y be fo und

.
in recent fiction H G Wells uses the them e with a d if

. . .
f eren t twist in his Ti me M a chi ne H ere the sci enti st .
insists that ti me i s the Fo urth Dim ensio n that perso ns ,
wh o talk o f the m atter ordinarily have n o idea of what it i s ,
but that he has s olved it He co nstr ucts a m achine which

.
enables hi m t o p ro ject himself i nt o the future or i nto the

past and sees what will happen or what has happened
,
i n o ther centuri es He lives years i n the space of a few

.
Su p erna tu ra l S ci e n ce 2 61
moments and has amazing adventures on hi s temp oral

expedi ti o ns B ut finally the Fo urth Dim ensi o n which
.
,
ma y be tho ught of as a terrible F ate or i nescapable destiny

awaiting all wh o dally with it g ets him t o o for he fail s, ,
t o r etur n fro m o n e o f his trips A no ther st ory tells of a

.
ma n wh o by drinking quantities o f g reen tea c o uld

p ro ject him self into the Fourth Dim ensio n .
A number of st ories of scienti fic supernatur ali sm a re

co ncerned with g lim pses into the future The Ti me .
M a chi n e just m entio ned with i ts invasio ns o f the un

, ,
kno wn space and tim e i t s trips int o eternity by the

,
agency of a mir aculo us vehi cle illustr ates the metho d ,

.
Th e scientist finds that he can tr avel backwards or for

war ds acceler ati ng or r etarding his speed as he will and
, ,
g et a sectio n o f lif e in a n y a g e he wishes He disc over s .
that in the future which he visits m any reforms have been

i nau g ur ated p r eventive m edicine established noxio us
, ,
weeds er adicated and y et strang e co nditi ons exist

,
.
M anki n d has underg o ne a two fold invo lutio n the s oft -

,
co ndi ti o ns of lif e having caused the hig her classes t o

deg enerate into flabby beings of n o streng th while an ,
underg ro und r ace has gro wn up of h orrible dep raved

nature blind from living in subterr anean passages canni
, ,
bal i sti c W hile the o ther s a re veg etarian T h e l ower classes .
a re like hideo us apes while the higher a re eff eminate

, ,
relaxed Th e tr aveler escapes a dire f ate o nly by rushing

.
t o his m achine and r eturni n g t o his o wn tim e S am uel .
B utler suggests that machi nes will be the real rulers i n the
com ing ages that m a n will be p reserved o nly t o feed and
,
car e fo r the m achines which wi ll have attained super

natural sensibi li ty and p o wer H e say s that m echanisms
.
will acquire feelings and tastes and culture and that ma n ,
wil l be th e se rvant of steel and steam in the future instead ,
of m aster a s n ow ; that engines wi ll wed and rear fami lies
whi ch men a s slaves must wai t up o n

, , .
2 62 Su p erna tu ra l S ci ence
Frank R S to ckton g ives an other supernatural sci en

.
x
tific g li mpse i nt o the future sh owi ng a s irn p o s sibili ti es ,
certai n thi n g s th at have since come to pass whi le s om e

'
of the changes pro phesi ed as im min ent are yet un r ea liz ed
and apparently fa r from actual i ti es Jack Lo ndo n s .

’
S ca rl et P la g ue pi ctures the eart h return ed to barbari sm ,
si n ce mo st of the i nhabitants have been swept away by

a sco urg e and the o thers have f ai led to carry on the t orch
o f ci vilizati o n H G W . ells “gi ves account of a t o ur int o
. .
futurity wherei n the mi racles of mo dern sci ence wo rk

,
r evo luti o ns i n hum an lif e and he sati ri zes s ociety ,

3
,
sho wi ng a to psy turvy state of aff ai rs i n A D 2 1 00 Hi s

- . .
Drea m of A rma g eddon i s a story of futuri ty wherein a m an

has co nti nuous vi si ons of wha t h i s experi ences wil l be i n
a no ther lif e far in the futur e That lif e becom es m or e .
r eal t o hi m than hi s actual exi stence and he g r ows i n ,
diff erent t o events taki ng place aro und hi m while r ent

wi th em otion over the g riefs to come i n ano ther a g e .
Of c o ur se E dward B ellamy s Looki ng B ackwa rd with i t s

’
, ,
so cial and mechani sti c mir acles that n ow seem flat and
t a m e t o us mi ght be sai d t o be the father of m o st of
,
these m o dern propheci es of scienti fic f uturi ty S am uel .
B utler s E rewhon co ntai ns m any elements of i mpo ssibil ity

’
i n r elatio n to lif e and i s a satir e on s oci ety tho ugh perhaps

, ,
n ot , stri ctly speaki ng supernatur al These propheci es

, .
o f the tim e t o co me a re i n the mai n i ntended as s o cial
satires as symboli c analyses of the weaknesses of

,
present life They evi nce vivid i magi nati o n and m uch
.
i n g enuity i n contri vi ng the m echan i sms that are t o

transf orm life yet they are n ot ex amples of great ficti o n
, .
M ar k Twai n r everses the ty pe i n hi s Conn ecti cu t Ya n kee

a t K i n g A rthur s Court for he sh o ws a man of the p r es ent
’
,
taki ng part i n the lif e of the f a r past managi ng t o paro dy ,
In The Grea t S tone f

o S a rdi s .
In A S tory f
o D a ys to Come .
3 In When the S l eeper Wa kes .
Su p ern a tu ra l S ci e n ce 2 63
both medi aevalism and the Yank ee character at once .
H G W ells i s parti cularly i nterested in studyi ng the

. .
unused for ces of the world and f ancying what woul d

happen under o ther co nditio ns Hi s play of sci entific .
speculati o n h a s p ro duced many stories that he do es n ot

greatly value n ow him self but which a re of i nterest as ,
showi ng certai n tendenci es of fictio n .
Vi ews ther planets form a feature of m o dern super

of o
natur ali sm fo r the wri ter n o w sets his st o ries n o t o nly o n

,
earth in heaven and i n hell but o n other worlds besi des

, ,
.
Th e astro lo ger of anci ent ficti o n with h i s ey e fixed ever ,
on the star s seeking t o discern their influence o n hum an

,
destiny appear s n o m ore am ong u s He h a s been re

, .
placed by the astro nomer wh o scans the stars y et with a

diff erent pur p ose i n fictio n He wishes to find o ut the .
lif e of ci ti zens of other planets r ather than t o fig ur e out

the f ate of mortals o n the earth M any stories of mo dern .
ti mes cause n e w planets t o swi m into our liter ary ken and
describe their citizens with ease H G W ells stars here as . . .
elsewhere In his Wa r of the Worlds he depicts a strugg le

.
between the earth peo ple and the M artians in whi ch ,
m any supernatur al elem ents enter Th e peo ple of M ar s .
a re a r epulsive h or de o f cr eatur es yet they have wo nderful ,
o rgani zati o n and c o mm and of r es o urces and they c o nquer ,
the earth to prey up o n it Thi s book ha s suff ered the .
inevi table paro dy In The Crysta l E gg W ells describes

.
1
,
a curio us g lo be in whi ch the gazer can see scenes r eflected

from M ar s T h e auth o r sugg ests two theories as t o the
.
p o ssibility o f this either that the crystal is in both

,
—
worlds at o nce r em aining statio nary in o n e and m ovi ng

,
i n the other and that it reflects scen es in M ars so that

,
they a re vi sible on earth or else that by a peculiar sy m ,
pathy wi th a companio n g lo be on the other planet i t shows

1
In The Wa r of the Wen uses , by C L Gra ves . . a nd E V Lu ca s
. . .
2 64 Su p ern a tu ra l S ci e n ce
on surface what happens in the o ther world It i s

i ts .
hinted that the M arti ans have sent the cry stal to the earth
i n order that they might catch glim pses of our li fe .
In The S ta r W ells gi ves yet another story of the future

, ,
of o ther planetary influences B y the passing of a stran g e .
star lif e on earth i s co nvul sed and co nditio ns radi cally

,
changed These co nditi o ns a re o bserved by the a stron o

.
mer s on M ars wh o a re being s diff er ent from m en yet

, ,
very i ntellig ent They draw co nclusio ns as t o the am o unt

.
of dam age d o ne t o the earth sati ri zi ng hum an theori es ,
as to M ars The Da ys of the Comet shows earthly lif e

.
changed by the passing of a com et but i nstead of the ,
destructi o n described in the o ther st ory the so ci al co ndi ,
ti ons a re vastly im proved and a mi llennium i s ushered in .
Wells makes a voyag e t o the mo o n p ossible by the di s

1
co very of a substance which r esists g ravity O ther i h .
stances might be given for there has been n o lack o f ,
lunar literature but they a re n o t usually worth m uch

,
.
Du M a uri er s The M a rti a n which combines the ele

’
,
m ents o f metempsy cho sis aut om atic wri ti ng and dream , ,
supernaturalism wi th the i dea of gho stly astro nomy

, ,
tells of a supernatural visitant from M ars Th e M a r .
ti an i s a y oung wom an who se spi rit comes to inhabit a

yo ung ma n to whom she dictates wo nderful b ook s in his
dream s S h e wri tes letters t o hi m in a sort of private
.
co de in which she tells of her pr evi o us i ncarnati o ns on

,
M ars of the M artians wh o a re ext rao rdi n ary amphi bio us

,
bei ng s descended from a sm all sea anim al They have

,
.
unusual acuteness of senses with an added si xth sense a ,
sort of orientatio n a feeli ng of a m agn etic current which

, ,
she imparts to h er p rot ég é B arty Jo scelyn Jack , .
Lo ndo n tells a st o ry of i nterplanetary metempsycho si s

2
,
where the central character a prisoner in S an Q uenti n , ,
finds hi mself able to wi ll hi s b o dy t o di e at ti mes thus ,
1
In The Fi rst Men i n the Moon .
1
In The S ta r Rover .
Su p ern a tura l S ci en ce 2 65
r eleasi ng hi s spiri t t o fly throug h space and reli ve i ts

experi ences i n p revi o us incarnati o ns .
B arry P ai n s The Cel esti a l Grocery is a phantasy of

’
i nsanity and the supernatur al with i t s setting on two ,
planets It co ntai ns a cab horse that talk s and laughs

.
,
and other inversi ons of the natur al A ma n is taken on a .
j o urney to an other world sees the stars and the earth in

,
space beneath hi m and finds everything diff erent from

,
what he has kno wn befo re P eople there have two b o dies.
and send them alternately t o the wash tho ug h they ,
seldom wear them Th e celestial sho p sells no thin g

.
concrete onl y abstractio ns emo tions experiences On e

, , , .
ma y buy measur es of l o ve requited or un sel fishl y h o peless

, ,
o f p olitical success o f literary fam e o r of p ower o r what

, ,
n ot .H appiness is a blend h o wever fo r which on e must , ,
mi x the ing redients f or himself Th e st o ry is sy m b olic .
o f the ideals o f earth with a sad eff ective satir e Th e

, , .
end is insanity leaving on e wo ndering h ow m uch of it is

,
pure phantasy of a m a d m an s brain or h o w m uch actual ’
i ty. It is reminiscent of H awt horne s Intellig ence Offi ce ’
wi th i t s sym b oli c supernatur alism .
Hy pn ot i s m enters larg ely i nt o the fictio n of mo dern

times Hy pno tism m a y o r ma y
. n o t be c o nsidered a s
supernatural y et it bor ders so clo sely on to the realm

,
o f the uncanny and is so related t o science o f t o d a y as

,
-
well as t o the s orcery o f the past that it sho uld be con ,
si d ered i n thi s co nnecti o n fo r it carries o n the t raditio ns
o f the supernatur al In its earlier stag es hy pno tism was

.
consi der ed as di stinctly diab olic used o nly for unlawf ul ,
purp o ses bei ng asso ci ated with wi tchcraft It is only in

,
.
more recent tim es that it h a s been rehabilitated in the

p ubli c mi nd and tho ug ht of as a science which ma y be
used for helpful ends It is so mysterious i n i t s p ower that
.
i t a ff o rds comp li catio ns in plenty fo r the no veli st and h a s

been uti lized i n vario us ways In s ome cases a s F .

,
.
M ario n Crawf ord s The Wi tch of P ra g ue i t i s asso ci ated

’
,
sti ll wi th evi l p ower and held a s a black a rt U norn a h a s .
an unearthly p ower g ai ned thro ug h hy pno tism whi ch i s

more than hy pnoti c and whi ch she uses to f urther h er
,
o wn ends S trange scienti fic i deas of life and o f death

.
a re seen her e and so meo ne says o f her : Y o u wo uld make a

,
living mummy of a ma n I sho uld expect to find him

”
.
wi th his head cut off and livi n g by means of a g lass hear t

and thinki ng thro ugh a rabbit s brain S h e em balms an
’
.
o l d m a n in a c o ntinuo us hy pn otic letharg y r ecallin g hi m ,
o nly at intervals t o d o m ech a n i ca ll y the thing s necessary

‘
t o p rol o n g lif e Sh e i s tryi n g t o see if she can cause hum an

.
tissue t o live for ever in this em balm ed state h 0pin g to ,
learn thro ug h it the secret of eternal lif e T his o f co urse .

, ,
sug g ests Poe s stories of the subject Mesmeri c Revela ti ons

’
and The Fa cts i n the Ca se of M Wa ldema r The latter is o n e . .
o f the mo st r ev olting instances o f scientific supernatur al
i sm for the dy ing m a n is mesmerized in the m om ent o f

,
death and rem ains in that co nditio n dead y et undecay ing

”
, , ,
and speaking r epeating with hi s horrible to ng ue the state

“
,
m ent ,I a m dead Af ter seven m o nths further exp e ri

.
,
m ents break the spell and he pleading t o be all o wed t o be

, ,
at peace in death f alls suddenly away into a lo athsom e

, ,
liquid putrescence before the ey es of the experim enters .
The P orten t by Georg e Ma c Don a l d i s a curio us study of

, ,
hy pno tic influence of a wom an wh o is h er true self o nly

,
when i n a so m nambulistic state A supernatural connec .
tio n of s oul exists between h er and a y o uth born o n the

sam e da y and it is only thro ugh his hy pno tic a i d that she
,
gains her pers onality and sanity J am es L For d plays . .
wi th the subject by havi ng a g ro up of pers o ns in an evening

party submit themselves t o be hy pn oti zed i n turn each ,
telling a true story of hi s lif e while in that condition .
W D Ho wells combi nes mesmeri sm wi th S piri tual ism

. .
Su p ern a tu ra l S ci ence 2 67
i n hi sno vel where the séances a re really the result of

,
1
hy pnoti sm rather than supernatural r evelatio n a s the

m edium thi nks H G W ells has used this them e as
. . .
,
almo st every other form of scientific gh o stliness though ,
witho ut marked success Th e p ri ze st ory of hy pno tism .

,
ho wever stil l r em ains Du M a uri er s Tri lby for n o m es

,
’
m eri st in this fictio n has been able t o o utd o S vengali .
Uncanny chem istry forms the i ng redient fo r many a

mo dern st ory T h e alchem ist was the favor ed f eatur e of
.
the older supernatur al fictio n of science and his efforts ,
t o disc o ver the phi l o s o pher s st o ne and t o b r ew the m ag ic

’
eli xir have furnished pl o ts for divers stori es H e do es n o t .
o ften waste his t i m e in these vain endeav or s in r ecent
stories tho ug h his eff orts h ave n o t alt o g ether ceased as

, ,
we have seen in a previ o us chapter A Co nan D oyle is . .

2
amo n g the last t o tr eat the them e and m akes the scientist ,
find his eff orts wor se than useless for the r esearch student ,
finds that his di scovery of the a rt of making g old is di s

turbi n g the nice balance o f natur e and brin g ing i njury t o
tho se he m eant to help so he destroy s his secret formula ,
and dies The E li xi r of You th illustr ates the transference

.
o f p o wer f ro m the s or cer er t o the scientist fo r the m agi cian ,
that g ives the strang er a p otio n t o rest or e his y o uth tells

him that he is n o t a s or cer er n ot a diab olic ag ent but a , ,
sci entist learning t o util ize the forces that a re at the

comm and of a n y intellig ence .
B arry P ai n s The L ove P hi l ter i s r elated b o th t o the ol d

’
and the new ty pes o f supernatural chemistry A m a n .
l oves a wo m an wh o do esn t care so he asks aid o f a wise ’
wo m an wh o g ives hi m a p o tio n that will sur ely wi n the

,
stubb orn heart A s he lies asleep in the desert on hi s wa y

.
,
back he dreams that hi s lo ve say s t o him that lo ve gained

,
1
Th U di
e v ndC ty
sco ere oun r .
In The D oi ng s f
o Rafi es Ha w .
2 68 Su p ern a tu ra l S ci en e
by such means is n ot l ove so he po ur s the li quid on the ,
sand When he returns the wom an tells hi m that sh e h a s

.
,
been wi th hi m in his d ream s and l oves him because he

would n ot claim h er wro ng ly B lue Roses i s ano ther of his .
stories of m ag ic that bring l ove to the indiff erent Twi li g ht .

,
by F rank D anb y is a no vel based on the r elati o n between

,
mo rphia and the supernatur al A wom an ill of nervo us .
tro uble under the influence of o piates co ntinually sees the

, ,
spirit of a wom an dead for years wh o r elives h er story ,
before h er eyes so that the perso nalities a re curi o usly

,
merged This inevi tably su g g ests D e Q ui ncey s Con

’
.
f essi ons of a n E n gli sh Opi um E a ter wi th its dream -
wo nders y et it has a p o wer of its own and the ski llful

,
blendi ng o f reality with dream supernatur alism and -
insanity has an uncanny di stinctio n .
Fu M anchu the Chinese wo nder worker in S a x Ro h

-
,
-
m er s series o f st ori es bearin g that nam e is a rep resen

’
,
t a ti ve example o f the m o dern use o f chemi stry fo r

supernorm al eff ect He em ploy s all the for ces of up to
.
-
the minute science t o compass hi s diabolic ends and

-
works m iracles of chemi stry by seeming ly nat ural m etho ds .
By a hy p o dermic injecti o n he can instantly drive a m a n

t o acute insanity incur able save by a co unter injectio n -
whi ch only Fu M anchu can gi ve but which as instantly

-
,
r est or es the reaso n B y ano ther needl e he can cause a

.
perso n to die t o all intents and purp o ses at least

—
, ,
and after the bo dy has been buried for day s he can restore
i t t o li f e by ano ther prick of the needle H e terrorizes .
E ngland by hi s inf ernal p owers killing off or co nverting ,
t o slavery the leadin g i ntelli g en ces that Opp o se hi m .
S tevens o n s Dr J ekyll a n d Mr H yde is perhaps the

’
. .
best known instance of chemical s upernaturalism Here

-
.
the m agi c dru g n ot only chang es the b o dy evolvi ng fro m ,
the respectable Dr Jeky ll his baser self i n the form o f Mr

. .
Hyde enabli ng hi m to gi ve rei n t o hi s cri mi nal i nsti ncts

,
Su p erna tu ra l S ci en ce 2 69
wi th o ut bri n gi ng repro ach on hi s reputati on but has the ,
subtle p ower to fix the perso nali ty of evi l so that each ,
ti m e the drug i s used Hyde is gi ven a stronger force and

Jekyll i s weakened Thi s fictive sermo n on dual nature
.
,
the a scendence of evi l over the no bler soul i f i t be i ndul g ed ,
seems y et an appalli ng ly r eal story of hum an lif e In a .
simi lar fashi o n Ar thur M ach en uses supernatural chemi stry

mo st hideo usly i n The Three Impostors where a certai n ,
p o wder perverts the so ul m aki ng ma n a Sharer in the

,
unspeakable orgi es of ancient evi l forces .
The In vi si bl e M an by H G Wells shows an unusual

, . .
,
applicati o n of chemi stry to gho stly ficti o n that gi ves a

peculiar efi ect of reali ty because i t s sty le i s that of seien
ti fi c reali sm B y experi m entatio n wi th drugs a m a n finds
.
a com bi nati o n that will r en der li vi ng ti ssue abso lutely

i nvi si ble Wh en he swal lo ws a p orti on of i t he can n o t
.
,
be seen Hi s clothes appear to be walking ar o und by

.
themselves and the complicatio ns are uncanny A s on e .
ma y see the comi c p ossi bi li ties a re p romi nent and for a

,
tim e we laugh over the my sti fica ti on of the perso ns wi th

who m he comes i n co ntact but so on stark tragedy r esul ts
, .
D ur ing the man chase as the hunted cr eature seeks to

-
,
escape the people hear the thud thud of running steps

,
-
,
watch bloo dy foo tpri nts fo rm before thei r eyes y et see ,
no thi ng else H ere i s a genui ne thri ll that i s n ew i n fictio n

. .
Th e m a n gradu ally becomes vi sible but o nly i n death i s ,
hi s dreadful figure seen co mpletely ag ai n This m o dern .
meth o d of transferri ng to science the i dea of i nvisibility

so p rominent i n c o nnectio n wi th gh o sts showi ng the ,
i nvi si bili ty as the r esult o f a chemi cal comp o und n ot of ,
supernatural i nterventi on aff ecti ng a li vi ng ma n n o t a

,
spi rit mak es the eff ect of super natur ali sm more vivi d
,
even th an i n the case of gho sts .
T hese a re onl y suggestio ns of the vari ed uses t o which

chemi stry h a s been put i n pro duci ng ghostly plots and
2 7o Su p ern a tu ra l S ci en ce
utili zi ng i n novel ways the co nventi o nal m o ti f s of older

stori es These them es a re m ore p o pular n ow than they
.
would have been half a century a g o because n ow th e

average r eader knows more abo ut scienti fic facts and i s
better prepared t o appreciate them A m an i gnorant of .
chemistry wo uld care nothing for the thro es of Dr Jeky ll .
o r the co mplicating experiences o f the invisible m a n ,
because he wo uld have slig ht basis for his im agi nation t o

build up o n Each widening of the p o pular intellig ence
.
and each branch of sci ence added to the m ental stor e of

the ordinary r eader i s a distinct g ain to fictio n .
S uper natur al bi olo g y looms large i n m o dern ficti o n ,
tho ug h it is n ot alway s easy t o diff erentiate bet ween the

p redominance of chemical and biolo g ical m otif s In .
m any cases the t wo a r e tan g led up t og ether and as in the , ,
sto ries o f dual perso nali ty and invisibility just m en tioned ,
o n e m ay n o t r eadi ly s a y whi ch is upperm o st the bio l o gical ,
or the chem ical side for the ex periments ar e o f the eff ects
,
of certain dru g s up o n livi ng hum an ti ssue Ther e a re .
vario us simi lar instances in the fictio n o f sci entific super

naturalism H awthorne s The B i rthma rk is a case of
.
’
chemical bi ol o g y where the husband seeki ng to remove

,
by p owerf ul dr u g s the m ark from his wif e s cheek succeeds

’
i n d oin g s o but causes h er death H er e the supernatural

.
i sm i s sy m b o lic sug g ested rather than b oldly stated as is

, ,
usual ly the case wi th H awthorne s wo rk ’

.
A C o nan D oy le in The L os A mi g os F
. i a sco sho ws super
naturalism based on the eff ect o f electricity on the b o dy ,
for the ly ncher s in t ry in g t o kil l a m a n by c o nnectin g hi m

with a dy nam o succeed in so mag netizing him that he
can t be killed in a n y wa y S a x Ro h mer tells on e Fu
’
.
M anchu st ory of a my sterio us m urder committed by

m eans o f an im pris o ned g a s that escapes from a m ummy
case and p oi sons tho se exp o sed to i t and in an other he
, , ,
Su p ern a tu ra l S cien ce 27 1
i nt ro duces a diabolic red i nsect attracted by the scent of

a p o iso no us or chid that bites the m arked vi ctim,
.
Wells s The Isla nd of Dr M orea u is a g hastly study in

’
.
vi vi secti o n Two sci entists on a remo te island wi th n o

.
o ther hum an inhabitants t r

y unspeakable ex perim ents on
anim als trying by pruning and grafti ng and training the
,
livi ng tissue t o make them human They d o succeed in a .
measure f or they teach the beasts to talk and t o observe

,
a s ort of jung le law laid do wn by m a n y et the eff ect i s ,
si ckening Th e anim als a re n ot hum an and never can be

.
,
and these revo lting experim ents deprive them of all

a n irn al di g nity wi th o ut adding a n y of the hum an In the .
end they r evert t o savag ery beco mi ng even mor e bestial ,
than bef ore Th e m o st dreadf ul biolo g ical experiments

.
in recent fictio n a re descri bed in Arthur M achen s volum e ’
o f sh o r t st o ries The H ou se of S oul s In on e story an

“
”
.
,
o per atio n o n the b r ain enables a victi m t o see the g reat

g od Pa n t o have r evelatio ns o f ancient supern atur alism
,
wherein P a n and the devi l a re united in o n e character .
In ano ther a delicate cutti ng of th e br ain removes the

,
s oul — which takes the form o f a wo nderful jewel — and

, ,
utterly diab olizes the character These curio us and .
r evolting st ories a re advanced in stances of scientifi c

diabo lism and leave a sm ear o n the mind They a re m ore .
horrible than the creation of Frankenstein s ma n mo nster ’

-
,
for her e mor al m o nsters a re evo lved .
M edicated supernaturalism asso ciated wi th pr enatal

i nfluence o ccurs in vario us st ories wher e a supern ormal
twi st is g iven because of s om e event o ut of the ordinary .
Amb ro se B ier ce s The E y es of the Pa n ther a st ory of a

’
y o ung wo m an wh o i s a panther for part o f the time as a

r esult of a sh o ck i s ass o ciated wi th the snake nature of
,
E lsi e V enner B arry P ain s The Un dyi n g Thi n g i s on e of

