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Fantasmagoriana: Tales of The Dead
It was on a 'dark and stormy night', during the summer of 1816 that an eccentic group of English literati gathered at the Villa Diodati. The atmosphere at the Villa was charged by the violent streaks of lightening that licked at the mountain tops and split a black sky. As the wind outside whipped up the surface of lake Leman into a cauldron of waves the occupants of the Villa; Lord Byron, Mary Shelley, Dr John Polidori, Percy Shelley and Claire Clairmont, whipped themselves into a gothic frenzy with recitals of haunting poetry and ghost stories. The stories that they read came from a book, originally written in German, that had recently been translated into French. The book that they read from was called Fantasmagoriana. Fantasmagoriana has a unique place in literary history. This is the first full translation of the stories that inspired Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Dr John Polidori's The Vampyre.
13 • The Spectre Barber • novella by Johann Karl August Musäus (trans. of Stumme Liebe 1782) [as by J. Masaus]
37 • The Family Portraits • novelette by A. Apel (trans. of Die Bilder der Ahnen 1805)
63 • The Fated Hour • novelette by F. Laun (trans. of Die Verwandtschaft mit der Geisterwelt 1810)
77 • The Death Head • novelette by F. Laun (trans. of Der Todtenkopf 1811)
89 • The Death-Bride • novella by F. Laun (trans. of Die Todtenbraut 1811)
113 • The Ghost of the Departed • short fiction by F. Laun (trans. of Der Geist des Verstorbenen 1810)
127 • The Grey Room • short fiction by H. Clauren (trans. of Die Graue Stube 1810) [as by H. C.]
137 • The Black Chamber • short story by A. Apel (trans. of Die schwarze Kammer: Anekdote 1811)
145 • Searching for the Muse • essay by A. J. Day [as by A. Day]
13 • The Spectre Barber • novella by Johann Karl August Musäus (trans. of Stumme Liebe 1782) [as by J. Masaus]
37 • The Family Portraits • novelette by A. Apel (trans. of Die Bilder der Ahnen 1805)
63 • The Fated Hour • novelette by F. Laun (trans. of Die Verwandtschaft mit der Geisterwelt 1810)
77 • The Death Head • novelette by F. Laun (trans. of Der Todtenkopf 1811)
89 • The Death-Bride • novella by F. Laun (trans. of Die Todtenbraut 1811)
113 • The Ghost of the Departed • short fiction by F. Laun (trans. of Der Geist des Verstorbenen 1810)
127 • The Grey Room • short fiction by H. Clauren (trans. of Die Graue Stube 1810) [as by H. C.]
137 • The Black Chamber • short story by A. Apel (trans. of Die schwarze Kammer: Anekdote 1811)
145 • Searching for the Muse • essay by A. J. Day [as by A. Day]
155 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1813
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
October 21, 2023
Amore silente di Johann Karl August Musäus 👻👻👻
Ritratti di famiglia di Johann August Apel 👻👻👻👻👻
Il teschio di Friedrich August Schulze 👻👻👻👻
La sposa cadavere di Friedrich August Schulze 👻👻👻👻
L'ora fatale di Friedrich August Schulze 👻👻👻
Il ritornante di Friedrich August Schulze 👻👻👻
La stanza grigia di Heinrich Clauren 👻👻👻
La stanza nera di Johann August Apel 👻👻👻
La tempesta di Sarah Elizabeth Utterson 👻👻👻👻
Sarebbe difficile farsi un'idea dell'angoscia di Franz. Si raccomandava in silenzio alla santa Vergine, preso da un'inquietudine mortale e cercando di capire che intenzioni mai potesse avere lo spettro a suo riguardo. Voleva tagliargli la gola o solo fargli la barba?
Uno splendido volume curato alla perfezione, con un corposo e dettagliato saggio introduttivo da parte del traduttore, lungo quasi cento pagine, che fortunatamente si è rivelata essere tutt’altro che noioso da leggere, e che raccoglie quelle storie di fantasmi tedesche lette da Mary Shelley, Lord Byron e John William Polidori, in quella celebre notte buia e tempestosa a Villa Diodati del giugno 1816.
