Short Stories by Sheridan le Fanu (hosted by John) > Likes and Comments
LINKS:Prologue and Chapter 1 summaries
Chapters 2 and 3 summaries
Chapters 4 and 5 summaries
Chapter 6 and 7 summaries
Chapter 8 and 9 summaries
Sheridan LeFanu was a prominent Irish author renowned for his Gothic tales and mystery novels. A pioneering figure in the development of ghost stories during the Victorian era, he is often hailed as the leading writer of the genre in the nineteenth century. M.R. James — who critics consider one of the finest ghost story writers in the language — regarded LeFanu as “absolutely in the first rank as a writer of ghost stories.”
Some of LeFanu’s most celebrated works include Uncle Silas, Carmilla, and The House by the Churchyard.
LeFanu was born in Dublin in 1814 and died in Dublin in 1873. Interestingly enough, his life ran concurrent with our Charles Dickens and he passed away at the same age.
I will next post our schedule and provide a few other comments before we get started next week. Welcome aboard!
READING SCHEDULEGreen Tea contains ten chapters and a Prologue and a Conclusion.
23 September: Prologue, Chapter I.
24 September: Chapters II and III.
25 September: Chapters IV and V.
26 September: Chapters VI and VII.
27 September: Chapters VIII and IX.
28 September: Chapter X.
29 September: Conclusion.
30 September: Final Thoughts.
I have the Nook version of Green Tea and Other Ghost Stories, which is based upon the Dover Thrift Edition. Green Tea as a single story is also available on Kindle for one dollar. I believe libraries and sites like Gutenberg should have it readily available.
My Nook edition looks to have 88 pages, so this would be considered by modern standards almost a novella. Though I must admit with font sizes for e books, it can be difficult to ascertain the real page count. But it certainly still lends itself to a week.I must also admit that I have not read this story. I thought I would go into it like any new reader and see how that works. I think ghost stories and horror fiction in general lend themselves best to a first read and any commentary I can offer might at least have the shared suspense that good ghost stories can offer us. Hopefully this works.
Thanks John! It is longer than an average short story, isn't it? Hopefully we can all access a copy in the next few days. Yet again, this story is in my The Big Book of the Masters of Horror, Weird and Supernatural Short Stories: 120+ authors and 1000+ stories in one volume on kindle - along with 17 other stories by Sheridan Le Fanu.
Bionic Jean wrote: "Thanks John! It is longer than an average short story, isn't it? Hopefully we can all access a copy in the next few days. Yet again, this story is in my [book:The Big Book of the Masters of Horro..."
Jean, my error. I took another look at my version and it is more like 35 pages. Sometimes the font changes in e books can make for some different numbers. I scrolled through and I think we can safely say that this is a story that comes in under 40 pages.
"Green Tea" appears in the landmark 1944 Random House anthology Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural (Modern Library (Hardcover)). It's also included in Best Ghost Stories of J.S. Le Fanu (Dover, 1964), edited by E.F. Bleiler.
I just noticed Goodreads has two different pages for this author. One is listed as Sheridan Le Fanu Sheridan Le Fanuand one as J. Sheridan Le Fanu J. Sheridan Le Fanu. Weird! I bet there are lots of duplicate titles because of this.
I read Green Tea as part of a collection of his work, In a Glass Darkly. I remember really liking it, and am hoping to re-read the story.
Kathleen wrote: "I just noticed Goodreads has two different pages for this author. One is listed as Sheridan Le Fanu Sheridan Le Fanuand one as J. Sheridan Le Fanu [author:J. Sheridan Le Fanu|269..."
It could be the Bizarro Sheridan LeFanu versus the Ghostly Sheridan LeFanu, setting us up for another haunting and harrowing visit to Dickensians.
Kathleen wrote: "I just noticed Goodreads has two different pages for this author. One is listed as Sheridan Le Fanu Sheridan Le Fanuand one as J. Sheridan Le Fanu J. Sheridan Le Fanu.
Not to worry Kathleen - they have been merged into J. Sheridan Le Fanu.
😆 😂 John - it's evidently been ghostbusted! And thanks for the link.