’
.
the most horrible of such com plications for because of a ,
mo ther s fri ght o ver a pack of wolves a mo nster i s b orn

’
,
neither wolf n or hum an neither animal n or m a n neither , ,
mortal n or i mm ortal It is hidden in a secret cave t o di e

.
,
y et lives o n th o u g h n o t livi n g t o f ulfil a cur se up o n the

, ,
ancient ho use A Co nan Doy le s The Terror of B lue

. .
’
John Ga p is a st ory of a m o nstro us animal like a bear y et ,
big g er than an elephant that r avag es the co untrysi de , .
Th e theory fo r i t s bein g i s that i t is a survival in a sub ,
terr anean cave of a lo ng extinct ty pe from prehi stori c

,
-
,
tim es that comes out in its blindness t o destroy There

, .
a re o ther exam ples o f superno rmal animals i n mo dern
ficti o n y et these suffice t o illustrate the g enre

, .
B o tany f urnishes its gho stly plo ts in ficti o n as well as

o ther b ranches o f science for we have plant vamp i r es and ,
witches and devil s Trees and flowers a re hig hly psy chic
.
and ru n a g amut of em otio ns H awth orne sho ws us .
supernatural plants in several of hi s novels and stories ,
such as the my sterious plant g ro wing from a secret g rave ,
which has a strang e pois o no us po wer or the flo wers from ,
G a ff er Dolliver s g ar den that shine like jewels and lend a

’
g lo w t o the living f ace near them when wo rn o n a wom an s

’
,
breast In Ra ppa cci n i s Da ug hter the g ar den is f ull of

.
’
flo wers of subtle pois o n so insidio us that their veno m has ,
entered into the lif e o f the y o ung g irl renderi ng h er a livi ng ,
m enace t o tho se aro und her S h e is the victim of h er .
f ather s daem o nic experi m ents in the eff ects of p o is on o n the

’
hum an bo dy and h er kiss m eans death Al g erno n B lack

, .
wo o d tells of the uncanny p o wer of m o tio n and em otio n

1
p ossessed by the trees where the forest exercises a m a g ,
netic for ce upon human being s sy mpathetic to them g oing ,
o u t after men and lurin g them t o thei r f ate He descri bes .
the cedar as friendly t o ma n and attempting but i n vain to

protect him from the creeping mali gnant p ower of the forest .
Fu Manchu S a x Rohmer s Chi nese horror performs

-
,
’
,
1
I Th M
n wh m th T
e an L vd o e rees o e .
vari o us experiments i n bo tany t o further hi s dreadful ends .
He devel o ps a speci es of p oi sono u s fungi till they bec ome

'
gi ant i n si ze and acquire certain po wer s throug h being

k ept in the dar kness When a lig ht is tur ned o n them the
.
,
f ungi expl o de turnin g l oo se on the m en he would m urder

, , ,
fum es that drive them ma d Fro m the c eiling above a re .
r eleased ripe sp o r es o f the giant E m pusa for the a i r in the ,
seco nd cellar being surchar g ed wi th oxy g en makes them

, ,
germinate instantly They f all like p o wdered snow up o n

.
the vi cti ms and the horrible fung i g row m ag ically spread ,
i n g o ver the writhin g b o dies o f the m a d m en and wr apping -
them in g ho stly shrouds In The Fl ower of S i lence he ' .
describes a strang e orchid that has the uncanny habi t of

sti ngi ng or biti n g when it is bro ken or ro ug hly handled ,
sendin g fo rth a p o is o n that first makes a m a n deaf then - !
kil ls hi m Fu M anchu intro duces this fl ower into the

.
-
sleepi ng rooms of tho se he wishes to put o u t of the way ;

-
and sends them into eter nal silence The Floweri ng of the .
'
S tra n g e Orchid by H G W ells is the st ory of a mur dero us
, . .
,
pl ant a vam pire that kil l s m en in the jun g le and in a

, ,
g reen h o use in En g land sends out its tentacles that gri p

the bo tanist drinking hi s bloo d a n d seeking to slay hi m
-
.
T his o r chi d has the p o wer to pr o ject its vam piric attacks
when it i s a shriveled bulb or in the flo wer This reminds
'
.
u s o f Algern o n B la ck woo d s st ory o f the vampir e so il

’
,
whi ch after i ts psychic org y bur st i nt o lo athsome

luxuri ant bloo m where before it had been b arr en .
It i s a curi o us heightening of supernatural eff ect t o

g i ve t o beautiful fl o wers di ab olical cunni n g and murdero us
moti ves t o endo w them wi th hum an p sych ol o gy a n d
,
devilish de si gns The m agic asso ciat ed with botany i s

.
usually black instead of white On e wo nders if trans .
mi grati on of s oul d o es n ot enter subco nsci o usly i nto these

pl ots and if a vamp i re orchid i s not a trai li ng off of a
,
human so ul the murderous blossom a revenge gho st

,
18
2 74 S up erna tu ra l S ci e nce
expressing hi mself i n that way Th e plo ts i n thi s type of .
ficti o n a re wro ught wi th much i m agi natio n and the

scientific exactness combi ned wi th the supernatural gi ves
a peculi ar eff ect of reality .
There varied form s of supernatural sci ence that do

a re
n ot co m e under a n y o f the heads discussed Th e applica .
tions of resear ch to weird fictio n a re a s di verse as the

phases of in vestig ati on and o nly a few ma y be m entio ned
t o suggest the variety of them es em plo yed Inversio n of .
natural la ws fur ni shes plo ts as in Frank R S to ckto n s

,
-
.
’
Ta le of N eg oti ze Gra vi ty wi th it s di scovery of a substance

that enables a m an t o save him self a ll f ati gue by m eans of
a som ething that inverts the law of gravity Wi th a little .
packag e i n hi s p o cket a ma n can clim b m o untains wi tho ut

eff ort but the di scoverer miscalcul ates the amo unt of
,
energy requir ed to move and finall y rises instead of stay ing

o n the earth till h i s wif e has t o fish h i m int o the seco nd
,
story window Po e s L oss of B rea th illustrates another

.
’
infring em ent of a natural law a s do several stori es where

,
a hum an being lo ses his shadow .
In The Di a mon d L ens Fitz James O B ri en tell s of a

,
-
’
ma n wh o l ooki ng at a dro p of water thro ug h a g i ant

m icro sc o pe sees in the dro p a lo vely w o m an wi th wh om he
fall s m adly in love only t o watch h er f ade away under the
,
lens as hi s despairi ng ey es see the water evap orate .
S upernatur al aco usti cs enters in the sto ry of a man wh o

1
discovers the s ound center in an o per a ho use and reads

-
the unspoken thoug hts of tho se aro und hi m H e applies .
the laws of aco ustics to mentali ty and spirituality ,
m aki n g ast o undin g di sco veries B ram S t o ker c ombines

.
superstiti o n wi th mo dern science i n hi s books as where ,

2
Ori ental m agi c is used t o fig ht the encro achments o f an

In The S pi der s E ye, by Lu creti a P Ha l e
’
1
. .
1
In The Jewel of S even S ta rs .
Su p erna tu ra l S ci en ce 2 75
evi l fo rce emanating from a m umm y as also to bri ng the ,
mummy to li f e while a r espir at o r is em ployed t o keep

,
away the subtle o do r H e b ri ng s in bloo d transfusio n

.
to gether wi th supersti ti o us sy mbo ls t o co mbat the ,
r avages of vam p i res B loo d t ransfusi o n als o enters int o

.
1
supernatural ism in S tephen Fr ench Whi tney s story ’

,
where a wo m an wh o h a s been buried i n a glacier fo r two

tho usand y ears is recalled to life .
The Huma n Chord by Al g ern o n B lackwoo d i s a n o vel

, ,
based on the psy chi c values o f so unds which claims that ,
so unds a re all powerf ul a re everything for form s shapes

, ,
—
, ,
bo dies a re but vibr atory activities of so und m ade vi sible .
Th e r esear ch worker here believes that he wh o has the

p o wer to call a thing by its pro per nam e i s m aster of that
thin g or of that pers on and that to be able t o call the
, ,
nam e of D ei ty wo uld be to enable o n e t o becom e as Go d .
H e seeks t o bring t o gether a hum an ch ord fo u r perso ns ,
in harm ony a s t o voice and so ul wh o can p ro no unce the,
awf ul nam e ari d becom e divi ne with hi m He can ch ang e .
the form or the nature o f anythi ng by call ing its nam e as a ,
wom an i s defo rm ed by rn i sp ron un ci a ti on and the walls ,
o f a roo m expanded by his vo ice He can m ake of him self

.
a dwarf o r a gi ant at will by diff erent metho ds of speak

,
i n g his o wn nam e He says that s o und co uld re create or

.
-
destroy the universe He has captur ed s o unds that strain

.
at their leashes in hi s secret rooms g igantic wonderful , , .
B u t in the eff ort t o call up on the mi g hty N am e he mi s

pro no unces it bringi ng a terrible co nvulsio n of nature
,
whi ch destroys hi m The beholder s see an awful fire in

.
whi ch Letters escape back to heaven in chariots of flame .
P sy ch ol og y f urnishes s om e interesting co ntri buti ons

t o r ecent fic ti o n alo ng the line of what mig ht be called
momentary or instantaneo us plots Am bro se B ierce s
’
.
The Occurrence a t Owl Creek B ri dg e i s a goo d example ,
1
In Dra cul a .
2 76 Su p erna tu ra l S ci en ce
where a ma n i s bei ng hang ed and i n the i nstant between

the dro p from the bri d g e and the breaki ng of the neck he
li ves through long and dram atic adventures escapi ng ,
hi s pursuers by falli ng i nt o the river and swi mmi ng ashore ,
r e a chi ng h ome at last t o g reet h i s wi f e and chi ldr en .
Yet i n a second h i s lif eless b o dy swi ngs from the bri dge .
The Wa rni ng by J o sephi ne D ask am B acon shows the

, ,
case of a man who li ves years in another co un try duri ng a

few moments of acute m ental strai n c arri ed to the poi nt of
paranoi a B arry P ai n h as a story where i n the ti me i n
.
whi ch a man dri ves hom e fro m the theater he vi si ts an other

planet and changes the current of hi s li f e whil e Algerno n ,
B lackwoo d comp res ses a great experien ce i nto a few

mi nutes of dreami ng .
One noteworthy p oi nt in conn ecti o n wi th the s ci ent i fic

supernaturali sm i s that these them es appear o nly i n
novels and short sto ri es They d o n ot cro ss over i nto
.
p o et ry a s do most of the other f orm s of the gho stly a rt .
P erhaps thi s i s because the situatio ns a re i ntellectual

r ather than emoti o nal brain problems or studi es i n
,
-
m echani sms rather than in f eeling s or emoti ons Th e .
provi nce of sci ence i s r em oved f rom that of p o etry because

the metho ds and pur p o ses ar e al tog ether diff erent Th e .
sci enti fic metho ds a re clear cut coldly i ntellectual

-
, .
S ci ence dem ands an exactness a m eticulo us accur acy

,
hosti le to p oetry whi ch r equir es suggesti on vagu en ess , ,
vei led mystery for i t s g r eatest eff ect The F lower of

.
S i l ence for i nstance wo uld be a fitti ng ti tle for a p o em

, , ,
but the po eti c eff ect wo ul d be destroyed by the need for

'
stati ng the genus and species of the orchi d and anal yzing
i ts destructi o n of human tissue N ature s mysteri o us
’
.
forces and elements i n general and vagu ely consi dered ,
vei led i n mi sts of i mag inati on and with a sense of vastness

and beauty a re extremely p o etic B ut the noteb ook and
, .
laboratory methods of pure sci ence are ant agoni sti c to

p o etry thoug h they fit admi rably i nto the r equi rements of

,
fictio n who se purp ose is to g ive an impressi o n of actuality

, .
A n o ther r eas o n wh y these scientific themes d o n o t pass

o ver i nt o p o et ry m a
y be that scientific m etho ds a s we
kn o w them a re new and p o etry clin g s t o the ol d and
,
established co nventi o ns and em o tio ns There is am azin g .
hum an interest in these experim ents a veri table weal th ,
o f r o mance with dr amatic p o ssibil ities t rag ic and co m ic

, ,
y et they a re m o re suited t o p ro se ficti o n than t o p o etry .
We have adapted ou r brain cells to their co ncepts in pro se

-
,
yet we have n ot thus mo lded our p o etic ideas It gi ves .
us a sh o ck t o have new co ncepts intro duced into p o etry .
A n i nstance of this clash of r ealism with sentim ent is

sho wn in a r ecent po em where the setting is a phy sics
laboratory Yet in a few more decades we ma y find the
.
p o ets eagerly co nverting the ra w m aterials of science into

the essence of p o etry itself and by a my stic alchemy m or e
,
wo nderf ul than any y et kno wn transm utin g intellectual,
pro blem s of science into magi c verse Crea ti on by Alfred .

,
N oy es i s an im p ressive di scussio n of evolutio n as r elated

,
t o Go d .
P er haps another reas o n why these them es have n ot

been utilized in p o etry i s because they a re t oo fantastic ,
t oo bizarr e T hey lack the p ro p o rti o n and sense o f ar tisti c

.
harmo ny that p o etry r equires S tr ang en ess and wo nder

.
a re true elem ents o f p o et ry and m ag ic is a n elem ent of the

,
g r eatest a rt but in s olutio n as it were n o t i n the fo rm

, ,
o bserved i n science Th e miracles of the labor at ory are

.
t oo abr upt t oo inco nceivable save by intellectual an a lysis

, ,
and present t o o g r eat a strain up o n the p o wers of the

im aginatio n They a re fantastic while true p o etry i s
.
,
co ncerned with the f ancy M ag ic and wo nder in verse

.
must co me from c o ncepts that steal up o n the im aginatio n

and make appeal thro ug h the em o tio ns Thus s om e form s .
o f supernaturalism a re admi rably adapted t o the pr ovi nce

2 78 Su p erna tu ra l S ci e n ce
of p o etry such as the presence of spi rits vi si tations of

, ,
ang els or demo ns ancient witchcr aft and so forth Th e

, , .
elements that have universal appeal thro ug h the sense of

the supernatural m o ve u s in p o etry but the is olated ,
i nstances the peculiar p ro blem s that o ccur i n scienti fic

,
r esear ch if t ransf err ed t o p o etry wo ul d leave us cold .
Yet they m a y co m e t o be used i n the next vers li bre .
N or do these situati o ns co m e o ver in t o the dr am a save

in rar e instances Theo dore Dreiser in a recent volum e
.
, ,
P l a ys of the N a tu ra l a n d the S upern a tura l m akes use of ,
certain motif s that a re striki ng and m o dern as where ,

1
a phy si ci an g o es on the o perati ng table the dra ma ti s -

,
personae including D em y a p h on (Ni t ro us Acid) and ,
Al cep h ero n (a Po wer o f P hy sics ) as well as s ever al ,
S hado ws my sterio us pers o nag es o f vagueness

,
T hese .
S had ows her e as in The B l ue S p here a re n ot alt og ether

, ,
clear as t o m otivation y et they seem t o stand f or Fate

,
interf er ence in hum an destiny In the latter play Fate .
i s als o r epr esented by a F ast M ail which is o n e of the

active char acters m enacin g and destroy ing a chi ld
,
.
On e reas o n wh y these m o tif s of s cience a re n ot used

in drama t o a n y extent is th at they a re imp ossible of
rep r esentat i o n on the stag e E ven the wi zar dry o f mo dern
.
pro ducer s wo uld be unable to show a P ower of P hy si cs ,
or N it ro us A cid save as they m ig ht be emb o died a s wer e

, ,
the sy mb olic characters in M aeterlinck s B l u e B i rd which ’

,
woul d m ean that they wo uld lo se their eff ect An d what .
wo uld a stag e m anag er do wi th the rhy thm of the universe ,
whi ch enters into Dreiser s play ? M any s o unds can be ’
m anaged off stag e but har dly that on e f ancies These

, , .
themes a re n ot even fo und i n clo set dram a where m any ,
o ther elem ents of supernaturalism which wo ul d be diffi cult
or imp o ssible of p resentatio n on the sta g e t rail o ff Wil .
li am S harp s Vi sta s for i nstance co uld n o t be sho wn on

’
, ,
1
In La ug hi n g Ga s .
S u p ern a tu ra l S ci en ce 2 79
the stag e y et the li ttle plays in that volum e a re of wonder

,
ful dr am atic p o wer Th e dram a can stand a g oo d deal of

.
supernatur alism of vario us kinds from the visible g ho sts ,
and devils of the E lizabethans to the atmo spheric super

naturalism of M aeterlinck but it co uld scarcely supp ort
,
the pr esentations of chemicals and g ases and supernatural

bo tany and biolog y that ficti o n handles with ease Th e .
miracul o us m achin ery wo uld balk at stag e actio n Fancy .
the Tim e M achi ne stag ed f or instance !

,
We notice in these scientific st o ri es a widening o f the

spher e of supernatural fictio n It i s extended to include.
m ore of the n orm al interests and activities of m a n than

has formerly been the case H er e we n o tice a spirit.
simil ar t o that of the levelin g influence seen in the

case o f the g ho sts devils witches ang els and so forth
’
, , , , ,
wh o have been m ade m ore hum an n ot onl y i n appear

'
ance but in em otio ns and activities as well Lik ewise these .
scientifi c elements have been elevated to the human .
S uper natur al as well as hum an attributes have been

extended t o materi al thi ngs as ani mals a re g iven super
,
norm al p ower s i n a Sense diff erent fro m and y et si milar

t o tho se p o ssessed by the enchanted anim als i n folk l o r e -
.
S cience has its phy sical as well as psy chi c horro rs whi ch
the scientific gho stly tales bring in .
N ot o nly a re animals gi fted with supernatur al p owers

but plants a s well a re hum ani zed di abolized We have , .
str ang e murdero us trees vam pire or chids flo wers that

, ,
slay m en in secret way s wi th all the smi li ng lo veli ness of a -
treachero us woman Th e d aemon i cs of m o dern b otany

.
form an inter esting phase of g ho stly fictio n and g i ve a

new thrill to supernaturalism Inani mate co ncrete thi ngs
.
,
a re endo wed wi th unearthly cunning and st rengt h a s well ,
as anim als and plants Th e new type of ficti o n g ives t o

.
chemi cals and gases a helli sh i ntelligence a di ab oli c force ,
o f mi nds. It creates machi nery and gi ves i t an excess of

2 80 Su p erna tu ra l S ci e nce
force , a supernatural more than hum an cun ni ng s ome

, ,
ti mes helpful som eti mes de m o ni c M achines have been

, .
spi rituali zed and s ome engi nes are phi lanthro pi c whil e
som e a re li ke dam ned s o uls .
Thi s sci entific supernaturalism co ncerns i tself wi th

m ortal l i fe n o t with imm o rt ali ty a s do so me of the other
,
aspects of the g en re It i s co ncrete in i ts eff ects n ot

.
,
sp i ri tual Its incursio ns into futuri ty a re earthl y n ot of

.
,
heaven o r hell and its problems a re of ti me not of eter

, ,
n i ty . Th e fo rm sho ws h o w clear cold intelli g ence play s

,
wi th mir acles and applies the supernatural to daily li f e .
Th e enthusiasm wild and ex a g g er ated in so m e way s that

, ,
spr ang up over the pro spects of what m o dern sci ence and
investi g ation wo uld almo st i mm ediately d o fo r the worl d
i n the latter half of the nineteenth century had n o mo re ,
interesting eff ect than in the sti mul ating of scienti fic

fictive supernatur alism An d tho ug h m ankind h a s
.
lear ned that science will n ot i mm ediately bring the

millennium science still exercises a stro ng p o wer over
,
fiction This ty pe shows a strang e effect o f r ealism in

.
s upernatur alism because of the scientific m etho ds for

, ,
supernatur alism imp osed on m aterial thi ng s p ro duces an

effect of verisimilitude n o t g ai ned in the r ealm o f pur e
Spirit Too intellectually cold for the purp o ses of p o etry
.
,
t oo abstr act and elusive fo r p r esentati o n i n dr ama and ,
too remo ved by i t s asso ci ati o n wi th the f antastic aspects

o f investi gati o n and the curio si ties o f science t o be very
app ropriate for trag edy which h a s hi therto been the

,
chi ef m edi um of exp ressing the dramatic supernatur al ,
sci ence finds its fitting expr essio n in pro se fictio n It i s .
an illustr atio n of the widening range o f the supernatural

in fi cti on and a s such is significant .
C HAPTE R V III
Co n c lu sio n
N the previ o us chapters I have endeavored to show the

co ntinuance and persi stence of the supernatural in
En g lish ficti o n as well as in o ther forms of liter ature
, ,
and to g ive some idea of the variety of its manif esta tions .
There has been n o perio d in o ur hist ory from B e owul f

t o the pr esent when the g ho stly was n o t fo und in o ur
litera ture Of co ur se there have been perio ds when the
.
,
i nterest in it waned y et it has never been wh olly absent

,
.
There rs at the present a definite r evival of interest in the

supernatur al appearing in the drama in po etry and i n ,
fictio n evi dent to any o ne who has carefully studi ed the

,
recent publicatio ns and mag azines Within the last .
few y ears especially i n the last two y ears an ast oni shi n g
, ,
amo un t of g ho stly material has appea red S om e of these .
stori es a re of the ho ax variety o thers a re sug g estive alle

, ,
g o ri ca l or s y m b olic whi le o thers frankly accept the fo r ces

,
bey o nd man s mortal lif e and hum an dominio n I

’
.
.
hesi tate to sug g est a reaso n for this sudden risin g tide of
o ccultism at this particul ar t im e but it seem s clear to m e ,
that the wa r has had m uch t o do wi th it I have fo und .
a num ber o f supernatural p ro ductio ns di r ectl v asso ci at ed
wi th the struggle A m o ng them might be mentio ned

.
K atheri ne F ul lert o n Geroul d s extr aor dinary elusi ve

’
,
story of horror ; The S econ d Comi ng by Frederi ck Arn old

1
,
1
Th E i g hty Thi d
e r .
2 82 C o n clu s i o n
K umm er and H enry P Janes where Christ walk s the .

,
battlefields on Christmas E ve pleadi ng with the K ai ser ,
t o sto p the slaug hter of m en but in vain and the carnag e , ,
go es on til l E a ster when the Chri st stands beside the

,
dy ing E mperor wi th the ro ar of the ri o ting peo ple heard

,
i n the str eets o utside and s oftens his heart at last so

“
”
, ,
that he say s Lo rd I have sinned ! Gi ve my people

, ,
p e a c e l ; K iplin g s g h o st
’
—st ory wi th its specters o f chil ,
1
dren slain by the Germans ; The Gra y Guest showin g ,
N ap oleo n r etur ning t o lead the F r ench fo rces t o vi ct o ry
in a crisis ; Jea n n e the Ma id where the spirit of J o an of

,
Arc descends up o n a y oung F rench g i rl of t o d a y enabling -

,
h er t o do wo nderf ul thing s for h er co untry m en ; Wa r L etters

f rom a Li vi n g Dea d M a n a series of p rofessed psy chic ,
co mm unications fro m the o ther world by E lsa B arker ; ,
Rea l Ghost S tori es a volum e c o ntaining a num ber of stories

,
by diff erent writers describing s om e of the phantoms

,
seen by s oldiers on the battlefield ; and Arthur M achen s ’
The B owmen a co llecti o n of st riking fictive instances

,
o f cro wd supernatur alism asso ci ated with the wa r

-
Th e .
last volume aff ords an interestin g g limpse int o the

wa y in which legends a re bui lt up for it i s a con ,
tem p orary leg end i n connectio n with the Ang els at

M o ns . C arl H aupt m ann h a s a strikin g play sho wi n g ,
2
the use of wa r supernaturalism i n the dram a When

-
.
the ey es of the world a re turned t o ward the battlefields

and death is an ever present reality it i s natural that -
,
human tho ughts o ccupy themselves with vi si o ns of a lif e

after death Ki n g dom Come by Vida S utto n shows
.
, ,
the spirits of R ussi an peasants slai n for r efusing to fig ht ,
spect er s unaware that they a re dead Vari o us marti al .
hero es of the past a re resurrected to g i ve i nspi r atio n i n

battle in recent sto ri es .
1
S wept a n d Ga rni shed .
1
The Dead A re Si n g i ng , i n th e Ma y , 1 9 1 6, T
exa s Revi ew .
Co n clu s io n 2 83
B utwhatever be the r easo n for this revi val of the

g ho stly the f act rem ains that this is distinctly the day
,
for the phant om and his co nfreres While rom anti cism .
is alway s wi th us it appears in diff erent manifestations

,
.
A f ew y ear s a g o the swashbuckl in g hero and his a dven

tur es seem ed the m o st striking survival of the earli er
day s of rom anticism but n ow the weir d and the g ho stly
,
have regained a p opularity which they never surpassed

even in the hey day o f Go thic ficti o n Th e slashing .
swor d has been displaced by the psy cho g r aphic pen .
Th e cr ucial str ug g les n ow a r e o ccult r ath er than a d ,
venturo us as before and whil e realism in fictio n is i m

, ,
men sel y p o pular— never m or e so than n ow— i t is likely to

have supernaturalism o verlaid upo n it as in De M org an s ,
’
work to g ive a sing le exam ple R ecent p o etry m anif ests

, .
the sam e tendency and likewise the drama particularly

, ,
the clo set dram a and the play let While liter ary history
.
.
sho ws clearly the co ntinuity of the supernatural with ,

'
certain rise a n d f a ll of interest in it at diff er ent perio ds ,
it is apparent that n ow there is a m ore g ener al fo ndness

for the form than at a n y other perio d in E ng lish li ter atur e .
Th e supernatur al is in s oluti o n and exists every wher e .
R ecent p o etry sh o ws a st ro n g pr edil ectio n fo r the u n

canny s om etim es i n the m anner of the ol d ballads while
, ,
in o ther instances the g ho stly is tr eated wi th a spirit of

cri tical detachment as in Rupert B roo ke s so nnet or ’
,
1
with sk eptici sm a s in his sar do ni c satire on faith In .

