Ghost Stories

Ghost Stories: characteristics

According to medievalist scholar and author, M. R. James, an English ghost story includes certain features. A ghost story with these features came to be known as a ‘Jamesian Tale.’¹ These include:

1. A setting that made an impression. The setting contributed to the mood of the story. For a ghost story, it was important for the setting to convey a sense of bleakness and foreboding. The setting could be as small as a country house and as big as a village or town.

2. An object that is the source of the haunting. Usually, the ghost in the ghost story would make its presence known when the protagonists discovered an object closely associated with the ghost.

3. A bland and naïve protagonist to maintain the reader’s attention on the ghost and the haunting.

4. No explanation of supernatural occurrences, such as the ghost, through reason or science.

5. Wrathful or menacing ghosts, as James believed that friendly apparitions belonged in fairy tales.

Ghost Stories: analysis and popular books

Analysing a ghost story requires close examination of certain aspects of the narrative. These include the setting, reason for haunting, and source of haunting.

Setting

When analysing the setting of a ghost story, you can ask yourself the following questions:

• What are the features of the setting?
• How does the setting add to the spookiness of the ghost story?
• The setting is usually special in some way or contains something special to the ghost. Ghosts typically cannot leave the place of their haunting, so it is important for the setting to be diverse – how does the story achieve this?
• Are there certain symbols or motifs in the setting that underline the ghost story?

This is a lot of questions, so let's take a look at how you can use them to analyse a text:

Reason for haunting

In most ghost stories, it is believed that those people who had 'unfinished business' on earth after their death find themselves unable to move on to the afterlife. Their restless souls, therefore, become ghosts and haunt a particular place they were closely associated with during their lives. Typically, ghosts can never leave the site of the haunting, except to 'move on' to the afterlife.

Source of haunting

Usually, ghosts are tied to a place by some precious belonging or some deep attachment to people or areas. These places or objects become the source of the haunting. Some people who believe in ghosts also believe that destroying the object frees the ghost. While that is yet to be scientifically proven, as is the existence of ghosts, the objects or places that are the source of the haunting also add to the fictional narrative and serve as a symbol for something else.

Ghost Stories: genre

While all ghost stories belong to the genre of supernatural fiction, not all supernatural fiction is a ghost story. Supernatural stories may feature creatures and beasts other than ghosts.

While ghost stories may include features found in tales of the supernatural, such as psychologically disturbing occurrences, spooks, death and tragedy, ghost stories must irrevocably contain ghosts to be qualified as such.

Tales of horror and the supernatural, including ghost stories, are often regaled during campfires and late night gatherings. Some ghost stories have snowballed into great popularity as a result of being told over and over during such events.

Ghost Stories: ideas for writing your own

If you're setting out to write a ghost story yourself, it's advisable to read some famous ghost stories in the English literary canon first, as these will give you an idea of how to enthral your readers. This could include reading stories by authors such as Edgar Allan Poe, Sheridan Le Fanu, and Shirley Jackson.

It is important to keep the following aspects in mind: the backstory, the source of the haunting, the setting and atmosphere, and the protagonist.

The backstory

Devise the backstory of the ghost first by asking yourself the following questions:

• Whose ghost is it?
• Why are they a ghost?
• Do they have some 'unfinished business' on earth?
• Who are they haunting and why?
• Are they malevolent towards only their target or to anyone who encounters them?
• What can potentially set the ghost free?

The source of the haunting

Once you have your ghost's backstory, identify the source of their haunting by asking yourself the following questions:

• What object triggers the appearance of the ghost and why?
• What is so special about the object for the ghost? Make sure it features significantly in the backstory. The object can also be a symbol for something that the ghost feels, such as rage, jealousy, or greed.

The setting and atmosphere

Setting and atmosphere are very important in a ghost story. These convey a sense of 'spookiness' to the reader. Traditionally, the appearances of ghosts are marked with cold spots and drafts, mists and vapours, etc. The ghost is also tied to a particular place and can usually never leave the place. In your ghost story, identify this place and set the scene for building a sense of horror and fear in your reader through imagery.

The protagonist

Know your protagonist. While all of these factors are important, it is also the interaction between the ghosts and your protagonist that will captivate your readers.

¹ S. T. Joshi. Count Magnus and Other Ghost Stories: The Complete Ghost Stories of M. R. James. Vol. 1. Penguin Books. 2005.