Casting the Runes and Other Ghost Stories (Oxford Worlds Classics)
The reader might be left with some questions unanswered.
Casting the Runes and Other Ghost Stories - M. R. James - Oxford University Press
This bothered me a lot less, as I suppose James likes to leave you with some feelings of mystery and wonder. But don't worry, none of the tales are as baffling as the ending of a Manga graphic novel! I purchased this book because I am a fan of runes, so I thought the story that involved the runes might have figured them in an interesting way. Here the runes were just a vehicle for the villain to cast harmful spells. It's as if the author latched on to an interesting term used in occult circles and used it for a story. Also, casting runes is a term used more for divination, and not for casting spells.
So for you runologists out there, don't bother. It is one of the better stories in this collection however. James was one of the great masters of the horror story the book's title is misleading as most of the entries are not ghost stories in the conventional sense , and this is an excellent collection that contains many of his best works. What sets James apart from other horror writers is his erudition. A highly respected Cambridge professor, he wrote just as well as the other great masters of Victorian literature; but his offerings are much more fun and enjoyable than those of his contemporarie M.
A highly respected Cambridge professor, he wrote just as well as the other great masters of Victorian literature; but his offerings are much more fun and enjoyable than those of his contemporaries. Most pleasingly, he achieves his effects largely through the power of suggestion rather than through explicit descriptions that would undermine their credibility. First published in , Casting the Runes and Other Ghost Stories is a collection of 21 of MR James stories published between the years and This includes 'A Vignette', posthumously published in The stories are all well written, very atmospheric and often very gothic in detail.
At the same time, it has to be said that the typical MR James protagonist is a University Don with no interest in sex. Feb 20, Rob Townsend rated it it was amazing. Great ghost stories, spooky but with a sense of humor not often found in stories like this. Aug 12, Fathererik rated it really liked it. Great early 20th century ghost stories. Jun 04, Kimberley rated it it was amazing. James is pretty much the godfather of the classic ghost story. He is straight-up Victorian in his sensibilities--no gore, no nastiness. There's spooks and ghosts and things that go bump in the night and some things that are downright unpleasant, but nothing here is going to give you any psychic damage.
There's no nightmare material here for a reasonably well-adjusted adult. He coined the phrase "a pleasing terror," and that's more or less apt for what he achieves. But you see his influence M. But you see his influence everywhere on authors who came later with more harrowing tales. Just to give an example, without James, there would be no Lovecraft as we know him, because James more or less patented the "academic digs too deep into matters best left alone and finds things that should have stayed buried" storyline.
Casting the Runes and Other Ghost Stories by M. R. James (Paperback, 1998)
James also dragged the ghost out of his overly cliched Gothic haunt where nobody but the most intrepid hunter was going to find him and plopped him down into the more prosaic setting of James' contemporary English countryside, where nearly anyone could get at him if they simply opened the wrong door or dug the wrong hole or picked up the wrong book. By making ghosts that much more accessible, he made them that much more scary.
Anybody can avoid a ghost if they just stay out of that very obviously haunted castle over there on the moor. But who expects the very corporeal ghost of a hanged highwayman in an otherwise cheerful inn? Who thinks they will run into a demon summoned from the scrapbook of a medieval church official found tucked away in a tiny French village? A James ghost can be anywhere, and the only warning you'll get will be a slight misgiving beforehand that maybe you shouldn't be meddling in affairs you know nothing about. Standouts in this edition include: But it is eerie This is a collection of ghost stories by M R James, widely considered to be one of the great writers in this genre.
Aside from that, this collection is disappointing. The plots are very repetitive. The main problem is, none of these stories are scary. They are not even that creepy. The stories are written in a very ponderous, meandering style — very much like listening to an Oxford don.
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I thought several of the stories were too short at under 20 pages and left too many unanswered questions. I think in some cases questions are deliberately left unanswered in order to try and create an air of mystery, but I found it quite annoying. James Montague Rhodes James was a medieval scholar with an interest in antiquities.
