Sir Edmund Orme

by Henry James, Nicoletta Aresca (Translator)

Sir Edmund Orme, il racconto qui proposto, è la prima storia di Henry James in cui un fantasma si palesa pienamente, da alcuni visto e da altri no nei panni del gentiluomo del titolo.

Pubblicato in rivista nel 1891, esso costituisce una delle poche boccate d’ossigeno narrativo che lo scrittore si concesse nel quinquennio 1890-1895, interamente dedicato al tentativo, poi fallito a suon di insuccessi, di diventare autore teatrale.

E anche qui, nessun colpo di scena.
L’io narrante – o meglio la voce che parla nel manoscritto ritrovato dall’autore, espediente molto caro a Henry James – si imbatte in una ragazza bellissima di cui si immediatamente si innamora

“E chi sarebbe Sir Edmund Orme?” Nel momento in cui parlai lei ebbe un trasalimento. “Silenzio, stanno arrivando.” Poi, siccome seguendo la direzione del suo sguardo, vidi Charlotte Marden sulla terrazza, alla finestra, lei aggiunse, con un accorato avvertimento: “Fate finta di non vederlo… mai!”.

“And who is Sir Edmund Orme?” At the moment I spoke she gave a start. “Hush, here they come.” Then as, following the direction of her eyes, I saw Charlotte Marden on the terrace, at the window, she added, with an intensity of warning: “Don’t notice him – never!”

Genres: Horror, Classics, Short Stories, Fiction, Fantasy, Gothic, Supernatural

91 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1891

About the author

Henry James was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the son of Henry James Sr. and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James.
He is best known for his novels dealing with the social and marital interplay between émigré Americans, the English, and continental Europeans, such as The Portrait of a Lady. His later works, such as The Ambassadors, The Wings of the Dove and The Golden Bowl were increasingly experimental. In describing the internal states of mind and social dynamics of his characters, James often wrote in a style in which ambiguous or contradictory motives and impressions were overlaid or juxtaposed in the discussion of a character's psyche. For their unique ambiguity, as well as for other aspects of their composition, his late works have been compared to Impressionist painting.
His novella The Turn of the Screw has garnered a reputation as the most analysed and ambiguous ghost story in the English language and remains his most widely adapted work in other media. He wrote other highly regarded ghost stories, such as "The Jolly Corner".
James published articles and books of criticism, travel, biography, autobiography, and plays. Born in the United States, James largely relocated to Europe as a young man, and eventually settled in England, becoming a British citizen in 1915, a year before his death. James was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911, 1912, and 1916. Jorge Luis Borges said "I have visited some literatures of East and West; I have compiled an encyclopedic compendium of fantastic literature; I have translated Kafka, Melville, and Bloy; I know of no stranger work than that of Henry James."

Reviews

[Albus Eugene Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore · Rating 4 out of 5]

«And who is Sir Edmund Orme?»«Hush, here they come. Don’t notice him – never!»
Un nobile gentiluomo si innamora di una bellissima ragazza. Da quel momento, solamente lui e la madre di lei vedranno spesso apparire un giovane molto elegante e altero, ma … ehm ... silente.
Virginia Woolf scriveva «I fantasmi di Henry James non hanno nulla in comune con i vecchi spettri violenti: i feroci pirati grondanti sangue, i cavalli bianchi, le signore senza testa che vagano per oscuri sentieri e lande battute dal vento. Hanno le loro origini dentro di noi. Sono presenti ogni qual volta l’emozione supera le nostre capacità espressive; ogni qual volta nell’ordinario emerge l’alone dello straordinario. Le perplessità lasciate in sospeso, i terrori persistenti: queste sono le emozioni che James coglie, traduce in immagini, rende accettabili e vivibili.»

[Coleccionista de finales tristes · Rating 4 out of 5]

El espectro de este relato es un vigilante que protege y atormenta a la par. Con este cuento inician sus relatos sobrenaturales que finalizan en “Otra vuelca de tuerca”, obra maestra.

Este fue uno de sus primeros cuentos de fantasmas.

