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The Watcher and Other Weird Stories
The Watcher and Other Weird Stories by J. Sheridan Le Fanu, with Twenty-one Illustrations by Brinsley Sheridan Le Fanu
CONTENTS
Preface.
Story 1. The Watcher.
Story 2. Passage in the Secret History of an Irish Countess.
Story 3. Strange Event in the Life of Schalken the Painter.
Story 4. The Fortunes of Sir Robert Ardagh.
Story 5. The Dream.
Story 6. A Chapter in the history of a Tyrone Family
Preface.
Most of the tales in this volume were written prior to the publication of “Uncle Silas,” which is, perhaps, the novel by which my father is best known. All the stories, with the exception of “The Watcher,” were included in “The Purcell Papers,” edited by Mr. Alfred Perceval Graves after my father’s death, and published by Messrs. Bentley.
It may be of interest to point out that the central idea in the story entitled “Passage in the Secret History of an Irish Countess” is embodied in “Uncle Silas.”
When “The Purcell Papers” were appearing in The Dublin University Magazine my father supplied the following note, which was reproduced by Mr. Graves in his edition of the
“The residuary legatee of the late Francis Purcell, who has the honour of selecting such of his lamented old friend’s manuscripts as may appear fit for publication, in order that the lore which they contain may reach the world before scepticism and utility have robbed our species of the precious gift of credulity, and scornfully kicked before them, or trampled into annihilation those harmless fragments of picturesque superstition which it is our object to preserve, has been subjected to the charge of dealing too largely in the marvellous; and it has been half insinuated that such is his love for diablerie, that he is content to wander a mile out of his way in order to meet a fiend or a goblin, and thus to sacrifice all regard for truth and accuracy to the idle hope of affrighting the imagination, and thus pandering to the bad taste of his reader. He begs leave, then, to take this opportunity of asserting his perfect innocence of all the crimes laid to his charge, and to assure his reader that he never pandered to his bad taste, nor went one inch out of his way to introduce witch, fairy, devil, ghost, or any other of the grim fraternity of the redoubted Raw-head-and-bloody-bones. His province touching these tales has been attended with no difficulty and little responsibility; indeed, he is accountable for nothing more than an alteration in the names of persons mentioned therein, when such a step seemed necessary, and for an occasional note, whenever he conceived it possible innocently to edge in a word. These tales have been written down by the Rev. Francis Purcell, P.P., of Drumcoolagh; and in all the instances, which are many, in which the present writer has had an opportunity of comparing the manuscript of his departed friend with the actual traditions current amongst the families whose fortunes they pretend to illustrate, he has uniformly found that whatever of supernatural occurred in the story, so far from being exaggerated by him, had been rather softened down, and, wherever it could be attempted, accounted for.”
BRINSLEY LE FANU.
London, November, 1894.
CONTENTS
Preface.
Story 1. The Watcher.
Story 2. Passage in the Secret History of an Irish Countess.
Story 3. Strange Event in the Life of Schalken the Painter.
Story 4. The Fortunes of Sir Robert Ardagh.
Story 5. The Dream.
Story 6. A Chapter in the history of a Tyrone Family
Preface.
Most of the tales in this volume were written prior to the publication of “Uncle Silas,” which is, perhaps, the novel by which my father is best known. All the stories, with the exception of “The Watcher,” were included in “The Purcell Papers,” edited by Mr. Alfred Perceval Graves after my father’s death, and published by Messrs. Bentley.
It may be of interest to point out that the central idea in the story entitled “Passage in the Secret History of an Irish Countess” is embodied in “Uncle Silas.”
When “The Purcell Papers” were appearing in The Dublin University Magazine my father supplied the following note, which was reproduced by Mr. Graves in his edition of the
“The residuary legatee of the late Francis Purcell, who has the honour of selecting such of his lamented old friend’s manuscripts as may appear fit for publication, in order that the lore which they contain may reach the world before scepticism and utility have robbed our species of the precious gift of credulity, and scornfully kicked before them, or trampled into annihilation those harmless fragments of picturesque superstition which it is our object to preserve, has been subjected to the charge of dealing too largely in the marvellous; and it has been half insinuated that such is his love for diablerie, that he is content to wander a mile out of his way in order to meet a fiend or a goblin, and thus to sacrifice all regard for truth and accuracy to the idle hope of affrighting the imagination, and thus pandering to the bad taste of his reader. He begs leave, then, to take this opportunity of asserting his perfect innocence of all the crimes laid to his charge, and to assure his reader that he never pandered to his bad taste, nor went one inch out of his way to introduce witch, fairy, devil, ghost, or any other of the grim fraternity of the redoubted Raw-head-and-bloody-bones. His province touching these tales has been attended with no difficulty and little responsibility; indeed, he is accountable for nothing more than an alteration in the names of persons mentioned therein, when such a step seemed necessary, and for an occasional note, whenever he conceived it possible innocently to edge in a word. These tales have been written down by the Rev. Francis Purcell, P.P., of Drumcoolagh; and in all the instances, which are many, in which the present writer has had an opportunity of comparing the manuscript of his departed friend with the actual traditions current amongst the families whose fortunes they pretend to illustrate, he has uniformly found that whatever of supernatural occurred in the story, so far from being exaggerated by him, had been rather softened down, and, wherever it could be attempted, accounted for.”