Disse di aver avuto una visione del fanciullo disteso, sanguinante in mezzo alle rocce, e che la paura I'aveva fatta cadere faccia a terra: e che quando era rientrata in sé, il bimbo era esattamente disteso in mezzo al proprio sangue, proprio nel punto dove lei aveva visto il suo fantasma.
Quella che forse è stata la notte più importante nella storia dell’orrore letterario e non solo.
Per questo motivo, a prescindere dal fatto che la maggior parte di questi racconti siano tutt’altro che memorabili, per non dire invecchiati malissimo, dategli comunque una possibilità qualora ve ne se presenti l’occasione.
I miei antenati tentarono spesso di ricoprire quella figura terrificante con l'intonaco; ma nella notte i colori riaffioravano e l'orrenda immagine riappariva chiara come prima. Spesso, la notte, si poteva vedere questo Dietmar aggirarsi vestito nella foggia che si vede nel dipinto, e condannare a morte i discendenti della famiglia con un bacio. Tre dei miei bambini hanno ricevuto questo bacio spaventoso.
Perché la confezione è comunque straordinaria, e l’importanza che hanno avuto queste brevi storie a base di castelli incantati, spettri, spiriti e ritornanti, è decisamente innegabile.
Tutto d'un colpo, la porta della stanza si aprì: e mentre la nube d'incenso che la riempiva evaporava a poco a poco, essi distinsero progressivamente i neri drappi che ne ricoprivano le pareti, e nel mezzo un altare anch'esso coperto da teli neri. Un teschio, posato sull'altare, lanciava sguardi spaventosi sui presenti.
Una antologia fondamentale per chi voglia addentrarsi nelle radici del fantastico moderno, e per tutti coloro ai quali, pur non credendo ai fantasmi, piaccia averne paura.
Fummo estremamente sorpresi quando il conte, quella stessa sera, diede ordine che la bara di Hildegarde venisse aperta in sua presenza. Ma prima mi spiegò brevemente quel che vi ho già detto, e mi propose di assistere lui e il duca nell'esumazione. Il duca si scusò, dicendo che la sola idea lo faceva tremare di terrore poiché non riusciva a vincere, specie di notte, la sua paura dei cadaveri.
Tre stelle e mezzo, ma il pacchetto completo è da dieci e lode.
December 30, 2019
Un volume ottimamente curato, con apparato introduttivo molto scrupoloso e nutrito, e diversi testi interessanti, che restituiscono perfettamente le atmosfere e le suggestioni che avrebbero ispirato i protagonisti letterari della celeberrima notte (con scommessa) di Villa Diodati. Se i racconti di Fantasmagoriana hanno davvero forgiato o agevolato le superbe fantasie di Polidori o Mary Shelley, beh, dobbiamo allora ringraziare incessantemente questi autori dimenticati e un tantino polverosi; le loro 'ragnatele', tuttavia, hanno saputo irretire le persone giuste.
December 3, 2012
It was June of 1816, during The Summer that Never Was, when a volcanic eruption in Indonesia caused frost and snow through the summer, killing crops and leaving uncounted numbers in a state of starvation. Meanwhile, in the rented Villa Diodati, a party consisting of Lord Byron, Dr. Polidori, Mary Wolstonecraft Godwin and her fiancee, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and stepsister Claire sat down and read aloud from a collection of French stories. It was perhaps the most momentous night in the history of the Horror story.
Soon, the guests declared that they would each have a hand at their own 'tale of terror', from which Mary was to write Frankenstein, Byron his 'fragment of a novel', and Polidori 'The Vampyre', the first story about such a creature published in English. Though the stories in Fantasmagoriana (published as 'Tales of the Dead' in English) are not the most remarkable or best-crafted, there is no lack of melodrama to be had.
Most of all, anyone who reads this collection will witness the marked difference between these simple tales and the complex, thoughtful treatment given to the subject by the attendees of that fateful reading. It just goes to show that a skilled and philosophically-minded author can tackle any theme or genre, and make of it something profound and immortal.
Soon, the guests declared that they would each have a hand at their own 'tale of terror', from which Mary was to write Frankenstein, Byron his 'fragment of a novel', and Polidori 'The Vampyre', the first story about such a creature published in English. Though the stories in Fantasmagoriana (published as 'Tales of the Dead' in English) are not the most remarkable or best-crafted, there is no lack of melodrama to be had.
