tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137677673775151256.post641076933910661386..comments2024-03-27T11:26:20.466-07:00Comments on The Passing Tramp: Ye Beastie Dyde It: More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary, by M. R. James (1911)The Passing Tramphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09830680639601570152noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137677673775151256.post-2246048791197279902021-11-16T23:25:32.749-08:002021-11-16T23:25:32.749-08:00I like your blog.I like your blog.MVD Internationalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16530615427830712337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137677673775151256.post-69510188864978425162021-11-09T17:38:21.338-08:002021-11-09T17:38:21.338-08:00May there be many more such occasions of agreement...May there be many more such occasions of agreement! <br /><br />Ambiguity does seem to be a fading art.The Passing Tramphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09830680639601570152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137677673775151256.post-86463371881780618742021-11-06T20:11:23.671-07:002021-11-06T20:11:23.671-07:00This one of those occasions when I find myself agr...This one of those occasions when I find myself agreeing with pretty much everything you've said, from the awesomeness of NIGHT OF THE DEMON to the terrifying potential of mazes. And The Stalls at Barchester Cathedral is a story that really worked for me.<br /><br />I intensely dislike having everything in a ghost story explained at the end. Why do modern writers do that? Do they really despise their audience that much?dfordoomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02306293859869179118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137677673775151256.post-16652257826891633062021-11-03T23:50:16.849-07:002021-11-03T23:50:16.849-07:00That is a great title, certainly one of his best. ...That is a great title, certainly one of his best. The part of the story that's always stayed with me is the image of the parson with his head shrouded with cobwebs. It's such a vivid episode.<br /><br />That's a good point about how important ambiguity is to horror. As I recall, James wrote an essay on ghost stories where he talked about how essential ambiguity and reticence is to their effect. His argument was exactly the same as yours, that blatantly explaining everything, rather than leave it to the reader's imagination, robs the story of its power. (Interestingly, in his essay, he also gives his opinions on other writers of horror and ghost stories. I've found some now obscure writers of whom I never would have otherwise heard.)Kacey Crainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13492997736737601983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137677673775151256.post-35678125658376426052021-11-03T22:06:54.162-07:002021-11-03T22:06:54.162-07:00Oh, and thanks so much, it's much appreciated....Oh, and thanks so much, it's much appreciated.The Passing Tramphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09830680639601570152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137677673775151256.post-32979410130925718592021-11-03T22:06:24.664-07:002021-11-03T22:06:24.664-07:00Garbled that reply a bit, but you get the idea! ;)...Garbled that reply a bit, but you get the idea! ;)The Passing Tramphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09830680639601570152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137677673775151256.post-50209305090615030742021-11-03T22:05:18.915-07:002021-11-03T22:05:18.915-07:00My favorite thing about Tractate Middoth is the ti...My favorite thing about Tractate Middoth is the title--now that sounds Lovecraftian! It just roles off the tongue so menacingly. <br /><br />I think ambiguity can be such a powerful tool from the supernatural horror vault. I hated the final episode of The Haunting of Hill House TV series because it made the fatal mistake of trying to explain everything and fully visualize that world. It paled before Shirley Jackson's ending, which left so much unresolved.<br /><br />I honestly had forgotten most of these stories, Runes aside, and was really struck by how effective the last three really were. I don't know that you could get me a hedge maze! And, yes, James awfully knew his stuff, a brilliant scholar.The Passing Tramphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09830680639601570152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137677673775151256.post-87590990043759016932021-11-03T22:00:02.364-07:002021-11-03T22:00:02.364-07:00I love it too. The Thirties is my favorite decade...I love it too. The Thirties is my favorite decade for mystery fiction, but I stay pretty interested up through about 1970 or even beyond to about 1990 if we are talking Rendell, James, Lovesey, etc.The Passing Tramphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09830680639601570152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137677673775151256.post-25577512176517889712021-11-02T11:58:16.037-07:002021-11-02T11:58:16.037-07:00A big thank you for your wonderful blog! I often f...A big thank you for your wonderful blog! I often feel more at home in the "golden age" mystery world, so thanks too, for bringing back to our attention many of the classic writers of that era.DouglasWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17079605686794757280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137677673775151256.post-21476115187300858492021-11-01T21:49:23.655-07:002021-11-01T21:49:23.655-07:00I think you're right about this volume. It'...I think you're right about this volume. It's not quite as strong as the first, but it does contain some of James' best stories, especially "Casting the Ruins," "The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral," and "Mr. Humphreys and His Inheritance," which I would probably pick if forced to choose my favorite of his stories. ("The Tractate Middoth" is another favorite, especially as it always reminds me of a mystery, but I can't quite say it ranks with his finest.) <br /><br />As relates to the un-resolution of "Mr. Humphreys," I've seen something like four different translations of the Latin phrase near the end, all of them mutually incompatible! I almost wonder if it was deliberate, given that James most assuredly knew his Latin. Aside from the wonderful atmosphere evoked by the maze, the thing that impresses me the most about the story is the pastiche of 17th century religious writing. Everything from the style to the italicization is spot on! It's certainly a story where you get as much pleasure thinking about it afterwards as you do when reading it.Kacey Crainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13492997736737601983noreply@blogger.com