2
the recent volum e o f B rooke s collected p o em s there a re

’
,
a b o ut a do zen dealin g with the supernatur al M aeter .
li nck expressed the feeli ng that a spiritual ep o ch is perhaps

upon us as Poe said that we a re in the m idst of g reat
,
psychal p o wers A s Francis Thom pso n say s in hi s

.
H oun d of H ea ven N ature p oor step dam e canno t

, ,
-
,
1
S ug ges ted by some f the P roceedi ng s of the S oci ety f or P sychi ca l Resea rch
o .
1
In hi s H ea ven .
2 84 C o n cl u s i o n
"
slake our dro ug ht ! Th e inter est in certain li nes of
tho ught which lead to the wr iti ng of supernatural fiction ,
as S pi ri tualism o r folk lore or science or psychical re

-
,
search m a y have the reflex acti o n of aro usi ng i nterest i n

,
th e subjects themselves B ut at all events ther e i s n o

.
,
lack o f uncanny literature at present .
On e f eatur e o f the m o dern supernatural li ter atur e a s

di sting uished from that of o ther perio ds i s in the m atter ,
o f length Of co ur se the ballad and the folk tale exp ressed

.
,
-
the g hostly in bri ef form but the epic held the s tage ,
longer while in Elizabethan ti m es the dr am a was the

,
p referred form as in the eig hteenth century th e Gothi c

novel Durin g the nineteenth century particularl y the
.
,
latter half the preference was decidedly fo r the short

,
story while m ore recently the on e act play has com e into
,
-
vog ue B ut in the last few years the super natural no vel

.
seem s to be returning to favor tho ug h witho ut displaci ng ,
the shorter form s B revi ty has m uch to co mm end i t a s

.
a vehi cle for the uncanny Th e eff ect of the ghostly .
ma y be attained wi th m uch m ore unity i n a sh ort st ory

or playlet than in a n ovel o r l o ng dr am a fo r i n the mo r e ,
leng thy form m uch o utside matter i s necessaril y included
“
.
Th e who le plo t co uld scar cely be m ade up of the u m

earthly for that woul d mean a weakening of p ower
,
thro ugh ex ag g eratio n tho ug h is i s som eti mes fo und

,
to be the case as in sever al o f B ram S to ker s n o vels

’
, .
R ecently the num ber of n ovels dea li ng wi th supernatur al

themes has noticeably i ncreas ed whi ch leads on e t o beli eve ,
that the o ccult i s tr anscending even the li mi tations of

leng th and claiming all fo rm s for i ts own N ow n o .
li terary ty pe bars the supernatural whi ch appears in the ,
novel as in the sto ry i n the dram a a s in the play let and

"
, ,
i n narr ative dramatic and ly ri c p o etry

, E ven the epi c
, .
o f the more than mo rtal has n ot entirely vani shed as ,
the work of D r William Cleaver Wi lki nson attests but

.
,
C o n clu s i o n 2 85
p o pular taste do es n ot really run to epi cs nowadays .
'
Th e gh o stly i s more often seen i n the shorter form s where ,
brevi ty gi ves a chance for compressio n and intensity of

for ce difficult in l o nger vehi cles Th e ri se of the on e act
.
-
play in p o pular f avo r i s sig ni ficant i n this co nnectio n .
Th e sho rt dr am as of S yng e Yeats Lady Gregory William

, , ,
S h ar pe Gordo n B o tt omley and T heo dor e Dr eiser sho w

, ,
the p o ssibi lities of the play let for weird effect M aeter .
'
li nck s plays fo r m ario nettes a re especially p o werful but ,
the work of Lord D unsany furnishes more pecul iar g h ost

li n e ss than that of any o ther p r esent dr am ati st H i s jade .
idols fo r instance that wake to terrible life and r eveng e

, ,
them selves on presum ptuo us m ortals a re a new to uch in ,
dr am ati cs Alg ern on B lackwoo d is doing m ore signifi cant

.
work in psy chi c fictio n than any o ne else his pro se showin g ,
p o etic beauty a s well as eerie p ower .
A n o ther sig nifi cant f act t o be n o ted in c onnecti o n wi th

the later g ho stly stories as co mpared with the Go thic is in
the greater num ber and variety of m aterials em ploy ed .
T h e early reli gi o us plays had intro duced devil s angels and , ,
di vi nity t o a co nsiderable extent whi le the Elizabethan ,
dr ama r elied fo r its thrills chiefly on the witch and the

r even g e g h o st
-
Th e Go thi c r om ance was stro ng for the
.
gho st wi th o n e or two W anderi ng J ews o ccasi onal were

, ,
wolves and ly canthro pes and sp oradic satanit y but m ade

, ,
n o u se of angels or o f divini ty Th e m o dern ficti o n

.
,
ho wever gathers up al l of these pers onag es and puts them

,
i nto servi ce fr eely In addi ti on t o these ol d themes bro ught

.
up t o date and varied ast o nishin g ly the new ficti o n h a s ,
adapted o ther ty pes Th e scientifi c supernatur ali sm

.
i s p r act i cally new— save for the Go thi c em pl o m ent o f

y
alchemy and astrolo gy— and n ow all the discoveries and
investig ati o ns of th e laboratory a re uti li zed and embued
with supernaturali sm Diabolic bo tany psycholo gi cal
.
,
chemi stry and sup ermort al bi o lo gy appear i n recent

,
ficti o n Th e co untless arts and sciences aco usti cs

.
, ,
o pti cs ,dietetics and what n ot a re levied on for plots

,
-
,
while astro nomy shows us wo nders the astrol o ger never

dreamed of Th e stars knew thei r place and kept it in
.
early romance but they a re gi ven to strange aberration

,
and unacco untable co nduct i n late narration .
Th e f uturistic ficti o n gi ves us r eturn tri ps int o ti me

to c o m e while we m a y be t r ansp o rted int o the fa r past a s
, ,
with M ark Twain s C o nnecticut Yankee that vi sits ’
King Arthu r s Co urt Th e extent t o which a homespun

’
.
r ealist lik e M ark T wain uses the supernatural is significant .
N o pr ovince or sm all c orner of science has f ai led to fur nish

m aterial for the new g h o stly ficti o n and even the F o urth ,
and Fifth Dim ensio ns a re bro ught in as plo t complica

tions M i cro scopes a re bewi tched mirrors a re enchanted
.
, ,
and science r everses its own laws at will t o sui t the weird
dem ands .
An other mo dern m aterial is the m echani stic T his is .
the a g e of m achinery and even engines a re run by gho st,
p o wer E x amples of the m echanical sp oo k a re legi on

. .
Ther e is the haunted aut o mo bile in H an i et P resc ott

S p off o r d s story The M a d L a dy that repr o duces thro ug h
’
, ,
i t s speaki ng tube the l o ng dead vo ice that r uns away -

,
with i ts o ccupants reliving p r evio us tragi c experiences

, .
A phant om F o rd is an idea c o m bining ro m anti ci sm with
r ealism surely ! In co nnectio n wi th thi s extraordi n ary

c a r i s a h o use that erects itself o ut o f dr eams and i s
substantial eno ugh for living purpo ses Other specim ens .
a r e J o hn K en dr i ck B a n g s s enchanted ty pewri ter that

’
cli cks off psy chog ram s in the dark between mi dnight ,
and three o clo ck in the morning ; Frank R S to ckt o n s

’
.
’
machi ne for negativi ng g ravity ; P o e s balloo n i n which

’
H ans Pfa a l m ak es hi s m ag i c tri p to the m oo n ; Wells s

’
new accelerator that condenses and i ntensi fies vi tal energy ,
enabling a ma n t o crowd the forces of a week i nto an ho ur

Co n clu s io n 287
of emergency a s likewi se hi s ti me machi ne that permi ts

,
the inventor t o project himself i nto the future or the past

at will to spend a week end in any era Th e butterfly
,
- .
i n H awt horne s st ory sh o ws the spiri tuali zatio n o f m achi n

’
ery as the p oor artist o f the beautif ul co nceived it the ,
delicate toy imbi bi ng a magnetism a spiri tual essence ,
that g i ves it life and beauty and p ower o f voluntary mo

tio n Thi s etherealized m achi nery i s manifest i n mo dern
.
ficti o n a s well as the diab olic co nstructi o ns that wreck

and ruin .
In a n irn a t e o bjects have a strange p o wer in later fictio n

a s P o e s ship that i s s ai d i n certain seas t o incr ease i n size
’
,
a s the t r ees t o ld o f by Algern o n B lackwoo d that gro w in
the picture There a re vari o us haunted p ort raits a s t h e

.
,
p i ctur e of D ori an Grey that bear s on i t s f ace the li nes

o f sin the livin g f ace do es n o t sh o w and who se hands ,
a re bloo d stained when D o ri an c omm its mur der ; and the
pai nti ng told of in D e M org an s A Li kely S tory that ’

,
o verhear s a quarr el between an artist and hi s wi f e the ,
wom an wro ngly suspecti ng h er husband and leavi ng hi m .
Th e pi ctur e r elates the st ory to a m a n wh o h a s the pa inti n g

photo g r aphed and a co py sent to the wif e There i s the .
hau nted tapestry that i s curi o usly related to the li ving

1
and t o the long dead .
An o ther aspect of the later as di sti ngui shed from the

earli er o ccul t liter atur e i s the attentio n paid t o gho stly
childr en Youn g sters a re comi ng t o the fro nt of the
.
stage everywhere nowadays parti cularly in Am eri ca so , ,
i t i s but natur al that they should dem and t o be heard

a s well a s seen i n supernatur al ficti o n
, In th e Gothic .
gho sts I fo un d n o i ndivi dualiz ed children an d children ,
i n gro ups o nly twi ce In o n e of James Ho gg s short ’

.
novels a vi ci o us m an i s haunted on hi s death bed by the -
specters of li ttle o nes dead because of hi m but they ,
'
1
In Poe s Metzeng erstei n .
288 C o n cl u s i o n
are nameless and i ndi stingui shable In Ma turi n s The A l .

’ -
bi g en ses a relentless p ersecut or whil e passin g thro u g h a ,
lo nely forest sees the phantoms of tho se he has do ne t o

,
death little chi ldr en and babes at the breast a s well as m en

, ,
an d wo m en B ut here ag ai n they are no t gi ven separabl e

.
character but a re merely gro up figures hen ce d o n ot

, ,
c ount .
“ '
There i s a gh ost chi ld m entio ned i n H awth orne s B li the
-
da le R oma nce but i t i s n ot unti l more r ecent ficti o n that

,
children s ghosts enter perso nated and i ndi vi duali zed

’
.
'
Th e exqui si tely shy little o nes i n Ki pli ng s They are
’
am o ng the most wo nderf ul of hi s chi ld creati o ns very -

,
hum an and lovable In a war story he shows u s the .

,
1
phant oms of several chi ldr en whom the Germans have

ki l led natur al y o ungs te rs wi th appeali n g chi ldi sh a tt ri
,
but es especi ally the sma l l boy wi th hi s pri de i n hi s fir st

“
,
trousers Arthur M achen tell s of a German soldi er who

.
has cruci fied a chi ld agai nst the church door and i s driven to
insani ty by the baby spiri t Q ui ller-Couch sho ws the .
3
sp ecter of a li ttle gi rl that returns at ni ght to do housework

for the livi n g vi si ble o nly as two slender hands wh o reminds
, ,
u s o f t h e shep herd boy Ri char d M iddl et o n tell sof who hav ,

'
i n g died because of h i s dr unk en f ather s negl ect comes back
' '
’
,
to help him tend the sheep Al g ern on Bl ackwoo d relates

.
the story of a li ttle chi ld who h a s been wo nt to pr ay for

the unqui et ghost of Pet a vel , a wi ck ed man wh o haunt s
h i s h o use Af ter the chi ld is dead the mother sees
.
,
the little boy leadi ng Pet a vel by the hand and says
“
”
, ,
He s leadi ng hi m i nto peace a n d saf ety Perhaps that s

’ ’
.
why Go d t ook hi m
“
.
“ “
Richard Mi ddlet on s st ory of a li ttle gho st boy i s
’ ‘
-
poign antly patheti c The li ttle chap comes back to

'
.
1
S wept a n d Ga mi shed .
1
In The Monstra nce, an oth er sto ry o f th e war .
1 In A P a i r f Hands
o .
4 The Passi ng o f Edw a rd.
C o n clu s io n 2 89
play wi th hi s gri evi ng si ster maki ng his presence kn own

,
by his gay feet dancin g thro ug h the bracken and his ,
j oy o us imitati o ns of an automo bile s chug chug M ary ’

-
.
M a cMi ll a n speaks of the spi rits of li ttle chi ldren that are
o u t ea rlier at night than the older g ho sts y o u kn o w , ,
"
because they have to g o to bed earlier bei ng so yo ung , .
Two very r ecent chi ld g h o sts a re Wee B ro wn E lsbeth

whom Fr ances Ho dg so n B urnett shows t o us the wr ai th ,
o f a little g irl pitifully slain centuries a g o by h er f ather t o
save h er fro m torture who com es back to play wi th a

,
livi ng playm ate ; and the terri ble revenge gho st o f the -
child slai n by h er stepfather wh o co m es back to cause his

,
death whom E llen Glasgo w describes

, .
Th e spirits of chil dren that never wer e enter int o the

late stories as in The Chi ld ren by Josep hi n e Daskam B aco n
, , ,
a story of co nfused par anoia and supernaturalism A wom an

gri eves o ver the children she never had till they assum e
perso nality and bei ng fo r h er They become so real that.
they a re finally seen by o ther children wh o wi sh to play

wi th them T his r em inds us of Th om as B ailey Aldri ch s
’
.
im agi ned child M iss M ehi tabel s son Alg erno n B lack
,
’
.
woo d sh ows us a m ultitude of baby spirits wi th r eachi ng ,
arm s patteri ng steps and lisping voices Spiri ts o f the

, , ,
unbor n that haunt childless women Th e ro om whi ch .
they enter seem s sacred with the p otentialities of mother

ho o d so that a man sleeping there sees hi s o wn dead
,
mo ther return to hi m am o ng the babes T hese gho sts .
o f little childr en that never were and never m a y be a re
like the spirits of the yet t o be born children i n M aeter

linck s dream drama where in the Land of the Future
’
-
,
2
, ,
the chi ld so ul s wai t f or the angel to summo n them to

-
life In these stories asso ci ati ng chi ldren wi th the gho stly
.
there i s al ways a tender patho s a sa d beauty that i s ,
appeali ng .
In Cla i rvoya nce . The B l ue B i rd .
1 9
2 90 C o nclu s i o n
Th e spectra l i nsect o r anim al i s ano ther i nnovatio n i n

r ecent fictio n tho ug h there have been o ccasio nal ca ses
,
befo re as Vergi l s Cu lex the story of the gho st of a gnat

,
’
,
killed tho ughtlessly co ming back to tell i t s m urderer of

i t s suff eri ngs i n the insect hades R obert W Cham bers . .
shows us several gho stly insects a death s head moth that ,

’
i s a p r esag er of disaster and a butter fly that bring s a ,
m urderer to justice while F r ederick S wanso n in a st o ry

,
m ak es a spectral insect a mini ster of fate Th e mo st cur d .
li ng example ho wever oi the entomo lo gi cal sup ern a tur

, ,
a li sm is Ri char d M ar sh s n o vel The B eetl e a m o dern ized

’
, , ,
versi o n of the anci ent superstitio ns of E gy p t wher eby ,
a pri estess of Isis co ntinues h er mysteri o us horrid lif e alter ,
n a t ely as a hum an being and as a beetle Thi s lively .
scarab has m esmeri c m ag i c p ower o ver mortals a nd by

,
its sensatio nal shape shi fting furnishes complicating terror

-
t o the plo t .
T h e d og i s frequently the subject of o ccult ficti o n ,
m o re so than any o ther animal perhaps because the do g ,
seem s m ore nearly hum an than a ny save p o ssibly the

horse M rs Elizabeth S tuart P helps War d sho ws us a
. .
d o g very much at h om e in heaven while she has a g ho st ,
d o g on earth comin g back t o m ar ch i n a Decorati o n D a y

parade beside his m aster Isabel Ho we Fi sk i n a dram a .
shows the Ar chang el R aphael accom panied by hi s d og ,
a ca vorti v-e canine n ot apparently archangelic Ambrose

, .
B ierce evokes o n e terrible r evenge g h o st a d og that -

,
kills the m urderer of hi s m aster whil e Eden P hi llp otts

’
a
,
r ep r esents a pack o f spect ral do gs that pursue the E vi l
On e o ver the earth till the Judg m ent D a y each being a ,
lost so ul A y oung girl s little unbaptized baby is tho ught

.
’
t o be o n e o f the number Co nan Do yle s Ho und of the

’
.
B askervi lles is a terrifyin g canine of leg endary p ower .
K erfol by E dith Wharto n sh ows the gh osts of five d o gs ,
1
The Ghost Moth . In A n other Li ttl e H ea th H oun d .
C o n cl us io n 29 1
each carefully i ndivi duali zed —a Chi nese sleeve do g a

,
-
,
ro ugh b rindled bulld o

g a l o ng hai red white mo ngrel a
-
, ,
larg e whi te p ointer wi th on e brown ea r and a sm all black ,
gr ayho und These specters of anim als that have been

.
killed by a jealo us husband— he had the cheerf ul habi t o f

str ang ling every pet his wi fe cared fo r and lay i ng i t with
o ut a wor d o n her pillo w appear o nce a y ear on the anni
—
ver sa ry o f the d ay o n whi ch the wi f e in desperati o n slew

hi m. T hey p reserve a mo st u n dog li ke si lence and follow
'
the beholder wi th strang e g aze Kipling s do g H arvey is .
a supernatur al beast but what he r epresents I have never

,
been able to determine A t the Ga te i s a recent story

.
,
sh owing a great co nco urse of d o g s just o utside the p ortals

o f heaven unwi llin g t o enter till thei r m asters com e to
,
j o in them .
T h e diab olic h orse in Po e s Metzen g erstei n i s a curi o us

’
c o m p o site of m etem psy cho sis haunted inanim ate object

, ,
and straig ht g h o st but at all events sufficiently terrifyi ng

,
t o the victim it pu rsued Alg erno n B lackwo o d in Wen

.
dig o has created a super natural ani mal that fli es thro ug h

the ai r and carri es m en away to insanity and death .
H enry Rideo ut shows the g ho st of a white ti ger while ,
there a re assorted elephant sp oo ks and M iss B urns in ,
h er studies in S hro pshir e fo lk tales r elates st ories of hum an

-
beings who se g ho sts appear as anim als sui ted to the

perso nali ty of the deceased as bears bulls ho gs and so
, , , ,
fo rth . Tha t adds a new terror t o death !
N ot nly a re n ew materi als i ntro duced i n the later

o
fictio n of the uncanny but new ty pes a re str essed In .
additi o n t o the weird sto ries told with di rect a i m and a rt

gho sts for g ho sts sake — there a re tales wher e the super
’
natural elem ent is of seco ndary imp ortance being u sed ,
to teach s o me truth o r ri dicule s o m e fallacy The sy m .
boli sti c hum orous and satiri c m eth o ds ab o und in mo dern

, ,
29 2 C o n cl u s i o n
o ccult fictio n and when well do ne have a d ouble effect ,
that o f pri mary supernatur al i mpressi veness and in , ,
addi tio n of the subtler purp o ses behi nd the stori es

,
.
M or alized legen ds spi ri tual al leg ori es such a s H awthorne

,
wro te wi th co nsummate art have conti nued to the presen t

,
and fo rm a contrast to the cr ude machi nery of Go thi c

horro rs Th e deli cacy of sugg esti on the po wer of
.
,
hi nted g ho stli ness tho ug h mani f est i n S hakespear e are

, ,
r eally m o dern achi evements fo r n o on e save hi m attai ned

,
to them in earli er art M y stic p o eti c ficti o n spiritual

.
,
sy mb o lism appears i n m uch o f the mo dern unearthly
wri ting . In cert ai n cases it is i nteresti ng t o note the

chang e of ol d mythologi cal sto ries i nto moral allegory .
Th e plays and the stori es of Lor d D unsan y ar e peculiarly

symbol ic and have the for ce of anti que mytholo gy m ade
i nstant and real Yet they have a di sti ncti ve to uch all
.
their o wn For i nstance the story of the ki ng wh o g o es

.
,
over the world seeki ng hi s l o st yesterday his cl ear past , ,
who is t old by the wei rd keeper of the byg one years

that he canno t have i t back n o not on e golden seco nd , ,
h as a deli cate patho s o f p o et ry When the m o urnful .
ki ng h as go ne back t o his p a l a ce a ho ar harper com es ,
wh o plays for hi m an d 10 ! t o the stri ngs of the harp

,
have clung the golden seco nds of hi s happi est ho ur s so ,
that he li ves them over ag a i n whi le the m usi c lasts .
The B ook of the S erpen t tel ls sy mb oli c st ori es that a re

p o em s in prose f antastic fables The Creato r i s m ak
, .
i n g experi ments wi th dust heaps whi le the S erpent -

, ,
the T ur tle an d the Gr assh opper look o n a sk questions

, , ,
and off er comm ents Th e S erpent trai ls al l throug h the

.
dust heap meant as stuff for artists an d the M aker drops

-
,
a tear i n that whereof He means to mak e m o thers .
He experi m ents wi th mo nk eys tryi ng to learn h ow best to

make ma n and after ma n i s complete He makes woma n
, , .
Th e stori es of Oscar Wilde have some of them a beauty , ,

C o n clu s io n 2 93
like that of so m e antique illumi nated mi ssal wi th i t s ,
jeweled wo rds its my sti c fi g ures Wilde s ornate sty le

, .
’
,
p ro se that trembles on the verge of p o etry full o f passi o n ,
and color and lig ht m ak es on e think of his own words

,
in The N i g hti n g a le a nd the Rose where the p o et s so ng ’
“
”
,
was builded of m usi c by moo nlig ht and stained wi th

his own heart s bloo d ’
.
T he deli cate sug g estio n of the unearthly the element ,
o f suspense that gi ves the sense o f the supernatur al t o
that which m ay be m ortal is seen in such stori es a s ,
A D rea m of P roven ce by F r ederick W edm or e

, Th e .
ancient belief that the so ul m a y r eturn to the bo dy wi thin

a few day s after death forms the basis for this dream p o em -
i n p ro se . It shows the so ul on tipto e fo r the U nseen ,
with a lo ve transcendi ng the barriers of the g rave reveali n g ,
idy llic so rro w in a f ather s love that denies death and ’

,
ex presses the sense of expectancy in the ho pe of a miracle ,
with a beauty that i s alm o st unbearable S o m ething of .
the sam e them e of a f ather s waiting by hi s daug hter s

,
’ ’
grave to hear the lo ved voice o nce m ore i s expressed in ,
A ndr ey ev s sto ry B ut here ther e is h o rror and rem orse

’ 1
.
instead of ho ly lo ve When the f ather cri es ou t the

.
,
silence that issues from the g r ave i s m or e terrible than

gho stly so unds wo uld be more dreadful in i ts sup ermorta l
,
suggestio n .
Th e pur ely humoro us supernaturalism is essentially

a new thing Th e ol d r eli gio us dr am as had used comic
.
devi ls and P eel e s Gho st of J ack is supp o sed to be humor

,
’
o us but n o t at all i n the m o dern sense

, T here was n o thin g .
in early dram a or fictio n like the rolli ckin g fu n of Richard

M iddlet o n s Gho st S hip or Frank R S t o ckt o n s spect ral
’ ’
.
,
hum o rists Th e work of J o hn K endrick B ang s illustrates

.
the free and easy manner of the m o derns to war d g hosts ,
S i len ce
.
2 94 C o nclu s io n
p i cturi ng them i n unco nventio nal si tuati o ns and di vesti ng

them of all their ancient di g ni ty H e sho ws us the .
wr aith of the m aiden wh o dro wned herself in a fit of pi que ,
for which she is punished by havi ng t o haunt the ancestr al

house as a shower bath Hi s spectr al cook of B a n g l etop
-
.
is an origi nal r evenge gho st wi th a vi llaino us inversio n

-
,
of h s wh o haunts an estate because a m edi eval baro n

’
discharged her wi thout wages Hi s co nvi vi al sp ooks i n .
thei r gho st club his astrals wh o play pr anks o n mortals

, ,
and their confreres a re examples of the m o dern fii p p an cy

toward supernatur als .
Th e satirical u se o f super naturalism i s also new L ate .
liter ature laughs at everything with a dari ng f amiliarity ,
undreamed o f before save in sp oradic cases Th e devil

, .
h a s been an ancient subject for lau g hter but recent fictio n ,
ridicules hi m still m o r e s o that we have scant r espect

,
for h i m whi le the g ho st form erly a per so nag e held in

, ,
great respect now co mes in fo r his share of r ag gi ng N 0

, .
bei ng i s too sacred to escape the li g ht arro ws of fun .
H eaven i s satirically exploited and angels saints and even , , ,
D eity have bec om e subjects for jesting co nventio nalized ,
with the m other i n law the tenderfoot the Irishm an and

- -
, , ,
so f orth T her e is a c o nsider able b o dy of anecdo tal

.
li terature of the supernatur al showing t o what extent ,
the levi ty of treatment has go ne Vari o us aspects of .
mortal life a re sati rized a s in Inez H aynes Gi lmore s

