Other editions of book The Canterville Ghost

Oscar Wilde was a major celebrity in the late Victorian era. He was an Irish playwright, novelist, poet, and short story writer. His works are known for their caustic wit. Wilde spent two years in a hard labor prison after being convicted of gross indecency. The Canterville Ghost is a novella parody featuring an ambassador and a spirit. The ambassador moves his family into a castle, which is known to be haunted.

The Canterville Ghost is a novella by Oscar Wilde. It was the first of Wilde's stories to be published, appearing in two parts in The Court and Society Review, 23 February and 2 March 1887. The story is about an American family who move to a castle haunted by the ghost of a dead nobleman, who killed his wife and was starved to death by his wife's brothers. It has been adapted for the stage and screen several times.

Adapted work of classical literature from a writer who became famous for his mystical sad tales. This book is one of them. A ghost lived in the Canterville castle for a long time. They say he killed many generations there. Eventually, the house was sold. A new family moved to the castle. One day they sat down to dinner. Suddenly they saw a red stain on the floor. Later they learnt that blood stain belonged to the late wife of the ghost. Father cleaned the spot, but it appeared the next day. Every night the ghost wandered through the corridors bothering the family. Its chains were always clanking. One night when the ghost started walking again, father suggested him to lubricate the chain by oil. The ghost got very angry and decided to get revenge.

The Canterville Ghost is a popular 1887 novella by Oscar Wilde, widely adapted for the screen and stage.“The Canterville Ghost” is a parody featuring a dramatic spirit named Sir Simon and the United States minister (ambassador) to the Court of St. James's, Hiram B. Otis. Mr. Otis travels to England with his family and moves into a haunted country house. Lord Canterville, the previous owner of the house, warns Mr. Otis that the ghost of Sir Simon de Canterville has haunted it ever since he killed his wife, Eleonore, three centuries before. But Mr. Otis dismisses the ghost story as bunk and disregards Lord Canterville’s warnings. When the Otises learn that the house is indeed haunted, they succeed in victimizing the ghost and in disregarding age-old British traditions. What emerges is a satire of American materialism, a lampoon of traditional British values, and an amusing twist on the traditional gothic horror tale.

‘Yes, death. Death must be so beautiful. To lie in the soft brown earth, with the grasses waving above one’s head, and listen to silence. To have no yesterday, and no tomorrow. To forget time, to forget life, to be at peace. You can help me. You can open for me the portals of death’s house, for love is always with you, and love is stronger than death is.’ The Canterville Ghost is a light-hearted novella by Oscar Wilde where he parodies gothic horror as well as cultural differences between the United States and the United Kingdom. The story of an American family that moves into a castle haunted by the 300-year-old ghost of a nobleman, who had killed his wife and was himself starved to death by his wife’s brothers, this novella is laced with macabre and comedy. The Canterville Ghost mocks not just spirits and ghosts, but also the American culture, poking fun at their bluntness and lack of social grace. One of the few stories in world literature to indulge in ghosts, this riveting read is bound to leave you in splits!