BRINSLEY LE FANU.
London, November, 1894.
- GenresFiction
271 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1977
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107 people want to read
About the author
J. Sheridan Le Fanu
1,365 books1,386 followersJoseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu was an Irish writer of Gothic tales and mystery novels. He was the leading ghost-story writer of the nineteenth century and was central to the development of the genre in the Victorian era. M.R. James described Le Fanu as "absolutely in the first rank as a writer of ghost stories". Three of his best-known works are Uncle Silas, Carmilla and The House by the Churchyard.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 14, 2021
Scary
I enjoyed reading this collection of short stories. The first story gave me the creeps. Was he haunted by a demon or not? The painting story was pretty good too. My favorite was about the wife finding out her husband might have had some dark secrets.
I enjoyed reading this collection of short stories. The first story gave me the creeps. Was he haunted by a demon or not? The painting story was pretty good too. My favorite was about the wife finding out her husband might have had some dark secrets.
January 20, 2011
Great gothic horror stories. I thoroughly enjoyed "The Watcher," "A Strange Event in the Life of Schalken the Painter," "A Passage in the Secret History of an Irish Countess" (A predecessor of one of my favorite novels, Uncle Silas), and "A Chapter in the History of a Tyrone Family." The last story in this collection does resemble Jane Eyre and it has been suggested Charlotte Bronte may have been influenced by LeFanu.
June 16, 2021
The Watcher and Other Weird Stories collects six gothic stories, all of which are interesting and enjoyable. While five of them are excellent and the other one slighter, there be ghosts, villains all well worth perusing in this volume. This kindle version of the 1894 book is introduced and illustrated by Le Fanu's son, Brinsley. Some of the stories in it were slightly revised later and others expanded into longer works. All but one of these stories are among the earliest that Le Fanu wrote. It is quite interesting to see just how good he was early in his career.
"The Watcher," is quite a haunting story of a vengeful ghost. Better known as "The Familiar," it was collected most notably in In a Glass Darkly. All of the other stories in TWAOWS appeared as part of the twelve story collection The Purcell Papers.
"Passage in the Secret History of an Irish Countess" (1839) is not only a fine example of villainous greed, but also is an early locked room mystery story and the precursor of Uncle Silas.
"Strange Event in the Life of Schalken the Painter," one of Le Fanu's most noteworthy works is a creepy tale of a demon lover. Revisions of both "Irish Countess" and "Schalken" appeared in Le Fanu's first collection of stories, Ghost Stories and Tales of Mystery.
"The Fortunes of Robert Ardagh," which was later reworked as "Sir Dominick's Bargain," is a very atmospheric and chilling Faustian tale. I was impressed with the depiction of Castle Ardagh and its environs.
"The Dream" (better known as "A Drunkard's Dream"), while a slighter Le Fanu story, does have an interesting vision of the sinner's ultimate dwelling place.
Like the "Irish Countess," "A Chapter in the History of a Tyrone Family" has the gothic "feel." While there are no supernatural elements in this story the terror is most certainly real. Similarly to the other tale, this work was also the basis for a later novel, The Wyvern Mystery.
An added treat to this edition are the illustrations; they are somber and reflect the dark moodiness of the tales.
For anyone unfamiliar with Le Fanu, this collection is a good introduction.
"The Watcher," is quite a haunting story of a vengeful ghost. Better known as "The Familiar," it was collected most notably in In a Glass Darkly. All of the other stories in TWAOWS appeared as part of the twelve story collection The Purcell Papers.
"Passage in the Secret History of an Irish Countess" (1839) is not only a fine example of villainous greed, but also is an early locked room mystery story and the precursor of Uncle Silas.
"Strange Event in the Life of Schalken the Painter," one of Le Fanu's most noteworthy works is a creepy tale of a demon lover. Revisions of both "Irish Countess" and "Schalken" appeared in Le Fanu's first collection of stories, Ghost Stories and Tales of Mystery.
"The Fortunes of Robert Ardagh," which was later reworked as "Sir Dominick's Bargain," is a very atmospheric and chilling Faustian tale. I was impressed with the depiction of Castle Ardagh and its environs.
"The Dream" (better known as "A Drunkard's Dream"), while a slighter Le Fanu story, does have an interesting vision of the sinner's ultimate dwelling place.
Like the "Irish Countess," "A Chapter in the History of a Tyrone Family" has the gothic "feel." While there are no supernatural elements in this story the terror is most certainly real. Similarly to the other tale, this work was also the basis for a later novel, The Wyvern Mystery.
An added treat to this edition are the illustrations; they are somber and reflect the dark moodiness of the tales.
For anyone unfamiliar with Le Fanu, this collection is a good introduction.
