Humorous Ghost Stories

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Scarborough, Dorothy, 1878-1935

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource : multiple file formats

Place of Publication:

Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg,

Summary:

"Humorous Ghost Stories" by Dorothy Scarborough is a collection of short stories compiled and introduced in the early 20th century. The volume showcases a variety of ghost stories that emphasize the humor found in supernatural encounters, moving away from the traditional, somber portrayals of ghosts prevalent in earlier literature. The opening context establishes ghosts as whimsical characters that create laughter rather than fear, often poking fun at both themselves and their living counterparts. The beginning of this work elaborates on the evolution of ghosts in literature, highlighting the transition from serious and fearsome specters to humorous and playful ones that reflect modern individualism and societal changes. Scarborough argues that the contemporary ghost possesses much more personality, embracing humor and satire while engaging with the living in absurdly comical ways. By contrasting the grim tradition of apparitions with the lively modern spirits, the introduction sets the stage for the delightful stories that follow, suggesting that readers can expect to experience a refreshing take on ghostly tales filled with wit and charm. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Contents:

Introduction: The humorous ghost

The Canterville ghost / by Oscar Wilde

The ghost-extinguisher / by Gelett Burgess

"Dey ain't no ghosts" / by Ellis Parker Butler

The transferred ghost / by Frank R. Stockton

The mummy's foot / Théophile Gautier

The rival ghosts / Brander Matthews

The water ghost of Harrowby Hall / by John Kendrick Bangs

Back from that bourne / Anonymous

The ghost-ship / by Richard Middleton

The transplanted ghost / by Wallace Irwin

The last ghost in Harmony / by Nelson LLoyd

The ghost of Miser Brimpson / by Eden Phillpotts

The haunted photograph / by Ruth McEnery Stuart

The ghost that got the button / by Will Adams

The specter bridegroom / by Washington Irving

The specter of Tappington / compiled by Richard Barham

In the barn / by Burges Johnson

A shady plot / by Elsie Brown

The lady and the ghost / by Rose Cecil O'Neill.

Credits:

Produced by David Edwards, Marcia Brooks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from scanned images of public domain material from the Google Print project.)

Notes:

Reading ease score: 76.5 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read.

Release date is 2008-10-18