The Water Ghost and Others

by John Kendrick Bangs

The trouble with Harrowby Hall was that it was haunted, and, what was worse, the ghost did not content itself with merely appearing at the bedside of the afflicted person who saw it, but persisted in remaining there for one mortal hour before it would disappear. It never appeared except on Christmas Eve, and then as the clock was striking twelve, in which respect alone was it lacking in that originality which in these days is a sine qua non of success in spectral life. The owners of Harrowby Hall had done their utmost to rid themselves of the damp and dewy lady who rose up out of the best bedroom floor at midnight, but without avail. They had tried stopping the clock, so that the ghost would not know when it was midnight; but she made her appearance just the same, with that fearful miasmatic personality of hers, and there she would stand until everything about her was thoroughly saturated.

Genres: Humor, Horror, Mystery Thriller, Young Adult

98 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1894

About the author

John Kendrick Bangs was an American author and satirist, and the creator of modern Bangsian fantasy, the school of fantasy writing that sets the plot wholly or partially in the afterlife.

Reviews

[Pramod Nair · Rating 3 out of 5]

An anthology of 8 comical Victorian era ‘ghost stories’ by the American humorist & satirist John Kendrick Bangs. Originally published in 1894, by Harper & Brothers, the stories in this compilation provides entertaining reading.

The Water Ghost Of Harrowby Hall, the title story of this collection, is about a ghost that appears on every Christmas Eve and is a fine example of the subtle humor that Bangs can produce. The short story, The Spectre Cook Of Bangletop, is a funny ghost story that pokes fun at peerage or titles of nobility.

The short story titled The Speck On The Lens is a witty, ‘not so spooky’ kind of tale about a marvelous invention, with an unexpected climax. The Ghost Club is a short and fine example of Bangsian Fantasy - stories in which important literary and historical personalities are humorously portrayed as characters, within a clever, lean plot line, - a genre, which was made popular by John Kendrick Bangs.

Apart from this anthology, there are two more collections - Ghosts I Have Met and Some Others (1898) and Over the Plum Pudding (1902), - which compile tales of supernatural and ghostly nature from Bangs.

[Bbrown · Rating 3 out of 5]

John Kendrick Bangs' supernatural stories distinguish themselves from those of his contemporaries by virtue of the fact that Bangs obviously didn't intend for these stories to scare, but rather to amuse. In this he succeeds. While they may be filled with ghosts and other strange entities, these stories are ultimately enjoyable larks that don't frighten in the least (the only story that even approaches being creepy is “A Midnight Visitor”). The writing reminded me at times of Chesterton's prose, not in terms of quality, but it's of the same era and you get the feeling that Bangs, like Chesterton, did much of his writing with a big smile on his face, perhaps at times laughing at his own fancies. The Water Ghost And Others is largely entertaining fluff that isn't too memorable, but fun nonetheless. The only story that has a bit more depth is “The Literary Remains of Thomas Bragdon,” which I read as the story of a man coming to terms with the sudden loss of a friend who he only realizes in retrospect that he loved romantically.

The horror genre has evolved such that the stories of past writers like M.R. James, which were actually supposed to be scary, seem rather toothless nowadays. In contrast, by setting his sights on trying to tell some amusing supernatural escapades and no more, Bangs' works have better stood the test of time. And they’re in the public domain, so you can go on Project Gutenberg and check them out for free! 3.5/5, rounding down.

[Scott Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

More great Bangsian humorous "horror" writing. While he never gets terribly close to the frightening zone despite his continual use of ghosts and other traditional horror fair, he is strong at social satire , poking fun through all his characters - natural and supernatural - at the world around and the pretences of the various social classes.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

A prolific humorist of the late Victorian era, John Kendrick Bangs is all but forgotten today. Too bad, because he is fun to read and his books have delightful decorative covers. This is one of two collections of ghost stories by him. If I had kids still at home, I'd love to try reading some of these aloud at the dinner table.

[markloughe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant

I've never read book written in in the Victorian era but this won't by any means be the last *****

[Victor Vilestone · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful set of ghostly and mysterious short stories set over one hundred years ago.

[Mark Rabideau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although there are a few good tales in this collection; there are not nearly enough.

[Jolie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very much satirical Victorian-era humor.

[Guerrilla808]

This is funny and awesome!!!

[Nanci Svensson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Post-modernism Revealed during the era of the Great Spiritualists! Very unexpected and detached satire, though if one is looking for gothic frights and not triple irony disappointment will ensue.