August 31, 2024
4.17⭐
Preface (The Watcher and Other Weird Stories) • Brinsley Le Fanu ✔
The Watcher • [Reminiscences of a Bachelor] 3.5⭐
Passage in the Secret History of an Irish Countess 4.25⭐
Strange Event in the Life of Schalken the Painter 5⭐
169 • The Fortunes of Sir Robert Ardagh • [The Purcell Papers • 2] • (1838) 4.25⭐
The Dream • [The Purcell Papers • 3] (1838) 3⭐
A Chapter in the History of a Tyrone Family 5⭐
Preface (The Watcher and Other Weird Stories) • Brinsley Le Fanu ✔
The Watcher • [Reminiscences of a Bachelor] 3.5⭐
Passage in the Secret History of an Irish Countess 4.25⭐
Strange Event in the Life of Schalken the Painter 5⭐
169 • The Fortunes of Sir Robert Ardagh • [The Purcell Papers • 2] • (1838) 4.25⭐
The Dream • [The Purcell Papers • 3] (1838) 3⭐
A Chapter in the History of a Tyrone Family 5⭐
October 1, 2022
Stories rich in suspense, mystery, dread. Never a dull moment. Contemporary horror authors have a lot to learn from this old master.
My personal favourite - "Strange Event in the Life of Schalken the Painter": a deal-with-the-devil type story, abounding in mysterious, disturbing, cinematographic scenes.
My personal favourite - "Strange Event in the Life of Schalken the Painter": a deal-with-the-devil type story, abounding in mysterious, disturbing, cinematographic scenes.
July 1, 2016
Sheridan Le Fanu was one of those ghost story writers who liked to present his fictions under the conceit of authentic historical occurrences, where only the names of the participants had been changed.
In his introduction he claims that 'whatever of supernatural occurred in the story, so far from being exaggerated ... had been rather softened down, and, wherever it could be attempted, accounted for.'
There was some uncertainty with regards the actual existence of the ghosts or spectres in a few of these tales, but as much of the ambiguity derived from a willingness on the author's part to leave certain details unexplained.
In the title story, an ex-Naval officer from Dublin starts to hear footsteps following him at night then becomes unnerved by threatening notes and an angry stalker in a tale of bad conscience.
'Passage in the Secret History of an Irish Countess' sees the orphaned young lady in a tight spot, 'a helpless, weak, inexperienced girl, placed under the power and wholly at the mercy of evil men'. The author later expanded this story into his most successful novel, Uncle Silas.
'Strange Event in the Life of Schalken the Painter' has a macabre, haunting atmosphere. If a guardian will allow his ward to marry a mysterious man who won't even let you see his face, then don't be surprised if she ends up in the clutches of a demon lover.
In 'The Fortunes of Sir Robert Ardagh', a reclusive nobleman who wins heaps of money on the horses following advice from a strange companion begins to suffer 'paroxysms of apparent lunacy'.
'The Dream' is a drunken ne'er–do–well's short glimpse of hell; then the final story, 'A Chapter in the History of a Tyrone Family' is probably the best, featuring a young wife and a malevolent blind woman.
The characters showed too much of a tendency to act like dolts for each story to completely convince, but I could see why Le Fanu was well respected in the Victorian era.
In his introduction he claims that 'whatever of supernatural occurred in the story, so far from being exaggerated ... had been rather softened down, and, wherever it could be attempted, accounted for.'
There was some uncertainty with regards the actual existence of the ghosts or spectres in a few of these tales, but as much of the ambiguity derived from a willingness on the author's part to leave certain details unexplained.
In the title story, an ex-Naval officer from Dublin starts to hear footsteps following him at night then becomes unnerved by threatening notes and an angry stalker in a tale of bad conscience.
'Passage in the Secret History of an Irish Countess' sees the orphaned young lady in a tight spot, 'a helpless, weak, inexperienced girl, placed under the power and wholly at the mercy of evil men'. The author later expanded this story into his most successful novel, Uncle Silas.
'Strange Event in the Life of Schalken the Painter' has a macabre, haunting atmosphere. If a guardian will allow his ward to marry a mysterious man who won't even let you see his face, then don't be surprised if she ends up in the clutches of a demon lover.
In 'The Fortunes of Sir Robert Ardagh', a reclusive nobleman who wins heaps of money on the horses following advice from a strange companion begins to suffer 'paroxysms of apparent lunacy'.
'The Dream' is a drunken ne'er–do–well's short glimpse of hell; then the final story, 'A Chapter in the History of a Tyrone Family' is probably the best, featuring a young wife and a malevolent blind woman.
The characters showed too much of a tendency to act like dolts for each story to completely convince, but I could see why Le Fanu was well respected in the Victorian era.
December 28, 2016
Suspenseful
Beautifully written, with a style reminiscent of James Hogg. If only there were better resolution for some of the stories, it would be perfect. As such it's a good rainy day read.
Beautifully written, with a style reminiscent of James Hogg. If only there were better resolution for some of the stories, it would be perfect. As such it's a good rainy day read.
February 6, 2014
Demon hauntings, menacing midnight visitors to the castle, evil uncles - such fun on a snow day!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews