Casting the Runes and Other Ghost Stories (Oxford Worlds Classics)

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, The Complete Fiction of H. Lovecraft by H. Lovecraft Hardback, 7. House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski Paperback, 3. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Paperback, James assumes a certain level of education and the ability to think, he doesn't spoon feed his readers nor take them by the hand as he tells his story.

He leads and if you follow into the moonlit landscapes he constructs, you'll traverse interesting lands, territories, fields and some very dark countries. One of my few 5 star ratings I just wondered if anyone had seen the old movie Curse of the Demon? In England it was originally longer and titled Night ot the Demon. I'd like to see the English version but apparently the only one ever to appear on TV is the edioted American version. It's based on Casting the Runes and really not too bad. The poorest thing is the "Demon figure".

Due to special effects it's more stuffed mock-up than fright.

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Apparently the Writer didn't want to show a literal demon in the film but the producer inserted the demon. It's a sort of large winged wolf like creature with claws. I think the picture would have been far more effective without it. Still as far as it goes it's a fairly well done adaption of the story. Not great but pretty good. As we're closing on Oct. I am still rather huffy that they didn't include one of my all-time favorite M R James' stories, "Lost Hearts," in this collection.

Casting the Runes and Other Ghost Stories

I know it wasn't a favorite of his, but he wasn't all that fond of the far inferior "A Vignette" either, and that somehow worked its way into this anthology. That said, this is a good collection of supernaturally-tinged stories that tell you more about the time Victorian England than truly give you a fright. I did find these stories much scarier upon adulthood than I am still rather huffy that they didn't include one of my all-time favorite M R James' stories, "Lost Hearts," in this collection. Several of the descriptions particularly in The Treasure of Abbot Thomas and The Diary of Mr Poynter, and I can't recall which story has the protagonist's hand slipping beneath his pillow to find not cool sheets but a hairy maw made me shudder in broad daylight, while surrounded by people on the Metro.

I also did much more enjoy his stories that had more of a plot e. The Tractate Middoth, the title story than those that were more mood pieces such as the story for which he is possibly best known "Oh, Whistle Perhaps it can be put down to the curiously Victorian notion that women on their own are not sexual beings. I did very much enjoy this quotation, also from the appendix, though: Do not, in any case, bring it into the house.

It may not be alone Dots are believed by many writers of our day to be a good substitute for effective writing. They are certainly an easy one. Let us have a few more Aug 05, Tim Pendry rated it really liked it Shelves: Here I review only two stories in the collection and I shall add others as I read them. The first story is one of my favourites 'Casting the Runes', first published in and later the basis for another favourite - Jacques Tourneur's horror film 'Night of the Demon'.

The film is more obviously thrilling and dramatic but this does not detract from a reading of the story which is fundamentally about a deeply malicious black magician called Karswell whose persona is not a million miles from t Here I review only two stories in the collection and I shall add others as I read them.

The film is more obviously thrilling and dramatic but this does not detract from a reading of the story which is fundamentally about a deeply malicious black magician called Karswell whose persona is not a million miles from the popular media vision of one Aleister Crowley. Karswell in Tourneur's film and then Mocata in the Hammer production of the Wheatley novel in helped popularise further the type of the wealthy and urbane dabbler in black magic who threatens all forms of decent society.

James was not the first out of the gate but he played his part. If the Tourneur film improves on the story in any way, it is only because M R James has imaginatively provided all the tools to hand for such an improvement. The reader might be genuinely unnerved by this tale of supernatural malice.

It is a well-wrought little tale, a touch of folk horror by the Suffolk sea side, a favourite location for James, although I can't quite see why it is called 'The Rats' since the connection between rats and ghost seems to be utterly irrelevant. James does this sometimes with titles.

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James has the story framed by a younger man telling the story of a much older acquaintance which has a nice distancing effect so that one might be prepared to trust the narrator but perhaps wonder if the narrator's source was as reliable, especially as the tale was told to a child. From this perspective, 'Casting the Runes' is more reliable since the tale is told as sets of facts experienced by very respectable people.

There is a curious section in which the target of Karswell's malice has to act as surety for two working class accounts of a mysterious phenomenon. This is a fascinating aspect of James' world - trust may or may not lie in children's memories of an older person perhaps presumed to be trustworthy because of his caste but it certainly is automatic within the Edwardian middle class and not automatic for the Edwardian working class.

Be all that as it may, James' stories are best read as relying wholly on the 'comfort' of a class sure of itself and with a moral opposition to telling tall tales which he is doing in real life. Only cads and bad boys tell lies. But James is clearly neither. Indeed, he is the epitome of respectability.