Most of all, anyone who reads this collection will witness the marked difference between these simple tales and the complex, thoughtful treatment given to the subject by the attendees of that fateful reading. It just goes to show that a skilled and philosophically-minded author can tackle any theme or genre, and make of it something profound and immortal.
October 16, 2020
«Sì, figlia mia; non sai che grande nemico sia per l’uomo la propria immaginazione.»
Una bella collezione, simpatica intellettualmente ed atmosferica nei contenuti. Ottima l’introduzione. Consigliato. ❤️
Una bella collezione, simpatica intellettualmente ed atmosferica nei contenuti. Ottima l’introduzione. Consigliato. ❤️
Want to Read
October 30, 2020Rec'd by fellow Gothic afficionado and fellow Alex Alex, who also says Phantom of the Opera.
July 22, 2014
The first time I read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, I was hooked. The second time, I became obsessed. I turned to John Polidori’s The Vampyre. Both of these stories were germinated during a summer stay by Lake Geneva in 1816. Gathered at Lord Byron’s residence, Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, her future husband Percy Bysshe Shelley, her stepsister Claire Clairmont and Polidori read each other ghost stories to set a mood. These stories were contained in Fantasmagoriana, a French collection of German ghost stories. The edition I read was a print-on-demand, English translation of the French version.
Beginning with Johann Musäus’s “The Spectral Barber”, I found it an enjoyable read. Next up was August Apel’s “The Family Portraits”. This excellent tale also included a great way to approach ghost stories. Before a ghost story telling session, one of those present said:
I wasn’t as excited about the rest of the stories in the collection, which included three more by Laun, add another by Apel. They mostly had simplistic, Hollywood-style trajectories and endings. Although, one story by Heinrich Clauren (“The Gray Room”) was interesting in that it reminded me of Ann Radcliffe’s approach to Gothic, in which the supernatural is always shown to have a rational explanation.
Overall, I’m glad I read this collection and would enjoy being able to see the 1812 French first edition some day.
Beginning with Johann Musäus’s “The Spectral Barber”, I found it an enjoyable read. Next up was August Apel’s “The Family Portraits”. This excellent tale also included a great way to approach ghost stories. Before a ghost story telling session, one of those present said:
”No one shall search for any explanation, even though it bears the stamp of truth, as explanations would take away all the pleasure from ghost stories” (p. 39)So very true. This collection continued to get even better with Friedrich Laun’s “The Fated Hour”. I found it a well-told, chilling scare with no simplistic closure at the end. My reading notes say it all, “Well done.”
I wasn’t as excited about the rest of the stories in the collection, which included three more by Laun, add another by Apel. They mostly had simplistic, Hollywood-style trajectories and endings. Although, one story by Heinrich Clauren (“The Gray Room”) was interesting in that it reminded me of Ann Radcliffe’s approach to Gothic, in which the supernatural is always shown to have a rational explanation.
Overall, I’m glad I read this collection and would enjoy being able to see the 1812 French first edition some day.
May 25, 2020
These are the ghost stories that Shelleys, Byron and Polidori read each other at Villa Diodati, “on a dark and stormy night” in June 1816 (known as “year without a summer” due to climate abnormalities). It seems that they have been translated to English from French translation as in the collection called Fantasmagoriana (1812), but original stories have been written by different German writers in different collections, who more or less belong to Romanticism and thus, explored and inspired by folk tales extensively. These 8 stories were written by 4 writers: Johann August Apel, Friedrich Laun, Johann Karl August Musäus and Heinrich Clauren. Most of the stories were first published at the beginning of 19th century.
Actually, these are not scary stories, especially in today’s standarts, but they are able to create a creepy atmosphere. (3 of 8 stories were resolved as having human causes rather than supernatural roots, which takes back the reading pleasure a bit.) My favorites are The Family Portraits and The Death-Bride: Both of them gives you a sinister feeling, mysterious until the end (even after the end) and authentically belong to gothic fiction. In short, this compilation is a must-read if you like ghost stories, because it is one of the ancestors of ghost-story-telling.
PS: I guess this collection or each story can be found in Project Gutenberg or Internet Archive.