’
A n g el Isla nd which i s a campaign do cum ent for wo m an s

’
,
suff rag e S ati ric supernatur alism i s em ployed to dri ve

.
hom e m any truths to puncture co ncei ts of al l kinds

, ,
and when well do ne i s eff ective for laughter i s a clever ,
weap on .
Th e advance of the later supernatur al ficti o n over the

earlier is nowher e seen more disti nctly than in the i n
creased eff ectiveness with which i t m anages the mechanics
o f emo ti o n i t s skill in selecti ng and elab or ati ng the detai ls
,
C o ncl u s io n 295
by whi ch terror and awe a re p ro duced The present .
day artist of the uncanny kno ws h ow to stri ke the vari ed

to nes of supernatur alism the shri ll no tes of fear the deep
, ,
di apaso n of awe the crashing chords o f horror Th e

, .
ski llful wri ter choo ses wi th utm o st care the seemi ng ly
tri vi al details that g o to make up the atmo sphere of the
unearthly S hakespeare wa s a m aster of that but none
.
,
o ther of hi s tim e . Th e kn o ckin g at the gate in M a cbeth ,
for instance i s a perf ect example of the em pl oy m ent of a

,
natur al i ncident t o produce an eff ect of the supernatural ,
as De Q uincey has p ointed out in hi s essay on the subject .
Th e Go thic n ovel r eli ed larg ely for i t s i mp r essi veness

o n emphasizing g h o stly scenes by r ep resenti n
g aspects o f
weather t o harm o ni ze wi th the emo tio ns of the char acter s .
This was o verworked in terror fictio n and while it still ,
p o ssesses p ower i t i s a m uch less comm o n metho d of

technique than it used t o be P o e s intro ducto ry par a
.
’
g r aph i n The F a ll of the H ous e of Us her is a n o table exam
ple of skill in creating atmo sphere of the supernatur al by

vario us details i ncludi ng phenomena of weather and ,
H ar dy sh ows special p o wer in harmo ni zi n g nature t o the

moo ds and purp o ses of his char acter s Yet m any a .
mo dern st o ry p ro duces a profo und sense of awe and ,
purg es the s o ul by m eans of terror wi th n o r ef er ence at all

t o for eb o di n g weather Ho wever the allusio ns now m ade
.
,
a r e m or e ski llf ul and sh o w mo r e selecti ve p ower than o f
ol d .
Go thi c fictio n had m uch to say of melancholy birds

that ci rcled p ortento usly o ver ancient castles filled wi th
gloom and g ho sts but they wer e g eneri c and not individual
“
” ”
,
speci mens Th e fowl was always sp o ken of as a bird of

" “ “ “
.
p rey a n ig ht bird
, a bat , an ow o r by s o m e
,
such vague term N atural hi story h a s becom e more

.
gener ally known since tho se tim es and wri ters of to day -
intro duce thei r omi nous birds wi th more defini ten ess and
appro pri ateness The repulsi ve bat that cli ngs to the
.
wi nd ow led g e i n B ram S to ker s no vel i s a vampi r e a

’
,
sy mbo l of the whole horrible si tuati o n a s the ki te that ,
so ars menaci ng ly overhead in another of h i s novels i s

i ndi vi dualized and becom es a defini te thi ng of terror .
P o e s r aven i s vastly more a bi rd of evil than a n y speci men

’
in the Go thic aviary Robert W Chambers bri ngs in a

. .
c orm orant several times a s a p ortent of gho stly di saster ,
parti cularly for ebo ding when it turns toward the land .
On the dark glisteni ng cliff s si lho uetted against the

,
glare of the sea sat a co rm ora nt black m o ti onless i ts

, , , ,
horrible head raised t oward heaven T her e i s i n r ecent

.
fictio n n o bird more dreadful in im p ort than the belled

buzzard that I rvin Co bb m akes the leading figure in his
st ory by that nam e This is an e xcellent example of the
.
use of the natural t o pro duce terro r and awe for the m ur ,
derer sees in the bir d a mi nister of f ate and the f aint tinkle,
o f its bell as it so ars o ver the m arsh where the b o dy lies
buried par alyzes hi m wi th horror At la st he can bear .
n o m o re and hearing it
, as he thi nks clo se at hand he
, , ,
shri eks ou t his co nfessi o n o nly to find this tim e that it

,
—
i s n o t the belled buzzar d at all that he hears but o nly an ,
o l d c o wbell that a little negro child h a s pi ck ed up i n the
barny ard !
Ro bert W Chambers in hi s early stori es co nt ri ves t o
.
gi ve varying supernatural eff ects by descripti o ns of

shadows as symb oli c of lif e and char acter He speaks of .
shado ws of spirits or of perso ns fated t o di saster a s whi te ;

again his supernatur al shado ws m a y be g r ay “ g r ay is a -
favored shade for gh ostly eff ect whether fo r wi tches o r for

phant om s and sometimes they a re perfectly black to
—
,
i ndi cate di ff eri ng c o nditi ons of destiny Q uiller Co uch .

-
has a strang e li ttle allegory The M a gi c S ha dow an d o ther

, ,
wri ters have used similar metho ds to p ro duce uncanny

eff ects .
Co n clu s io n 29 7
Th e Go thi c ance made much u se of portents of the

ro m
supernatural whi ch later fiction do es as well but diff er

, ,
ently and wi th greater skill Th e mo dern sto ri es for the .
mo st part aban d o n the co nventi o nal p ortents the dear ol d ,
clo ck forever striking twelve or on e— there was n o Gothic

castle so imp overi shed as to lack such g ho stly horo lo gue
the abbey bell that tolls at to uch of spirit hands or wizard
winds the statuesque n o se bleed the fire that burns
,
-
,
blue at appro ach of a spec ter and so f orth Th e later , .
story i s more select ive in i ts ai ds to gho stly eff ect and ,
adapts the means desired to each particul ar case so that ,
it hits the mark Fo r instance the sard onic laug hter

.
,
that so unds a s the burglars a re cracking the g ate of

heaven t o get i n and im agi ni n g what they wi ll find is
, ,
p ro phetic of the em ptiness the no thin g ness that m eets , ,
thei r asto unded g aze when they a r e wi thin Ambrose .
B ierce in so m e of hi s st o ries describes the r epulsiveness of

the fl eshly corpse reanim ated by the spirit perhaps n ot
, ,
the spi rit belo ng ing to it with a lo athly eff ect more aweful
,
than a n y purely psy chi c phantom co uld pro duce whi ch ,
r emi nds u s so m ewhat of the co rpse c o m e t o lif e in T h o m as
Lovell B eddo es s Dea th s Jest B ook

’ ’
.
T h e h orro rs of invisibility i n m o dern ficti o n avail to

gi ve a g hastly chill to the so ul that visible appari tio ns
r arely i m part Likewise the eff ect of my stery of the
.
,
incalculable elem ent in gi ving an im pressi o n of super

,
naturalism i s a recogniz ed m eth o d of technique in m any

'
stori es as the mini ster s black veil in Hawt horne s sy m
,
’
b olie story Th e unspeakable r evolti ng sugg esti o n in

.
E di th Whart o n s The E yes wher e a m a n is haunted by

’
two hi deo us eyes that have the physi cal eff ect of a bad
smell who se lo o k left a sm ear like a snail is bui lt up wi th
, ,
uncommo n a rt We d o n o t r ealize h ow m uch i s due to

.
i nsani ty and h ow m uch to the supernatural when after , ,
telli ng the story of hi s o bsessio n hi s f ears that a s a cli max ,

2 98 C o nclu s i o n
he wi ll become like tho se E y es the m a n suddenly sees ,
his r eflecti on in the mirror and meets their dreadful

“
gaze .H e and the i m ag e c o nfro nted each o ther with a
glare of slo wly g atheri ng hate ! M entio n mi g ht be m ade
”
of an incident in a r ecently published li terary d ram a ,
where a m a n seeks over the world for the unkno wn wom an

wi th wh om h e has fallen in lo ve and o n hi s calli ng alo ud
“
in questio n as t o wh o she is the g rave wi th nettle ,
,
‘ "
bearded lips r eplied It is I D ea th l , T hese a re o nly ,
’
“
sug g estions of numberless instances that mi ght be gi ven
of a m o der n technique of supernatur alism that surpasses
any thing in Gothic fictio n .
Th e eff ectiveness of m o d ern g h o stly st ories i s ai ded by

the sug g estiveness of the unearthly gi ven by the use of
sensitives anim als or perso ns that a r e pecul iarly alert
,
t o the o ccult im pr essio ns We see in m any st ories that

.
children perceive the supernatural p resences m ore quickly

than adults as in M rs Oliphant s story of the g ho st
, .
’
r eturning t o ri g ht a wr o ng try ing strenuo usly to m ake ,
herself known t o the g ro wn perso n and r eali zed only by a

li ttle child In B el asc o s play the little boy is the first
.
’
and for a lo ng tim e the o nly on e t o sense the r eturn of

P eter Grimm In M aeterlin ck s The Bli n d the baby i n
.
’
arm s is aware of the unearthly p resences better than the

men and women S om etim es the sensi tive i s a blind
.
person as the ol d grandf a ther in ano ther of M aeter

,
li nck s short play s wh o is co nscious of the appro achi ng

’
,
D eath before any of the others or blind An na in D An n un

’
,
zi o s d ram a The D ea d Ci ty
’
.
,
Animals a re quick t o per ceive supernatu ral m anif esta

tio ns C ats in fiction a re sho wn as being at ease in the
.
presence of g ho sts perhaps because of thei r uncanny

alliance with wi tches while do gs and horses g o wi ld wi th
,
fear . T his i s no ticed in m any st ories as in B ulwer ,
Ly tton s st ory of the haunted ho use where the do g di es of

’
C o ncl u s i o n 2 99
terror i n the face o f the g ho stly phenomena The Psychi c .
D o ct or t old of in B lackwoo d s uncanny stori es who ’

,
go es to a ho use p ossessed by evi l spirits takes wi th hi m a ,
cat and a dog whi ch by thei r diff erence of actio n reveal

t o hi m the pr esence o f the spirits l on g befor e they a re
visualized for hi m .
In g eneral there i s more p o wer of sug gestio n i n the

,
later gho stly stories than in the earlier The a rt is m ore .
subtle the technique m or e skill ful ly studied m ore artfully

, ,
accidental .
T her e i s in mo dern ficti o n n o tably the wo rk of P oe and

, ,
that of m a n y recent writers Russian French and German

}
, , ,
a s well as Eng lish a type o f supernatur alism that i s cl o sel y

,
asso ciated wi th insanity On e m a y n ot tell just wher e .
the line is drawn just h ow m uch of the element of the

,
uncanny is the r esult of the bro o ding s of an unbalanced

br ai n and h o w m uch is real g ho stliness } Po e s studies
, .
’
of m adness verg e o n the u nearthly as d o M a u p a ssa n t s,

’
,
Hoff m ann s and o thers

’
, J o sephi ne D askam B aco n illus
.
trates this g enr e in a recent volum e o f stories The S tra n g e ,
Ca ses of D r S ta n chi on the plots centerin g ro und instances

.
,
o f par an oia o ccurring in the p ractice o f a f am o us alienist ,
y et they a re n ot pa ra n oi a a l on e! On e instance is of a
—
y o ung gi rl wh o is haunted by the g ho st o f a nur se w h o h a s

di ed because gi ven the wro ng m edicine by mi stake .
S h e is on the b o rder li ne o f i nsanity when h er lover cries

-
aloud that he wo uld take the curse o n him self for h er i f

he co uld whi ch by som e unkno wn psy chic law do es
, , ,
eff ect a transference which frees h er and Obsesses hi m .
A no ther i s that of a ma n in the insane asy lum wh o ,
r ec o gnizes in a my sterio us ho usekeeper the spirit of h i s
wi f e wh o com es from the grave t o k eep hi m company

,
and vanishes on the da y of hi s death These a re curi o us .
analyses of the idée fixe in i ts eff ect on the human mind ,
o f i nsanity as a cause o r eff ect o f th e su p ern a t ura l B arry ,

.
3 00 Co nclu s i o n
P ai n s Celesti a l Grocery i s a r ecent example a sto ry of a

’
,
ma n who se m adness carri es hi m to an other planet sh owing ,
hi m inverted aspects of life where emo ti o ns a re the o nly ,
real thi ngs all else but shad ows Du M a uri er s pathet i c
’
.
,
novel p ortrayi ng the passio n and angui sh and joy of P eter

Ibbetso n that to uches the thin li ne between sani ty and
m adness showi n g in hi s d ream metempsycho sis a p o wer
,
-
t o relive th e past and even to live so m eo ne else s lif e i s

’
,
a striki ng example On e i nteresti ng aspect of that story

.
i s the p oi nt where the spirit of M ary chan g es fro m the

dream lo ver of twenty eig ht to the g ho st of the woman
- -
fifty t wo since she has di ed and can n o m ore co me t o h er

-
,
l over a s sh e once di d but m ust come a s h er own phantom

,
.
Ther e a re extr aordi nary eff ects of i nsanity ass o ci ated

wi th the supernat ur al in the work of Am b ro se B ierce of ,
Arthur M achen and o thers o f the m o dern sch o ol Italian .
liter ature shows s om e sig ni ficant instances in Fo g a zza ro s ’
The Woma n and D A n n un zi o s S og no d u n M a tti n o di

’ ’ ’
Pri ma vera As Lord Dunsany say s of it

.
“ Wh o can sa y ,
o f insanity
— whether it be divine o r
, of the Pi t ?
We have no ti ced preceding chapter s two aspects o f

in
mo dern supernaturalism as di sti ngui shed from the Go thic ,
the gi vi ng of cum ulati ve and mo r e terri ble p ower to

—
g ho stly bein g s and o n the o ther hand the levelin g i n fl u

,
ence that m akes them m o re hum an Th e access of horror .
and unearthly force a s sho wn in the char acters descri bed

by certain wri ters i s si gni ficant In the work of B ierce .
,
M achen B lackwoo d S t oker and o thers supernaturalism

, , ,
is r aised t o the nth p ower and every p o ssible thri ll i s em

ployed Th e carrion g ho sts of B i er ce anim ated by m alig
.
,
nant foreig n spi ri ts sur pass the charnel shudders p ro duced

,
by the Gothic Algerno n B lackwoo d s P sy chic Invasi ons

.
’
where lo cali ti es rather than mere apartments or ho uses

alo ne a re haunted di ab oli zed by undyi ng evi l i nfluences
,
Co ncl u si o n 30 1
wi th compo und p ower hi s E lem entals that co nt rol the

,
forces of wi nd and wave and fire t o work thei r demo n

wi ll a re unli ke any thi ng that the early terror no vel con
,
cei ved of Horace Walp o le and Mrs Radcl iff e knew n o

. .
thri lls like tho se of B ram S toker s Co unt Dr acula wh o is ’
an i rnmemori a l evil a vampi re and werewolf as well as

,
m a n with p o wer to change hi m self int o a vam pire bat

,
o r ani m al o f pr ey at will The Un buri ed by Jo sephi ne .

,
D ask am B ac o n i s more horrifi c than any m ere revenge

,
gh o st h owever much it shri eked Vindicta !

, Th e di
a boli sm in Arthur M achen s work r eeks o bscur ely of a
’
Pi t m or e horrible than epic or dr am a h a s p ortra y ed In .
general ma n v of the later g ho stly char acter s are more

,
c om plex m ore intense in evi l than the Go thic

,
.
While it is true that certain writers sho w a tendency t o

create supernatural characters havi ng an excess of evil
p o wer bey o nd the previo us uncanny bein g s o n the other ,
hand there is an equally stro ng and si g nificant tendency

t o r educe the g ho stly bein g s near er t o th human
e Ficti on .
here as frequently seems ahead of g eneral belief and

, , ,
r ef uses to believe in the alt o g ether evi l Gh o sts ang els .

, ,
wi tches devils werewolves and so forth a re n ow made

, , ,
mo re hum an more like to m a n y et with o ut l o sing any of

, ,
thei r ancient p o wer t o thrill Gho sts in late literature .
have m ore of the mortal characteristics than ever before ,
as has been p ointed ou t i n a previ o us chapter They .
lo o k m ore human m ore norm al they a re clad in everyday

, ,
g arm ents o f vari ed c olo rs from red shi rts and khaki ,
riding habits t o ball g o wns tho ug h g ray seem s the

- - —
,
f avored shade for shades as well as witches — and they ,
have lo st that lo o k of pallo r that di sti ngui shed early

phantoms N ow they a re more than merely vap oro us
.
projectio ns as they used to be more than m erely p h a n t a s ,
mo g en eti c apparitions — but a re healthy red bl oo ded , ,

-
sp ooks They a re not to ng ue tied a s their ancestors were

.
-
,
3 02 Co n clu s i o n
but a re very chatty g iving forth views on everythin g they

,
a re interested in from s o cialism t o the p resent w a r

, An d .
their r ang e of interests has widened im measurably It .
wo uld seem that the li teracy test has been applied to

g h o sts i n recent fictio n M o dern specters a re so no rm al
.
in appearance that often n o o n e r eco g nizes them as gho sts ,
—
as in E dith Wharto n s story Af terwa rds where the ’
peculiar thing ab o ut the apparitio n haunti ng a certain

ho use is that it is n o t till lo ng afterwar ds that o n e kn o ws
it was a g host Th e ma n in the g ray suit whom the wif e
.
thinks a chance caller is the spirit of a m a n n o t yet dead ,
a terrible living reveng e g ho st wh o finally takes hi s —

,
vict im m y sterio usly away with hi m M o dern g h o sts .
have both m o tio ns and em o tio ns like m en hence m ortals ,
a re co m ing t o r eg ar d them m or e sy m pathetically to ,
have m ore of a f ellow f eeling for them -

.
Likewi se the angels a re n o w o nly a very little h i g her

if a n y than m en S eraphs a re dem o c ratic a n d a n g el s
.
, ,
have develo ped a sense of hum or that renders them m ore

interesting than they used to be Th e wm g ed bei ng that .
H G Wells s vi car g o es g unnin g for is a charming y o uth

’
. .
wi th a n ai ve satire as the ang els in M ark Twain s

’
,
story o f heaven a re realistically m ortal and m asculin e

in tastes They care little f or harps and cro wns g row
.
,
fidg ety under ex cess of r est and eng ag e in all so rts ,
o f activi ti es retainin g their individual tastes

,
Jam es .
S tep h en s s ar changel se raph and cherub a re chatty

’
, , ,
cordi al s o uls with an avidity for cold p o tato es and I rish

companio nship .
T h e dem o ns a s well have f elt the same leveling

i nfluence experi enced by the g ho sts and the ang els .
Only in their case the thin g is r eversed and they a re

, , ,
raised t o the g r ade of hum ani t y We a re com ing t o see .

,
in mo dern ficti on at least that the devi l is n ot really

, ,
black only a pleasant mo ttled gray like o urselves S atan

,
.
,
C o nclu s io n 3 03
in M ark Twai n
s p o sthum o us novel is an aff able y o ung
’
f ell o w claim ing t o be the nephew and namesake of the

,
pers onag e best kn own by that nam e B ernar d S haw s .
’
’
devil i s of a Ch esterfiel di a n co urtesy willing t o speed ,
the parting as t o welcome the coming g uest I have f ound .
n o c o mic use o f the wer ewo l f o r o f the vam pire th o u h

g ,
there a re several comic wi tch stories y et all these pers o n ,
ag es a re humanized in m o dern fictio n We feel in s o me

/
.
recent supernatur al st ories a sense o f a f co n t i n ui n g curr ent
o f lif e These g h o sts devils witches an g els and so

.
, , , ,
f orth a re t o o r eal t o be cut sh ort by an auth or s F i ni s

’
.
An o ther aspect o f the levelin g influence is seen in the

more than natural p o wer o f m o tio n feeling and i n t elli , ,
gence given t o inanim ate objects machinery plants and , , ,
anim als i n late literature The idea of endo wing inani

, .
m ate fig ures wi th lif e and perso nality is seen sever al

ti mes i n H awt horne s stories as his sno w im age B rowne s
’
, ,
’
woo den im ag e the vi vifi ed scarecro w Feathert o p that

, , ,
the wi tch makes Th e clay fig ures that S atan i n M ark

.
Twain s n o vel m o dels endues with life then destroy s with

’
, ,
the fine casual car elessness of a g o d r emind on e of an

, ,
inci dent from my tholo g y Th e statue i n Edith Wharton s .

’
The Duchess a t P ra yer that chang es its ex p r essi o n sh owin g ,
o n i t s m arble f ace th ro ug h a century the l o athin g and
horror that the living co untenance wo re or Lor d Dun ,
sa n y s jade i d ol that co mes with st o ny steps acro ss

’ 2
the desolate m oor t o exact veng eance on fo ur m en help

less i n its presence has a more intense thrill than Otran t o s
,
’
peri patetic statue Lor d Dun sa n y s The Gods of the ’
“
.
M ou n ta i n s of which Frank H arris say s

,
It is the only ,
play which has m eant any thing t o me in twenty y ears ,
sho ws an inexor able f atali ty as in the Greek drama .
S cience is revealin g wo nderful f acts and fictio n is qui ck

to realize the p o ssib i l i t i es fo r startling si tuati ons in every
Th My t i u S t
e s er o s
g I A Ni g ht t
ra n er .I n a an nn .
3 04 C o ncl u s i o n
field So di ab oli c b otanical specim ens ani mals endowed

.
,
wi th hum an or more than hum an craft— s ometim es gifted

wi th immortali ty as well add a new i nterest t o uncanny —
ficti on An d the new m achines that make all i mp ossi

.
bili ti es come to pass in spir e a significant class of super

natural stori es In g eneral a new force i s gi ven to all
.
,
thi ngs to rai se them t o the level o f the hum an

,
.
In the same way nature is gi ven a new power and

becomes m an s equal — som etim es f a r hi s superi or— i n
’
thought and action The m aelstrom in Po e s story .

’
i s more than merely a part of the setting — i t i s a terri bl e ,
force i n acti o n Alg er no n B lackwoo d stresses thi s vari

.
o usly i n hi s stori es as wher e E gypt i s sh o wn as a vi tal

,
presence an d power or wher e the g o bli n trees a re as

,
awf ul a s any of the other char acter s of evi l or i n the ,
wi nd and flame on the m o untai n that are elements of

supernatural p ower wi th a r esistless lure for mortals or
, ,
i n the vam pi re s oi l that steals a m an s str ength Thi s

’
.
may be i llustrated a s well from the dram a a s i n M aeter ,
linck s where Death i s the silent i nvi si ble yet domi n a nt

’
, ,
force or i n Sy n g e s where the sea i s a terri ble foe lyi ng

’
, ,
i n wai t for ma n o r in A ug ust S tra mm s The Da ug hter

’
,
of the M oor wher e the m oor is a c om pelli ng char acter

,
of evi l Gothi c fictio n did asso ci ate the phen omena o f

.
nature wi th the mo o ds of the actio n yet i n a less eff ecti ve ,
way . Th e aspects of natur e in recent li ter ature have

been rai sed to the level o f hum anity becomi n g mortal or ,
else di aboli c or di vine .
In gener al i n mo dern fictio n m an n ow mak es hi s super

, ,
natural characters i n hi s own i m ag e Gho sts angels .

, ,
devi ls wi tches wer ewo lves a re humani zed m ade lik e

, , , ,
to m a n in appear ance passio ns an d p owers On the

, , .
other hand plants i nanimate o bjects and ani mal s a s

, , ,
well a s the phenomena of nature a re rai sed to the human ,
plane and gi ven access of p ower Thi s leveli ng process .

Co n cl u si o n 305
demo cr ati zes the supern atural elements and tends to

m ake them alm o st equal .
T he present revi val of i nterest i n the supernatural and

i ts appear ance in li terature a re as marked in the dr am a a s
in fictio n or p o etry M r E C Whitm ore in a recently
. . . .
,
publi shed volum e o n The S uperna tura l i n Tra g edy h a s ,
ably tr eated the subject especially i n the Greek classi c ,
peri o d and the E li zabethan a g e in E ng land Hi s thesis .
i s that the supern atur al i s mo st fr equently asso ciated

wi th trag edy a n d is fo und where tr ag edy i s at i t s best
, .
T hi s m a y be tr ue of earli er perio ds of the tr agi c drama ,
y et i t wo uld be g oin g t o o f a r t o m ake the asserti o n of the

drama of the pr esent tim e Th e o ccul t m akes i t s appear .
ance t o a co nsiderable extent n ow in melo dr am a and

even in com edy tho ug h wi th n o decrease in the frequency
,
and eff ectiveness o f its use in trag edy This o nly illus .
trates the wi dening of i t s spher e and its adaptability t o

varyi ng forms o f a rt .
A bri ef survey o f s om e of the play s pro duced in the last

few y ears mo st of them being seen in N ew York wi ll
, ,
illustr ate the extent t o which the g ho stly mo ti fs a re used

o n the stag e o f t o d a y D o uble perso nality is repr esented
-
.
by E dwar d Lo cke in a play whi ch is said by criti cs to be

,
virtual ly a dr am ati zatio n of Dr M ort o n Prince s study .

’
,
2
wher e psy cholo gi cal apparatus used in laboratory exp eri

ments t o expel the evil intruder from the gi rl a chro no ,
Sco pe a dy n og ra p h revo lvin g mi rror s m ake the setti ng

, , ,
seem truly psychi cal B ut the m ost dr amatic i nstance

.
of the ki nd of co urse i s the dram atizatio n of D r Jekyll s

’
.
, ,
alter eg o .
Th e plays of Charles Rann K ennedy and Jerome K 3

.
Jerome 4 a re akin to the old mystery plays in that they

In The Ca se f
o B ecky .
3
The Di sa ssoci a ti on f
o a P ersona li ty .
3 The S erva n t i n the H ouse .

