The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton, by Edith Wharton

[Sara, New School Classics]

Beginning July 27th and lasting until whenever...a little dip into the world of ghosts by the inimitable Edith Wharton. Everyone welcomed!

Links to the stories online, in case they are needed:
The Lady's Maid's Bell

The Eyes

Afterward

Kerfol

The Triumphs of Night

Miss Mary Pask and Bewitched


Mr. Jones


Cannot find Pomegranate Seeds, The Looking Glass or All Souls'

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

I love Edith Wharton. I'm going to have to see if I can get a copy of the book.

[Cynda]

Oh good Katy. I found a copy on Hoopla, if your library uses that service and you are okay with ebooks.

[Terris]

Thanks, Cynda! I just found it on Hoopla :)

[Kathleen]

I just found my library is slowly adding inter-library loans, and it looks like this is available! I may just have to join you all on this--thanks!

[Susie]

This sounds fun.
Kindle has a copy for under $5.00 if anyone is interested, so I'm in!

[Sara, New School Classics]

I'm truly excited that we have so much interest. I love Wharton and this should make for a great discussion.

[Brina]

That looks fun but not sure I could get in time. I’ll file it for another time and place.

[Brian E]

I just got my copy of the Scribner's edition today and am posting so I get notice of any other posts when discussion starts at the end of the month. This edition is similar in style to my editions of A Mother's Recompense, Glimpses of the Moon and Twilight Sleep.

[Brian E]

I just started this today and will try, with a modicum of self-control, to read no more than a story a day to stretch the pleasure out.
BONUS: My edition has some eerily lovely illustrations to add some atmosphere. I do like illustrations, in moderation.
I anticipate intrigue and mood rather than any real horror.

[Sara, New School Classics]

Intrigue and mood--very in keeping with Wharton. I will start tomorrow and try to pace myself as well, Brian.

[Terris]

I am having trouble finding a (free? low cost?) copy.
Any suggestions, anyone?

[Sara, New School Classics]

Do you have Hoopla, Terri? It is available there.

[Sara, New School Classics]

Another thought...they are all available individually as pdf online. Want a list of the stories included?

[Cynda]

Right I was going to reason Hoopla, but I want my selections for other books. So I will be reading from Gutenberg. So that is available too if needed/wanted.

[Cynda]

I was going to read from Hoopla.

[Terris]

Oh, thanks, Sara! I do have Hoopla! However, for some reason it is not letting me check it out at this moment :/
So I'll have to call the library tomorrow to get that figured out.
And, I do see the list of stories on the book description. I'll do the pdf version of the single stories if I have to.
Thanks for the info! :)

[Sara, New School Classics]

I started adding the links to the first message, Terri. I did 4 of them and will do the others later.

[Kathleen]

Sara, that is so nice that you added the links--thank you! I wasn't able to get the library copy I hoped for, so I'll also be reading the individual stories online. I will try to read The Lady's Maid's Bell tomorrow or if not, soon after.

I'm really looking forward to these!

[Terris]

Oh, good! Thanks for the links! I think I'll probably try to read The Lady's Maid's Bell today or tomorrow too.

[Sara, New School Classics]

Sadly, cannot find the last three stories online. I put links for the others but I guess Hoopla is the best bet for the full set.

[Terris]

Too bad, but thanks for what you've done!

[Sara, New School Classics]

The Lady's Maid's Bell

So, for our first story I am left a little perplexed. Great atmosphere and mood as Brian noted; has that gothic feel. However (view spoiler)[can anyone tell me why Emma Saxon was haunting them? Had there been an affair between her and Mr. Brympton? Between Mrs. Brympton and Mr. Ranford? I cannot recall ever finishing a story with more questions at the end than the beginning, but this definitely felt that way for me. I read it twice, just to see if I had missed something because the cat wouldn't stop bumping the book...he wanted me to put it aside and pay attention to him. (hide spoiler)]

[Brian E]

Due to her friendship with Henry James, I should have known Wharton's ghost story would be ambiguous. (view spoiler)[ Although there appears to be no reason for the narrator to imagine the ghost, Wharton does have her recovering from a long bout with typhoid, leaving her is a weakened state - possibly subject to hallucinations?
If it exists, there is the mystery of the purpose of the ghost - If it was to protect a friend, she failed. There is the unanswered question of how Emma died or whether that even matters. Also, was the husband an abuser suspecting his wife of an affair with the neighbor? That seems to be the case, but I certainly don't know. (hide spoiler)]
However, I think Wharton left things unexplained since the story's purpose is more to comment on women in a society where men dominate. So, I'm not going to stress my brain too much by trying to figure the story out. I like Wharton's writing enough to enjoy this open-ended ambiguous story.