La edición que leí fue el texto definitivo.

[ατζινάβωτο φέγι. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Σερ Έντμουντ Ορμ - 3/5
Μωντ Έβελυν - 1/5

2/5 συνολικά

[Shoroli Shilon · Rating 3 out of 5]

নভেম্বর মাস, কোনো এক রবিবারের স্থির, মোলায়েম দুপুর। ব্রাইটনের রাস্তায় অসংখ্য মানুষের ভিড়। কারণ কেবলমাত্র তারা চার্চ থেকে বের হয়ে এসেছে। নামহীন গল্পকথক এর সঙ্গে দেখা বন্ধু টেডি বোস্টউইক এর। নদীর ধারে গল্প করতে করতে দেখতে পায় ব্রাইটেনের অন্যতম সুন্দরী শার্লট মার্ডেন এবং সাথে তার মা মিসেস মার্ডেনকে। গল্পের শুরুটা হয় ঠিক এভাবেই!

গল্পকথক আগে থেকেই পূর্বপরিচিত সুন্দরী শার্লট মার্ডেন এর প্রতি অনেকটা ইনফ্যাচুয়েটেড। কিছুটা সময় পেরোতেই কয়েকটা বিচ্ছিন্ন ঘটনাকে কেন্দ্র করে গল্পকথক লক্ষ্য করতে থাকে শার্লটের মায়ের বিচিত্র অদ্ভুত সমস্ত আচরণ। এক পর্যায়ে সে না চাইতেই মিসেস মার্ডেনের অজানা রহস্যের সঙ্গী হয়। এই হলো গল্পের প্লট! লেখা বেশ সোজাসাপটা। খুব জটিল জটিল পাজল মেলাবার মতন গল্প নয়। এন্ডিংটাও প্রেডিক্ট করে ফেলা কঠিন নয়। অতিপ্রাকৃত, রহস্য-রহস্য ভাব। এর মধ্যে বইয়ের নাম আবার "Sir Edmund Orme"! এই লোকটা আবার কে?

পড়ে দেখতে পারেন। ভালো লাগবে, আশা করি।

[a.g.e. montagner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amor, ch'a nullo amato amar perdona.

Per essere uno scrittore che ammetteva di non prediligere il genere soprannaturale, Henry James scrisse un buon numero di racconti di fantasmi. Il punto è che James era nato un secolo in ritardo per essere interessato ai fantasmi in sé; ad interessarlo era la psicologia dei personaggi capaci di vederne uno. Le apparizioni erano quindi per lui un pretesto, o per meglio dire un escamotage. Non a caso, le sue migliori ghost stories (che a volte sono le sue storie migliori tout court) vennero scritte tra i 1890’s ed i 1900’s: il culmine della sua carriera, il periodo in cui l’introspezione nelle sue opere si fece (ancora) più sottile.
A riprova di questo c’è la sapienza nell’uso del punto di vista narrativo. Quasi tutti i suoi racconti del soprannaturale sono narrati in prima persona da uno dei personaggi, solitamente il protagonista. Questo accorgimento permette una maggiore immedesimazione (leggi suspence), ma soprattutto consente il ricorso ad un unreliable narrator. E non ho bisogno di aggiungere che i personaggi di James sono spesso inaffidabili. Per buona misura, poi, questo è uno dei racconti (di cui The Turn of the Screw è forse l’esempio più celebre, ma non certo il primo) ad usare un cappello introduttivo: una voce narrativa anonima racconta di aver trovato uno scritto, la cui veridicità non è verificabile, che contiene la storia vera e propria. Un gioco di scatole cinesi in cui è difficile distinguere i fatti.