4 The P a ssi n g f
o the Thi d Flr oor B a ck .
3 06 C o n clu si o n
perso nate divi ni ty and sho w the mi r a cle o f Chri stly

i nfluence o n si n ful hearts Augustus T h omas and l
.
E dward Mi lto n Royle i nt ro duce hypno tism a s the basis ’
o f co mpli cati o n and d éno uem ent S upernatur al healin g . ,
mi raculo us in ter ven ti o n of divi ne p ower o ccur i n play s ,
by Wi lli am Vaughan Mo o dy Bjorn son and Geo rg e

“
3 4
, ,
M Cohan
. An other turns on c onver se wi th spi ri ts
.
5
,
a s do es B elasc o s Return of P eter Gri mm whi le a wa r

’
,
play by Vi da S utton 7 sho ws fo ur g hbsts on the stage at

o nce ast onishin g phant o m s who d o n ot r eali ze th at they
,
a re dead Others 8 have f or thei r them es mi racles of

.
f ai th and r escu e from danger th o ugh the fir st named play ,

-
sati ri zes such beli ef and the latter i s a pi ece of C atholic

propaganda .
Ma gi c by G K Chesterto n i ntro duces supernatur al

, . .
,
fo rces wher eby stran ge thi n gs ar e made t o happen such ,
as the changi ng of the electric li ght from g r een to blue .
P eter Ibbetson the dr am atizati o n of Du M a uri er s no vel

’
, ,
shows dream supernatur ali sm and vari o us o ther psychic

-
,
eff ects i n a delicate and distin cti ve manner An d The . .
Wi llow Tree by B en ri mo and H arri so n R ho des i s bui lt

, ,
upo n an anci en t Jap an ese leg end r elatin g a hamadryad ,
myt h wi th other sup ermorta l phantasi es such a s rep re ,
senti ng a woman s soul as co ntai ned i n a m irror ’

.
We have f ai ry plays by J M B arri e 9 W B Yeats and . .

, . .
,
M aeterli nck an d the m erm ai d h as even b een staged

, ,
B ernar d S haw sh ows u s the devi l i n hi s own home t own ,
whi le Hauptman n gi ves us H an n el e s vi si o ns of heaven ’

.
Th e F r ank enstein theme is used t o p ro vo ke laughter
In The Wi tchi ng H our . In The U w i tt

n r en La w .
B eyond Th i S te r reng th.

7 K i ng dom Come
‘
.
1
As The Ete n
My stery, by Georg e J ea n N a tha n a n d The Rosa ry
r al , .
9 P eter P a n . The Land of Hea rt s Desi re ’

.
The Bl ue B i rd The Mermai d

. .
C o n clu si o n 307
mi xed wi th thri lls Owen and Ro bert D avis sy m .
boli ze m an s better angel while The E tern a l Ma gda len e

’
, ,
a dream dr am a shows ano ther pi ece of symboli c super

-
,
natural ism Lord Du n san y s play s have already been

.
’
menti o ned .
Yet the dram a thou g h showi ng a definite revi val of the

,
supernatural and i llustrati ng vari o us forms of it i s m or e

, ,
r estricted than fictio n : M any aspects o f the o ccult

appear and the psy chic dram a is p o pular but the n ecessi ,
ti es of presentati o n o n the stag e inevitably ba r many

form s of the gho stly a rt that take their place natur ally
in fictio n Th e clo set dram a do es n o t co m e under thi s
.
li mitati o n fo r in eff ect it is alm o st a s free as fiction to i n

,
tro d u ce mystical sy m bo lic and invisible p r esences, Th e , .
clo set dr am a i s usually in p o etic fo rm and p o etry i s clo ser

aki n to cert ai n form s of the super natur al than is pro se ,
whi ch makes their use m ore natural .
Th e liter ary play let so p o pular just n ow uses the g h o stly , ,
in many way s One shows the Archangel R aphael with

.
hi s d o g worki ng mi r acles whi le ano ther includes in i t s

, ,
dra ma ti s p erson ce a f aun and a m oo n g o ddess wh o insists

o n gi ving the f aun a s o ul at which he wi ldly pro tests As , .
thro ugh suff ering and hum an pain he accepts the gi ft a ,
sy mbolic white butterfly p o ises itself on hi s uplifted hand ,
then fli t s towar d H eaven In ano ther P adr aic y ields .

,
him self to the f airies p o wer as the price o f bread for the ’
gi rl he loves T heo do re Drei ser s short plays bring in

.
’
creatures im po ssible of representatio n o n the stage ,
per sisten‘
c es of fish ani mals and birds sym bolic , , ,
S hado ws a B lue S phere a P ower of Physi cs N itrous

, , ,
A cid a F,
ast M ai l (th ough trai ns have been used on the
stage) and so forth
,
.
Instances from recent Germ an drama mi ght be g i ven ,
I Th L t L g h by P l D i k y a d Ch l
n e as au W G dd d , au c e n a r es . o ar .
In A n y H ouse .
3 08 C o nclu s io n
as the work of August S tramm wh o like R upert B roo ke ,
and the ill starred p o ets of the Irish revolutio n h a s

-
f allen a s a sacrifi ce t o the wa r An arti cle in the Li tera ry

“
.
Di g est say s of S tramm that he f elt behi nd all the beauty

of the world i t s elem ental passi o ns and beli eved these t o
be the projectio ns of hum an passio ns in the waves o f

wind and light and water in flames of ea rt He i n ,
cl ud es am o ng h i s char acters a Spi der N ig hting ales I

, ,
Mo o nli g ht Wind and B lo ssoms C arl H auptm ann

, ,
.
2
li kewi se shows the elemental forces of natur e and of

super nature On the battlefield of death the dead arise
-
.
t o j o in in o n e dreadf ul chant of hate against their enemies .
Leo nid A ndr eyev s st riki ng p l ayJ mig ht be m enti o ned

’
as an example from the Russian Ki ng H ung er D eath and .

-
, ,
Ol d tim e B ell Ri nger a re the p rinci pal act or s whi le the

—
, ,
hum an bei ng s a re all deform ed and di storted on e con

”
,
ti n u o u s m alici o us m o nstro sity bearing o nly a r em o te

likeness t o m a n T h e starvi ng m en a r e slain but o ver
.
,
the field of the dead the mo tio nless figur e of D eath is seen
silho uetted B ut the dead arise and a dul l di stan t
”
.
, , ,
m anifold murmur a s if underg ro und i s heard We c om e !

, , ,
Wo e unt o the vi ct orio us !

B ut as I have said these a r e l iter ary dr am as imp o ssible
, ,
of pr esentati o n on the stag e so that they a re judg ed by ,
li terary r ather than dram atic standar ds Fo r the mo st .
part ficti o n i s i nfinitely fr eer in i t s r ang e and choice of

subjects from the supernatur al than i s the dr ama Th e .
sug g esti ve symb olic my stic eff ects whi ch co uld n ot in

, ,
a ny way be pr esented o n the stage but wh i ch a re m or e ,
truly of the provi nce of p o etry are used i n pro se that h a s ,
a jeweled beauty and a m elo dy a s of p oetry E lem ents .
such as invi sibili ty fo r i nstance and vario us o ccult, ,
ag enci es may be stressed and analy zed i n fictio n a s

I
In S a ncta S usanna . In The Dea d A re Si n g i ng .
3 Ki ng -H ung er .
C o n clu s i o n 3 09
wo uld be i m possi ble on the stage Th e clo se relatio n .
between i nsani ty and the wei r d ca n be m uch more eff ec

ti vely sh o wn in the n o vel or sho rt st ory than in the d ra m a ,
as the for ces of my stery the i ncalculable agenci es can

,
be thus better em phasi zed Gho sts need t o be seen on .
the stag e t o have the best effect even i f they ar e m eant

“
as selecti ve appari tio ns like B anquo and i f thus
,
seen they a re too corporeal for the mo st impressive i nfl u

ence while in ficti o n they can be sugg ested with delicate
,
reserve S upernatur al p r esences that co uld n ot be

.
imag ed on the bo ards m a y be r ep resented in the no vel or

sto ry as B lack woo d s Elem entals o r P sy chi c Invasio ns
,
’
.
H o w co uld on e stag e such acti o n fo r instance a s hi s , ,
citizens turning into witch cats or his Giant D evi l looming

-
mi ghti l y in the heavens ? Lik ewise in fictio n the full p re

sen t a ti o n o f scientific super natur alism can be achieved ,
whi ch wo uld be impo ssible o n the stag e .
In co nclusio n i t mig ht be said that fictio n off ers the

,
mo st p opular p resent vehicle for exp ressio n of the un

do ubtedly r evi ving supernaturalism in Eng li sh liter ature .
A n d fictio n is likewise the best form that whi ch aff o rds ,
the more vari ed chances for eff ectiveness Th e rising tide .
o f the uneart hl y in a rt sh o ws itself in all liter ary fo rm s ,
as dram ati c narr ative and ly ric p o etry with a f ew epics

, , ,
— i n the pla let a s in the standar d dr am a in the sh o rt st ry

y o ,
a s in the no vel It m ani fests i tself in co untless way s i n

.
current li ter ature and inviting lines of investig ati o n suggest

them selves wi th r eference to vario us aspects o f i t s study .
Th e super natur al as especially r elated t o r eligi o n off ers

an interesting field for r esear ch Th e mir acles from the .
B i ble a re often used as in Lew Wallace s B en H ur and

’
, ,
C hri st i s intro duced in o ther ti m es and places a s the w a r ,
no vel or in M ari e Corelli s satire o n E pi sco pacy where

,
I ’
,
2
the cardi nal finds the Chri st child o utside the cathedral .
I
The S econ d Comi ng . The Master Chri sti an .
310 C o n c lu s i o n
Th e more than mortal elem ents a s answers to pr ay er the

, ,
experi ence of co nversio n spiritual mi racles and so forth

, , ,
a re pr esent t o a co nsiderable extent i n m o dern fictio n .
Two very r ecent novels of imp ortance base thei r plo ts on

the miraculo us in relig i o n The B rook K eri th by Geo rg e
, ,
M oore and The L ea therwood God by William D ean

, ,
H o wells .I have to uched o n thi s aspect o f the subject

i n a pr evi ous article .
1
One mi g ht pro fitably trace o ut the app ear ances of the

gho stly in m o dern p o etry or o n e mi g ht study i t s mani
,
fest a ti on s in the late dr am a including m el od r am a and

,
com edy as well as tr ag edy T his pr esent treatm ent of the

.
supernatural in m o dern English fictio n m akes n o pr eten

sio ns to being com plete It is m eant t o be sug g esti ve
.
r ather than exhaustive and I shall be gratified i f it m a

, y
help t o aro use further interest in a sig nificant and vital
phase of ou r literature and lead o ther s to pursue the
i nvesti g ati o ns .
R el i g i on i n R ecen t Am eri ca n N ovels , i n the J a n ua ry , 1 9 14, Revi ew

a n d E xp osi tor .
I N DE!
A A nti -Ja cobi n , The, 5 1
A n y H ouse, 3 07
A ccusi n g S pi ri t, The, 2 1 p
A ul ei u s, L uci us , M eta morp hoses,
Add ress to the De i l , A n , 1 3 1
’
14
5
p
E so , F a bl es , 2 3 1 Ap p her, Arthur , Vendetta f
o the
Af a i r of Di shon or, A n , 9 1 Jun g l es A , 168
N T
,
Afterwa rds , 1 02 , 2 02 A ra bi a n i g hts

’
a l es, 2 52
Afterwa rds, 3 02 Ar chi tecture , Go th i c , 8 cl se q
I
.
Aha suerus, 1 76 A ri el , or the n vi si bl e M on i tor, 24

A hri n rri ma n , 88 , 1 83 , 2 1 3 Arn im , Achi m vo n , Di e B ei den
q
Ai d s to G o th i c E ff ec t , 3 6 cl se. Wa l dema r, 1 22
Ain sworth , W H , 1 8 1
. . Arn ol d , E dwi n Lest er , S tra n g e
Albi g enses, The, 9 , A dven tures of P hra , the P hcen i ci a n ,
Al dri ch , Th oma s B a i l ey , 63 The, 1 8 8
Mi ss M ehi ta bel s S on , 68, 8 5,
’
Arn ol d , M a tth ew
28 7 Forsa ken Merma n , The, 1 55, 2 33
P are A n toi n e s Da te P a l m, 6 3
’
N ecka n , The, 1 55
Queen of S heba , The, 1 22 A rrest, A n , 8 5
A ma zoni a n T ortoi se Myths, 2 3 2
’
Ar thur a n d Carl ag a n, 3 0
A mboyn a , 4 1 rthur Mervyn , 3 5
Ami el, F ri edri ch , 1 44 A rti st of the B ea utiful , The, 2 8 7
Amon g the Immorta l s , 2 1 7 A stra l B ri deg room , A n , 2 07
A mos Ju dd , 40 , 2 57 A t the E n d of the P a ssa g e, 1 20
A mphi tryton , 1 2 2 A t the Ga te, 20 1 , 29 1
A mycus a n d Cel esti ne, 63 Au er ba ch , B erth ol d , 1 76
A n a n si S tori es , 2 3 2 Aust en , Ja n e , 4 7 , 49
A n ci en t L eg ends a n d S upersti ti on s of N ortha n g er A bbey , 4 7 , 5 1
Irela n d , 2 29 Austin , Alfred , P eter R ugg , the M i ss
An ci en t Records or the A bbey of S t . i ng M a n , 1 89
Oswyth, 9 , 2 1 ustin , M H , Read i ustment, 1 07
. .
A n ci en t S orceri es, 6 5, 1 05, 1 24 , 1 53 , A ven g ers, The, 56

94 A yesha , 1 83 , 1 93
An dersen , Ha n s Chri sti a n , 1 55 ,
\
I76 233 B
I76.
2 33 p
Ba con , Jo se hi n e Da ska m, 94
An drey ev, Le on i da s , 69 Chi l dren , The, 2 89
K i ng -H ung er, 308 H eri ta g e, The, 94
Red L a ug h, The, 69 Mi ra cl e, The, 2 54
S i l en ce, 29 3 S tra ng e Ca ses of Dr S ta n chi on ,
.
A ng el Isl a nd , 294 The, 2 54 , 299

A ng el M essa ge, A n , 207 U
n buri ed , The, 66 , 3 0 1
An kerwi ch Ca szl e, 34 Wa rni ng , The, 2 76
An other Li ttl e H ea th H ound, 290 Bahr-g ei st , Th e, 1 1 5, 22 5
3 12 I n d ex
B a l za c, Ho n oré de , 1 82 B i erce, Ambrose, 53 , 6 1 , 1 09 , 1 1 6,
E li xi r 0 Lif e, The, 60
Ma gi c ki n , The, 60 A rres t, A n , 8 5
Mel moth Recon ci li e, 59 — T
Da mned hi n g , The , 6 1 , 92
U n known M a sterpi ece, The, 6 0 D ea th of H a lpi n Fra zer, The ,
Ba ng s, J ohn Ken dr i ck, 1 1 2 , 293

E n cha n ted T
ypewri ter, The, E yes of the P a n the r, The, 1 70,
27 1
H ouse-boa t on the S tyx, The, M i ddl e Toe of the Ri g ht Foot ,
The
P urs ui t f
o the H ouse-boa t, The, My t s eri ous Di sa ppea ra n ces ,
2 59
Occurrence a t Owl Creek B ridg e,

Rebelli ous H eroi ne, The, 1 9 7 The, 2 75
S peck on the L ens , The, 255 Two M i li ta ry E xecuti ons , 1 1 6
Thu rl ow
’
s Chri s tma s S tory , 1 2 1 Vi ne on the H ouse, A , 90
Wa ter-Ghost a nd Others , The, p
Bi ol og y , S u erna t ural , 2 70
1 12 p
Bi ol og y , S u erna tu ra l 1n Go th i ci sm ,
Ba n sh ee, Th e, 99 34
B a rdi c S tori es of Irel a n d, 243 B i rthma rk, The, 1 8 5, 2 70
B a ri ng -Gould , S , 1 8 1 B i scl a veret,
E i sl a n d , Eliza beth , The Ca se of John
.
E ve, 2 46
B a rker, El sa , 206 , 2 07 S mi th, 2 1 5
Letters f rom a Li vi ng Dea d Ma n , B jorn son , B jorn stjerne , 306
207 B eyon d T hei r S tren g th, 3 06
Wa r Letters f rom a Li vi ng Bla ck M a g i c, 1 46
Dea d M a n , 2 06 , 2 9 2 '
B l a ck M on k, The , 69
B a rker, Gra n v1ll e , 1 2 3 , 1 98 B l a ck P a tc h, The, 2 55
S oul s on F i f th, 1 23 , 1 98 , 2 1 5 Bl a ckmore, R D , L orna D oon e, 226
. .
B a rrett , E a ton S t a nn a rd , 8 , 49 B l a ckwoo d , Al g ern on , 68 , 7 6 , 7 9 ,

Heroi n e, The, 49 , 50 8 5 . 9 6 . 1 0 5 . 1 66 . 1 7 x. 23 5 . 2 73 .
B a rri e , J M , 24 0
. . 2 8 s. 2 8 7 . 3 0 0. 3 04 . 3 09
Li ttl e Whi te Bi rd , The, 240 A n ci en t S orceri es , 65 , 1 24 , 1 53 ,
P eter P a n , 24 0, 3 06 1 94
B a y n i m , John , 246 Ca mp of the D og , The, 1 70
B a y ni m , M i ch a el , 2 46 Cl a i rvoya n ce, 28 9
B eckf o rd , W1ll i a m, 1 7 E mpty H ou se, The, 9 8 , 1 1 7
Va l keh, 8 , 1 7 , 22 , 2 5, 29, 33 , 3 7 , Gl a mour of the S n ow, The ,
70 23 1
B eddoes , Th omas Lovell , 53 , 29 7 I
Ha un ted sl a n d , A , 1 1 4
D ea th s Jest B ook, 53 , 1 1 5, 2 9 7 H ea th F
’
i re , The, 23 1
B eetl e, The , 29 0 H uma n Chord , The, 2 7 5
B el a sco , Da vi d , Return of P eter Jules Le Va ll on , 1 94
Gri mm, The, 2 0 1 , 298 K eepi n g H i s P romi se, 9 8
B el ea g uered Ci ty , The, 2 1 1 Ma n from the Gods , The, 1 2 1
B el l a my , E dwa rd , 1 8 9 Ma n Whom the T rees L oved ,
L ooki n g B a ckwa rd , 1 8 9 , 262 The, 2 3 0 , 2 72
B elted B uzza rd, The, 296 —
N emesi s of the F i re, A , 9 8
B en et , W1lli a m R ose , Ma n wi th the — Old Cl othes 1 2
4 , 1 94
I
,
Pi g eon s , The, 2 1 8 P sychi c nva si on , A , 1 06

B en H ur , 3 09 Reg en era ti on of L ord E rni e,
B enn ett , Arnol d , Ghost, The, 1 1 7 The, 23 0
B eowulf , 2 8 1 — Return The 1 2
, , 3 , 1 98
B ereni ce, 6 2 S a nd , 23 0
B es a n t , Wal ter, I
vory Ga te, The, S ea F i t, The, 230
1 22 S ecret Worshi p , 1 05 , 1 1 7 , 1 3 7
B etrothed, The, 225 T empta ti on of the Cla y , The,
T
B eyon d hei r S treng th, 3 06 23 1
I n d ex 313
B l a ckwo od , Alge rn on ( Conti n ued) L a y of the B rown Rosa ry , The,

T error of the T
wi n s, The, 1 22 , 1 48
1 92 B rown in g , Robert , 69
T ra n sf er, The, 1 64 S l udg e, the Medi um, 69
Wa ve, The , 1 94 B ru shwood B oy , The, 1 9 5
Wi th In ten t to S tea l , 62 , 1 1 7 B ubbl e Wel l Road, 1 3 8
B le ek , W H I , R eyn a rd, the F
. . . ox, B ucha n a n , Ro bert , 1 77
i n S outh Afri ca , 23 2 Wa n deri ng J ew, a Chri stmas
Bli n d , The, 64 , 2 9 8 Ca rol , The, 1 7 7 , 1 8 0
B li theda l e R oma nce, The, 1 88 , 1 99 H a un ters a n d the H a un ted,
Bl ue-B i rd, The, 64 , 2 78 , 2 80 , 3 06 The, 6 0 , 7 8 , 1 8 8 , 2 9 9
Bl ue Ros es , 26 8 S tra n g e S tory , A , 9 0, 1 82
Bl ue S phere, The, 20 8 , 2 7 8 B un g a y Ca stle, 2 0 , 4 5
Blyth e , Jam es, M i n e H ost a n d the B un y a n , John , 2 1 3
Wi tch, 1 4 8 B urg er , 56
B an B an , 9 5, 1 4 1 L en ore, 56
B on es , S a n ders , a nd A n other, 1 56 B urn ett , F ra n ces H odg son , Whi te
B on h ote , Mrs , 20 . P eopl e, The, 20 3 , 298
B un g a y Cas tl e, 2 0 , 4 5 B urn s , Ro bert , 232
'
B ook of the S erpen t, 29 2 A re
dd ss to the D e i l , An , 1 3 1
B ook of Won der , The, 24 5 T a m O S ha n ter, 1 56
’
B orderl a nd , The, 1 24 B urn s , M i ss, S hropshi re F ol k-ta l es ,
p
B ota n y , S u ern a tur a l , 2 7 2 et se q .
29 1
'
B ottl e Imp , The, 70 B utl er , E l l i s Pa rker , Dey A i n t N o
B otto ml ey , Gord on , 6 5, 1 53 , 2 8 5 Ghosts , 1 2 8
Cri er by N
i g ht, The, 6 5 , 23 8 B utl er , Ka th erin e ,
Ri di n g to Li then d, 1 52 In N o S tra n g e L a n d, 96, 2 1 2
B owmen a n d Others, The, 204 , 2 58 , B utl er , S a m u el , 262
28 2 E rewhon , 2 62
B ra n d , 6 5 By the Wa ters of P ara di se, 83
B ran des , Georg , 1 22 B yron , Lo rd :
R oma n ti c Red upli ca ti on a n d Cai n , 1 3 6
P ers on a li t 1 22 Gi a our, The, 1 60
B ren ta n o , Di e Mehreren Wehmull er, H ea ven a n d E a rth, 2 2 1
1 22 Vi si on of Jud g men t, A , 1 3 4
B ri de of La mmermoor, The, 3 8
B ri eux, E ug en e , 2 52
B ri ssot s Ghost, 89
’
B ro n te, E mi l y , 8 6 Ca bl e , Georg e W , 226 .
Wutheri ng H ei g hts, 86 , 226 C a l deron , 2 7 , 1 33

B rook K eri th, The, 3 1 0 E l E mbozad o, 1 1 9
p
B ro oke , Ru er t, 3 08 El M a g i co P rodi g i oso, 1 00 , 1 43
Fa i l ure, 222 Ca mp of the D og , The, 1 70
H ea ven , 22 1 , 2 8 3 p
Cam bel l -Pra ed , M rs , 20 7 .
On Certai n P roceedi n g s of the N yri a , 207

'
P sy chi ca l Resea rch S oci ety , 2 8 1 , Ca pta i n S torm fi el d s Vi si t to H ea ven ,
2 83 E xtracts from, 20 1 , 2 1 7
B rown , Ali ce , 1 0 1 , 2 1 1 Ca r of P hc e bus, The, 2 0 7
T
H ere a n d here, 1 0 1 , 1 07 Ca rmen S y l va , 1 76 , 2 33
T
ryst, The , 1 2 6 , 2 1 1 Ca se of B ecky, The, 3 05
B rown , Ch a rl es B rockden , 3 5 Ca se of John S mi th, The, 2 1 5
A rthu r M ervyn , 3 5 Ca stle of Ca i thn ess , The, 20
Edg a r H un tl ey , 39 Ca stl e of Otra n to, The, 4 , 8, 1 6 , 2 5,
Wi ela nd, 3 5, 39 3 1 . 3 6 . 40, 52 , 1 0 1
B rowni e of B odbeck, The, 2 6, 3 8 Ca stl e of Wolfen ba ch, The, 4 8
Brown i ng , El i za beth B arrett , 1 48 Castl e S pecter, The, 53
Dra ma of E xi le, A , 1 3 3 Celesti a l Grocery , The, 2 65, 300
3 14 I n d ex
’
Cel esti a l Ra i l roa d, The, 2 1 3 , 265 , 3 00 Conn ecti cut Ya n kee a t Ki ng A rthur s
Cel ti c Revi va l , The, 22 7 Court, A , 1 89 , 2 62 , 2 86
T
Cel ti c wi li g ht, The, 23 9 Con verse, F, 93 .
C ha m bers, Robert W , 8 7 , 290, 296 . Co-op era ti ve Ghosts , 93 , 98

The M esseng er, 88 Con wa y , Hug h , 103
Cha mi sso , 59 , 1 7 6 Our La st Wa l k, 1 03 ,
E rschei n un g , 1 22 Co n wa y , M D , 1 80
p
. .
Cha n son s de Gestes , 7 Coo er, J F enim ore , 226

.
Cha ucer , Geoffrey , 8 7 , 1 40 , 2 1 7 Co-opera ti ve Ghosts , 93 , 9 8

T
Fri a r’ s a l e, The, 1 40 Corbi n , J ohn , 76
p
Ch emi stry , S u ern a t ura l , 267 Corelli , Ma ri e :
Ch er , M ari a 1 9 7 Ma ster Chri sti a n , The, 3 09
-
Immorta l Gymna sts, The, 1 97 Roma n ce of Two Worlds , A 2 1 3

Ch esterto n , G K , 306 S orrows of S a ta n , The, 1 3 6, 1 44
'
. .
M a g i c, 3 06 Cbun t R oderi ck s Castl e, or Gothi c