Actually, these are not scary stories, especially in today’s standarts, but they are able to create a creepy atmosphere. (3 of 8 stories were resolved as having human causes rather than supernatural roots, which takes back the reading pleasure a bit.) My favorites are The Family Portraits and The Death-Bride: Both of them gives you a sinister feeling, mysterious until the end (even after the end) and authentically belong to gothic fiction. In short, this compilation is a must-read if you like ghost stories, because it is one of the ancestors of ghost-story-telling.
PS: I guess this collection or each story can be found in Project Gutenberg or Internet Archive.
June 5, 2019
3.5* complessive. Mi sono molto divertita a leggere questi racconti, molti m'hanno ricordato Poe e Lovecraft, alcuni sono dissacranti e altri persino teneri!
Lo consiglio agli appassionati di storie di fantasmi, non è un capolavoro ma si lascia godere ;)
Lo consiglio agli appassionati di storie di fantasmi, non è un capolavoro ma si lascia godere ;)
October 10, 2026
Centosette pagine di prefazione (pagina più pagina meno dato che l'ho letto in digitale e quindi il conteggio può variare con il cartaceo), ottanta di prefazione vera e propria, il resto sono tutte note alla stessa; in pratica ero già annoiata prima di cominciare a leggere il libro vero e proprio. Conoscevo già questa raccolta e alcuni dei racconti già li ho letti e amati, ma la prolissità e verbosità della prefazione di questa edizione ha completamente annientato la gioia di leggerla che avevo. La cosa che mi fa ridere è che leggendo le altre recensioni che citano la prefazione sono tutte d'accordo sul fatto che siano un pregio del volume e non un difetto. Magari il problema sono io, ma credo che l'interessante storia dietro a Fantasmagoriana e al suo legame con gli illustri ospiti di Villa Diodati in quella fatidica estate, poteva essere raccontata con molta meno pomposità e digressioni.
Per quanto riguarda i racconti, sono uno più bello dell'altro e scorrono velocissimi, è un peccato non essermeli goditi appieno per colpa di quella prefazione.
Un consiglio? Dato che non aggiunge nulla di essenziale alla comprensione dei racconti se letta prima, lasciate la prefazione per ultima.
Per quanto riguarda i racconti, sono uno più bello dell'altro e scorrono velocissimi, è un peccato non essermeli goditi appieno per colpa di quella prefazione.
Un consiglio? Dato che non aggiunge nulla di essenziale alla comprensione dei racconti se letta prima, lasciate la prefazione per ultima.
April 18, 2021
Fantasmagoriana: Tales of The Dead
Amazing!!
[The edition I read had the translation by S. Utterson, and included her own short story. But subsequently I have also read the edition that includes 'The Ghost of the Departed', 'The Grey Room' and 'The Black Chamber'; and 'Searching for the Muse' essay by A. J. Day]
“Tales of the Dead” (1813) - Various authors, translated by Sarah Elizabeth Utterson
Translation of most of Fantasmagoriana (a collection of German ghost stories translated into French, which was read by Lord Byron, John William Polidori and Mary Shelley and inspired them to write the first modern vampire story, The Vampyre and Frankenstein respectively), with an additional story written by the translator.
Contents:
• The Family Portraits
• The Fated Hour
• The Death's Head
• The Death-Bride
• The Storm
• The Spectre-Barber or, Dumb Love
Intro: "It is generally believed that at this time of day no one puts any faith in ghosts and apparitions. Yet, on reflection, this opinion does not appear to me quite correct: for, without alluding to workmen in mines, and the inhabitants of mountainous countries,—the former of whom believe in spectres and hobgoblins presiding over concealed treasures, and the latter in apparitions and phantoms announcing either agreeable or unfortunate tidings,—may we not ask why amongst ourselves there are certain individuals who have a dread of passing through a church-yard after night-fall? Why others experience an involuntary shuddering at entering a church, or any other large uninhabited edifice, in the dark? And, in fine, why persons who are deservedly considered as possessing courage and good sense, dare not visit at night even places where they are certain of meeting with nothing they need dread from living beings? They are ever repeating, that the living are only to be dreaded; and yet fear night, because they believe, by tradition, that it is the time which phantoms choose for appearing to the inhabitants of the earth…"
….