[Sara, New School Classics]

I don't object to ambiguity, especially in ghost stories. I loved The Turn of the Screw and also thought that Wharton was going for the same kind of feel here. I did find that both the purpose for the ghostly appearance (view spoiler)[I had not considered the fact that she was recovering from typhoid, Brian. Good catch. I had only thought that she was upstairs pretty much alone and others had made it so mysterious about the locked room. (hide spoiler)] and the lack of clarity about what was going on between the other three needed a bit more development to feel complete.

Like you, Brian, I love her writing. It flows and she is so marvelous at painting the privileged set. I could see Madam lying amongst her pillows, ringing (or in this case not ringing) for her tea.

[Kathleen]

I enjoy Wharton too--she often kind of lulls me into a big impact. She sort of did that with this story, I just don't yet understand what the impact was!

(view spoiler)[I tend to always believe in the ghost, so I just wondered what Emma was trying to say. Especially by leading Hartley to Ranford. Could he have saved Mrs. B? It did seem Mr. B was scared of Emma. (hide spoiler)] There could be a whole story underneath this story.

I'm also intrigued by what Brian said about women in society where men dominate. Who had the power here?

[Terris]

Sara wrote: "I started adding the links to the first message, Terri. I did 4 of them and will do the others later."

Sara -- I got my Hoopla problem fixed and was able to download the book just now! You won't believe what happened -- my library card had expired in June!!! ME, of all people, let my library card expire!! Haha! However, the library was able to renew it for three years over the phone and now it's all good! So funny ;)

[Sara, New School Classics]

Dang, Terri, I didn't even know they could expire. I'd better watch mine closely. Glad you got it fixed.

[Sara, New School Classics]

Kathleen wrote: "I enjoy Wharton too--she often kind of lulls me into a big impact. She sort of did that with this story, I just don't yet understand what the impact was!

[spoilers removed] There could be a whole ..."

Odd to say you enjoy a story but don't quite understand it, which is how I am feeling about this one. The points you make in your spoiler are the ones that I was searching for answers to. As Brian says, (view spoiler)["there is the mystery of the purpose of the ghost - If it was to protect a friend, she failed." We are usually privy to what might motivate a ghost to be present and the answer here seems to lie in the relationship between Ranford and Mrs. B, but we never really know what that relationship was.

Interesting question of who has the power, but I was unsure either did. In fact, I can't really see that any power was wielded by anyone, including our ghost. (hide spoiler)]

[Terris]

Sara wrote: "Dang, Terri, I didn't even know they could expire. I'd better watch mine closely. Glad you got it fixed."

;)

[Connie]

I was happy to spot this thread earlier since I enjoy Edith Wharton's stories. The Lady's Maid's Bell is an atmospheric ghost story with an ambiguous ending. Wharton gives us some information, but not enough to know exactly what's going on. The reader has to create part of the story in their minds, but it's conjecture with multiple possibilities.

I imagined the situation this way, but someone else may come up with other ideas that fit the story. (view spoiler)[Mrs Brympton and Emma Saxon were very close, almost like sisters. After Emma died, her ghost was still trying to protect the fragile Mrs Brympton from Mr Brympton by ringing the bell to summon Alice. Mr Brympton seemed emotionally abusive toward his wife. He's also giving her a hard time about Mr Renford's visits. Mrs Brympton has a bad heart and cannot risk any kind of stress, or risk another pregnancy. When Mr Brympton came home unexpectedly, Mrs Brympton was so scared and agitated that her heart was hammering from all the adrenaline. She fell to the floor as she had a heart attack. (hide spoiler)] I would love to know how other people interpreted this ambiguous story, although we can enjoy it without really knowing everything that happened.

[Cynda]

Connie wrote: "I was happy to spot this thread earlier since I enjoy Edith Wharton's stories. The Lady's Maid's Bell is an atmospheric ghost story with an ambiguous ending. Wharton gives us some info..."

I have just finished The Lady's Maid's Bell. Connie, my imagination is much like yours. Here's how my varies. (view spoiler)[Mrs Btympto and Mr Randford are having an affair. Emma Stone rings the bell to alert Alice Hartley that his misstress needs assistance--to send off Mr Randford perhaps. I think Mrs Bympto is physically capable of conceiving, perhaps not of birthing babies. So the prescription is for birth control. The nonsense about babies and limewater was just to throw off the lady's maid. The message to Mr Randford was to make an assigination--just another one. At the final scene, Emma Stone is overseeing her sister-of-the-heart. She can do that because she can be seen only by Alice Hartley. When Emma Stone senses danger of Mr Randford being discovering, she rings the bell. Hartley comes and is not admitted to the room as Mr Randford is in the room. Mr Brympton returns. Walks in through the dressing room and may have seen Mr Randford on the suite of rooms. At the fumeral, Mr Ranford wears maybe too much black and is emotoinally undone enough to lean heavily on his cane. (hide spoiler)] Anyway, that's my understanding. . . .