Chi ldren , The, 2 89 T
i mes , 20
Chi l dren of the Mi st, The, 22 6 Coun tess Ca thl een , 6 5, 1 4 3
Chri s ta bel , 1 4 8 , 23 8 Courti ng of Di n a h S hadd , The, 1 52
Cl a i rvoya n ce, 2 89 Cowa rd , The, 6 1
Cla ra Mi l i tch, 6 8 , 1 62 Cra ddock, Ch arles E g bert , 8 3 , 1 04 ,
Cla rk , Rev T , Wa n deri ng J ew, or 22 6
T Uq
. .
the ra vel s of B a rea ch, the P ro Hi s n Ghost, 8 3

ui et
l on g ed, The, 1 7 8 Cra wfo rd , F M a ri on , 37 , 68 , 94 ,
.
Cl a rke , La uren ce , 9 4 1 09 , 1 1 6 , 1 1 7
Grey Gues t, The, 94 , 2 8 2 A mong the mmorta ls , 2 1 7 I
Cl ermon t, 4 8 B y the Wa ters of P a ra di se, 83
Cl oa k, The, 6 8 Dead S mi l e, The, 70 , 1 09
'
Cl osed Ca bi n et, The, 1 0 7 —
D oll s Ghost, A , 9 8
I
Co bl , rvi n , B elted B uzza rd, The, For the Bl ood Is the Lif e, 62 , 7 8 ,
2 9g 1 62
I
Cobb, 'Pa lmer , nfl uence of E A. T
. . K ha l ed, 62 , 70, 1 4 7
H ofl ma nn on E dg a r A l l an P oe, M a n Overboa rd, 9 7
The, 5 8 M r Isaa cs , 3 7 , 7 1
.
Cocotte, 6 1 S crea mi ng S kul l , The, 60 , 89,

Caj i n Mercha n t, The, 2 54
Coha n , Georg e M , 3 06 . Upp B erth, The, 1 00
er
Mi racl e M a n , The, 306 Wi tch of P ra g ue, The, 1 49 , 1 95,
C ol eridg e , S amuel Ta yl or, 6 5, 1 1 8 2 66
Chri sta bel , 1 4 8 , 23 8 Cra wf ord , Ho e , Ida L omond p a nd
Wa nderi ng s of Ca i n , The, 1 1 8 H er H our of Vi si on , 207
Co ll in s, Wi lki e , 78 Crea ti on , 2 7 7
D rea m Woma n , The, 78 Cri er by N i g ht, The , 65, 2 3 8
T
Ghost ouch, The, 1 03 Crock of Gold , The, 24 1 , 246
H a un ted H otel , The, 89 , 1 00 Croly , Georg e , 1 79
Queen of H ea rts , The, 1 0 7 , 1 1 3 S a l a thi el , or a rry hou i ll I T T T
Col li n s, Wi ll i a m, Ode on the P opul a r Come, 1 79
S upersti ti ons of the H i g hl a n ds, 74 Crysta l E g g , The, 263
Coll i so n -M orl ey , La cy , 202 Cuchul a i n of M ui rthemne, 243
Greek a n d Roma n Ghost S tori es , Cul ex, 2 9 0
2 02 Curran , Mrs John H . P a ti ence
Comer, Corn eli a A P , Li ttl e Grey. . Worth, 1 9 7, 207
Ghost, The, 1 1 8 Cu rse of the Cashmere S ha wl , The,
Comus , 7 , 1 4 8 IS3
Conf essi on s of a Justified Si n n er , Cu rse of the F i res a n d the S ha d ows ,
29 The, 1 54
Confessi ons f
o an E n g li sh Opi um Curse of the Wa n deri ng J ew, The , 1 77
E a ter, 2 68 Curt in , Jeremi a h , 244
I n d ex 3 15
Curt i s, Georg e Willi a m 1 2 1 , 2 58 On the K n ocki n g a t the Ga te i n

I
,
P rue a nd , 1 2 1 , 2 58 Ma cbeth, 29 5
Descen t i n to the Ma el strom, The, 23 1 ,
D 2 53
Devil , The, 1 3 8
Da cre, Mrs 10 7 7 Devi l a n d Hi s Alli es, Th e , 1 30 cl se q.
D q
.
, ,
Zofl oya . 1 0 . I7 . 2 8 . 3 3 . 3 5. 3 7 . evi l , Gothi c , The , 2 7 et se .
3 sr 53 ! 1 54 , 2 5 1 Devi l a n d Tom Wa l ker, The, 1 40

Da mn ed Thi The, 6 1 , 92
ng , Devi l i n the B elf ry , The, 1 4 1
'
Da n by , F ra n k , T
wi li g ht, 268 Dey Ai n t N o Ghosts , 1 28
D a ni el a n d the Devi l , 1 4 1 Dia mon d Lens, The, 2 74
D Ann un zi o , Ga bri el , 66
’
P
Di ckey , a ul , 3 07
Da u g hter of Jori o , The, 67 , 1 49 L a st La ug h, The, 30 7
La Ci tta Morta , 66 , 2 9 8 D i cken s, Cha rl es
'
S og n o d un Ma tti no di P ri ma Ha un ted H ouse, The, 1 7 1
vera , 6 7 , 3 00 S i g n a l M a n , The, 1 1 4
'
S og n o d un ra mon to T ’
d Au Di e B ei den Wa l dema r, 1 2 2
tu nn o, 6 7 , 1 52 Di e B ra ut von Cori n th, 1 62
Da n t e, 2 7 , 1 3 0, 1 3 3 , 1 44 , 209, 2 1 5 Di e Mehreren Wehmu ll er , 1 22
Da rk N a mel ess On e, The, 1 5 5 Di sa ssoci a ti on of a P ersona li ty , The,
Da rwin , Cha rl es , 7 3 , 2 5 1 3 05
D a rwi n , E ra sm us, 1 4 Di vi n e Adven ture, The, 248
Da ug hter of Jori o, The, 67 , 1 49 Dr B ulli va n t, 1 8 5
Dr F
.
Da ug hter of the Moor , The, 3 04 a us tus , 1 5 , 1 43

'
.
Da vi s , Owen , a n d Robert , A n y Dr H eidi gg er s E xperi men t, 1 8 4 , 2 52

.
H ouse, 30 7 Dr Jekyl l a n d Mr H y de, 1 20, 268 ,

. .
D a vi s , Ri cha rd Ha rdi n g , Vera , the 3 05

Medi um, 200 D og H a rvey , The, 29 1
Da y of My Dea th, The, 1 99 Doi n g s of Rafi es H a w, The, 267
Da ys of the Comet, The, 2 64 Dolli ver Roma n ce, The, 1 8 3 , 1 84
'
Dea d A re S i n g i n g , The, 2 82 Doll s Ghost, A , 98
Dea d Ci ty, The, 29 8 Door i n the Wa ll , The, 2 58
D ea d S hi p of H a rpswel l , The, 1 8 7 pp
Do el g an g er, 57 , 1 1 9
'
D ea d S mi l e, The, 70 , 1 0 9 Doppelg a ng er, The, 1 22
Dea ki n , Luml ey , 1 46 Dorset , S t John , 1 59
.
Red Debts , 1 46 Va mpi re, The, 1 59

Dea th of H al pi n F ra zer, The , 1 1 0, Doubl e Person a li ty , 3 05
1 92 Doy l e , A C on a n , 79
'
.
Dea th s Jest B ook, 53 , 1 1 5 , 29 7 Doi n g s of Rafil es Ha w, The, 2 67

D efoe , Da ni el , 205 H oun d of the B as kervi l l es , The,
’
A ppa ri ti on of Mrs Vea l , 205 . 2 90

H i story of Dunca n Ca mp bell , — L os A mi g os F i a sco, The , 1 8 7 ,
The, 22 5 2 70
D emi — g o ds, 242 L ot N o 4 9 , 62.
D emi -g ods , The, 2 1 9 , 2 2 1 S ecret of Goresthorpe Gra ng e,

p
De m on i c S ir i ts , 1 5 8 et se q T he. 79
D
.
e m on ol og y , Go thi c, 33 S i l ver Mi rror, The, 2 59

De M org an , Wi lli a m F
ren d , 92 t T error of B l ue John Ga p , The,
283 27 2
D
Af ai r of i shon or, A n , 9 1 Dracul a 1 88 01
, 3
, e
I
Li kel y S tory , A , 2 8 7 rea m, ,
De Q ui n cey , Thoma s Drea m Fug ue , 15

A veng ers, The, 56 Drea m Gown of the Ja pa n ese Ambas
Conf essi on s of a n ng l i sh E sa dor, The, 7 9
Opi um-Ea ter, 2 68 Drea m of A rma g eddon , A , 1 9 6 , 262

Drea m F ug ue, 1 5 Drea m of P rovence, A , 293
Kl osterhei m, 56 Drea m Woma n , The, 78
3 16 I n d ex
Dreams, 1 3 , 7 7 T
E n cha n ted ypewri ter, The, 20 7 , 2 86
Drei ser , Th eo dore E rclg n a nn -Ch a tria n , 62
B l ue S p here, The, 208 , 2 7 8 Invi si bl e E ye, The, 6 2
Owl s E a r, The, 62
’
In the Da rk, 2 0 8
La ug hi n g Ga s 27 8 Wa ters of Dea th, The , 62
N
,
P la ys of the a tura l a nd the E rewhon , 2 62

S upern a tu ra l , 20 8 E rschei n un g , 1 22
S pri ng Reci ta l , A , 20 8 E terna l Ma g da l en , The, 2 7
Dromg ool e, Will All en , 22 6 Etern a l' Mystery, The , 306
Dry den , John , 4 1 E thelvn n a , or the House of F i tz
A mboyn a , 4 1 A ubu rn e, 2 5
Duchess a t P ra yer, The 1 2 1 , 3 03 E ubul e-E va n s, A 1 77 .
Curse of the Wa n deri ng J ew,

,
Duchess of Ma lfi, The, 8 , 1 66

Dum a s , Al exa n dre , Pere, 1 59 The I 7 7
L e Va mpi re, 1 59 Eve, 246
Du M a uri er , Georg e : E vi l E ye, The, 1 52
Ma rti a n , The, 1 96 , 207 264 E xcha n ge, The, 1 53 , 1 56 , 1 9 7
Ibb t
,
E xtra ct f rom Ca pta i n S tormfield s

’
P eter e son , 1 86 , 19 6 , 206 ,
3 00 Vi si t to H ea ven , A n , 2 1 7
T i lby
r ,
2 67 Eyes , The , 2 97
Dun bar, Al di s, 244 Eyes of the P a n ther, The, 1 70, 27 1
Dun bar , Oli vi a Howa rd , 8 5
S hel l of S en se, The, 8 5, 2 1 2 F
Dun sa a Lo rd , 52 , 63 23 5! 2 42 0
Fa bl e for Cri ti cs A 57
s
244 , 24 7 . 249 . 2 8 5 . 292 , 3 00 , ,
B ook of Wonder, The, 2 4 5 Fa bles 23 1,
Gl i tteri n g Ga te, The 22 1 , 2 2 2,

Facts i n the Ca se of M Wa ldema r .
,
Gods of Feg a na , The , 24 5 2 66

Gods of the M oun ta i n , The, 2 4 4 , Fa eri e Queen e The 7 , ,
3 03 Fa i lu re 22 ,
Ni g ht Inn , A , 244 , 3 03
at an Fa i r God The 246 , ,
Ti m e a nd the Gods , 24 5 Fai ri es of P esth The 240 , ,
U y sur , 1 9 8 Fa i ry Fa i th i n Celti c Countri es , 23 7

When the Gods S lept, 63 , 74 Fa iry Th e 239 et seq
, , .
Fa i th H ea ler The 3 06
Fa ll of the H ouse of Usher The
, ,
, , 29 5
Fa ra wa y Melody A 9 7 , ,
E dg a r H un tl ey , 39 Fa us t I43 I7 S
, ,
Edwa rds, Ameli a , 86 Fea thertop 1 52 1 56

F
, ,
Four-fifteen E xpress , The, 86 M Ma n wi th

.
enn , Georg e .
,
the
Eel -Ki n g , The, 23 3 S ha dow, The, 1 22
E i g hty—thi rd, The, 6 1 , 28 1 Fi cti on of the I ri sh Celts , 243
El E mboza do, 1 1 9 Fi eld E ug en e 1 4 1
, ,
El emen ta l s , 300 Da n i el a n d the Devil , 1 4 1

E leonora , 1 03 E el -K i ng , The, 233
E li ot , Georg e , 1 67 , 257 H ol y Cross , The, 1 8 1
Lifted Vei l , The, 1 57 M oon Lady, The, 233
E ll xi ere des
'
T
euf el s , 57 Mother i n P a ra di se, The, 2 1 3
Eli xir o f Li fe , Th e , 35 , 1 82 et s e q
. P a g a n S ea l —wi f e, The, 233
E li xi r of Life, The, 60 Werewolf , The, 1 69 , 1 72
El i xi r of Youth, The, 1 8 6 Fi n ch , Lucin e, B utterfl y , The, 30 7
E li za betha n Dra ma , The , 1 3 9 Fi rst Men i n the M oon , The, 26 4
E l Ma i co P rodi g i oso, 1 00 , 1 43 Fi sherma n a n d Hi s S oul , The,
g
E l si e Ienner, 1 7 0 1 3 , 2 36
E l ves, 24 7 I
Fi s sa bel H owe, 290
E mperor a n d Ga lil ea n , 4 2 , 66 Fla i reurs , 64
Empty H ouse, The , 98 , 1 1 7 Fl ower of S i lence, The, 273
I n d ex 317
Ftoweri ng of the S tra ng e Orchi d ,

The, Gero ul d , Gordon H , 202
6 2 . 1 6 4 . 2 73 Gra tef ul Dead , The, 202
Flyi ng D utchma n , The, 1 8 7 Gero ul d , Ka therin e Ful lerton , 6 1 ,
Fo g a zza ro , An t oni o , 66
S a i n t, The, 6 6 T
E i g hty- hi rd, The, 6 1 , 2 8 1
'
S i n n er, The , 66 T
L an g ui er s hi rd A ct, 6 1
Woma n , The, 66, 1 94 , 300 On the S tai rs , 83 , 1 1 4 , 1 22
Folk-lore, 73 Ghost, The, 60
Ford , Jam es L , 2 66 . Ghost a t P oi n t of Rock, The, 83
Forest Lovers , 1 49 Gh ost—chi l dren , 2 8 7 et se q
Forsa ken ‘
.
Merma n , The, 1 55 , 2 3 3 Ghost M ath, The, 290

For the Bl ood Is the L ife, 62 , 7 8 , 1 62 Ghost of Mi ser B ri mp son , The, 8 3
F q
o u u é, H en ri Aug ust e, 57 , 59 T
Ghost of the Whi te i g er, 29 1
Un di n e, 57 Ghost S hi p , The, 1 1 1 , 293
Four-fifteen E xpress , The, 86 Gho st o f F utur i ty , 1 1 4
Fourth Dimen si on , The, 256 Ghost of Ja ck , The , 1 1 0
Fox, John , Jr , 2 26 . Gho st To uch , Th e, 1 0 1 , 1 03
Fra n ce , An a tole, 63 Gho stly D oubl es, 1 1 9
A mycus a n d Cel esti n e, 63 Gh o stly Odor , 1 00
Is l e of the P en g ui ns , The, 6 3 Ghostl y Perfum e , 1 0 1
N
Jugg l er of otre Da me, The, 63 Gh ostly P sy ch olo gy , 1 06
M a ss of S ha dows , The, 63 Gho stly S oun ds , 97 et se q .
P utoi s , 63 Gh osts , Go t hi c , 1 8 et se q .
Revol t of the A ng el s , The, 220 Gho sts , M o dern , 8 1 et se q .
S chol a sti cu s , 63 Gh o uls , 1 58

Fra n ken st‘ei n , 1 4 , 1 7 , 3 4 Gi a our, The, 1 60
Fra nklin , An dreW , 1 76 Gi g a n ti sm , 3 6
Wa n deri n g J ew, The, 1 76 I
Gi lm ore , n ez Ha yn es, 294
Freema n , Ma ry Wilki n s , 7 8 A ng el Isl a n d, 2 94
Fa ra wa y M elody , 97 Gl a mour of the S n ow, The, 2 3 1
Ha ll B edroom, The , 79 , 260 p
Gl a n vi ll e, Jose h , 1 9 1
S ha dows on the Wa l l , The, 78 , T
Gla sg ow, Ell en , S ha dowy hi rd , The,
99 , 1 04 . 226 2 03
Freud 79 Gl a ss of S upreme M omen ts , The, 1 57
Fri a r s Ta le The 1 40
,
’
, , Gl i tteri n g Ga te, The, 22 1 , 2 2 2
Fu Ma nchu S tori es G l over, Ri chard , B a l la d of H osi er s
Furni shed Room The 60 1 0 1
,
Ghost, 89
Futur e Ma g i c Vi ews of the 2 56
, , ,
, , Gn ol es, 2 47
Gn omes, 3 47
Gobl i n Ma rket, 1 48
Godda rd , Charl es W , 307 .
Ga rl an d , Hamli n , 69 , 76 , 200 L a st L a ug h, The, 30 7

S ha dow World, The, 200 Go d s , 2 4 2
T
yran n y of the Da rk, The, 200 Gods a n d F i g hti ng Men , 244
Ga rmen ts o f Gh osts , 92 et se q
. Gods of Feg a n a , 24 5
Ga ston de B l ondevi lle, 1 9 Gods of the M oun ta i ns , The, 244 , 303
Ga tes Aja r, The, 2 1 0 Godwi n , Willi a m , 3 5 , 1 8 2
Ga tes B etween , The, 2 1 0 S t L eon , 35 , 36
.
Ga tes B ey on d, The, 2 10 Goeth e , 1 3 3 , 1 62

Ga uti er, Theo hile , 62 p Di e B ra ut von Cori nth, 1 62
La M orte
A moreuse, 6 2 , 1 63 Fa ust, 1 43 , 1 75
'
M ummy s F oot, The, 6 2 Go g ol , 68
Roma nce of the M ummy, The, Cl oa k, The, 68
62 Go thi c Roma nce, et se q
.
Genera l Wi l li a m B ooth E n ters i nto Gr a nvill e, Ch a rl es, 1 79

Hea ven , 2 1 7 P la i n t of the Wa n deri ng J ew,
German Roma n ti ci sm , 67 The, 1 79
318 I n d ex
Great God P a n , The, 247 L overs i n Hea ven , 1 2 1 , 1 44 ,

Grea t S tone of S a rdi s, The, 262 2 13
Greek a nd Roma n Ghost Ha wth orne, Na tha ni el
202 A rti st of the B ea utiful , The, 2 8 7
Gr eg ory the Great , i al og ues , 202 D Bi rthma rk, The, 1 8 5, 2 7 0
Gre ory . La dy . 229 . 234. 23 7. 240. Bl i thedal e Roma nce, The, 1 88 ,
2 g5 4 99
Cuc hula i n of Mui rthemn e, 243 Celesti al Ra il roa d, The, 2 1 3
'
Gods a nd F i g hti ng Men , 243 Dr H eidi gg er s
. xperi ment, E
Grey Guest, The, 94, 2 82 I 84 . 2 52
Dol l i ver Roma n ce, The, 1 83 ,
1 84
Guy M a n n eri ng , 1 50 Fea thertop, 1 52, 1 56
Gypsy Chri st, The, 1 8 1 H ouse of S even Ga bl es , The, 1 58
'
H owe s Mas uerade, 1 22
H I
n telli g en ce g
fli ce, The, 2 65
M a i n S treet, 1 52
Hag , The, 1 48 M a rble a un , The, 57 F
Ha g g ard , Ri der, 1 83 , 1 93 P ropheti c P
i ctures, 1 2 1
A yes ha , 1 83 . 193
’
D
Ra ppaci n i s a ug hter, 2 52 , 2 72
S he, 1 83 S ca rlet Letter, The, 1 52
Ha l e , Lucreti a P , S pider'
s E ye,
. S el ect P a rty, A , 1 7 8
S epti mi us el ton, F
1 43 , 1 50,
Ha ll B edroom, The, 79, 260
Hall of Ebli s, The, 8 '
Vi rtuoso s Coll ecti on ,
H a ml et, 1 8 , 1 1 8, 1 44 Young Goodma n B rown , 1 5 1
H a nd The, 6 1
, He arn , La fca di o , 1 , 7
Ha nn el e 2 1 8 , I
n terpreta ti ons 0 Li tera ture, 1 ,
Ha n s Pf a a l , 2 86 77
Ha ppy P ri n ce, The, 23 8 F
H ea th i re, The, 23 1
Ha rdy Th oma s, H ea ven , 22 1 , 2 83
Return of the Na ti ve, The, 1 50 Hea ven a n d E a rth, 22 1
T '
ess of the D Urberv i lles, 1 43 Hei jerman s, 1 76
U
n der the Green wood ree, 1 50 T Hella s , 1 76
Wi thered A rm, The, 225 Hen ry , O , F urni shed Room, The,
.
Harp er , Oli ve , S oci a bl e Ghost, The, 6 0, 10 1

111 H ere a nd T
here, 1 01 , 1 07
Harri s , Joel Cha ndler, 74 , 226 H ereti c, The, 207
U ncle Remus Tal se 23 2, 23 5
F T
,
Ha rt , Cha rl es .
, A mazon i a n or Herod otus, 1 66
toi se Myths , 23 2 Heroes, 242
Hartl ey , Ra n dol h, p B lack Patch ,
H eroi n e, The, 49 , 0
The, 2 55 H erri ck , Robert , a g , The, 1 48
Ha un ted H otel , The, 89 , 1 00 Hewl ett , Ma uri ce , Forest L overs , 1 49
Ha un ted H ouse, The, 1 7 1 Heywoo d , E liza , Lasseli a , 42
I
H a un ted sl a n d, A , 1 1 4 Uq
Hi s n ui et Ghost, 83 1
Ha un ted S uba l terns, The, 1 3 8 Hi story of D

unca n Ca mpbel l , The,
Ha un ters a nd the H a unted, The, 60, 2 55
78 . 1 8 8 . 299 Hi story of Ja ck S mi th or the Castl e
Ha uptma n n
,
Ca rl , 2 82
, of S t Donuts,
. 20
Dead A re S i n gi ng , The, 282 Hoa x Ghos ts, 82
p
Ha u t ma n n , Gerha rdt : Ho dder , Reg i na ld , Va mpi re, The,
Ha n nel e, 2 1 8 68 , 1 63
S un ken B ell , The, 1 58 Hoff ma nn , D vi d
a 18 1
E T
,
Ha wkes worth , John , 70, 1 90 Hoff mann , A 5 1 , 59, 69 ,
T
. . .
,
ra nsmi g rati on of a S oul 1 82 ,
, 190 1 90 , 1 99
Ha wthorn e, J ulian, 12 1 Doppel g anger, 58
'
I n d ex 3 19
Hoffman , E T A ( Con ti n ued )

. . . In N o S tra ng e La n d, 96, 2 1 2
Eli xi ere des T eu el s ,
f 58 In the Da rk, 2 08
K a ter Murr, 58 In the H ouse of S uddoo, 1 46
M a g n eti zeur, 5 8 Infern o, 1 44
Hog g , Jame s : In sa n i ty a n d the S u erna t ur a l , 6 9, p
B rown i e of B odbeck, 2 6 , 3 8 29 9
Co nf es s i o n s of a Justified Insa n i t y i n Got h i c Fi cti o n , 35 et se q
I
.
S i n n er, 29 n tel li g en ce Ofli ce, The, 26 5

H un t of Ei l don , The, 26 , 27 , 3 0 , In teri or, 64
In terpreta ti on s of Li tera ture, 1 , 77
Wi tch of F ife , The, 1 4 8 In tri ca t e P er sona li ty of S ect ers, p
Wool -g a therer The, 23 , 29 , 1 19
I
,
32 nv i si ble Ma n , The, 95, 269

Holm es, Oli ver Wendell E l si e Ven In vi si bl e E ye, The, 62
I
,
n er , 1 7 0 rvi n g , Wa shi n g t on , 1 1 0 , 226

Hol y Cross, The 1 8 1 , D evi l a n d Tom Wa l ker, The,
H orri d M ysteri es, 49 1 40
Horsl ey -Curti es , T J , 9 . . Leg end of S l eepy H ol low, The,
A n ci ent Records or the A bbey of
S t Oswyth, 9 , 1 2 , 2 1 , 3 2 , 4 2 , 43
. Ri p Va n Wi n kl e, 246
E thel wi na , or the H ouse of S pecter B ri deg room, The, 83 ,
Fi tz-A uburne, 2 5, 3 8 1 10
H oun d of the B a s kervilles, The, 290 T a l es o f the A lha mbra , 2 26
H oun d of H ea ven , The, 2 83 Il d fD
s an o r. M orea u The, 2 7 1
,
H ous e of Judg men t, The, 2 1 4 I l f th P

s e o e eng ui n s , The, 63
H ou se of S oul s , The, 2 7 1 It li Th
a an , 48 e,
H ou se-boa t on the S tyx, The, 1 1 2 , 2 1 6 Iva n , the F
ool , 6 8 , 1 3 8 , 1 44
H ouse of S even Ga bl es, The, 1 58 Ivory Ga te, The, 1 22
H o wel ls , Willi am Dea n , 7 6 T
In the ra ck of the Wa n deri ng J ew,
L ea therwood God, The, 3 1 0 1 78
U
n d i s c o ve red Coun try , The,
200, 2 6 7
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H uma n , Chord, The, 2 75 Ja cobs W W Mon key
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H uma n P erson a li ty , 202
Hum oro us Gho st s, 1 1 0 James Henr y
Jolly
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Hun t , Lei g h , 1 05 Corn er, The, 1 22

