The 1700-1939 Book Club! discussion

This is for the discussion of The Haunted House by Charles Dickens (and other authors). I hope everyone enjoys!

So who has started and what stories are you favorite?

2 Spruce Lane by Gretchen Travis. If you wanna know what a haunted house is you gotta read it. I once commented on a short story by Charles Dickens about a guy that kept vigil at the entrance of a train tunnel. I can get the title of this one if you're interested.

It sounds like The Signalman, José. A chilling tale indeed!

As far as the Haunted House is concerned, I'm progressing albeit slowly through the stories - I've got lots of bits and pieces on the go simultaneously this month, - and I'm very much enjoying it. The idea of all the guests in the house going off to their rooms for the night to report back on any ghostly experiences the next day is an interesting one. Someone mentioned somewhere that they couldn't follow the story, but of course this is really a collection of short stories rather than a continuous narrative.

How's everyone else getting on?

Yes, it was The Signalman, I can see you're well acquainted with this genre. If you allow me to befriend you in GD I can recommend you two anthologies that are really frightful. Lord Dunsany "Le Beaureau du exchange du Mau" (sorry for my French) among others. "2 Spruce Lane" is a must. It's supposedly based on true events. Some of which I experienced while living in a rooming house in Canada.

Jose wrote: "Yes, it was The Signalman, I can see you're well acquainted with this genre. If you allow me to befriend you in GD I can recommend you two anthologies that are really frightful. Lord Dunsany "Le Be..."

It's probably more that I'm acquainted with Dickens' work than the genre, although lately I've been reading a lot of classic Gothic novels - no reason, it has just happened that way!

Oh, and please - recommend and befriend away :-)

Add me up so I can send you both anthologies plus the novel.

I'm just getting started. I finished the introductory part describing the house, the people and the set-up. It's certainly atmospheric. I'm about to start the first story.

Casceil wrote: "I'm just getting started. I finished the introductory part describing the house, the people and the set-up. It's certainly atmospheric. I'm about to start the first story."

I've finished it, but will hold back on comments for a while. I'd be really interested to hear what you thought, Casceil!

I read the first story last night, and I really did not care for it. Aside from the fact that the story supposedly came from a ghost, it seemed to be one of those romances where the lovers can't get together for a long time because one of them develops some sort of strange, "I am not worthy" attitude. But the second story looks more promising.

I didn't realize until after reading the intro that this is not supposed to be ghost stories but each story deals with the ghost of someone's past. Also, Dickens was not very happy with the outcome of the other authors stories who did not meet up to his expectation and vision for this. This was published around Christmas. I wonder why all the ghostly stories around Christmas? Does anyone know?

I did enjoy the first story. After the intro my expectation was highly diminished. I felt it was a good outline for a longer story with the need for more detail and emotion.

What book are you talking about boo?

Jose wrote: "What book are you talking about boo?"

Come on, Boo, keep up! We're talking about the book that this discussion thread was created for, ie: Dickens' The Haunted House.

Have you read it?

Jamie wrote: "I didn't realize until after reading the intro that this is not supposed to be ghost stories but each story deals with the ghost of someone's past..."

From this point of view, they reminded me a lot of Edith Wharton's Tales of Men and Ghosts which I've been reading with another group.
I found the stories to be an interesting mix, but perhaps too odd a mix and I can see why Dickens might not have been overjoyed with the outcome.

Ghost stories used to be traditional at Christmas in Victorian times, when families would gather around the fire and try to scare each other! Something to do with long, winter nights, the time of spirits etc. it's a shame the tradition has been lost rather, though the BBC tried to revive it by filming actors like Christopher Lee sitting in chesterfield and reading stories by MR James and the like.

Going back to Jamie's comments about the first story, that it "was a good outline for a longer story with the need for more detail and emotion." I do think it would have benefited from more fleshing out on some aspects of the story. This is particularly true of the child (Lucy, I think?) who has been adopted to be the heir, but goes into some kind of decline when the protagonist quits visiting. I felt certain that she was supposed to be symbolic of something, but I don't know what. Hopes for the future, perhaps?

Alright, I finished the second story, "The Ghost in the Double Room." I can see why Dickens might have been disappointed. The story ends with a double twist. Twist one was fine, but twist two was one twist too many.

About Dickens I've only read "The Signalman" concerning this genre. If you want to get frightened you oughta read Lord Dunsany's "Le Bureau d'Exchange du Maux".

Pip wrote: "It sounds like The Signalman, José. A chilling tale indeed!

As far as the Haunted House is concerned, I'm progressing albeit slowly through the stories - I've got lots of bits and pieces on the go..."

It sounds life a crafty way to depict scary scenes.

I've read several more of the stories now. I finished the Dickens story last night. I found it just bizarre. The Wilkie Collins story seemed better written than some of the others, and more like horror than the others. It reminded me a bit of Edgar Allen Poe. I still have the Gissing story left to read. Overall, I'm finding this book more of a curiosity than something I would seek out to read. How are the rest of you feeling about this book?

I actually have enjoyed all of the stories so far except the Master B's room by Dickens. I like the idea if it and understood it was reminiscing about childhood before a life changing event happens to make him grow up too fast. I just couldn't really follow it because I don't have much background knowledge of the history behind the game they were playing out. I did enjoy the poem, it was a nice change of pace.

I finished the book last night. The long story by Gissing seemed to be better written and have more to it than some of the other stories, but it still left me feeling a little flat. It seemed like there should be more to it than there was. Nevertheless, I think it infected my dreams all night.

Haunted House has been an interesting experiment, but I for one will be glad to get back to novels.

I agree that the longer story was one of the better ones but was flat. I think it was interesting to see the results of the following or need for social status and planning children's lives.

Jamie wrote: "I didn't realize until after reading the intro that this is not supposed to be ghost stories but each story deals with the ghost of someone's past. Also, Dickens was not very happy with the outcome..."

I believe that in Victorian times it was part of the tradition to sit around the fire and tell ghost stories.

I have not yet finished the story as I was out of town for a week visiting my sister and did not have much time for reading, but thus far I am finding this to be an interesting collection of stories.

I do like the way that each of the different rooms is given to a different writer to tell their own "ghost stories." At first I had expected the collection to be more traditional sort of ghost stories, but interest, as had been mentioned before, each story recounts the life and past of another individual. I do think it is an intriguing concept. I find most the stories to be interesting and some rather humorous. I have to agree that so far the first story by Dickens is my least favorite within the collection.