Casting the Runes and Other Ghost Stories
These areas of interest can be found when reading his ghost stories. While the stories centered around a more current time, they alluded to an item of some historical importance in the past. This collection included twenty-one of his works. Not being a horror fan works for these stories, the horror would come from your mind playing into the setup of the story. The details are laid out and the eerie factor M. The details are laid out and the eerie factor is applied, what goes bump in the night is left for you.
James wrote many of his tales for Christmas Eve entertainment to read-aloud and amuse your friends with. One could imagine hearing these tales my candlelight and pondering the tale. In The Tractate Middoth a certain old edition of a book is sought after, the library assistant sent to find it stumbles into a family mystery.
In Casting the Runes what happens when you unknowingly anger a sorcerer? Overall this is a nice collection of stories that you could break out and read around the campfire one or two at a time. Even though they all were different, the style across them was similar enough. Off to avoid any long lost heirlooms that might be the key to the unknown realm. A bit of Halloween reading. I read the title story online via one of those "spooky short stories" lists, then remembered that I had this compilation sitting at home unread. So I read it. Actually, I read all but one of these stories -- "The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral" kept putting me to sleep and I skipped it.
I mean, even the name is boring. These stories were good overall, but a little monotonous.
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Sometimes they reminded me of the contemporaneous Sherlock Holmes stories, sometimes they rem A bit of Halloween reading. Sometimes they reminded me of the contemporaneous Sherlock Holmes stories, sometimes they reminded me of Lovecraft, who was definitely influenced by them. The supernatural elements were often really cool, the minor characters amusing, but the general vibe -- wealthy, independent scholar-professor Englishman uncovers dark secret -- got old.
Like some of the houses described, these stories could have benefited from a little less stuffiness. Mar 04, Dharia Scarab rated it really liked it. Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future. This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.
This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up. I loved this book! It has earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP. Sep 14, Tiko rated it really liked it Shelves: While not perfect, I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of ghost stories by M. Yes, it's a bit a formulaic with, "I knew an academic from Cambridge, who told this story about his friend It definitely reads like an English gentleman from the turn of the century writing this, and as such it's not gory.
What's nice about it is he's also While not perfect, I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of ghost stories by M. What's nice about it is he's also willing to be more explicit if it actually lends to the story.
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Definitely a fun read if you're in the mood to be spooked. Is in the middle of a hurricane, with the power out, and Halloween just around the corner, I took out this collection and reread "O, Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad" by candlelight. God, these stories are eerie. There are a few places where I think James gets it right far better than most scare fiction writers - most notably, he keeps the climactic moment hazy enough that we have our own image of what is tormenting our poor protagonist.
And a nice touch in "O, Whistle Some very dry humor in this very dark collection.
Apr 04, Robert rated it it was amazing Shelves: James is the one and only best writer of ghost stories ever, in my ever-so-humble opinion. While other way old-school writers of weird fiction like Algernon Blackwood, Le Fanu, Lovecraft, etc. James' stories, even as they fill you with unease and dread of what's to come. Sep 02, Wayne rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: This gives me goosebumps, real chills whose progress I can almost map. All those riches of English culture become suddenly tainted with the sinister.
The World of Jane Austen would have to be its complete antithesis. I take a copy of M This gives me goosebumps, real chills whose progress I can almost map. I take a copy of M. Last one Free postage. Trending price New.
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Show less Show more. About this product Description A selection of 21 stories, which also includes three stories that are not in the Collected Edition. Publication Data Place of Publication. Show more Show less. No ratings or reviews yet. Be the first to write a review. IT by Stephen King Paperback, Moby Dick Herman Melville. Myths from Mesopotamia Stephanie Dalley. Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen. A Midsummer Night's Dream: The Communist Manifesto Karl Marx. The Tragedy of Macbeth: Book ratings by Goodreads. Goodreads is the world's largest site for readers with over 50 million reviews.
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