"Sir Edmund Orme" (1891) fa parte del periodo in cui James aveva abbandonato il ‘tema internazionale’ (il rapporto tra nuovo e vecchio mondo) per dedicarsi a narrazioni prettamente europee, spesso britanniche. In questo caso rappresenta l’alta società di Brighton, che scivola da una passeggiata sulla King’s Road ad una passeggiata nella campagna del Sussex. James prediligeva scegliere i propri personaggi tra le classi agiate*, e nelle sue opere succede poco o nulla, tranne qualche evento sociale ed un corteggiamento ogni tanto. La trama di questo racconto si potrebbe riassumere come segue: rampollo benestante cerca di conquistare la mano della giovane di cui è innamorato, ingraziandosi la futura suocera, vedova. Il che è sufficiente anche a presentare il trio di personaggi principali. E poi c’è Sir Edmund Orme. Che è la prova *ahem* vivente della forza con cui l’amore può essere più duraturo anche della vita.
Perché questa è anche, o dovrei dire soprattutto, una storia d’amore. Una storia in cui l’amore non corrisposto si prende la sua rivincita. “It was a case of retributive justice, of the visiting on the children of the sins of the mothers, since not of the fathers”.
Molto interessanti gli scorci di una Brighton novembrina. Sono sempre stato curioso di sapere com'è questo resort inglese durante i mesi invernali...

* Ovviamente semplifico una questione complessa. A titolo d’esempio, la telegrafista londinese protagonista di In the Cage, una novella del 1898, è tra i pochi rappresentanti della working class nella narrative jamesiana.

[Josie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh

[Gaspar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bilingual review, English and Portuguese.


Rating: 6/10
An elegant tale, though lacking the atmospheric weight that could have made it memorable.

"Sir Edmund Orme" presents a ghost in unusual ways: not as a grotesque figure or a gothic menace, but as a distinguished gentleman, a "perfect presence" carrying the memory of a past tragedy.

The story is narrated through the writings left by the protagonist after his death. We learn that Charlotte died within the first year of marriage, in childbirth, leaving me with the impression that the union never brought happiness to any of the parties involved.

Sir Edmund, once the fiancé of Mrs. Marden, took his own life when he was rejected out of a romantic whim, and ever since has haunted not the woman responsible, but her daughter Charlotte — who knows nothing of it. Only the mother perceives the apparition, while the narrator, deeply in love with Charlotte, becomes entangled in this spectral drama.

The narrator, however, does not react to the ghost with horror, but with respectful curiosity, almost fascinated by the chance to witness such a refined supernatural presence. He even comes to interpret Sir Edmund’s appearance as a kind of prevention — as if the specter, in his distinction, were there to ensure that no man would ever again suffer the same fate he did: to fall hopelessly in love with a woman only to be rejected at the very last moment. This gives the tale a unique quality among ghost stories: the apparition not as punishment, but as a guardian against the repetition of his own tragedy.

The central ambiguity lies in the romance between the narrator and Charlotte: while he loves her intensely, there is the sense that this love is not fully reciprocated. Mrs. Marden, weighed down by her own guilt, wishes for the marriage to go forward as a form of expiation, as if the ghost could only rest through her daughter’s union. The culmination comes in a symbolic scene: at the very instant of the mother’s death, her final scream blends with Sir Edmund’s last "sigh," heard by both Charlotte and the narrator.

Henry James delivers here another exercise in applying his realist prose to the fantastic: a ghost that imposes itself not as a threat, but as a memory, a moral reminder cloaked in English elegance. It is precisely this stylistic choice that makes "Sir Edmund Orme" different from heavier gothic narratives: it lacks the shadowy atmosphere and the chill of mystery, yet it offers psychological subtlety and the guise of a period romance rather than a supernatural tale. Even so, this absence of weight dilutes some of the impact. The ghost, after all, is more polite and distinguished than frightening, leaving the story interesting, but distant from the visceral power of the great horror tales written in the same century. Still, I recommend it, for this unique characteristic.

-------------------------------------------

Nota: 6/10
Um conto elegante, mas sem o peso atmosférico que poderia torná-lo memorável.

"Sir Edmund Orme" apresenta um fantasma de maneiras incomuns: não como figura grotesca ou ameaça gótica, mas como um cavalheiro distinto, uma "presença perfeita" que carrega consigo a memória de uma tragédia passada.

