Ghost story is a supernatural tale in which the spirit of a dead person haunts the living. Many ghost stories play on the readers’ fear of death and their dread of uncomfortable, strange places, such as deserted mansions or medieval castles. However, many stories tease and often frighten readers by making the ghost’s disruptive behavior happen in normal or even in highly civilized settings. See Ghost.
Many ghosts are evil or unpleasant, but some may be helpful. A restless ghost may return from the dead for many reasons. The spirit may right a wrong, take revenge, expose a crime that had gone unpunished, reveal the location of a lost will or hidden treasure, or even teach someone an important lesson. Typically, ghosts haunt the place where, in life, they suffered an injury or died. Although most ghost stories try to frighten readers, some are amusing.
Writers since ancient times have used ghosts in their stories. However, the golden age of ghost stories is considered to be the 1800’s in England. The inventor of the modern ghost story was the Irish author Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, who wrote his first ghost story in 1838. Other notable authors of ghost stories in the 1800’s and early 1900’s included British authors Algernon Blackwood, Charles Dickens, W. W. Jacobs, and M. R. James and American writers August Derleth, Henry James, and H. P. Lovecraft.
See also Blackwood, Algernon; Derleth, August; Dickens, Charles; James, Henry (His works); Le Fanu, Joseph Sheridan; Lovecraft, H. P..