Yes, as a Goodreads librarian, I was the "ghost-buster" who just merged the profiles, a few minutes ago. :-) Kathleen, thanks for bringing this to our attention!
Werner wrote: "Yes, as a Goodreads librarian, I was the "ghost-buster" who just merged the profiles, a few minutes ago. :-) Kathleen, thanks for bringing this to our attention!"Wow--thank you so much for resolving this so quickly, Werner!
I do love John's explanation though.😊
That's so funny Werner - I got half way through merging them, then had the lunch Chris had made, and when I tried to finish it off it was already done! The mystery is solved 😆(For non-GR librarians wondering which is the official author profile, if both have lots of entries as Kathleen found, a quick way of checking is to look at the one with a complete bio and/or a profile picture.)
Ah, good tip, Jean, and thank you too for working on this!
Bionic Jean wrote: "Happy to help 😊"Same here! :-)
I had mentioned this on another thread, but one of my college professors — a favorite of mine — edited several ghost story anthologies, among other works.Jack Sullivan taught at my college, and to come full circle here, an elective class I took under him over 40 years ago was called The Art of The Book Review. I do remember him mentioning LeFanu. Here is the book that I recall: Elegant Nightmares: The English Ghost Story from Le Fanu to Blackwood.
Kathleen wrote: "I just noticed Goodreads has two different pages for this author. One is listed as Sheridan Le Fanu Sheridan Le Fanuand one as J. Sheridan Le Fanu [author:J. Sheridan Le Fanu|269..."
I really loved In a Glass, Darkly. Very good story collection. I'll have to do a re-read of Green Tea.
Franky and Kathleen - that one's on kindle too, for just 38p and it includes "Carmilla" as well, (which we read with Erich) plus 3 others. So for anyone who likes an annotated edition, this Oxford Worlds Classics might be the way to go. Werner - sadly the landmark 1944 anthology you mention is not, (though it does look good!) and is hard to track down - at least here, where a secondhand copy costs over £70. The 1964 book is easier to obtain, and may be stocked by some public libraries. That contains 16 stories, similar to my huge ebook anthology. I can't find it as an ebook though.
And of course if you want to read it right now, and free, John's Gutenberg link is the way to go. Via that, you can get to this page, https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/11635 and begin reading the story straightaway.
If I actually liked green tea, I would have a cup a day while we read Green Tea. But I must say I am not a fan of it. I do have a box of Bigelow Decaffeinated Classic Green Tea and I occasionally have a cup. Though I sometimes wonder why given its bland taste and questionable health benefits. I suppose Sheridan LeFanu may have had similar qualms about it and thus fashioned his story.
I came across this book recently — highly recommended it was — and I thought I would mention it here: Hauntings. The editor, Ellen Datlow, is considered one of the best editors and gatherers of ghost stories. I love the title.
Here we begin GREEN TEA.PROLOGUE
We are introduced to an unnamed narrator who served for 20 years as the medical secretary to Dr. Martin Hesselius, a German physician. Our narrator would have been a doctor, too, but a trifling cut led to the prompt amputation of two fingers. A rather ghastly start, needless to say.
Our narrator has collected letters and documents of Dr. Hesselius and wishes to share with readers the ones found to be more interesting. The voice of the following chapters is that of Dr. Hesselius.
CHAPTER IWe are introduced to the Rev. Mr. Jennings, a middle-aged clergyman. He is having health problems, which occur suddenly during church services, leaving him in a state of paralysis.
Dr. Hesselius observes Mr. Jennings carefully, noting his habit of glancing at the carpet as if following something unseen. During an evening gathering , the two engage in conversation.
As they talk, Mr. Jennings expresses interest in Hesselius’s work on "Metaphysical Medicine," a subject he has pondered for years. The chapter wraps up with Dr. Hesselius offering to gift Jennings a copy of his book, which he accepts.
The initial meeting and conversation between the two strike me as ordinary, courtly, perhaps even a bit over done. We are told that the reverend has some sort of physical or mental attacks during his sermons, and we are told that his eyes seem to follow something unseen to others.