[Cynda]

Sara wrote: "Beginning July 27th and lasting until whenever...a little dip into the world of ghosts by the inimitable Edith Wharton. Everyone welcomed!

Links to the stories online, in case they are needed:
The..."

Sara, I found a website. It will not link.
But this address will work if you search for it.
americanliterature.com/author/edith-w...

[Sara, New School Classics]

Sorry, Cynda. I found that site as well, but this is not the short story but a poem she wrote by the same name.

Connie and Cynda: You have both given plausible explanations for what is going on in the story. I believe Wharton meant it to be nebulous and mysterious and, as you say, for each reader to need to supply their own interpretation. It is obvious something is going on between Ranford and Mrs. B. and that Mrs. B is genuinely frightened of Mr. B. He says something interesting at the death scene when Alice tells him to look to his wife, "It seems that's done for me." Since Alice seems to think he has seen Emma just as she has, I wondered if that referred to Emma or to Ranford. I had not thought about the purpose of the "limewater" being to do with birth control. Birth control was almost taboo at this time, and it does make sense.

I suppose Wharton was very successful in her intent, because I am still pondering this story after reading it twice and two days of sitting on it.

[Connie]

Mrs B probably had been visiting with Mr Ranford on her last evening since she did not want her maid to help her that night. (view spoiler)[It's hard to know whether he had already left (and was seen leaving by Mr B), or if Mr R was in the dark dressing room when Mr B arrived. Either way, Mrs B was terrified when her husband came into her room, and the ghost knew she needed Alice's protection. (hide spoiler)]

[Cynda]

Ahhh right, Sarah.

[Cynda]

Sara, I have just bought on Kindle Edith Wharton: The Complete Works newly updated for 1.99 USD. In the Stories section in "The World Over" collection, I found the stories Pomegranate Seed and The Looking Glass. Kindle also has The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton which is a much shorter collection--an omnibus?--and for over 3 times the amount.

[Brian E]

Story #2 The Eyes - My initial comments:
(view spoiler)[ Presumably, this is more straightforward than the first. The eyes are Culwin’s own eyes haunting him while he is pursuing hypocritical, though comforting, behavior. They first appear after he has invited Alice to share Europe and a life with him, more out of fear and sympathy than the desire to do so. They go away when he follows his truth and runs away to Europe sans Alice. The eyes appear again when Culwin lies again by telling Gilbert his work has potential when it doesn’t. Similarly, the eyes go away when he reveals the truth to Gilbert. The eyes disappear when Culwin acts harshly but truthfully.
The end, with Culwin fixed on his reflected eyes, is a bit ambiguous though. It seems to imply that Culwin may have been enticing young ‘juicy’ Phil with misleading compliments and actions and Phil is distraught when realizing this – that he’s just another protege. As said about Phil in the beginning of the story, “Culwin has fished him out of a fog of family dullness” and “tasted the lyric qualities in youth” with Phil.
However, Culwin states he had not yet been haunted by the eyes while with Phil and if he was being ‘untrue’ he should already be seeing the eyes. Perhaps he does see them and does not reveal it since he doesn’t want Phil to know he does. That could explain Culwin’s end hateful glare at his own reflected face. Or perhaps Culwin doesn’t see the eyes at night because, at least until the end, he has been truthful with juicy Phil. In any event, I found the homosexual aspects of the story fairly out there for the time period. Good old Edith. (hide spoiler)]

[Sara, New School Classics]

That's great, Cynda. I guess everyone now has a copy or will read with the ones that were available online.

[Sara, New School Classics]

You have pretty much nailed this one, Brian. Exactly as I saw, with one comment I will make about the ending (view spoiler)[I thought the eyes appearing to Culwin as a reflection was a moment of self-awareness. Up until this point he has been lying to himself (as well as the others) by insisting that the eyes belong to someone else. This is the moment in which he is forced to see the eyes as his own. The sexual overtones here are unmistakable. Referring to Phil as "juicy" and describing Gilbert "his stupidity was a natural grace--it was as beautiful, really, as his eyelashes." Beautiful eyelashes on someone of the same sex not being a "manly" thing to notice at the time. Good for old Edith, indeed. (hide spoiler)]

[Brian E]

I like your final observation, Sara. (view spoiler)[ It would also explain why there was a 'hateful glare' - some self-realization does that. (hide spoiler)]

[Bob, Short Story Classics]

Earlier this year, before this buddy read was created I read The Lady’s Maid’s Bell and Bewitched. As usual I enjoyed Wharton’s writing. Mail’s Bell was always a little unsettling in that I never got what happened. I’ve always thought I missed something. Based on the discussion, maybe I’m not alone and apparently Edith did it to us on purpose. I intended to reread this someday, perhaps now is a good time.