O conto é narrado a partir dos escritos deixados pelo protagonista após sua morte. Descobrimos que Charlotte faleceu no primeiro ano de casamento, no parto, me deixando a impressão de que o matrimônio jamais trouxe a felicidade para nenhuma das partes envolvidas.

Sir Edmund, antigo noivo de Mrs. Marden, suicidou-se quando foi rejeitado por um capricho amoroso, e desde então assombra não a própria culpada, mas a filha dela, Charlotte — que nada sabe da situação. Apenas a mãe enxerga a aparição, e o narrador, apaixonado por Charlotte, acaba enredado nesse drama espectral.

O narrador, por sua vez, não reage ao fantasma com horror, mas com curiosidade respeitosa, quase fascinado por poder testemunhar um sobrenatural tão refinado. Ele chega até a interpretar a presença de Sir Edmund como uma espécie de prevenção — como se o espectro, em sua distinção, estivesse ali para garantir que nenhum homem sofresse novamente o mesmo destino que ele: apaixonar-se perdidamente por uma mulher apenas para ser rejeitado no instante final. Esse aspecto dá ao conto um tom único dentro das histórias de fantasmas: a aparição não como punição, mas como guardião contra a repetição de sua própria tragédia.

A ambiguidade central está no romance entre narrador e Charlotte: enquanto ele a ama com intensidade, há a sensação de que esse amor não é plenamente correspondido. Mrs. Marden, consciente da culpa que carrega, deseja que o casamento se concretize como uma forma de expiação, como se o fantasma só pudesse descansar diante da união da filha. A culminação ocorre de forma simbólica: no instante em que a mãe morre, o grito final dela se confunde com o último "suspiro" de Sir Edmund, ouvido tanto por Charlotte quanto pelo narrador.


Henry James oferece aqui mais um exercício da sua prosa realista aplicada ao fantástico: um fantasma que não se impõe como ameaça, mas como lembrança, um lembrete moral com a marca de uma elegância inglesa. É justamente essa opção estilística que torna "Sir Edmund Orme" diferente das narrativas góticas mais pesadas: falta-lhe o clima sombrio, o arrepio atmosférico, mas sobra sutileza psicológica e um clima disfarçado de um romance típico da época, não uma história sobre o sobrenatural. Ainda assim, a ausência desse peso acaba por diluir parte do impacto. O fantasma, afinal, é mais educado e distinto do que assustador, o que deixa o conto interessante, mas distante da visceralidade que marca as grandes histórias de horror que foram escritas no mesmo século. Ainda sim eu a recomendo, dado a essa característica única.

[Josiah Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though written before mental illness was recognized as a reality for many, this story must be one of the greatest texts on mental illness and anguish ever recorded in any artform. Indeed, Orme's form may be one that haunts Charlotte, but it can only be seen by her mother and lover, until stricken from her accursed body by Charlotte's ultimate surrender to love. Note that James constructs Charlotte's intrinsic reality entirely divorced from the protagonist's necessarily false one with the caveat in the opening paragraph; a technique Poe regularly deployed also.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story has to do with two love affairs in two generations. The first is when the apparition of Sir Edmund Orme appears to Mrs. Marden as an uncomfortable reminder of her previous cruelty in jilting him. The second is when the narrator’s analysis is based on the egotistical supposition that he is being protected, that Sir Edmund appears in more of a protective function acting to prevent any repetition of such cruel behavior to a truly serious suitor such as the narrator by her daughter.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again, another great short story by Henry James. Reading this played out in my head like a movie, I could picture and hear every moment!

[Zoe Surratt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the ending but I was confused at first if he had TRULY loved Charlotte up to the end. Sir Edmund Orme sounds like a nice ghost even though Mrs. Marden would disagree.

[Ana Srugies · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this short story. It played out so vividly in my mind like other of Henry James’ stories.

Charlotte Marden is a beautiful liberal charming creature whose appearance and wit takes the eyes of most men in the story. She takes this beauty from her mother, Mrs Marden: “looks and movements and tones- moments when you could scarcely say if it were aspect or sound - between the two appearances referred and reminded.” However, from the beginning of the story, her mother’s struggles become apparent in her acts of distress and worry.

