Kerfol 1916

by Edith Wharton

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Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Classics, Fiction, Gothic, The United States Of America, Historical Fiction

35 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1916

About the author

Edith Wharton emerged as one of America’s most insightful novelists, deftly exposing the tensions between societal expectation and personal desire through her vivid portrayals of upper-class life. Drawing from her deep familiarity with New York’s privileged “aristocracy,” she offered readers a keenly observed and piercingly honest vision of Gilded Age society.

Her work reached a milestone when she became the first woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, awarded for The Age of Innocence. This novel highlights the constraining rituals of 1870s New York society and remains a defining portrait of elegance laced with regret.

Wharton’s literary achievements span a wide canvas. The House of Mirth presents a tragic, vividly drawn character study of Lily Bart, navigating social expectations and the perils of genteel poverty in 1890s New York. In Ethan Frome, she explores rural hardship and emotional repression, contrasting sharply with her urban social dramas.

Her novella collection Old New York revisits the moral terrain of upper-class society, spanning decades and combining character studies with social commentary. Through these stories, she inevitably points back to themes and settings familiar from The Age of Innocence. Continuing her exploration of class and desire, The Glimpses of the Moon addresses marriage and social mobility in early 20th-century America. And in Summer, Wharton challenges societal norms with its rural setting and themes of sexual awakening and social inequality.

Beyond fiction, Wharton contributed compelling nonfiction and travel writing. The Decoration of Houses reflects her eye for design and architecture; Fighting France: From Dunkerque to Belfort presents a compelling account of her wartime observations. As editor of The Book of the Homeless, she curated a moving, international collaboration in support of war refugees.

Wharton’s influence extended beyond writing. She designed her own country estate, The Mount, a testament to her architectural sensibility and aesthetic vision. The Mount now stands as an educational museum celebrating her legacy.

Throughout her career, Wharton maintained friendships and artistic exchanges with luminaries such as Henry James, Sinclair Lewis, Jean Cocteau, André Gide, and Theodore Roosevelt—reflecting her status as a respected and connected cultural figure.
Her literary legacy also includes multiple Nobel Prize nominations, underscoring her international recognition. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature more than once.

In sum, Edith Wharton remains celebrated for her unflinching, elegant prose, her psychological acuity, and her capacity to illuminate the unspoken constraints of society—from the glittering ballrooms of New York to quieter, more remote settings. Her wide-ranging work—novels, novellas, short stories, poetry, travel writing, essays—offers cultural insight, enduring emotional depth, and a piercing critique of the customs she both inhabited and dissected.

Reviews

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars*

Our narrator is viewing creepy Kerfol castle in Brittany with a view to buying.

When he arrives, he can’t find anyone to show him round. The guardian of the castle is nowhere to be seen, but instead, there’s a group of dogs watching his every move.
The dogs follow but don’t respond to his attempts to stroke them, instead backing away. He sees fear and uncertainty in their eyes, although they appear to be well looked after.
On leaving the castle, he is given a book to read by a friend that might just explain the dogs appearance!

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kerfol is the name of a haunted castle that a man is exploring perhaps to purchase when he comes upon a pack of dogs. These dogs are in the main, small, beautiful and well cared for, but unusual in their quietness. They approach the man at a distance and then follow him, but retreat when he tried to pet one.
This is a short ghost story with a different type of haunted inhabitants. Dog lovers should be wary, although the loyalty of these animals last way beyond death.

[Janete on hiatus due health issues · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was another Okay reading.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kerfol This is an very atypical ghost tale; the ghost is not human. Enough said, but another tale that is fraught with the gothic setting and mood.

[George Ilsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A ghost story of sorts; I've only recently discovered that the celebrated author Edith Wharton wrote ghost stories.

Kerfol is the name of an old house/castle/ruin that is recommended to a wealthy bachelor as a ideal residence. While on an exploratory visit, he has a mysterious encounter and then later reads an account of a trial 200 years earlier.

Edith Wharton's ghost stories are devices with which to explore other themes. Here, she looks at spousal abuse, and the powerlessness of women trapped in cruel marriages.

[Warren Fournier · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting short story, one of Edith Wharton's modest output of ghostly tales. It is included in the omnibus "The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton," but was first published in 1916.

The narrator is looking to buy an old castle in Brittany named Kerfol, and goes to tour the estate, but the people who live there are at the local pub getting drunk. Evidently, it is an annual tradition that on one particular day they go out drinking so as to avoid the ghosts that come out to play. And our narrator comes to find out that ghosts come in unlikely shapes and sizes.

Readers will detect a feminist undercurrent in the treatment of one of the female characters whose story is told within the story, but it lacks the power and quality that is characteristic of Wharton's usually amazing writing. This certainly makes for pleasant bedtime reading, but there's nothing here that I can see that elevates it to a classic. If you run across it in a collection, don't miss it, but I don't think it will stand in your memory as one to scare children with by the fire.

[Jenny Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really did not get this at all... He killed the dogs why? What was the point of it?
Written well, so there is that.

