The Canterville Ghost and Other Stories
By Oscar Wilde
3.5/5
()
About this ebook
Renowned for his poetry, plays, essays, and conversational skills, Oscar Wilde also wrote scintillating works of short fiction. This volume includes four fine examples, including The Canterville Ghost, the comical tale of a spirit who terrorized the residents of Canterville Chase for three centuries. When the manor is acquired by a no-nonsense American family with no use for the supernatural, hilarity ensues.
Three other stories feature "The Sphinx Without a Secret," a tale of an enigmatic woman who carries a mystery's key to her grave; "The Model Millionaire," recounting the exploits of a "delightful, ineffectual young man with a perfect profile and no profession"; and "Lord Arthur Savile's Crime," in which an aristocrat learns that he is destined to commit murder. Rounding out the volume are Wilde's lyrical Poems in Prose: "The Artist," "The Doer of Good," "The Disciple," "The Master," "The House of Judgment," and "The Teacher of Wisdom."
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was born on the 16th October 1854 and died on the 30th November 1900. He was an Irish playwright, poet, and author of numerous short stories and one novel. Known for his biting wit, he became one of the most successful playwrights of the late Victorian era in London, and one of the greatest celebrities of his day. Several of his plays continue to be widely performed, especially The Importance of Being Earnest.
Read more from Oscar Wilde
The Picture Of Dorian Gray Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/550 Great Love Letters You Have To Read (Golden Deer Classics) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A House of Pomegranates Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Comedies: Lady Windermere's Fan, An Ideal Husband, A Woman of No Importance, and The Importance of Being Earnest Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Complete Works Of Oscar Wilde Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Picture of Dorian Gray Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5De Profundis Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Greatest Christmas Stories of All Time: Timeless Classics That Celebrate the Season Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPoems Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Importance of Being Earnest: A Play Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Gothic Classics: 60+ Books in One Volume Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Picture of Dorian Gray Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/550 Beautiful Christmas Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBlood, Sperm, Black Velvet: The Seminal Book Of English Decadence (1888-1908) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsComplete Works of Oscar Wilde Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Oscar Wilde: A Life in Letters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My Own Dear Darling Boy: The Letters of Oscar Wilde to Lord Alfred Douglas Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Complete Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The Penny Dreadfuls MEGAPACK ®: 10 Classic Shockers! Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related to The Canterville Ghost and Other Stories
Related ebooks
The Canterville Ghost: (Fantasy and Horror Classics) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Canterville Ghost: "We have really everything in common with America nowadays, except, of course, language." Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Top 10 Short Stories - 19th Century - Ghost Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Canterville Ghost: A Humorous Ghost Story Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Canterville Ghost, Illustrated Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Canterville Ghost: Short Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Humorous Ghost Stories Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Canterville Ghost and Other Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Canterville Ghost: Bilingual Edition (English – German) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Canterville Ghost: Bilingual Edition (English – French) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Prince and the Pauper Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Gilded Age - A Tale of Today Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIl Fantasma di Canterville (The Canterville Ghost) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe House by the River Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Queen Alone Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Duke in the Suburbs Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Girl on the Boat: Classic Humorous Fiction Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe House: An Episode in the Lives of Reuben Baker, Astronomer and His Wife Alice Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Prince and the Pauper (Annotated) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Girl on the Boat: 'Why do dachshunds wear their ears inside out?'' Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTrilby: The Bestseller of 1895 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Windsor Caper Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA. W. Kinglake: A Biographical and Literary Study Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Swampers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Immortal Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMeanwhile Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEleanor in the Village: Eleanor Roosevelt's Search for Freedom and Identity in New York's Greenwich Village Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Patrician: "Love has no age, no limit; and no death" Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Northanger Abbey (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Knock, Murderer, Knock! Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Classics For You
Warrior of the Light: A Manual Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Learn French! Apprends l'Anglais! THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY: In French and English Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hell House: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Animal Farm: A Fairy Story Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Rebecca Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Flowers for Algernon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bell Jar: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fellowship Of The Ring: Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Things They Carried Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5East of Eden Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Old Man and the Sea: The Hemingway Library Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Good Man Is Hard To Find And Other Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Silmarillion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Heroes: The Greek Myths Reimagined Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Persuasion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Count of Monte-Cristo English and French Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Confederacy of Dunces Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Farewell to Arms Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Scarlet Letter Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Sun Also Rises: The Hemingway Library Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Two Towers: Being the Second Part of The Lord of the Rings Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ulysses: With linked Table of Contents Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5For Whom the Bell Tolls: The Hemingway Library Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Poisonwood Bible: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5As I Lay Dying Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tinkers: 10th Anniversary Edition Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Canterbury Tales Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Republic by Plato Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Canterville Ghost and Other Stories
4 ratings4 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is a story by one of the greatest humorists of his or any age, so one should not be surprised when it turns out that the titular Ghost is not very scary. At least he is not scary to the American Minister to Great Britain and his family who bought Canterville Chase in spite of severe warnings that it was "haunted".The ghost who haunts Canterville had died a hundred years ago and ever since had managed to scare the subsequent residents. That all changes when Mr.Hiram B. Otis, his wife, and four children take residence. Hiram is emphatic when he says, "I come from a modern country . . . I reckon that if there were such a thing as a ghost in Europe, we'd have it at home in a very short time in one of our public museums, or on the road as a show."Needless to say, Wilde has fun with his parody of the hicks from America, but also pokes fun at the British lords with their cultural snobbery. What ensues is a topsy-turvy plot with the Ghost being flummoxed by the refusal of the Otis's to believe in him along with the mischievous activities of the youngest children, twins, who pester him on an almost daily basis.The story is subtitled "A Hylo-Idealistic Romance" and as a romance it does have a sweet ending. Virginia, the only daughter in the family and a kind-hearted girl, becomes friends with the ghost. She gradually learns his background, appropriately sordid, and the story takes the reader on a supernatural journey befitting a "haunted house" tale. The result is one that benefits both the Ghost and Virginia, but you will have to read the story to learn the details. Let me say, however, that it was a delightful and satisfying story from the comic beginning to the romantic ending. It almost left me wanting to believe in ghosts, at least those that are as sympathetic as this creation of Oscar Wilde.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Very ironic and satirical about both American and English customs and behavior.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5the canterville ghost is one of my all time favourite stories. it is so funny. and it shows how silly & out of touch westernised people have become with the spiritual realm.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5All I read was the Canterville Ghost. It was alright but after reading Mr. Wilde's plays it was tragically disappointing at the same time. It was good, it wass alright, it passed the time and allowed me to forget that I am at work during the few minutes I would read it daily. Overall, not that exciting.