H un t of E i l don , The, 2 6 , 2 7 , 3 0, 3 2 T urn of the S crew, The, 8 6 , 9 1 ,
Huxl ey Thom a s Hen ry , 7 3 , 2 52
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H y d e, D P a udean O K ell ey a nd
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the Wea sel , 2 3 7 Ci ty of Mexi co 226 ,
Jea l o usy o f Gho sts 1 1 7 ,
I Jea n n e The M a i d 2 82
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Jerome Jerome K P a ssi n g of the

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B ra n d, 6 5 Jewel of S even S ta rs , The, 1 9 1 , 2 74
E mperor a n d Ga li l ea n , 4 2 , 66 Ji g ar-Kh or , Th e, 1 65
La dy f rom the S ea , The, 66 John In g l esa n t, 8 7 , 98
M a ster B ui l der, 3 5, 66 John son , Arthur , In Mr Eberdeen s
’
.
P retenders , The, 6 5 H ouse, 12 4

Rosmershol m, 6 6 John ston , Mary , Wi tch, The, 1 50
Vi ki n g s of H el g el a n d, The, 65 Joll y Corn er, The, 1 22
Ida L omon d a nd H er H our of Vi si on , Joyzelle 64 ,
207 Judg men t of God The 234

Jugg ler of Notre Da me The
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Immorta l Gymn asts, The, 1 97 , ,

63
In Ca stl e P eri l ous, 1 1 8 Jules Le Va ll on 1 94 ,
In Mr Eberdeen s H ouse, 1 24
.
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Juli us Caesa r 1 8 84 , ,
3 20 I n d ex
Jungle T a l es, 23 2 L a Ci tta M arta , 66, 299

L a dy f rom the S ea , The, 66
K L a Horla , 6 1 , 95
L a i r of the Whi te Worm, The, 1 88
T
K afi r a les, 232 L a i s, 7
K a ter M urr, 58 L a mi a , 1 62
Kea t s , J ohn , 1 48 La M orte A moreus e, 62 , 1 63
L a B el l e, Da me sa ns Merci , 1 4 8 L a n d of Da rkness , The, 2 1 2
La mi a , 1 62 L a n d of H ea rt s Desi re, The, 65, 240 ,
’
K eepi ng H i s P romi se, 98 3 06

p
Kel i e, Th e , 1 La ng , An drew, 1 1 8 , 1 88 , 2 4 2
Kenn edy , Cha rl es Ran n , S erva n t i n In Ca stl e P eri l ous , 1 1 8
the H o use, The, 66 , 3 0 5 S t Germa i n , the Dea thl ess, 1 8 8
.
Kenn edy , Pa tri ck, 2 43 L a sseli a , 42

I
B a rdi c S tori es of rela n d, 243 L a st Ghost i n H a rmon y , The, 1 04 ,
Fi cti' I
on of the ri sh Cel ts , 2 43 20 1
K entucky s Ghost, 1 99 La st L a ug h, The, 3 07
K erf ol , 2 9 0 La st of the S tori es, The, 1 97 , 2 1 5
K ha l ed, 62 , 70 , 1 4 7 I
La t er nfl uen ces , 54 et se q.
T
Ki netoscope of i me, The, 2 56 La tha m , F ra n ci s , Mi dni g ht B el l , 4 9
Ki n g , B a sil , 203 L a ug hi ng Ga s, 2 78
Old L a dy P i ng ree, 203 L a y of the B rown Rosa ry, The, 1 4 8
Ki n g Lea r, 1 3 L ea therwood God, The, 3 1 0
K i ng dom Come, L ea ves f rom the A utobi og ra phy of a
Ki ng em a nn , 1 76
”
S oul i n P a radi se, 20 7
Ki ng H un g er, 20 7, 3 0 8 Lee , Ro bert J a mes
Ki n g sl ey Cha rl e s Wa ter B a bi es , 240 A stra l B ri deg room, A n , 20 7
Ki i ng . Rud y ar d 53 . 7 1 99 . m4.
gé
Ca r of P hwbu s, The, 20 7
g H ereti c, The, 20 7
A t the E n d of the P a ssa g e, 1 20 Lea ves f rom the A utobi og ra phy
B ru shwood B oy , The, 1 95 of a S oul i n P a ra di se, 2 0 7
B ubble Wel l Road , 1 3 8 L if e Elysi a n , The, 2 0 7
Cou rti ng of Di na h S ha dd , The, T hroug h the Mi sts , 2 0 8
1 52 Va g rom S pi ri t, The , 20 7
D og H a rvey , The, 29 1 L eg en d of S l eepy H ol l ow, The, 8 9
H a un ted S uba l tern s , The, 1 3 8 L eg en d of S ha rp , A , 1 3 4
In the House of S uddoo, 1 4 6 p
Le recha un s, 2 39
T
Jun g le a l es , 23 2 L etters f rom a L i vi n g D ea d Ma n , 20 7
L as t of the S tori es , The, 1 9 7, 2 1 5 L e Va mpi re, 1 59
Ma rk of the B ea st, The, 1 00, Lewi s, Ar th ur , 2 42
1 67 L on don F a i ry T
a l es, 24 2
P ha n tom Ri cksha w, The, Lewi s , M a ry L , S tra n g er tha n F
. ic
S wept a n d Ga rni shed , 94 , 2 82 , ti on , 20 7
2 88 Lewi s , Ma tth ew Greg ory ( Monk
Th y
e 84 , 93 , 2 88
. x4 , 1 6 , 7 7
Ki ttredg e, Georg e Lyma n , 30 , 224 Ca stl e S pecter, The, 53
A rthur a n d Gorl og on , 3 0 — Mon k, The, 1 2 , 1 6 , 2 2, 24,
K lei st , 59 26 t 2 7 1 3 0’ 33 t 3 4 1 3 5 s 3 7 1 1 77
Kl osterhei m, 56 Li ebg eber S cha ppe, 1 22
K n ock! K n ock! K n ock! 68 Li fe a fter Dea th , 209 cl se q
Kummer, F
.
rederi ck Arn o ld , S econd Li'fted Vei l , The, 2 57

Comi ng , The, 2 8 1 In g ei a , 1 2 3 , 1 9 1
Kun dry , 1 8 1 Li kel y S tory, A , 2 8 7
Li n d sa y , Ni cholas Va ch el l , Gen eral
Wi llia m B ooth E nters i nto Hea ven ,
217
L e B ell e Da me sa n s Merci ,
1 48 Li ttle Crow o f P a ra di se, The, 23 4
I n d ex 32 1
Li ttle Gra y Ghost The 1 1 8 , , Ma gi c S ki n The 60

, ,
Li ttl e M erma id The 1 55 1 76 23 3 Ma g neti seur 58

Li ttl e P i l g ri m i n the Unseen The 2 1 2
, , , , ,
, ,
M ai g hdea nmhara The 1 55 , ,
Li ttl e Whi te B i rd, The, 240 Ma i n S treet 1 52

,
Lloy d , N M , Las t Ghost i n H a r

. . M a n a nd S uperma n 2 1 7 ,
mony, The, Ma n i n B lack The 1 3 7

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Lo cke , dwa rd , Cas e of B ecky, The, Ma n f rom the Gods The 1 2 1 , ,
3 05 Ma n Overboa rd 97 ,
Lodg e, Si r Oli ver, 74 Man wi th a S ha dow The 1 22 , ,
Ra ymond, o r Life a nd Dea th, 75 Ma n Whom the Trees Loved The , , 23 0,

L on don F a i ry al es, 242 T 27 2
Lo n d on , Ja ck Ma n wi th the P i g eon s The 2 1 8 ,
Ma n Who had been i n F

,
S ca rl et P l a g ue, The, 262 ai ryl and ,
S ta r Rover, The, 2 64 The, 24 1

L on g Cha mber, The, 1 1 8 MS f oun d i n a B attl e, The, 253
Ma rbl e F
.
Looki ng B a ckwa rd, 1 89 , 262 a un , The, 5 7

L os A mi g os F i a sco, The, 1 87 , 2 70 M a ri e d e F ran ce, 3 0, 1 1 8
L oss of B rea th, The, 74 Bi scla veret, 30, 1 68
L ot N o 4 9 , 62 Ma rkhei m, 1 20
' T
.
q
Lou ui er s hi rd A ct, 6 1 Ma rk of the B ea st, The, 1 00 , 1 6 7
L ove P hi l ter, The, 267 M a rlowe, Chri sto h er, 2 7 , 1 53 p
L overs i n Hea ven , 1 2 1 , 1 44 , 2 1 3 D octor F a ustus, 1 5 , 1 43
Lo well , Ja mes Russell , F a bl e f or Ma rsh , Ri cha rd , B eetl e, The, 290
Cri ti cs, A , 57 Ma rti a n , The, 1 96 , 2 07 , 264
Luca s , Cha rl es, Hi story of Ja ck M ass of S ha dows, The, 63
S mi th, or the Ca stl e of S t Dona ts, M a ster B ui lder, The, 3 5 , 66
T
.
The, 20 M a ster Chri sti a n , he, 309

Lyca n thro e, The , 3 9p M a ther, Cotton , 1 3 0
Ly tton , Edwar d G eorg e , E a rl e Lyt Ma tthews, B ran der
ton B ul wer-Lyt ton , 1 st ba ron , 60 Drea m Gown of the Ja pa nese
Ambas sador, The , 79
Ki n etoscope of i me, The, 2 56 T
P ri mer of ma gi na ry Geo I
Ma ca ul a y Thomas B a bi ng ton
, , 1 10 g ra phy, A , 1 8 1 , 2 1 6
Ma cbeth 1 8 9 8 1 53 295
, , , ,
Ri val Ghosts, 1 1 2
M a c hen Art h ur 52 70 79
, , , , , 1 1 7, M a turi n , Cha rl es Robert , 9 , 1 7, 3 8,
‘
24 7 , 2 50 . 3 00 30 1 59 . 1 8 2
B owmen a nd Others , The, 204, Al bi g en ses , The, 9 , 1 1 , 94 ,
2 58 , 2 8 2
H i ll of Drea ms , The, 7 9 Mel moth , the Wanderer , 8, 1 0,
H ouse of S oul s, The, 2 7 1 3 6 . 4 1 , 44 . 1 3 8
1 2 . 24 . 2 6 .
M ons tra n ce, The, 2 88 p
Ma u a ssa n t , Guy de , 60, 69 , 299
Red H a nd , The, 2 4 7 ~ Cocotte, 6 1
S eei ng the Grea t God P a n , 1 39 Cowa rd, The, 6 1
T hree Impostors , The, 24 7 , 8 69 Ghost, The, 60
Ma d, 6 1 Ha n d, The, 6 1
Mad Lad y , The, 286 La H orla , 6 1 , 95
M ad ness, 6 1 Ma d, 6 1
Ma eterlin ck, Ma uri ce, 6 , 4 2, 64, 299 Madness, 6 1
B li n d, The, 64 , 29 8 T
ress, The, 6 1
B lue-bi rd, The, 64 , 2 78 , 289 , Wolf , The, 1 72
3 06 M cDon a l d , Georg e , ortent, The, P
I n teri or, 64 2 66
I n truder, The, 64 , 3 04 M cLeod, i on aF
Joyzell e, 64 Da rk N
a mel ess One, The, 1 55
M a g i c, 3 06 Di vi n e A dven ture, The, 24 8

Mag i c S hadow, The, 296 Judg ment of God, The, 234
2!
3 22 I n d ex
M cLeod Fi ona ( Conti nued)

,
Wa ter of the Wondrous Isl e,
S i n E a ter, The, 1 3 8 The, 23 6
M echan i sti c S u erna tura li sm, p 2 86 Well at the World s En d, The,
’
cl se q 23 6
T
.
Meg Merrili es 1 50 ,
Wood beyond the Worl d, he,
Mei n hol d 56 ,
236
Melmoth Reconci li e 59 ,
Mosen , J uli us, 1 76
Mel moth the Wa n derer 8, 1 0, 1 2, Mother i n P a ra di se, The , 2 1 3
pp
, ,
24. 26. 3 6 . 4 1 . 44 . 1 3 8 M oti ves for Gh ost A ea ran ce, 1 1 3

Meredi th , Georg e, 7 1 , 1 2 7 M r Isa acs, 3 7, 7 1
.
S ha vi ng of S ha gpat, The, 7 1 Mrs Vea l , 205

'
.
M erli n , 1 45 Mummy s F oot, The, 62

Mermai d, The, 234 M ummy ' s T
al e, The, 1 1 0
Merma i d, The, 3 06 My Aunt Ma rg a ret’ s Mi rror, 22 5
M erma n a n d the S era ph, The, 234 My ers, H uma n P erson a li ty, 2 02
Mero e 1 4 5,
Mys teri es of Udolpho, The, 9 , 48
Mesmeri c Revela ti ons 266 ,
Mysteri ous M other, The, 53
Messeng er The 88 , ,
Mysteri ous S tra ng er, The, 1 42
Meta morphoses 1 45 Mysteri ous Wa rni ng s, 4'
Metempsych osi s 1 80 et seq
,
, . My stery a n d Myst ca ti on i n
Metzeng erstei n 2 87 29 1 , ,
Gothi ci sm , 43
M ddl e Toe of the Ri g ht F Mystery of Joseph La uedem, The , q
i
oot , The,
1, 92
Mi ddleton J essi e ,Adela i de, 92 Myths a nd Legends of Our La nd , 1 87
Ghost wi th Ha lf a F a ce, The, 9 2
Mi ddl eton , Ri cha rd , 1 1 1 , 288
Coffin M ercha nt, The, 254
Ghost S hi p , The, 1 1 1 , 293 Na tha n , Georg e Jean , E tern a l My s
P a ssi n g of Edwa rd, The, 99 , 28 8 tery , The, 3 06
Midn i g ht B el t , 4 9 N ecka n , The, 1 55, 2 33
' N
Mi dsummer i g ht s Drea m, A , 64 N emesi s of F i re, A , 9 8
Miln e-Horn e, Ma ry Pamela , Ana n N ever B et the Devil Your H ead , 1 0
4
si S tori es, 23 2 N ew A ccelera tor, The, 2 8 6
Milton , John , 2 7 , 1 3 3 , 2 39 N ew A ra bi a n N
i g hts , The, 70
Camus , 7 , 1 4 8 N i g ht a t a n Inn , A , 2 44 , 3 03
-
P a ra di se L ost, 1 44 , 209, 2 1 1 , N i g ht Ca ll , The, 8 3
215 N i ghti ng a l e a n d the Rose, The, 2 35 ,
Mi ne H ost a n d the Wi tch, 1 48 2
93
Mi ra cl e, The, 2 54 Ni g htm A bbey , 5 1
a re
Mi racl e Ma n , The, 306 N orri s, F ra n k , Va nd over a n d the
Mi ss Mehi ta bel ' s S on , 63 , 6 8 , 8 5, 2 8
7 B rute, 1 67
M i sta ken Gho st , The, 62 N ortha n g er A bbey, 4 7, 5 1
Mi tchell , J A , A mos Judd, 40, 2 57 N otch on the A xe, The, 8 , 1 8 8
9
Moln a r , F
. .
erna o, Devi l , The, 1 3 8 Noy es , Alfred , Crea ti on , 2 77

Mon a stery, The, 225 N yri a , 20 7
M on k, The, 1 2 , 1 6, 22 , 24 , 26 , 27, 3 0,
3 3 . 3 5. 3 7. I77
'
Mon key s P a w, The, 98
M on stra nce, The, 28 8 '
O Bri en , Fi t z-James, 6 1
Moo dy , Willi a m Va ug hn , F a i th — Di a mon d Lens , The, 2 74
Hea l er, The, 306 What Wa s It ? A Mystery
Moon Lad y, The, 233 6 1 , 96
,
Moon Ma dness, 1 39 , 2 3 1 Occul t M a g azi n e, The, 1 63

Moore, Georg e, B rook K eri th, The, Occurren ce a t Owl Creek B ri dg e,
3 10 The, 2 75
Morel la , 1 23 , 1 90 P
Ode on the opul a r S upersti ti ons of
Morri s, Willia m, 23 6, 250 the Hi g hla n ds, 74
I n d ex 3 23
'
O Donn ell , Elli' t 88 1 0 o , ,
1 E
P assi ng of dward, The, 9 9, 2 88
Mummy Tal The s e, , 1 10 P a ssi n g of the hi rd T
loor B a ck, F
The, 66, 303
Old Cl othes, 1 24 , 1 94 a ssi ona te Cri me, The, 242
E
Ol d ng l i sh B a ron , The, 1 6, 1 9 , 40 P a ti en ce Worth, 1 9 7 , 207
Ol d F P
i res a nd rofita ble Ghosts, 1 54 P a udeen O’K elley a n d the Wea sel ,
Ol d L a dy Ma ry , 2 1 1 23 7
'
T
Ol d Men of the wil i g ht, The, 234 P ea cock, Thoma s Love, N i g htma re
O Wi ves
l d T
al e, 1 1 0, 1 45 A bbey, 5 1
p
Oli han t , Mrs Marg aret . P ea rce , J H , Li ttl e Crow of P a ra
. .
B el ea g uered Ci ty, The, 2 1 1 di se, The, 2 34

D
Land of a rkn ess, he. 2 1 2 T P eel e, Geo r e, 1 4 5
g '
Li ttl e P i lg ri m i n the n seen , U Ol d Wi ves T
al e, 1 10, 1 4 5, 202 ,
The, 2 1 2 2 93
Old Lady Ma ry , 2 1 1 , 2 98 P ere A ntoi n e's ate D
al m, 63 P
D
Open oor, The, 2 1 1 I
P eter bbetson , 1 86, 1 96, 206, 300
P
ortrai t, The, 2 1 1 P eter P a n , 240, 06
On Certa i n P
roceedi ng s of the P eter Rug g , the i ssi ng Ma n , 1 89
P
sychi cal Resea rch S oci ety , 2 2 1 P ha ntom Ri cksha w, The, 8 8 , 94
On the K n ocki ng at the Gate i n
M acbeth, 295
On the S tai rs, 6 1 , 1 1 4, 1 22
Open D
oor , The, 2 1 1 41
I
Ori g in of n di vi dual Phil lp ott s, Eden , 83
et se q An other L i ttle Hea th H oun d,
g
1 .
O S a ug hness
’
Arthur, 1 68 290
Our L ast Wat 1 03 Chi ldren of the Mi st, 22 6
P
Ova l ortra i t, The, 58 Ghost of Mi ser B ri mpson , The,
Ovi d , 1 66
Owl s E a r, The, 62
’
Wi tch The, 1 5 1 , 226
,
P i cture of Dori a n Grey, The, 3 2 ,

P 6 0, 1 2 1 , 1 3 4
P i t a n d the P endul um, The, 253
P a ga n S ea l-wife, The, 233 P la i n t of the Wanderi ng J ew, The,
P a g e, Th oma s Nelson , 22 6 I79
P a m. B 53 . 79 . 1 57 P
l an che , R 1 60
B lue oses , 2 68 Va mpi re, or the B ri de of the
Cel esti al Grocery, The, 265, 300 Isles , 1 60
— E xcha nge, The, 1 53 , 1 56 , 1 97 P l attner Ca se, The, 260
Glass of S upreme M oments , P la ys of the N a tural a nd the S uper
The, 1 57 na tura l , 20 8
Love P hilter, The, 267 Plin y . 72
Moon Madness, 1 39 , 23 1 Poe, Edg a r Alla n , 58, 69 , 252, 299
Undyi n T
hi'ng , The, 27 1 B ereni ce, 6 2
— Wron r, The, 1 86 B an B an .
g 95
Zero, 257 D escent i nto the M ael strom,
P a ine, Alber t B i g el ow, li xi r E The, 23 1 , 253
Youth, The, 1 86 Devil i n the B elfry , The, 1 4 1
P ai r of H a nds. A , 1 03 , 288 E l eon ora , 103
Pa n g borne, Georgi a Wood Fa cts i n the Case of M Wal de .
l ute, The, 88 ma r, The, 266

P a ra di se L ost, 1 44 , 209, 2 1 1 , 2 1 5 Fa l l of the House of Usher,
P a rsif al , 1 8 1 The, 29 5
F
P a rson s, ran ci s, B orderl a n d, The, H a n s Pfaal , 2 86
1 24 Li g ei a , 1 23 , 1 1
Parson s, Mrs M , Mysteri ous Wa rn
. . L oss of B rea l 74
F
MS ound i n a B ottl e, 253
.
3 24 I n d ex
Poe , Edg Al le n ( Con ti n ued)

ar
Mesmari a Revela ti on s, 266
M etzeng erstei n , 2 87 , 2 9 1 Ra dcliff e, Ann e, 9 , 1 6, 2 3 , 43 , 4 4 ,
M orell a , 1 23 , 1 90 45. 4 6 . 7 1 . 8 2
Never B et the Dev i l Your Head , Ga ston de B l on devi ll e, 1 9
1 40 Ita l i a n , The, 4 8
Ova l P ortra i t, The, 58 Mysteri es of Udol pho, The, 9 ,
P i t a nd the P endul um, he, T
2 53 Roma nce of the Ca stl e, The, 44
Ra ven , The, 56 S i ci li a n Roma n ce, A , 4 5, 5 0,
T a l e of the Ra gg ed Moun ta i ns , 30 1
Wa l ter
'
A , 58 , 1 9 0 Ra l ei g h , Si r , E ng h sh N ovel ,
Wi lli a m Wi lson , 58 , 1 20 The, 46
'
Poli di or, Va mpyre, The, 1 60 Ra ppa ci ni s Da ug hter, 2 52 , 2 7 2
Pomp on i u s M ela , 1 66 Ra ven , The, 56
P orten t, The, 266 Ra ymon d, or Life a nd Dea th, 75
Porten t s i n Go thi c Roma n ce, 3 9 Rea djustment, 1 0 7
P ortra i t, The, 2 1 1 Rea l Ghost S tori es , 2 8 2
Powell , J W , 2 3 2
. . Rebell i ous Heroi n e, The, 1 9 7
P retender, The, 65 Recen t Ca rni va l of Cri me i n Con
P ri mer of Ima g i n a ry Geog ra phy , n ecti cu t, The , 1 2 2
The, 1 8 1 , 2 1 6 Red Debts , 1 46
P ri mi ti ve Cul ture, 22 7 Red H a n d , The , 24 7
Pri n ce, M orton , 30 5 Red Ra nra ha n , 1 86 , 243
Di sa ssoci a ti on of a P ersona li ty, R eeve , Cl a ra , 1 6
The, 305 Ol d E n g l i sh B a ron , The, 1 6 ,
I
.
P ri nce of n di a , The, 1 79 1 9 . 40
Proby , W C , S pi ri t of the Ca stl e,
. . Reg en era ti on of L ord E rni e, The, 23 0
The, 40 Rei n ecke F uchs , 2 1 3
P ropheti c P i ctures , 1 2 1 Reli g i on i n Recen t A meri ca n N
ovel s ,
I
P rue a n d , 1 2 1 , 2 58 3 10
I
P sychi c n va si on , A , 1 06 Rema rka bl e Ca se of Da vid son ’s E yes ,
Psy chi ca l Resea rch , 73 , 1 99 et se q .
The, 2 56
P urs ui t of the H ouse-boa t, The, 1 1 2 , Retu rn , The, 1 2 3 , 1 9 8
Return of P eter Gri mm, The, 20 1 , 29 8
P ushki n , Al exa n der , Queen of S pa des, N
Retu rn of the a ti ve, The, 1 50
The, 69 Revol t, of the A n g el s , The , 220
P utoi s, 63 Rey na rd t he F o x, 23 1
Pyle, Howard , Evi l E ye, The, 1 52 Reyn a rd the F ox, i n S outh Af ri ca ,
23 2
Rho d es , B en ri mo a n d Ha rri son ,
T
Wi l l ow ree, The, 3 06
R i c h t e r, J e a n P a ul , L e i bg e ber
Queen Ma b 1 76 ,
S cha ppe, 1 2 2
Queen of H ea rts The 1 0 7 1 1 3 Rid eo ut , Hen ry , Ghost of the Whi te
T
, , ,
Queen of S heba The 1 22 , ,

i g er, The , 2 9 1
Queen of S pa des The 69 , ,

Ri de rs to the S ea , 1 0 , 3 04
Quil l er-Couch A T 1 54 , .
,
Ri di n g to Li then d , 1 52
Ma gi c S ha d ow The 296 , ,
Ri p Va n Wi n kle, 2 46
Mystery of Joseph Laq uedem ,
Ri va l Ghosts , I 1 2
The, 1 8 1 , 1 9 5 Ro ch e , Reg i n a Ma ri a , 1 0 , 43 , 4 5 , 50
Old F i res a nd P rofita bl e Ghosts, Clermon t, 4 5 , 49
1 54 Rog er of Wen dover ' s Chroni cles , 1 75
-
P
ai r of H a n ds , A , 1 03 , 2 8 8 Ro hmer, S ax, 1 46
Roll -cal l of the Reef , The, Fl ower of S i len ce, The, 2 73
107 Fu-Ma nchu S tori es , 2 53 , 268 ,
E
Q ui net, dg ar, 1 76
I n d ex 325
Roll -ca ll of the Reef, The, 10 7 S ecret Worshi p , 1 05 , 1 1 7 , 1 3 7

Roma nce of the Ca stle, The, 40 S eei ng the Grea t God P a n , 1 3 9
Roma n ce of the Mummy , The, 6 2 S el ect P a rty , A , 1 78
Roma nce of Two Worlds , A , 2 1 3 S elfish Gi a n t, The, 246
Ro ma nti c Movement , 55 S ensi ti ves , 2 9 8
Roma n ti c Redupli ca ti on a n d P sy S epti mi us F el ton , 1 43 , 1 50 , 1 83 , 2 52
chology, 1 22 S erva n t i n the H ouse, The, 66 , 3 05