When the discussion gets to Bewitched, you will find a much different story.

[Terris]

Sara wrote: "Sorry, Cynda. I found that site as well, but this is not the short story but a poem she wrote by the same name.

Connie and Cynda: You have both given plausible explanations for what is going on i..."

I agree with you all on this. I think that Emma's ghost was trying to look after and protect Mrs. Brympton. But I really couldn't quite tell what was happening at the end. So I was glad to get your views on that! Both of you, Connie & Cynda, had really good ideas on that! Thanks! :)

[Sara, New School Classics]

Bob wrote: "Earlier this year, before this buddy read was created I read The Lady’s Maid’s Bell and Bewitched. As usual I enjoyed Wharton’s writing. Mail’s Bell was always a little unsettling in that I never g..."

I believe Wharton was playing around with Henry James when she wrote this one. I read somewhere that they issued each other challenges, and I thought about The Turn of the Screw the entire time I was reading this. I think she may have left it a little too vague, but I'm guessing James liked it.

[Connie]

That's an interesting thought, Sara. The Turn of the Screw certainly had layers of ambiguity.

[Cynda]

I agree with Brian and Sara that sexuality was referred in so many ways, just not said. The the over-the-top references indicate possible homophobia of the narrator. He does not admit his admiration of Culwin might be also a sexual desire for Culwin.

But what interests me more. . . .

[Cynda]

What interests me more are some--a few--connections to A Christmas Carol.

(view spoiler)[Culwin gives reasons for why the eyes came in ways similar to Scrooge. Scrooge lists reasons why Marley's Ghost/night apparition
might appear. Culwin lists reasons why the eyes/night apparition appear, including a digestive delusion, something like Scrooge's undigested food morsel.

Scrooge refuses to admit to himself the connection between money grubbing and personal isolation. Culwin refuses to admit to himself the connection between his misleading Gilbert and seeing eyes. He says:

I never saw them [the eyes] after my talk with Gilbert. Put two and two together if you can. For my part, I haven't found the link.

There is even a married clerk in both stories. In Christmas Carol, the impoverished clerk marries a worthy woman. In The Eyes, the impoverished man becomes a clerk to marries a not-particularly worthy woman. (hide spoiler)]

Anyone else find other similarities to Christmas Carol?

[Sara, New School Classics]

Afterward is a deeply satisfying and mostly traditional ghost story. (view spoiler)[I loved the building sense of doom approaching that begins with the comment from Alida Stair and intensifies as soon as the young couple start to explore their ancient house. The twist in this tale is that the ghost is not a ghost of the house, but one that is conjured by the couple themselves. The mystery as to what happened to the husband is left hanging out there--a little frightening to think that a ghost calls for him and he disappears like cigarette smoke. Sometimes I wish justice could be had from beyond the grave this easily, but alas, in life the husband would have been right and his misdeed would have been buried with the man he cheated. (hide spoiler)]

This is my favorite of the stores so far. It has all the earmarks of a good Wharton novel: her vivid descriptions, the sense of privilege setting these people apart from those who lives they influence so harshly with their carelessness, the flow that moves the story forward effortlessly.

[Brian E]

Sara, I wrote my comment while you were posting yours, I'm not revising it even though I have mainly similar comments, absent the social class insights, but probably enjoyed it slightly less than you did.

#3 AFTERWARD
A few brief observations: (view spoiler)[
1) This is a more straightforward ghost story. As with many mysteries, the author gives sufficient info that the reveal isn’t unexpected. It is genuinely nice to have a more straightforward story. I expect more stories in this collection to be similar in tone to this one.
2) As with many such stories, Wharton connects the ending with an observation from the beginning – Alida’s observation that, as to ghosts at Lyng, one “won’t know till long, long afterward.”
3) However, Wharton adds a slight twist. The early reference is to an existing ghost at Lyng while the story ghost did not have a prior existence at Lyng. Presumably, the implication is that Lyng or Dorchester is a breeding ground for new ghosts, even one that should have its primary base in America. My guess is Wharton’s extra little twist was an attempt to make this story not entirely straightforward. The result, to me, is a pleasant if not enthralling reading experience. (hide spoiler)]

[Connie]

Edith Wharton's writing is so elegant, and I love how she presents such different types of ghosts. "My Lady's Maid's Bell" had a protective ghost in the house, "The Eyes" had an inner demon or conscience, and "Afterward" had a ghost coming from afar (for revenge?). I'm looking forward to see what she comes up with next.