[Tom Mathews · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is not exactly what I expected going in. Even so, it is a great example of gothic horror and a far cry from Ethan Frome which was imposed on me in school. I look forward to hearing other people's impressions of this story.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here is the fourth story in Wharton's collection of ghosts, and if "The Lady's Maid's Bell" can be called poor, with "Afterward" classifying as rich, then "Kerfol" is solidly the bourgeoisie -- middle class. To use Wharton's own words: "...the narrative plain sailing."

This tale is enjoyable mainly for its straightforwardness and square construction. Indeed, it is long on architectural and landscape description, as if to undergird the uncertainty with earthiness and throw more pity onto its tragic heroine by virtue of an ironic twist which renders her "horror" as the human one, her "salvation" as the haunting.

[Harry W · Rating 4 out of 5]

The house at Kerfol was not actually very scary in my opinion, but that does not mean it is bad. An enticing confusing story. I read this with my mum.

[Karelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

J'ai juste lu la nouvelle, dans un recueil autre que cette édition, et il me semble, en fait, que je l'avais déjà lu...

[Tiffany Lynn Kramer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edith Wharton's Kerfol is one of the better gothic horror tales I've read. I appreciated that she didn't make events over dramatic like most gothic writers are prone to do. The only flaw I can find is the ending which feels abrupt and unfinished.

[Marwan Hamed · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit spooky I might say, but had no shivers reading it tbh and too much unexplained phenomena. Yet I believe this can be the begining of a very interesting Novel if someone pursues to extend it a little bit.

[Kyrah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Proof that man who say that’s they’re a "good guy/gives golden retriever vibes" are the worst of the worst. Scums of the earth. It’s not because he’s giving you gifts and sounds like a good man, that it means that he actually is. Those dogs should’ve pushed him off a cliff and not the stairs. Amen.

Toodles 🖖🏾

[Manda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this short story because you can imagine how absurd the situation is. Hearing about Anne’s story through a third person narrator was a little unnecessary only because the narrator’s portion of the story took away the horror elements.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this out loud to Harry, and we both agreed that it was not so chilling, but a little bit heartbreaking, which is exactly what I would expect from Edith.

[Lawrence FitzGerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gothic. Unique. Short story.

It's Edith Wharton so, good prose, good characterization, good world building, good story. And for this one no theme.

[Jillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars. A tough read for dog-lovers, but the ghostly revenge was satisfying.

[Guillermo Maddalena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entretenido, gótico, suspenso, buen cuento!!

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

You might want to take a pass on this if you are sensitive to animal cruelty.
Originally published in 1916, then again in 1937 in the posthumous collection Ghosts, which she had been preparing at the time of her death.
Wharton's descriptive language transports one right onto the grounds of the property known as Kerfol She impressively and beautifully sets the stage for this unusual ghost story. Interestingly, Wharton, who was afraid of all animals except dogs, surprisingly chose to feature dogs as the initial creep factor to open the story. Creepy dogs in an amazing setting is quite a kick off. After further investigation into the property, it is learned that (of course) there is a sinister backstory attached to the home. This is found in old court documents. What follows is a tale of abuse, cruelty, and vengeance. There is no big twist or reveal, just a subtle tale that hits all the right notes for a ghost story.
In the public domain; available to download.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Kerfol' is a short gothic ghost story Edith Wharton wrote about 1916. In this story a young woman marries an older wealthy man. All seems well at first. The husband then starts to terrorize his young wife. He murders various dogs that come into her life. He then is later murdered by their ghosts.
short story also found at: online-literature.com

[Phil Slattery · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very spooky story centering around the dogs at a French estate an Englishwoman is considering purchasing in the early 20th century and a murder that occurred centuries before. Though a little slow in the beginning, Wharton does a good job of building the suspense and then summing up the history of the estate as the denouement.

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was curious about this story when The Ghosts of Kerfol came out. Then we went on the Mount Ghost Tour, where they took us to the pet cemetary on the grounds, and talked about this story. Now, I've finally gotten the chance to read it. Now onto The Ghosts of Kerfol!

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edith Warton's story 'Kerfol' is a ghostly tale of revenge and while it's not my favorite story of hers, was still a (short) pleasure to read. The ending will leave you wondering about the purpose of the story though as it's left very open-ended.

[Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is quite a departure for the author of such classics as The Age of Innocence and The House of Mirth.

A creepy, gothic ghost story, this is a very effective and unsettling short work that reminds one of The Turn of the Screw by Henry James.

It is recommended for fans of the genre.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the master of the house has turned to cruelty both to lady and to her dogs, a surprising memory hangs on. A sad little ghost story.

[Fachrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

A strange little tale.

[paige hope ziolkowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short story is remarkable to say the least. One of the most unsettling, unique, and unforgettable classic horror stories I’ve ever read.

[Tasmin Bradshaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

Those poor dogs ☹️

[sofia✧˖*°࿐ · Rating 3 out of 5]

poor anne, i would have gone “mad” as well.