Rosa ry , The, 3 06 S ha dow World , The, 200
Rosmershol m, 66 S ha dows on the Wal l , The, 7 8, 99 ,
Rossetti , Ch ristina , Gobl i n Ma rket,
1 48 T
S hadowy hi rd, The, 2 03
Rossetti , D
an te G a b r i e l , S i s ter p
S h akes ea re, 1 3 , 1 8 , 56 , 84 , 1 1 5, 1 1 9
Helen , 6 H a ml et, 1 8 , 1 1 8 , 1 44
Royl e, E
3
12
w8 1 Mil ton , Un wri tten Juli us Caesa r, 1 8, 84
La w, The, 3 06 K i n g Lea r , 1 3
Russi a n Li tera ture, 6 7 Ma cbeth , 1 7 , 9 8 , 1 2 , 1 53 , 29 5
'
M id summe r Ni g s Drea m,
S 64
T empest, The , 64
S t Germa i n , the Dea thless , 1 8 8

. p
S ha r , Willi a m, 65 , 2 8 5
. I
S t rvyne, the Rosi cruci a n , 1 7 , 3 5 , 3 6 Gypsy Chri st, The, 1 8 1
S t Leon , 3 5 , 3 6
. Vi sta s , 6 5 , 27 8
S t Oswyth, 1 2 S ha vi ng of S ha g pa t, The, 7 !
T
.
S a i n t s bu r y , G eo rg e , a l es of S h a w, Geo rg e B ern a rd , Ma n a nd
Mystery , 4 8 S uperma n , 2 1 7 , 3 06
S a i n t, The , 66 S he, 1 83
T T T I
S a l a thi el , or a rry hou i ll Come , Sh eld on , E dwa rd
I 79 M erma i d , The, 23 4
S ancta S usa nna , 3 07 S hel l of S ense, The, 8 5, 2 1 2
S a ti re on Gothi ci sm, 7 et se q. Sh ell ey , M a ry , 1 4
S a ti ri cal S up ern a tur sm, 2 94 Fra n ken stei n , I4, 1 7 , 34
S ca rlet Letter, The , 1 52 Sh el l ey , P ercy By ssh e, 1 7 , 3 5, 1 76 ,
P
l a g ue, The , 262
S cenery , Go thi c, 1 0 Fra g men t of an Unfini shed
S chill er, Robbers , The, 1 6 D ra ma , 4 8
S chl eg el , 1 76 H el l a s , 1 7 6
S chola sti cus , 63 Queen M a b, 1 76
S ci en ce , Go thi c, 3 3 St I roy ne , the Rosi cruci a n ,
p
.
S ci en ce, S u erna tu ral , 25 1 et se q

. I7 . 3 , 3 6
5
8 00 Si r Wal ter, 3 8 , 56 , 1 1 5, 22 5 , Wi tc h of A tlas, The, 1 48
2 12
B etrothed, The, 2 25
Wa n deri n g J ew, The, 1 76
Za s trozzi , 1 0, 1 2
B ri de o La mmermoor, The , 3 8 Sh o rth ouse, J H : . .
Guy a nneri ng , 1 50 Cou n tess Eve, 1 3 8

Monastery , The , 225’ John Ing lesa nt, 66 , 8 7 , 9 8
My A unt Ma rg a ret s Mi rror , S hrop shi re F ol k T
a les , 29 1
2 25 S i ci l i a n Roma n ce, A , 45 , 50, 30 1
— T
ali sma n , The, 1 3 4 , 1 46, 1 4 7 , S idh e, T h e, 242
22 5 S i g na l Ma n , The, 1 1 4
Two Drovers, The, 1 5 1 , 22 5 S i l en ce, 2 93
Woodstock, 22 S ilvani , A ni ta , 88 , 207
S crea mi n S kull , Th
e 60, 89 , 9 2 A hri nzi ma n , 88 , 1 83 , 2 1 3
S ea F i t, he , 230 S i l ver M i rror , The, 2 59
S ea La dy, The, 234 S i n E a ter , The, 1 3 8
S econd Comi ng , The, 2 8 1 S i nn er , The, 66
S econd Wi fe, The, 1 22 S i ster H el en , 67 , 1 53
S ecret of Goresthorpe Gra ng e, The, 7 9 S ki n ner, C M , 1 87
. .
326 I n d ex
S ki nner , C M ( Con ti n ued)

. .
T ra n s erred
f Ghost, The , 63 , 8 7 ,
Myths a n d Leg en ds of Our
L a n d, 1 8 7 S toker, B ra m, 78 , 92 , 1 1 7 , 1 8 0
S ma l e , F red C , Afterwa rds , 1 02 , 202 D ra cul a , 7 8 , 1 63 , 1 88 , 3 0 1
Jewel of S even S ta rs , The ,
.
S mi th , B enja mi n , Merma n a n d the

S era ph, The, 23 4 I9 1 . 2 74
S oci a bl e Ghost, The, 1 1 1 L a i r of the Whi te Worm, The ,
S og no d un Ma tti no d i P ri ma vera ,
’
1 88
6 7 . 3 00 S tori es of Red Ra n ra ha n , 1 8 6 , 243
'
S og no d un ra mon to
’
T
d A utun n o , S tory of Da ys to_ Come, A , 2 62
S tory of the La te M r E lvesha m, The , .
S ol omon , S i meon , Vi si on of Love

Revea l ed i n S l eep , 79 S t ra mm, Aug ust , 209 , 2 5 1 , 3 08
S on g of L ove T
ri ump ha n t, The, 68 Da ug hter of the M oor , The, 3 04
S ong s f rom a Va g rom S pi ri t, 207 S a ncta S usa n n a , 3 0 7
S ong of the Wa n deri ng J ew, The, 1 76 S tra n g e A dventures of P hra , the
S orcerer, The, 1 4 5 P hoen i ci a n , The , 1 8 8
S orrows of S a ta n , The, 1 3 6 , 1 44 S tra ng e Ca ses of D r S ta n chi on , The ,
.
S oul of the M oor, The, 207

S oul on F i re, A , 1 93 S tra ng e S tory , A , 9 0, 1 8 2
S oul s on F i fth , 1 2 3 , 1 9 8 , 2 1 5 S tua rt , R uth M cE n ery , 226
S outh ey , Ro bert , T
ha l a ba , 1 6 1 S tyx Ri ver A n tholog y , The , 2 1 6
p
S ea rmen , F H , Ghos t a t P oi n t of
. . S ubjecti ve Ghost s, 83
Rock, The , 83 S u bsti tu te, The , 8 8
S p eck on the L en s , The, 2 55 S ue, E ug en e , 1 76 , 1 78
S p ecter B ri deg room , The, 83 , 1 1 0 Wa n deri ng J ew, The , 1 7 6 , 1 80
S pectra l Mortg a g e, The, 63 S ug g ested by S ome of the P roceedi n g s
p
S en cer, Herbert , 2 5 1 o f the P sychi ca l Resea rch S oci ety ,
p
S en s er, E
dmun d , 23 9 2 83
Fa eri e Queene, The , 7 S u n ken B ell , The, 1 58
p
S era n za (La dy Wil de) , 229 , 2 40 p
S u ern a tural i n F ol k-t a l es , 2 3 3 et
A nci en t L eg en ds a nd S uper se q .
sti ti on s of Irela n d , 22 9 S up ern a tura l i n T

ra g edy , The , 3 0 5
S p i der s E ye, The, 6 2 , 2 74
’
p
S u ern a tura l Lif e, 1 74 et se q
T p
.
q
'
S pi ri t of urrettvi lle , The , 23 S u ern a tu ra l S ci en ce , 2 5 1 et se
p
.
S i ri tua l i sm , 73 , 1 99 et se q
. S utt on , Vi da , K i n g dom Game, 2 8 2 ,
S p ofi o rd , Ha rri et P resco tt , 2 86 3 06
Ma d L ady , The , 2 8 6 S wep t a n d Ga rni shed, 9 4 , 282 , 2 88
S pri ng Reci ta l , A , 208 S yn g e , J oh n , 1 0 , 229 , 2 40
S ta r, The , 2 64 Ri ders to the S ea , 1 0, 3 04
S ta r Rover , The, 264 S wa n son , F red e ri ck , Ghost M oth,
S tea d , W T , 74 The, 2 90
p
. .
S te h en s , Ja mes, 2 1 9 S wif t , Dea n , 3 5

Crock of Gol d, The, 24 1 , 246
Demi -g ods , The , 2 1 9 , 22 1
S t even son , R obert Loui s , 7 0
B ottl e Imp , The, 70 Tla eo f Neg a ti ve Gra vi ty A , 274 2 86
Dr Jekyl l a nd M r Hyde, 1 20 , Tl
, ,
. . a e of the Ra gg ed Moun ta i n s A ,
Ma rkhei m 1 20 Tla es o f the A lha mbra 2 26

N Tl
, ,
N ew A ra bi a n i g hts , The, 70 a es of Mystery 48

T
hra wn Ja net, 1 3 7 T li
,
a ma n , The,
s 1 34 , 1 46 , 1 4 7 , 225
S to ckt on , F ra nk R , 293 . Ta m O S ha n te r, 1 56
’
Grea t S tone o f S a rdi s , The, 262 Tch ekhov

S pectra l Mortg a g e, The , 63 B l a ck Mon k, The , 69
T
a l e of N
eg a ti ve Gra vi ty , A , S leepyhea d, 69
Wa rd N o 6, 69 .
I n d ex 327
Tem p era men t , Got hi c , 46 Mysteri ous S tra ng er , The, 1 42 ,

T mp t Th 64
e es e, 3 03
T mpt t f th Cl y Th
,
e a i on o e a e, 23 1 Recen t Ca rni va l of Cri me i n

T
,
f B l J h G p Th
error o ue o n a e, 2 7 2 Con n ecti cut, The, 1 22
T f th Twi T
,
error o Th e n s, e , 1 2 2 , 1 92 wi l i g ht, 26 8
T f th D U b v ll 43
ess o e
’
r er i es , 1 D rovers , The, 1 5 1 , 22 5
Th a ckera y , W M , 55 , 8 9 . . Two Mi l i ta ry E xecuti on s, 1 1 6
Fa i ry P a n tomi me, A , 240 Two Voi ces , 9 7
N otch on the A xe, A , 8 9 , 1 88 Tyl o r, P ri mi ti ve Cultu re, 22 7
Tha la ba , 1 6 1 Ty ra n ny of the Da rk, The, 2 00
Th ea l , K a f i r a l es , 23 2 T
Theodora , 1 03 U
They . 84 . 93 . 2 88
T T
hey ha t M ou rn , 8 5 , 1 08 U b i d Th 66 3
n ur e e, 01
T T U cl R m T l
, ,
hey ha t Wa l k i n Da rkn ess , 1 3 6 n e e us a es ,

Th o ma s, Aug ustus , 3 06 U d th G w d T
n er e reen oo ree, 1 50
Wi tchi ng H our , The, 3 06 U di 57
n ne,
p
T h o m s o n , Fra n c i s , H o u n d U di v d C t y Th
n sco ere oun r e, 200 , 2 6 7
U k w M t pi Th
,
H ea ven , The, 2 8 3 n no n a s er ece, e, 60

Th o rn dik e, Ashl ey Hora ce , 42 U dyi g Thi g Th 7
n n n e, 2 1
U w tt L w Th 3 6
,
T ra g edy , 4 2 n ri en a e, 0
T Upp B th Th
,
kra wn , Ja n et, 1 3 7 er er e, 1 00
U y 98
,
Three Impostors , The , 24 7 , 2 69 sur 1

T
,
hroug h the M i sts , 207 V

Thu rl ow s Chri stma s S tory , 1 2 1
’
Th u rston , E T em l e , P a ssi ona te. p Va mpi re, The, 1 59

Cri me, The , 2 4 2 Va mpi re, The, 68 , 1 63
Ti cket-of -l ea ve A n g el , The, 2 2 1 mpi re B ri de, The, 1 59
Ti eck, Lud wi g , 56 , 59 mpi re, or the B ri de of the sles, I
Ti me a n d the Gods , 24 5 T he. I59
Ti me Ma chi ne, The, 1 8 9 , 260 p
Va m i res , 1 58 et se q
I
.
Tol st oi , va n , 68 Va mpy re, The, 1 60

Iva n , the F oot, 68 , 1 3 8 , 1 44 Va n dover a nd the B rute, 1 6 7
p
To m ki n s , J ul i et Wilbur, hey T Va n Dy ke, H en ry , i g ht Ca l l , The, N
Tha t M ou rn , 8 5 , 1 0 8 83
Va n Lerberg h e , Ch a rl es , F l a i reurs ,
64
T f d Gh t Th 63 8 7
ra n s erre os e, 111, Va thek. 8 . I7 . 22 . 2 5 . 29 . 33 . 3 7 . 70
Ven detta of the Jun g l e, A , 1 6 8
, , ,
1 22
T mi g ti f S l Th
ra n s ra on o a ou e, 1 9 0 Vera , the M edi um, 200
T
,
Th 6 1
res s , e, Verg i l , Cul ex, 290
T i lby 6 7
r 2 Vi ews of Oth er Pl a n ets, 263
T i mph f Ni g ht Th
,
r u o e, 1 2 1 Vi ki ng s of H el g el a n d, The, 65
T y t Th 6 1
,
r s e, 1 2 2 1 Vi n e on the H ouse, The, 9 0

'
T g i v Iv
, ,
u r en e 68 69 1 63 an , Vi rtuoso s Coll ecti on , The, 7 8

Vi si on of Judg men t, A , 2 1 4
, , ,
Cl a ra M i l i tch, 68 , 1 62
Drea m, The, 68 Vi si on of Jud g men t, A , 1 3 4
K n ock! K n ock! K n ock! 68 Vi si on of L ove Revea l ed i n Sleep , A ,
P ha n toms , 68 79
S ong of L ove ri umpha n t, The , T Vi sta s , 65 , 2 7 8
Vo rse , M a ry Hea ton , S econ d Wi fe ,
The, 1 22 , 1 92
Wa ll a ce , E dg a r, B on es , S a n ders ,
a nd A n other , 1 56
328 I n d ex
Wall a ce Lew , , 1 79 Ma n Who H ad B een i n Fa i ry

Fa i r God The , 2 56 la nd , The , 2 4 1
I
,
P ri n ce of n di a , 1 79 N ew A ccelera tor, The, 2 86

Wa n d eri n g Jew, Th e, 8 , 1 75 et se q . P l a ttn er Ca se, The, 260
'
Wa nderi n g J ew, The, 1 76 Rema rka bl e Ca se of Da vi dson s
Wa nderi ng J ew, The, 1 76 E yes , The, 256
Wa nderi ng Jew, The, 1 76 , 1 80 S ea La dy , The , 23 4
Wa nderi ng J ew, A Chri stma s Ca rol , S ta r, The, 2 64
T
he, I 77 S tory of Da ys to Come, A , 262
Wa nderi n g J ew, or the ra vel s of T S tory of the La te Mr El vesha m .
B a rea ch, the P rol ong ed, The , 1 7 8 The, 1 22 , 1 85

Wa nderi n g s o f Co m , The, 1 1 8 T i me M a chi n e, The, 1 8 9 , 2 60
p
Wal ol e, Ho ra ce, 6 , 8 , 1 1 , 1 4 , 7 1 , Vi si on of Judg men t, A , 2 1 4
92 . 1 88 . 3 09 Wa r of the Worl ds , The , 263
Ca stl e of Otra n to, The, 6, 8 , When the S leeper Wa kes , 262
I6 . 1 7 , 2 5:3 1 . 3 2 . 3 6 . 40 . 4 1 . 52 . Wonderful Vi si t, The, 2 1 8 , 22 1
101 3 02
Myste ri ous M other The, 53 Wen tz, W Y E , 23 9
. . .
Fa i ry Fa i th i n Cel ti c Countri es ,
,
Wa r L etters from a Li vi n g Dea d

Ma n , 2 0 7 , 29 2 239
Wa r of the Wen uses , The, 2 63 Werewolf , Th e, 1 66 et se q .
Wa r of the Worl ds, The , 263 Werewol f, The, 1 69 , 1 72

Wa rd , El iza beth S tuart Ph el s, 1 99 , p Werewolves , 1 70
2 90 Wes ton , Jessi e Adel a i de, 1 46
Da y of My Dea th, The, 1 99 — B l a ck M a i c 1 6
g , 4
Ga tes A ja r , The, 2 1 0 M ummy s F ’
oot, The, 62
Ga tes B etween , The, 2 1 0 Wetmore, Eli za beth B i sl a nd , D op
Ga tes B ey on d, The, 2 1 0
' pel g a ng er, The , 1 2 2
K en tucky s Ghost, 1 99 Wey ma n , S ta nley J , M a n i n .
Wa rd N o 6 , 69
,
B l a ck, The, 1 3 7
E
.
Wa rni ng , The, 2 76 Wh a rton , di th , 53 , 1 2 1

Wa ter B a bi es , The, 240 Af terwa rds , 3 02
Wa ter Ghost a nd Others , The, 1 1 2 — D uchess a t P ra yer, The , 1 2 1 ,
Wa ter of the Wondrous sle, The, I 3 03
23 6 — E es The 2
y , , 97
Wa ters of Dea th, The, 62 K erfol , 290
Wa ve, The, 1 94 T
ri ump h of N
i g ht, The , 1 21
Webster, J ohn , Duchess of Ma lfi, Wha t Wa s It ? A Mystery , 6 1 , 96
The , 8 , 1 66 When the Gods S lept, 6 3 , 74
Wedmo re , Frederi ck, D rea m of When the S leeper Wa kes , 2 62
P roven ce, A , 2 93
'
Whi ch er, Geo rg e Fri sbee, Life a n d
Well a t the World s E n d, The, 23 6 Roma n ces of M rs E li za H ey .
Well s , Ca roly n , S tyx Ri ver A ntha wood , 42

l og y , The , 2 1 6 Whi te La dy o f Aven el , 22 5
Well s, H G . Whi te P eople, The, 203 , 29 8
Crysta l E gg , The , 2 63 Whi te S leep of A u ber H urn , The ,
Da ys of the Comet, The, 264 121
Door i n the Wa ll , The, 2 58 Whi tma n , p
S te h en F ren ch , Woma n
Drea m of A rma g eddon , A , f rom Yon der, The , 1 2 6 , 1 8 7
Whi tmore, E C , 3 05
Fi rst M en
. .
i n the M oon The, S uperna tura l i n T

ra g edy , The ,
“
,
26 4
3
3 5
Fl oweri ng of the S tra ng e Orchid , W 3 a nd, 35. 3 9
6 2 : I6 4 » 2 73 Wi l de, Os ca r, 3 2, 240, 249
— In the Da ys f the Comet
o 2 64 Fi sherma n an d Hi s S oul , The,
I vi
,
n Ma n The 9 5 2 69
si bl e 1 3 4 . 1 53 . 236
_
Il
, , ,
s a nd of D r Morea u The 2 7 1
.
, , H a ppy P ri nce, The, 23 8
I n d ex 329
Wil de Oscar ( Conti nued)

, Wood beyond the World The 23 6 , ,
H ouse of Judg ment, The , 2 1 4 Woodstock 22 5 ,
Leg en d of S ha rp , A , 1 3 4 Wool g a therer The 23 29 3 0

-
,
N
, , ,
i g hti n g a le a n d the Rose, The , Word wi th a M ummy A 62 , ,
Wordsworth Willi a m S on g of the

, ,
P i ctu re of Dori a n Grey , The, Wa nderi n g J ew The 1 76 , ,
3 2 , 60 , 1 2 1 , 1 3 4 Wrong E li xi r The 1 86 , ,
S el fish Gi a n t, The, 246 Wutheri ng H ei g hts 86 226 , ,
Wilki nson , Wil l i a m Cl eaver, 2 84

Will i a m of N ewbury , 1 59 Y
Wi lli a m Wi lson , 58 , 1 20
Wil l i ams, Bl an che Col ton , 83 Y ea ts , W . B .
,
22 6 , 23 7 , 24 0 , 2 4 8 ,
Will i ams , Fran ces Fenwi ck 28 5
F
S oul on i re, A , 1 93 T
Cel ti c wi li g ht, The, 23 9
T heodora , 1 93 Coun tess Ca thl een , 6 5 , 1 43
T
Wi llow ree, The, 3 06 Curse of the F i res a n d the
Wi sdom of the K i ng , The , 1 54 S ha dows , The, 1 54
'
Wi tch, The, 1 49 L a n d of H ea rt s Desi re,
Wi tch, The, 1 5 1 6 5 . 3 40 . 3 o6
Wi tch , Th e q
et se
.
Old M en of the wi li g ht, The , T
Wi tch 148 23 4
Wi tch Edmondton , The, 1 50 S tori es of Red Ra nra ha n , 1 86 ,

Wi tch of E ndor, Th e, 1 45 243
Wi tch of Fi fe, The, 1 4 8 Wi sdom of the K i ng , The, 1 54

Wi tch of P ra g ue, The , 1 49 , 1 95 , 26 6 You n g Goodma n B rown , 1 5 1
Wi tch H a zel , 1 57
Wi tch es , Go thi c , 2 6 et se q
.
Wi tchi n g H our, The , 3 06

Wu}, In ten t to S tea l , 62 , 1 1 7 I
Za ng wil l , sra el , Th y Th e at Wa lk i n
Wi thered A rm, The, 225 Da rkness . 1 3 6
q
Wi za rd , T h e, 1 45 et se .
2 05 17 028 1 . I 7
Zero . 257
Wolf , The, 1 72
Woma n , The, 66 , 1 94 , 3 00 ZOfl Oya l 1 0! I7 ! 28 » 33 : 3 7 » 3 8 1 53 1
Woma n f rom Yon der , The , 1 26 , 1 8 7
Wonderful Vi si t, The , 2 1 8 , 2 2 1 , 3 02 Zol a , Emi l e , 2 52

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P RE FACE

previ ous bo ok on the to pic and no ne related t o it save , ,

M r C E Whi tmo re s wo rk on The S uperna tura l i n Tra g edy

the m ass of ﬁctio n itself intro ducing g ho stly or psychic

t o di scuss o r even t o m enti o n all o f i t

bi blio graphy which numbers over thr ee tho usand titles I ,

publi sh i n co nnecti o n wi th thi s volume i s fa r too volu mi n ,

ous t o be included here so wil l p ro bably be bro ught o ut,

It woul d have been i mp o ssi ble for me to pro secute the

genero usly gi ven by many perso ns I a m i ndebted to the .

vari o us ofﬁ ci als of the li brari es of Co lumbi a Uni versi ty

R ef erence Li br ari an of C o lumbi a and t o the auth ori ties ,

o f the N ew Yo r k S o ci ety Li br ary for permi ssi o n to use

thei r pri celess out of pri nt novels i n the Kennedy Coll ec

ti o n M y i nterest i n E ngli sh ﬁcti o n wa s i ncreased

duri ng my attendance on som e co urses i n the hi story

U ni ver sity E ngland several y ears a g o

Glenn M c Crea Prof essor Jo hn Cunli ff e and D ean T alco tt

Wi lli ams of Columbi a and Pro fess or G L Ki ttredge of

Harvar d .Profess ors Wi lli am P Trent George Phi li p

Krapp and E rnest Hunter Wri ght very ki ndl y read

the book i n manus cri pt and gave valuable advi ce con

me in detail B ut my chi ef debt of gr ati tude i s t o

Prof essor Ashley H Th orndike H ead of the D epartm ent

of E ngli sh and Co m par ative Li teratur e i n Co lumbi a ,

o thers— wh o have ai ded m e I a m deeply gr atef ul

I only wi sh that the publi shed volume were more worthy

COL UMBIA U NIVE RSITY ,

HE supernatur al is an ever present force i n liter ature

It color s o ur po etry shapes our epi cs and dr amas

and fashio ns o ur p ro se till we a re so wo nted to it

elements of the unearthly wer e r emo ved from our bo oks ,

h ow shr un ken i n value wo uld seem the r esidue h ow ,

f orlor n our f eeli ngs ! Laf cadi o H earn i n the r ecently

There is scarcely a n y g reat author in Eur o p ean literature ,

ol d or new wh o has n ot d istin g uished hims elf in h i s tr eatm ent

of the sup ernatural In E ng lish lit eratur e I believe there is

no excep ti on fro m the tim e o f the Ang l o S axo n po ets t o -

Shakesp eare and from S hakes p eare t o our own da y

introduces us to the con sideration of a g eneral and remark

books but which i s o f very g reat p hilosop hical importance :

there is s om ething g hostly in all g reat a rt whether of liter ,

atur e music sculp ture or architectur e It touches somet hing

within us that relates to inﬁnity .

the weir d i n li terature sho ws of

human ps ych osm Th e ni g ht side of the s o ul attr acts u s

all Th e spirit f eeds o n mystery It liv

my stery wi th o ut the supernat ur al M a n lo ves the

pr esences quickens the im agi natio n as no othe r suggestion

tho se from bey o nd the g rave M an s varyi ng g i g o ds .

cr eate heaven hell and f aery wo nder lands for hi m and

people them with strang e beings .

M a n lo ves the supernat ur al elements in liter atur e

s ense o f bei ng the c en t er o f p o wer s m of

c“o nﬂi cts s u e m o r t a l

however circumscribed and trivial y et he can loo se hi s

bey o nd the stars He can widen the tents of hi s m o rt al

life cr eate a universe for his companio nship and marshal

the forces of dem o ns and unkno wn go ds fo r hi s comm ands .

T o his narr o w r ut he can j oin the unspaced ﬁrma men t ; t o

i s s o greedy of p ower and has so piteo usly little th at ,

k f o r MSJarg erh fe i n dreams and in the liter atur e

o f the super nat ur al .

B u t whatever be th e r eas ons ther e has been a con