“The Family Portraits”, also known as Gruselkabinett 23 - Die Bilder der Ahnen, by Johann August Apel
Wonderfully creepy tale of a forefather who is cursed and consequently so too are following generations.
Surprisingly redemptive conclusion.
I loved this story. *****
.
“The Fated Hour”, also known as Gespensterbuch: [Bdch. 7], by Friedrich Laun
Genuinely creepy! Spirit projection! Fantastic original gothic spook story *****
“Prepare yourselves for the strangest and most surprising events. … that the chill which my recital may produce be not increased by any exterior cause.”
“… these phaenomena, which appear complaisantly renewed every day…”
• Complaisantly = willingness to please
“.. I continued walking in the garden, as if intoxicated with the delicious vapours emitted from the flowers…”
…
“The Death's Head” by Friedrich Laun
When a young ventriloquist uses the ‘skull’ (death’s head) of his father to perform a trick, well it all becomes just a little overwhelming for him and the pastor!
Another redemptive ending by the blessing of the proposed marriage. ****
…
THE STORM by SARAH UTTERSON (from “Tales from the Dead”)
This pioneering tale is wonderfully creepy.
”It is well for the human frame, that when assailed by circumstances too powerful to support, it seeks shelter in oblivion. The mind recoils from the horrors which it cannot meet, and is driven into insensibility.”
“The very remembrance of what she had witnessed on that fatal night, hurried her into delirium, and she fell a victim to the force of recollection.” - 4 stars
….
THE DEATH-BRIDE by Friedrich August Schulze
When a supposed Italian marquis arrives to tell of the Death Bride at a party he stays with a Count who had twin daughters, Ida and Hildegarde (Hildegarde, only different from her sister by a strawberry birthmark, had died).
This is a fantastic story about Hildegarde the Death-Bride! A must read for gothic-horror fans. Pivotal in the life of Mary Shelley. 5/5 stars
The provenance path from the German source to the French and English translations is as follows:
‘Die Todtenbraut’ (1811) by Friedrich Schulze in Gespensterbuch →
‘La Morte Fiancée’ (1812) by Eyriès in Fantasmagoriana →
‘The Death-Bride’ (1813) by Utterson in Tales of the Dead
Mary Shelley recalls the reading of ‘La Morte Fiancée’ / ‘The Death-Bride,’ as an influence on her composition of Frankenstein.
"'O!' said the count to him, 'I beg, in future you will be a little more circumspect in your fancies, and leave my daughter to rest quietly in the tomb——'Tis well—'
Concludes with:
"We have seen no one."
"He has then disappeared," replied the officer, smiling: he searched every corner for the marquis, but in vain. The house was thoroughly examined, but without success; and the following day the officer quitted the baths with his soldiers, without his prisoner, and very much dissatisfied.
…
The Spectre Barber, by Johann Karl August Musäus
One of the best, if not THE best gothic story from the era of 1790s-1810s.
This is one of the blueprint tales that established the genre.
Initially suggests a proto-Dracula horror, before shifting to a Poe-like ghost visitation, to a delightful "good luck" Good Samaritan romance-love story.
Full, complex and satisfying. *****
………
Amazing!!
[The edition I read had the translation by S. Utterson, and included her own short story. But subsequently I have also read the edition that includes 'The Ghost of the Departed', 'The Grey Room' and 'The Black Chamber'; and 'Searching for the Muse' essay by A. J. Day]
“Tales of the Dead” (1813) - Various authors, translated by Sarah Elizabeth Utterson
Translation of most of Fantasmagoriana (a collection of German ghost stories translated into French, which was read by Lord Byron, John William Polidori and Mary Shelley and inspired them to write the first modern vampire story, The Vampyre and Frankenstein respectively), with an additional story written by the translator.
Contents:
• The Family Portraits
• The Fated Hour
• The Death's Head
• The Death-Bride
• The Storm
• The Spectre-Barber or, Dumb Love
Intro: "It is generally believed that at this time of day no one puts any faith in ghosts and apparitions. Yet, on reflection, this opinion does not appear to me quite correct: for, without alluding to workmen in mines, and the inhabitants of mountainous countries,—the former of whom believe in spectres and hobgoblins presiding over concealed treasures, and the latter in apparitions and phantoms announcing either agreeable or unfortunate tidings,—may we not ask why amongst ourselves there are certain individuals who have a dread of passing through a church-yard after night-fall? Why others experience an involuntary shuddering at entering a church, or any other large uninhabited edifice, in the dark? And, in fine, why persons who are deservedly considered as possessing courage and good sense, dare not visit at night even places where they are certain of meeting with nothing they need dread from living beings? They are ever repeating, that the living are only to be dreaded; and yet fear night, because they believe, by tradition, that it is the time which phantoms choose for appearing to the inhabitants of the earth…"
….
