Today, not the stories but features on the supernatural writers themselves. Strange are the strands of websites. A week or so ago we published Lurchers Triumphant: The Secret Index, in the hope of linking together related articles from all over greydogtales. This time we’re mentioning a wide range of traditional creators of weird and ghostly stories, our classic chillers, so why not see who we picked, and read up on them?
As with lurchers and longdogs, there are references to early supernatural authors scattered all over the site, but the features below have a more substantial element of the classic chillers in them. And those who aren’t mentioned below are perhaps as surprising as those who are.
In general, there are loads of sites which cover M R James, Algernon Blackwood, Arthur Machen, Ambrose Bierce, E F Benson and many other resonant names. Whole swathes of verbiage consider these folk, and we have little to add at the moment. William Hope Hodgson we deal with regularly and separately.
We confess an interest in less well known writers, or in writers who had a peculiarly broad output and who are not always feted for their supernatural works.
And some have foxed us so far, known or forgotten. H R Wakefield, for example, wrote a number of excellent ghost stories, but every time we wrestle with his output as a whole, we end up in a hole, reading too many of his weaker tales. Maybe later. We also thought about adding D H Lawrence, but some of his ‘ghost’ stories are fairly badly delivered, so he never joined our classic chillers.
One who might have joined the list is Henry S Whitehead, who we have mentioned in passing, but he deserves a new post of his own one day. He edges into the zone of those writers associated with the H P Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith era, and Weird Tales, so we’re hanging on to him. Everil Worrell only just squeaked in, being a major Weird Tales player, on the strength of pieces such as her unusual old-style vampire story, ‘The Canal’.
Others must join us eventually – Perceval Landon, L T C Rolt, Oliver Onions, Charlotte Perkins Gilman and more – but we have a wish list. Saki (H H Munro) would probably top that, along with Daphne Du Maurier.
For reference, two of our favourite classic chillers, apart from Saki and M R James, are E G Swain and Jerome K Jerome – for very different reasons. Both are featured below.
Jerome’s satirical essay on the link between Christmas Eve and ghost stories, and his ruthless listing of the types of traditional story, is a must-read:
“After him comes the young man who woke up with a strange sensation in the middle of the night, and found his rich bachelor uncle standing by his bedside. The rich uncle smiled a weird sort of smile and vanished. The young man immediately got up and looked at his watch. It had stopped at half-past four, he having forgotten to wind it.
“He made inquiries the next day, and found that, strangely enough, his rich uncle, whose only nephew he was, had married a widow with eleven children at exactly a quarter to twelve, only two days ago.
“The young man does not attempt to explain the circumstance. All he does is to vouch for the truth of his narrative.”
Told After Supper
By the way, three specific stories from H R Wakefield, E F Benson and Jerome K Jerome are covered in our feature here:
http://greydogtales.com/blog/five-mountains-madness-third-twin/
Our thirteen features form a backward list, covering some twenty authors and ending in our piece on Sir Andrew Caldecott, who we believe has been overlooked far too often.
MOST POSTS CONTAIN LINKS TO WHERE YOU CAN PURCHASE OR OTHERWISE DOWNLOAD THE AUTHORS’ WORKS.
THIRTEEN CLASSIC CHILLERS
13) Out of the Silence with Bessie Kyffin-Taylor
http://greydogtales.com/blog/out-of-the-silence-with-bessie-kyffin-taylor/
An almost unknown author these days, with one particularly outstanding story, Bessie Kyffin-Taylor (d.1922).
12) Shiela Crerar, Clay-Corpses & Psychic Investigation for Girls
http://greydogtales.com/blog/shiela-crerar-clay-corpses-psychic-investigation-girls/
Ella M. Scrymsour (1888-1962), whose supernatural sleuth in Scotland is quite fun.
11) Jerome K Jerome, Ghosts and Dystopias
http://greydogtales.com/blog/jerome-k-jerome-ghosts-dystopias/
Master of drollery and the sly dig, Jerome K Jerome (1859-1927).
10) Worrell and Ward – Vampire Women Go Fishing
http://greydogtales.com/blog/worrell-ward-vampire-women-go-fishing/
A somewhat forgotten weird and speculative writer, Everil Worrell (1893-1969).
9) Edith Wharton Hears a Whooo!
http://greydogtales.com/blog/edith-wharton-hears-whooo/
Not just Edith Wharton (1862-1937), but two other supernatural writers, Mary E Wilkins Freeman (1852-1930) and Katharine Elizabeth Fullerton Gerould (1879-1944).
8) Edith Nesbit – Mother of the Dead
http://greydogtales.com/blog/e-nesbit-mother-dead/
Edith Nesbit (1858-1924) hardly needs an introduction, but is more widely known for her children’s stories.
7) The History of Women in Horror 1: A Man Explains
http://greydogtales.com/blog/history-women-horror-1-man-explains/
Perambulations around Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797-1851), and other early writers, including those of the Gothic persuasion.
6) Sneerwell & Verjuice: The School for Weird Fiction
http://greydogtales.com/blog/sneerwell-verjuice-school-weird-fiction/
Some mutterings on the nature of weird and supernatural fiction which lead to a mention of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (1814-73).
5) M R James and his Friend in the Fens
http://greydogtales.com/blog/m-r-james-friend-fens/
A tribute to the background of the marvellous Mr Batchel stories by E G Swain (1861-1938), and a touch of Swain’s acquaintance M R James (1862-1936)
4) Forever New: Women in Supernatural Fiction
http://greydogtales.com/blog/forever-new-women-supernatural-fiction/
Amanda DeWees’ excellent essay for us on some classic female supernatural writers, including Mrs. [Margaret] Oliphant (1828-1897), and Mary Elizabeth Braddon.
3) All Saints’ Eve: Some Seasonal Scares
http://greydogtales.com/blog/all-saints-eve-some-seasonal-scares/
Exploring the stories of Amelia B Edwards (1831-1892).
2) Casting the Prunes: Flaxman Low Triumphant
http://greydogtales.com/blog/casting-the-prunes-flaxman-low-triumphant/
A substantial but not entirely straight-faced look at the fascinating occult detective Flaxman Low, the product of mother and son team Kate O’Brien Ryall Prichard (1851-1935) and Hesketh Vernon Hesketh-Prichard (1876-1922)’
1) Not Exactly Ghosts
http://greydogtales.com/blog/not-exactly-ghosts/
The clever and sometimes delightfully dry stories of Sir Andrew Caldecott (1884 – 1951), mentioned above.
NOTE: You can also find all sorts of classic supernatural articles and works at the very enjoyable site run by Michael Kellermeyer, Oldstyle Tales Press.
https://www.oldstyletales.com/
And that’s our thirteen classic chillers. Do stay tuned over the next few months as we add to the list.