Books with title Canterville Ghost

*This book is Annotated (It contains a biography of the Author).* "The Canterville Ghost" is a short story by Oscar Wilde, widely adapted for the screen and stage. It was the first of Wilde's stories to be published. The story is about a family who moves 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.

A terrifying ghost is haunting the ancient mansion of Canterville Chase, complete with creaking floorboards, clanking chains and gruesome disguises - but the new occupants seem strangely undisturbed by his presence. Deftly contrasting the conventional gothic ghost story with the pragmatism of the modern world, Wilde creates a gently comic fable of the conflict between old and new. Rupert Degass hilarious reading brings the absurdity and theatricality of the story to life.

"The Canterville Ghost" is a popular story by Oscar Wilde, widely adapted for the screen and stage. It was the first of Wilde's stories to be published, appearing in "The Court and Society Review" in February 1887. Many film and TV productions have been based on the story. The story of the Canterville Ghost takes place in an old English country house, Canterville Chase, which has all the accoutrements of a traditional haunted house. The story begins when Mr Otis's family moves to Canterville Chase, despite warnings from Lord Canterville that the house is haunted. At the onset of the tale, not one member of the Otis family believes in ghosts, but shortly after they move in, none of them can deny the presence of Sir Simon (The Ghost).

Despite warnings from Lord Canterville that their new home is haunted and that several family have fled form it in the middle of the night the Otis family chooses to go forward with their relocation. Almost immediately the Otis Family discovers that the stories are true and that their house is haunted by the ghost of Sir Simon. It is Sir Simon's intent not to share the house with anyone, but the Otis family is not like previous families that Sir Simon has scared off in the past. Narrated by the ghost himself, this Gothic ghost story takes the reader on many unexpected twists and turns. Wilde at his comic best. With 17 illustrations by Wallace Goldsmith.

In The Canterville Ghost, Virginia befriends the ghost haunting Centerville Chase. She chastises him for rattling his chains like a stereotypical ghost. She helps him cross over into the afterlife, but never describes what she saw there. Horace B. Otis and his family move into Canterville Chase despite the warnings of Lord Canterville himself. The house is haunted by the ghost of Sir Simon, who killed his wife there in 1575. Otis's housekeeper claims that the blood stain in the living room dates back to the day of the murder. Otis scoffs at this and cleans it up, but the blood stain reappears the morning after. Later, it's revealed that the ghost used Virginia Otis's paints to recreate the stain. Virginia chastises Sir Simon for stealing the paints, but after talking to him agrees to help him leave the house and travel to another dimension. Virginia returns from their journey unharmed.

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.

THE CANTERVILLE GHOST - CLASSIC - BY OSCAR WILDEA humorous satire by Oscar Wilde concerning a castle, a ghost, a distant relative and a delightful conclusion as the prophecy is fulfilled, after centuries of hauntings, creaking floor boards and ghostly antics. A wonderful and captivating introduction to the works of this famous novelist, poet and playwright. The Canterville Ghost was one of many wonderful stories full of Wilde's inexhaustible wit and extraordinary descriptive ability.Recommended by The Gunston Trust.Ages Young Adults - Adults

Annotations•AUTHOR•The Canterville Ghost Summary•The Canterville Ghost Glossary•The Canterville Ghost Themes•The Canterville Ghost Quotes and Analysis•The Canterville Ghost Symbols, Allegory and Motifs•The Canterville Ghost Metaphors and Similes•The Canterville Ghost Irony•The Canterville Ghost Imagery•The Canterville Ghost The Canterville Ghost and Gothic LiteratureHorace B. Otis, a wealthy American, purchases Canterville Chase, an ancient English manor-house, despite warnings that the house is known to be haunted. He moves into the house accompanied by his wife, his eldest son Washington, his daughter Virginia, and his two younger twin sons. Immediately upon arrival, the family is confronted by a bloodstain in a sitting room. The housekeeper, Mrs. Umney, explains that the stain has been there since 1575 and is the result of Lady Eleanore de Canterville having been brutally murdered by her husband, Sir Simon de Canterville.The Otis family takes a pragmatic perspective and scrubs the stain away; they repeat the process when the stain continues to reappear every morning. The stubborn reappearance of the stain, as well as other strange occurrences around the house, leads them to consider that the rumor of the ghost may not be totally unfounded. These ideas are confirmed when one night, the sound of clanking chains wakes Mr Otis from his sleep. He gets out of bed and confronts a terrifying ghost, but responds only by recommending that the ghost oil his chains so that he does not cause so much noise when he is walking around at night.Mr. Otis is not the only family member who is not afraid of the ghost: the young twins enjoy tormenting the ghost with pranks. The ghost is very proud of his tradition of terrifying visitors for hundreds of years, and he is determined to strike fear into the American family. However, the more and more terrifying he tries to be, the more they either make fun of or ignore him. Things hit rock bottom for the Canterville Ghost when the twins actually create a fake ghost of their own to scare the real ghost. He accepts that he has lost his status and power, and he begins to become depressed and pine away.Meanwhile, Virginia's beauty has attracted the attention of the young Duke of Cheshire, who comes to stay at Canterville Chase. While he is visiting, Virginia unexpectedly comes across the secret hiding lair of the ghost. The ghost explains his sadness and suffering, telling her that he longs for the peaceful experience of death. He also tells her that because of her purity and innocence, she can help him to achieve this peace. Even though she is frightened, Virginia agrees to help; the two of them pass through a secret opening in the wall and vanish.When Virginia cannot be found, her family and the Duke become very upset. A few hours later, Virginia appears in the dark at the top of the stairs. Her only explanation of her disappearance is that she has assisted in finally bringing eternal rest to the Canterville Ghost. As a token of his thanks and affection, Sir Simon has given her a box filled with jewels. Virginia leads the family into a secret chamber, where they are greeted by the sight of his skeletal remains. Four days later, Sir Simon’s body is finally laid to rest with a proper burial.Virginia subsequently marries the Duke of Cheshire. Although she never tells anyone what she experienced when she vanished with the Ghost, she always reflects affectionately on him and his memory.

The home of the Canterville Ghost was the ancient Canterville Chase, which has all the accoutrements of a traditional haunted house. Descriptions of the wainscoting, the library panelled in black oak, and the armour in the hallway characterise the setting. Wilde mixes the macabre with comedy, juxtaposing devices from traditional English ghost stories such as creaking floorboards, clanking chains, and ancient prophecies. The story begins when Mr Otis and family move into Canterville Chase, despite warnings from Lord Canterville that the house is haunted. Mr Otis says that he will take the furniture as well as the ghost at valuation. The Otis family includes Mr and Mrs Otis, their eldest son Washington, their daughter Virginia and the Otis twins. The other characters include the Canterville Ghost, the Duke of Cheshire (who wants to marry Virginia), Mrs Umney (the housekeeper), and Rev. Augustus Dampier. At first, none of the Otis family believe in ghosts, but shortly after they move in, none of them can deny the presence of Sir Simon de Canterville . The family hears clanking chains, they witness reappearing bloodstains "on the floor just by the fireplace", which are removed every time they appear in various forms. But, humorously, none of these scare the Otis family in the least. In fact, upon hearing the clanking noises in the hallway, Mr Otis promptly gets out of bed and pragmatically offers the ghost Tammany Rising Sun Lubricator to oil his chains.