“The Family Portraits”, also known as Gruselkabinett 23 - Die Bilder der Ahnen, by Johann August Apel
Wonderfully creepy tale of a forefather who is cursed and consequently so too are following generations.
Surprisingly redemptive conclusion.
I loved this story. *****
.
“The Fated Hour”, also known as Gespensterbuch: [Bdch. 7], by Friedrich Laun
Genuinely creepy! Spirit projection! Fantastic original gothic spook story *****
“Prepare yourselves for the strangest and most surprising events. … that the chill which my recital may produce be not increased by any exterior cause.”
“… these phaenomena, which appear complaisantly renewed every day…”
• Complaisantly = willingness to please
“.. I continued walking in the garden, as if intoxicated with the delicious vapours emitted from the flowers…”
…
“The Death's Head” by Friedrich Laun
When a young ventriloquist uses the ‘skull’ (death’s head) of his father to perform a trick, well it all becomes just a little overwhelming for him and the pastor!
Another redemptive ending by the blessing of the proposed marriage. ****
…
THE STORM by SARAH UTTERSON (from “Tales from the Dead”)
This pioneering tale is wonderfully creepy.
”It is well for the human frame, that when assailed by circumstances too powerful to support, it seeks shelter in oblivion. The mind recoils from the horrors which it cannot meet, and is driven into insensibility.”
“The very remembrance of what she had witnessed on that fatal night, hurried her into delirium, and she fell a victim to the force of recollection.” - 4 stars
….
THE DEATH-BRIDE by Friedrich August Schulze
When a supposed Italian marquis arrives to tell of the Death Bride at a party he stays with a Count who had twin daughters, Ida and Hildegarde (Hildegarde, only different from her sister by a strawberry birthmark, had died).
This is a fantastic story about Hildegarde the Death-Bride! A must read for gothic-horror fans. Pivotal in the life of Mary Shelley. 5/5 stars
The provenance path from the German source to the French and English translations is as follows:
‘Die Todtenbraut’ (1811) by Friedrich Schulze in Gespensterbuch →
‘La Morte Fiancée’ (1812) by Eyriès in Fantasmagoriana →
‘The Death-Bride’ (1813) by Utterson in Tales of the Dead
Mary Shelley recalls the reading of ‘La Morte Fiancée’ / ‘The Death-Bride,’ as an influence on her composition of Frankenstein.
"'O!' said the count to him, 'I beg, in future you will be a little more circumspect in your fancies, and leave my daughter to rest quietly in the tomb——'Tis well—'
Concludes with:
"We have seen no one."
"He has then disappeared," replied the officer, smiling: he searched every corner for the marquis, but in vain. The house was thoroughly examined, but without success; and the following day the officer quitted the baths with his soldiers, without his prisoner, and very much dissatisfied.
…
The Spectre Barber, by Johann Karl August Musäus
One of the best, if not THE best gothic story from the era of 1790s-1810s.
This is one of the blueprint tales that established the genre.
Initially suggests a proto-Dracula horror, before shifting to a Poe-like ghost visitation, to a delightful "good luck" Good Samaritan romance-love story.
Full, complex and satisfying. *****
………
July 27, 2015
Un bellissimo libro inedito in Italia finalmente tradotto con un apparato introduttivo interessante che spiega le sue origini, basato su un originale francese tradotto dal tedesco. La fantasmagoriana era un evoluzione della lanterna magica seicentesca, antenata del cinema che alla luce di una candela proiettava delle immagini attraverso un vetro. E questo aveva portato alla leggenda che potesse evocare i fantasmi. Nell'introduzione originale l'autore della raccolta Jean-Baptiste Benoit Eyries nel 1812, mette in guardia il lettore mantenendo sempre una certa ambiguità fra mistero e realtà, ricordando nel dizionario di Voltaire la parola Apparizione "dove non è affatto raro che una persona vivamente emozionata veda quello che non c'è." Queste otto storie gotiche lontane nel tempo continuano ancora oggi a stupirci tanto che uno degli autori dei racconti J.A. Apel scrive : Se i fantasmi esistano è questione molto incerta...ma è sicuro che molte storie di fantasmi esistono dato che diverse persone le ascoltano e le leggono con piacere.
http://duecentopagine.blogspot.com/20...
http://duecentopagine.blogspot.com/20...