Mr. Jennings the clergyman does seem to be preoccupied, doesn't he? And he became very alert when he was told he was talking to a doctor (Dr. Hesselius). Why could this be? Is he ill? If he is, why doesn't he say anything? Odd.I'm enjoying this straightaway. I like the familiar structure of stories from this time, where we have a first narrator, who is assuring us that the story/letters/diary they have found are interesting, and will intrigue us. It engages our attention 😊
(Linked)
Yes, I found the writing more direct than I expected. I was expecting more of a Henry James type elliptical prose, but LeFanu is as direct as any modern story teller. And many of the stories of this period do seem to contain a plot done through letters or notes or diaries — something that puts distance. I have not figured out yet if this makes things more ominous or not.
I listened to the Prologue and Chapter 1 yesterday using Hoopla. I was somewhat distracted while listening, so am going to give it another go this evening.But, yes, I agree about the directness. The chapters are short enough that we see the plot developing quickly. But with that, lots of questions, like the ones Jean mentioned! I'm going to pay particular attention to the conversation in Chapter 1 on my second listen to see if I can notice Mr. Jennings' preocupation and then change in manner when he knew he was speaking with a doctor.
The prose was not only direct, but a little abbreviated and not very complex at first. We'll see if that was of any importance.
Dr Hesselius seems to be picking up some abnormality immediately after observing Mr Jennings. He's already caught my attention by writing in the third paragraph of Chapter I:"He is a great favourite of Lady Mary's, who it seems, consults him upon many things, and thinks him the most happy and blessed person on earth. Little knows she about him."
If Mr Jennings was just stopping during the service, it would suggest a physical problem. But his eyes are following something that other people do not see on the carpet. Dr Hesselius is intrigued and wants to get to know him better.
Mr Jennings wants to read more about Metaphysical Medicine, suggesting he's trying to self-diagnose his problem and perhaps heal himself. He seems to be embarrassed about his problem. "Cures" like bloodletting were still being used until the late 19th century by mainstream doctors, so Mr Jennings is probably being cautious until he gets to know Dr Hesselius.
Ah, good point about bloodletting. I had forgotten about it as a medical technique back then. It probably killed as many people as some of the afflictions they experienced.
I’m intrigued by Mr. Jennings malady and by his secretiveness. The problem does seem to be mental or emotional, but I wonder if the narrator is leading us into a story about demonic possession. Great start to a promising gothic tale!
I liked this rather no nonsense approach to beginning the story. It seems to imply that you can or should trust both the narrator and Dr. Hesselius. I certainly do want to know what Rev. Jennings may be seeing as he is visiting and if it connects to the episodes he is having in the church. And why the church? And will he share with the doctor who he already appears to trust.
I also find it interesting that it is a short story with chapters. I like that. You don’t encounter that too often in the short story form. My familiarity with Victorian era short stories is less than, let’s say, post-modern short stories. In the post-modern stories, you might have breaks here and there, but no chapters. It is a nice formality and I consider it reader friendly.I mention this, also, because I just finished a novel by the novelist Marianne Wiggins. I thought her prose style was great, but she had characters speaking occasionally in other languages and it was hard to follow. Plus, there were certain things you needed to deduce as you were reading and I was saying to myself, why do I have to make deductions that could be wrong? It was reader unfriendly.
I like what you say about reader friendly/unfriendly, John. That is often really important to me, and I too like the chapter divisions. I also like the scientific feel that works so well in these supernatural stories.I'm reading this on Project Gutenberg, but also found an audio version by Tony Walker, who I discovered during the Mary Elizabeth Braddon reads. I love his narration, so I'll add the link if anyone else is interested.
https://tonywalker.substack.com/p/gre...
I was drawn into this story straight away with the "trifling" accident that ended with two severed fingers! The Prologue was interesting, and left me with some questions. Who is Professor Van Loo of Leyden and are we going to see more of him? He's a chemist and a playwright, but not a physician. He was a friend and letter correspondent of Dr. Hesselius and therefore the reason our narrator has these letters. Is anyone else skeptical of our narrator? It might be that my mind is too cynical, but he says a couple times he is altering the letters. "with slight modifications, chiefly of language" - "here and there I omit some passages and shorten others". That may be nothing, or are we being set up to have an unreliable narrator? He did call his accident "trifling" when it certainly was not. Maybe "slight modifications" is also less than true.