Mrs Marden is followed by the ghost of her old lover Sir Edmund Orme, who she refused at last as she unavoidably fell in love with Mr Marden.

The protagonist finds himself in between the love of Charlotte and sharing the ability to see Sir Edmund Orme with her mother, whose worries lessen after this realization.

The ghost seems to be visible only to those in true love and so as her mother is in her last breath, Charlotte is suddenly able to see the ghost. With a shriek and tears she goes to the arms of her lover only to realize that her mother and Sir Edmund Orme are gone.

[Elisa Origine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Breve short story, letta in un pomeriggio.
Avvincente e ben scritta, mi ha un po' delusa sul piano psicologico... Ho trovato i personaggi vividi, ma un po' troppo vicini a certi cliché. Finale un po' affrettato, avrei chiuso il racconto in maniera diversa.
Comunque una piacevolissima lettura.

P.s. Nota sull'edizione (con testo a fronte in lingua originale): io certo non sono una che si infastidisce per gli spoiler (dato che non leggo mai i libri per la trama), ma che idea perversa quella di spoilerare quasi tutto il racconto nell'introduzione!

[David P · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sencillito relato que tiene como protagonista a un fantasma que no asusta mucho, aunque sí es algo inquietante, y que se aparece alrededor de una joven, si bien ella no puede verlo (solo lo hacen algunas personas cercanas a ella). Con su estilo característico (aunque creo también que no tan enrevesado ni florido como en otros relatos) Henry James nos va desvelando el misterio de este fantasma. Perfecta para leer de una sentada.

[Mike Lisanke · Rating 2 out of 5]

shrug... what's to say? yet another undeveloped (horror?) story... a guy likes a woman's daughter and can see the same ghost as mom does? the ghost of the man who killed himself because mom rejected him for another man (from previous story). so, when the daughter can finally see the man (Sir Edmund) mom dies... the end. yawn. WTF was this about? and Why do ppl thing this is a great (or even good) writer?

[Emi Porfiri · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I remember entertaining, as we moved together over the turf, a strong impulse to say something intensely personal, something violent and important -important for me, such as that I had never seen her so lovely, or that that particular moment was the sweetest of my life. But always, in youth, such words have been on the lips many times before they are spoken.”

[Arijit Ganguly · Rating 2 out of 5]

The entire premise of the unrequited love of a man turning into a curse after his suicide, and the aftermath on the life of the woman and her daughter, felt extremely disjointed. How the curse worked, what it hoped to achieve, nothing made sense. The climax went against every plot point. But to the story's credit, the atmosphere was brilliantly executed.

[Shaneen Thompson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an alright ghost story, but I found the main character rather insufferable. The writing wasn't exactly my style, so was a bit difficult to get through. If you enjoy Victorian dramas with a touch of ghostly spookiness, you might enjoy this.

[Germán Pérez-Duarte · Rating 5 out of 5]

A much more digestible story than Certain Old Clothes, and I think a much better horror story overall. It was engaging, with great characters, and again, a great look into the time it was written. High recommend.

[Benjamin Stahl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I generally find the great Henry James to be a bit "hit and miss". This is one of his good ones.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I preferred this to 'The Turn of the Screw'. Possibly because it was not so ambiguous.

[Ananda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ho trovato particolarmente godibile questa ghost story i cui personaggi psicologicamente ben cesellati rendono la lettura del racconto molto viva.

[Koushik Ahammed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ordinary 😊!!!

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good

[Toni Earling · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great little ghost story with a predictable ending

[Rira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love. Betrayal. Obsession. Hauntings. Spooky.

[Daniel Behar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spooky. This guy is a creep. Some nice prose. Brighton sounds lovely.

[Laila Kazemi · Rating 3 out of 5]

2nd work of Henry James with super natural elements that I am reading.
I enjoy his twists

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

assigned for horror lit course. This was much easier to get through than the other Henry James piece assigned.

[Clara · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5*