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• Casting the Runes and Other Ghost Stories - M. R. James - Oxford University Press?

And so James builds up his authority as Oxford don and reliable member of the English upper middle class to tell stories that unravel the grounded assumptions of the middle class listener - perhaps, he implies, that of which I write is possible and true! And that is scary. View all 4 comments. James is to the ghost story as Petrarch to the sonnet: Others might sometimes rival, but I've yet to see either master surpassed at their greatest game. PS There are some really good audio version of James's tales on youtube, Michael Collins did a wonderful audiobook of James's tales and even one of my favorite actors, Derek Jacobi recorded some--great way to experienc M.

PS There are some really good audio version of James's tales on youtube, Michael Collins did a wonderful audiobook of James's tales and even one of my favorite actors, Derek Jacobi recorded some--great way to experience ghost stories, by the glow of the computer screen late at night.

Anglophiles, fans of ghosts and horror. I hesitate to use the common label of "horror fiction" for this title, though some of the stories are indeed the stuff of very bad dreams and lying awake at night. Montague Rhodes James was perhaps the most pre-eminent teller of the very scholarly and civilized British ghost story. As each story draws to a close, the reader is left to draw her own conclusions to a certain extent, and the author does not state explicitly what the explanation or termination of the manifestations might h I hesitate to use the common label of "horror fiction" for this title, though some of the stories are indeed the stuff of very bad dreams and lying awake at night.

As each story draws to a close, the reader is left to draw her own conclusions to a certain extent, and the author does not state explicitly what the explanation or termination of the manifestations might have been. These are, nonetheless, some of the most haunting and realistic supernatural tales I have ever read. They are also very, very British and low key which warms the Anglophile in me and reminds me of the relatively few years I spent in the Gothic stone halls of colleges and seminaries albeit here in the United States.

The fact that this collection is published by none other than the Oxford University Press tells us how significant James' work is considered to be. It is very literary in character, but quite readable. It does help if you are familiar with some high points of English history, but that can be remedied with a trip to the internet if necessary in some cases. There are 21 of the author's finest tales included, set in a type that feels and looks like letterpress of the Victorian era in which most of them were written and take place. Be prepared for railway compartments, rural hotels, English villages and manor houses, college buildings that have stood for centuries, and of course my own favorites rare old books and huge libraries.

There are a few lines here and there in Latin or French for which no translation is offered, but you will not miss anything if you are unable to translate these yourself.

If it really matters, one of the characters will provide the translation. Some of the ghosts are little more than curiosities or non-random events, while others are indeed horrifying and threatening spectres that bring real harm though usually to persons who have earned that punishment. Reading this was a bit of nostalgia for me, as I had read most of the stories once before in a volume formerly owned by my paternal grandmother and entitled Best Ghost Stories of M. I was probably only eleven years old or so at the time, and a few of the most horrific ones I remember, such as "Lost Hearts" and "The Ash-Tree," are not included here.

There are still enough hair raisers though, and particularly "Canon Alberic's Scrap-book. Highly recommended if you like your horror stories told in an educated voice and with subtle nuances. View all 6 comments. Apr 15, Sean Anderson rated it it was amazing. James has the wonderful ability to tell a ghost story that is both amusing, insightful, atmospheric and terrifying all at the same time. Both readers of modern horror and classic literature will find things to love in these tales: Mar 01, Matt rated it liked it.

Wonderful, classic sort of ghost stories. As a kid, I think these would have bored me. In many of the stories, someone has a spooky experience, but basically goes on with their life afterward. Now that I'm a jaded adult though, I find stories that depict cracks in the everyday world more frightening than ones that simply blow up the everyday world and send everyone running from the monsters.

I checked out the Oxford World's Classics edition from the local library which has an introduction by Michael Chabon. Chabon says horror stories are ALL psychology, and from what I've read so far that is the case for M. Of course stuff does happen, but perhaps my modern perspective wants a better ratio of psychology to action heavier on the action.

Chabon compares James to Lovecraft and of course his observations are well thought out and you must agree with them, mostly. James is obviou I checked out the Oxford World's Classics edition from the local library which has an introduction by Michael Chabon. James is obviously a much better and more controlled writer, but for me somehow there is a similarity. Something of the author's approach or pacing or something, is the same.

