Henry James Gets Supernatural
The short stories
This isn’t about The Turn of the Screw. Many others have gone there before me, and while yes, I do happen to be rather crazy about this story, I don’t think his shorter stories (supernatural or not) get enough attention.
He wrote plenty of weird, supernatural, and ghostly tales, and the list that follows is not exhaustive. I include some of the main ideas but not extensive summaries or treatments. If you’re of a mind to read about regret, nostalgia, misunderstandings, sibling rivalries, jealousy, insecurity, secrets, repressed feelings, love gone wrong . . . check them out, as these familiar themes are all here within that otherwordly umbrella.
There’s plenty of ambiguity within some of these disturbing tales, which feed on our own insecurities and unease, so bring your psychological hot mess to James’ table, where you might find yourself considering your own life choices and repressed feelings just as much as his characters do.
De Grey: A Romance (1868)
A true love story derailed by misunderstandings, regret, and a family curse, which dooms those who love them as well as the ones damaged by the curse itself. I always wonder if trying to avoid a curse only brings it about, because every story I read where the characters make such an effort only end in tragedy. You can run, but you can’t hide.
The Romance of Certain Old Clothes (1868)
Sibling rivalry and then some. What happens when sisters fight over their brother’s friend? One dies, of course, but not without extracting a deathbed promise, and when the other takes her place as the man’s wife, bad luck follows. Jealously strikes even from beyond the grave in this gem, which features a murdery ghost and chilling imagery you can’t unsee long after you’ve finished reading.
The Last of the Valerii (1874)
What happens when you dig up a statue of Juno after you and your Italian husband have been disagreeing about the value of personal faith? Of course, he becomes obsessed - possibly possessed - by the old thing, and there’s blood sacrifice and geez, what can a girl do? Let’s not even mention the dwarf who oversees the excavation of the statue, because he definitely freaks me out.
The Ghostly Rental (1876)
These young men James employs as narrators never learn. A Cambridge student chances upon an old mansion while out for a stroll, and feels something for, or from, it. He learns that it is supposedly haunted, and of course, needs to know more. What he discovers is a family curse, a troubled father-daughter relationship, and one, or maybe two, ghosts. Lots of guilt and regret here, as these family curse situations tend to go.
Sir Edmund Orme (1891)
This is a sad tale, with a ghost who doesn’t wish to cause harm but rather save the daughter of the woman he loves from guilt and regret. His appearance is a warning to the lover who jilted him and her unworthy child, but he also shows himself to the narrator, who is interested in the daughter. He does the young man a solid, because the girl he fancies has a lot of suitors and is a total player.
Owen Wingrave (1892)
Poor Owen was left to the care of his aunt when he was orphaned as a child, and is raised in a family home with a violent history. As an adult, he fights against the family’s expectations, only to suffer a tragic ending by accepting a dare to prove his courage to the girl he is meant to marry. He doesn’t want to follow his family’s violent footsteps, but the house and the terror within won’t let him escape. I always feel bad for this poor guy every time I reread this story; these Victorian orphans just don’t stand a chance.
The Way It Came (1896, changed to The Friends of the Friends 1909)
A woman suspects the fiancé she has never met of cheating on her with her friend, who shares a similar psychic experience with the man. The friend dies without warning right after the narrator plans to apologize for failing to trust her, and the fiancé claims that he saw the friend the night she died - as a visitation. The narrator accuses him of being in love with her friend, and this jealously ruins any chance of her (or his) happiness. He was better off keeping that short, supernatural visit to himself.
The Real Right Thing (1899)
A ghost keeps his wife and friend from writing his biography. At the request of his friend’s widow, George agrees to write this biography, and at first, he senses a presence in his friend’s study that seems agreeable, as if his friend approves of the work, even opening drawers and boxes of personal materials for George to use. Later, though, George and the widow begin to feel uneasy as the presence changes its tune, and George’s anxiety leads him to abandon the project. Even ghosts want to keep their secrets to themselves, I suppose.
The Jolly Corner (1908)
A young man returns to his childhood home, which he has inherited, only to discover the man he could have become haunting it. He has to confront this double and come to terms with the life he has chosen and what he feels is the road he should have taken instead. This ghost hunt is a psychological trip he forces himself to travel, and is intensely thought-provoking. I tread these pages with care because they stir something in me that doesn’t like to be bothered, but it’s a favorite and I come back again and again.
Do you have a favorite supernatural James story?
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