Well, again, it may just be my cynical mind at work, but in any case, this writing has captured my attention and now I can't wait to see where the story goes.
Bridget, I found myself rather aghast to read of a “trifling” accident that required the “prompt” amputation of two fingers. Yikes.
Bridget wrote: "Is anyone else skeptical of our narrator? .."Ooo I hadn't picked that up, but now I might be!
CHAPTER IIHere we mostly have a conversation between Dr. Hesselius and Lady Mary. It is a lighthearted conversation, but seems to draw out certain possibly ominous things: the drinking of green tea, a failed writing endeavor, and a ghost-sighting. Dr. Hesselius seems proud of himself as a conjuror, which Lady Mary agrees with. The chapter ends with the realization that Mr. Jennings has called upon Dr. Hesselius while he was away and wishes to speak with him.
CHAPTER IIIDr. Hesselius calls upon Mr. Jennings, who is busy with a clergyman. However, the servant recognizes Hesselius and insists that he should meet with Jennings. While waiting for Jennings in his study, which he feels is gloomy and oppressive, Hesselius begins to peruse the books and discovers a complete set of Swedenborg's "Arcana Cælestia" written in Latin. He feels compelled to delve into the text, As he reads, he translates some passages that discuss the nature of evil spirits. Hesselius finds a note at the bottom of one page, written by Jennings, that seems to be a cry for compassion.
What I found most intriguing about these two chapters was Hesselius knowing details about Jennings that I would not have expected him to know — unless I missed something. And he used a conversation with Lady Mary to draw out the details and confirm them. I feel I have questions about Hesselius. Perhaps not anything sinister, but something does not feel right about him.
John wrote: "What I found most intriguing about these two chapters was Hesselius knowing details about Jennings that I would not have expected him to know — unless I missed something. And he used a conversation..."Yes, I agree. Hesselius has an uncanny ability to understand Mr. Jennings after their one conversation. The level of his knowledge seems impossible unless he has a source we are unaware of. His details seem much too specific to be good guesses inferred from his conversation with Jennings.
If I look at the story from a structural standpoint I don’t think the Prologue was necessary. Perhaps the convention of the time, but you can go right into the story as a narrative from Chapter I. Unless, of course, there is something this unnamed medical secretary who is missing two fingers has something to tell us at the end.
I love when arcane writings are brought into a story. I think back in the day when sources could not so easily be checked, this must have really engaged the reader. I've not read Swedenborg and do not know if the quotes are actually from the Arcana Cælestia but the references to evil spirits and correspondences that exist in the spiritual world sound close enough for me to get a spooky shiver.
I agree that it's strange that Dr. Hesselius seems to be able to accurately guess so many things about Mr. Jennings. If I assume that his knowledge does not stem from an evil source, then perhaps he has an ability somewhat like that of Sherlock Holmes in being able to detect things through a much closer observation than other people would have. My biggest wonder is what significance green tea could play in the story. Obviously, it is important or Le Fanu would not have used it for his title.
CHAPTER IVHesselius is immersed in a book when he notices Jennings standing behind him, peering over his shoulder. Jennings appears agitated, with a wild expression. Their conversation reveals Jennings's admiration for Metaphysical Medicine. Jennings then shifts the subject, discussing Dr. Harley, a notable physician whom he criticizes. Jennings seems to be in a troubled state, hinting at personal issues that he is reluctant to share. Hesselius is concerned and curious about Jennings’s situation.
CHAPTER VHesselius reflects on meeting with Jennings, whose troubled expression lingers in his mind. After a few days, Jennings writes a hopeful note, stating he feels better and plans to return to his parish to work. However, he then sends another note seeking help and says he has moved to a house in Richmond. Hesselius travels to see him and finds the dark, secluded house less than inviting. Jennings enters, his demeanor is somber, and he begins to share his troubles.
Another of our expert hosts John has kindly agreed to lead Green Tea between 23rd and 30th September 2026 for us, as part of our "Ghosts, Ghouls and Gothic" year. This thread will then remain open for further stories by Sheridan Le Fanu.
The next post will be for possible future links.
**PLEASE ALLOW JOHN TO COMMENT FIRST. Thanks