February 7, 2026
Fantasmagoriana è una celebre raccolta di racconti di genere gotico e fantastico, pubblicata a Parigi nel 1812 che ha una storia molto particolare.
L'opera è una raccolta di otto racconti tedeschi di fantasmi e apparizioni, tradotti in francese (anonimamente) da Jean-Baptiste Benoît Eyriès. La maggior parte delle storie proviene dal Gespensterbuch (Il libro dei fantasmi) di Johann August Apel e Friedrich Laun, a cui furono aggiunti testi di altri autori come Musäus e Clauren.
Il titolo richiama gli spettacoli di fantasmagoria, popolari all'epoca, che utilizzavano la lanterna magica per proiettare immagini spaventose di spettri e demoni. Il termine suggerisce un "dialogo con i fantasmi" o una "evocazione di spiriti".
Il libro è famoso soprattutto per il suo legame con la "notte di Villa Diodati" nell'estate del 1816. In quell'occasione, un gruppo di letterati composto da Lord Byron, Mary Shelley, Percy Bysshe Shelley, John Polidori e Claire Clairmont si ritrovò bloccato in casa a causa del maltempo (l'"anno senza estate"). La lettura comune di Fantasmagoriana ispirò Byron a proporre una sfida: ognuno avrebbe dovuto scrivere una storia di fantasmi. Da questa scommessa nacquero due capisaldi della letteratura horror: Frankenstein di Mary Shelley e Il vampiro di John Polidori (il primo racconto moderno sul genere).
Nonostante la sua importanza storica, il libro non è stato ripubblicato integralmente per quasi due secoli.
L'opera è una raccolta di otto racconti tedeschi di fantasmi e apparizioni, tradotti in francese (anonimamente) da Jean-Baptiste Benoît Eyriès. La maggior parte delle storie proviene dal Gespensterbuch (Il libro dei fantasmi) di Johann August Apel e Friedrich Laun, a cui furono aggiunti testi di altri autori come Musäus e Clauren.
Il titolo richiama gli spettacoli di fantasmagoria, popolari all'epoca, che utilizzavano la lanterna magica per proiettare immagini spaventose di spettri e demoni. Il termine suggerisce un "dialogo con i fantasmi" o una "evocazione di spiriti".
Il libro è famoso soprattutto per il suo legame con la "notte di Villa Diodati" nell'estate del 1816. In quell'occasione, un gruppo di letterati composto da Lord Byron, Mary Shelley, Percy Bysshe Shelley, John Polidori e Claire Clairmont si ritrovò bloccato in casa a causa del maltempo (l'"anno senza estate"). La lettura comune di Fantasmagoriana ispirò Byron a proporre una sfida: ognuno avrebbe dovuto scrivere una storia di fantasmi. Da questa scommessa nacquero due capisaldi della letteratura horror: Frankenstein di Mary Shelley e Il vampiro di John Polidori (il primo racconto moderno sul genere).
Nonostante la sua importanza storica, il libro non è stato ripubblicato integralmente per quasi due secoli.
September 24, 2024
So I read the original version of this that I got from archive.org and seems to have a slightly different set of stories? The Family Portraits and The Spectre Barber are both in it, but I don’t see The Storm listed on the summary here (and I found that the scariest).
The tales are old and feel it, but the VIBES are immaculate. And, honestly, the ancient aspect of the stories is part of the appeal anyways. These are things written pre-electricity, making reference to wars and reigns barely spoken of, and areas of France and Germany I don’t think I’ve ever heard tales of. The nesting dolls of stories in some tales can be a little confusing, but again, the gothic vibes shine through to still make it delightful.
Special shout out to my three favorites, The Family Portraits (a quintessential gothic horror romance with haunted paintings), The Spectre Barber (a bit meandering but walls the knife edge between gothic horror and fairy tale), and The Storm (the most genuinely frightening and distressing tale, the inverse of the elaborate and over explained elements of other stories)
The tales are old and feel it, but the VIBES are immaculate. And, honestly, the ancient aspect of the stories is part of the appeal anyways. These are things written pre-electricity, making reference to wars and reigns barely spoken of, and areas of France and Germany I don’t think I’ve ever heard tales of. The nesting dolls of stories in some tales can be a little confusing, but again, the gothic vibes shine through to still make it delightful.
Special shout out to my three favorites, The Family Portraits (a quintessential gothic horror romance with haunted paintings), The Spectre Barber (a bit meandering but walls the knife edge between gothic horror and fairy tale), and The Storm (the most genuinely frightening and distressing tale, the inverse of the elaborate and over explained elements of other stories)
November 28, 2025
Fantasmagoriana è una lettura piacevolissima per chi apprezza il gotico classico. I racconti, pur brevi, riescono a sorprendere per l’originalità delle situazioni e per la capacità di creare atmosfere vive e suggestive. Alcuni spiccano per il modo in cui giocano sul confine tra realtà e apparizione, altri colpiscono per il crescendo di tensione che costruiscono in poche pagine. L’edizione è curata e scorrevole, perfetta per valorizzare queste storie che, nonostante l’età, mantengono un fascino intramontabile. Un volume che si legge con vero piacere e che permette di riscoprire piccoli gioielli del soprannaturale!
August 7, 2025
Fantasmagoriana is a legendary 1812 collection of ghost stories that inspired the creation of Frankenstein and The Vampyre. Its haunting tales of specters, cursed portraits, and eerie castles capture the essence of classic Gothic suspense—favoring atmosphere and psychological tension over shock. A must-read for anyone passionate about the origins of horror and the timeless allure of the supernatural.
My musical tribute:
https://youtu.be/9FTbO9e5qiU
My musical tribute:
https://youtu.be/9FTbO9e5qiU
June 18, 2020
Eerie and compelling. A journey to a gothic Germany in the XVIII century.
Read
November 2, 2021This is not the real Fantasmagoriana.
October 11, 2019
Antologia di otto racconti tedeschi di genere gotico, tradotti anonimamente dal geografo e letterato francese Jean-Baptiste Benoît Eyriès e pubblicati in due tomi, a Parigi, nel 1812.
A distanza di 200 anni questi racconti evidenziano un po' di polvere proprio perché oggi, a mio parere personale, abbiamo acquisito, nei confronti della lettura delle storie di fantasmi, un palato più fine.
Rimangono comunque una straordinaria testimonianza del tempo quando bastava un lume in una stanza buia di una casa o di un castello a farci temere presenze inquiete ed inquietanti.
Molto carino "La sposa cadavere", titolo aggiornato e recuperato dall'esperienza cinematografica di Tim Burton, benché la storia in questa antologia sia solamente correlata ad un'altra storia folkloristica ebraica più antica.
Da leggersi al buio, a lume di abat-jour.
A distanza di 200 anni questi racconti evidenziano un po' di polvere proprio perché oggi, a mio parere personale, abbiamo acquisito, nei confronti della lettura delle storie di fantasmi, un palato più fine.
Rimangono comunque una straordinaria testimonianza del tempo quando bastava un lume in una stanza buia di una casa o di un castello a farci temere presenze inquiete ed inquietanti.
Molto carino "La sposa cadavere", titolo aggiornato e recuperato dall'esperienza cinematografica di Tim Burton, benché la storia in questa antologia sia solamente correlata ad un'altra storia folkloristica ebraica più antica.
Da leggersi al buio, a lume di abat-jour.
Read
January 29, 2010ho hum...
November 30, 2010
Well, this does explain some things, doesn't it? Wind about wind about wind about gothic fiction. Oh. Mary Shelley, bless your verbose soul.
December 18, 2010
-_- more books fr the research keep arising 0_0 oh God!
December 29, 2012
Before there was Frankenstein...
August 22, 2015
Filologicamente molto interessante, c'è da dire però che i racconti sono un po' deboli.
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