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With Lovecraft you get a lot more tentacles and from I have read of James so far, few people actually die. I have to spend some time in waiting rooms tomorrow so I hope these short stories get me through the day. I just felt I had enough of a feel of his writing. Yes to my judgment he writes well and the stories are quite suspenseful. And many parts were quite clever and even engaging. Like the story NUMBER 13 where room number 13 in a small inn in Denmark only exists at night by expanding into rooms 12 and 14 while the lodgers sleep.

So why didn't I hurry to finish them all?

M.R. James - Collected Ghost Stories - Oxford University Press

OK, stuff does happen but in the ones I read the main characters, although shaken and distraught, make it back to the university and quietly tell their tales. Aug 07, Paul Julian rated it liked it. They are very English, and much detail is given to the setting of each story; quiet, out-of-season coastal villages are a particular favourite of James'. Most of the stories are told at one or two removes - the author is usually relaying a story Didn't finish, read: Most of the stories are told at one or two removes - the author is usually relaying a story that he's heard from a friend or confidant, which takes away some of the suspense.

After you've read a few you get the feeling, though there are some special stories here. The story that this collection takes its name from was made into the brilliant 50s movie Night of the Demon, which is well worth watching. My favourite story was actually the first one, Canon Alberic's Scrap-Book, which is also thought to be the first James wrote.

It's a short, simple tale of an overly curious English tourist in a French Cathedral town, and a manuscript of a particularly haunting quality. There's a genuine sense of something unnatural. I didn't finish the volume as I felt I'd had my fill, but I'd still recommend it to those interested in this genre, and a few of them are essential.

Best read when tucked up in bed in the evening. Sep 08, minnie rated it really liked it Shelves: James was the master of the English ghost story. There are little laneways leading to old gates, country churches and woods, pe M. There are little laneways leading to old gates, country churches and woods, peaceful places but in M. James tales, theres a darkness, or a malevolent presence lurking in the shadows. Poynter a piece of curtain fabric. This innocent meddling usually brings forth some horrible manifestation, when the protagonist is at his most vulnerable and the stories gain a horrific momentum, and then end quite suddenly without much explanation, but leaves you slightly chilled at the memory of the horror of it.

Feb 15, Lesley rated it liked it. To be honest, I only finished about two thirds of this collection, but the stories were similar enough that I didn't think it was necessary to complete the collection. James's stories are always creepy and often funny, though they're rarely genuinely frightening. They're quirky little half-satirical sketches where bed sheets come to life and scraps of paper and coins and shadows are haunted with vengeful specters, most of which insist on pursuing absent-minded scholars.

Overall, James's tales ar To be honest, I only finished about two thirds of this collection, but the stories were similar enough that I didn't think it was necessary to complete the collection. Overall, James's tales are pleasant though not necessarily must-reads. Oct 01, Amanda rated it it was amazing Shelves: James is my favorite ghost story author of them all, and this is the book that introduced me to him.

Casting the Runes and Other Ghost Stories by M.R. James

It's quite a good introduction: Even though I now have the Wordsworth Editions collected James, I still can't bear to get rid of my battered old copy of this collection. Dec 16, Lily rated it really liked it. James' stories are wonderfully scary. He uses suspense and primitive archetypes to induce fear. It is a terrific and more intellectual romp than most books in the Gothic Horror genre.

Dec 03, William Leight rated it liked it. This is one book where the notes at the back are essential for the modern reader, or, one imagines, for almost any read [Call it 3. James is often quite clever at constructing his plots, and sometimes even manages to build up some suspense, as in the title story, though the suspense usually occurs at right-angles to the supernatural. Oct 07, Brooks Mencher rated it it was amazing. What better ghostly setting than an abandoned, decrepit Gothic cathedral? And who would know this church-demon equation better than the son of a clergyman? Such was Montague Rhodes James.

An antiquarian, medieval scholar and college provost, James began publishing horror stories at the age of thirty-two. He authored at least four collections between and his death in He leads readers calmly along dark paths a step at a time, hat and walking stick in hand, concentrating on just how dark that path is getting as night settles in, and how ordinary the day seems to have been. The wind is picking up and bringing with it a cold rain and God knows what else. Of course, a gale must arise from nowhere first, throwing itself relentlessly against the Gothic, paned windows of your imagination.

Oct 15, Joseph F. An interesting set of unusual creepy stories. I found that in most of the stories, the climax occurs before the end. Here the frightening entity makes its main manifestation. This is where Jame's writing shines. In just a few lines he reveals the ghost, demon, or whatever infernal being in all of its frightening aspects. The story usually ends with the protagonist suffering different levels of angst: Like waiting for that twist ending in an O.

Henry tale, An interesting set of unusual creepy stories.