This episode it is the turn of ‘A Neighbour’s Landmark‘ by M.R. James to receive the critial going-over it deserves at the hands of Will and Mike.

Thanks to Kirsty for the excellent readings!

Show notes:

• ‘”They’ve got him! In the trees!” M.R. James and Sylvan Dread’ by Steve Duffy (Ghosts & Scholars)
• ‘So jarred were all my nerves’ : supernatural shock and traumatic terror in the ghost stories of M.R. James by Ralph Harrington (artificialhorizon.org)
• A close reading of M.R. James’ “A Neighbour’s Landmark.” by Tychy (tychy.wordpress.com)
• Myles Birket Foster and M.R. James (suptales.blogspot.co.uk)
• The interesting career of Lady Theodosia Ivy (roy25booth.blogspot.co.uk)
• The Lady Ivy’s Trial (in ‘Cobbett’s state trials’ – GoogleBooks)
• Possible locations: Betton Wood, Shropshire | Betton Strange Hall, Shropshire (Monty’s World)
• Glenfinlas; or, Lord Ronald’s Coronach by Sir Walter Scott (allpoetry.com)
• Warnings to the Curious, Ed. Rosemary Pardoe & S.T. Joshi (amazon.co.uk)
  Contains the essays by Jacquline Simpson and Brian Cowlishaw mentioned in this episode.

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Mike is off on his honeymoon at the moment, so in lieu of a full episode Will provides a reading of and short commentary on an M.R. James essay ‘Ghosts – Treat them Gently!‘ which was originally published in the Evening News on 17 April 1931.

In the essay Monty talks about what ingredients he thinks go to make up a really successful ghost story, and gives an insight into the supernatural fiction he rates most highly.

Links

• The ‘Not at Night’ series
• Society for Psychical Research
• Mr Wardle’s Fat Boy
• Sheridan Le Fanu
• William Harrison Ainsworth
• The Lancashire Witches (Novel by above)
• E.F Benson
• Algernon Blackwood
• A. M. Burrage
• Walter de la Mare
• H. Russell Wakefield
• Margaret Oliphant
• Lanoe Falconer

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Join Mike & Will for the first in a two part special on ‘The Residence at Whitminster’ by M.R. James! No black cockerels were harmed in the recording of this podcast (OK, maybe one or two. It’s called research people).

This episode features readings by Hamish Symington and Peter Ross.

Show Notes:

• M.R. James – An Informal Portrait by Michael Cox (Amazon)
  For details of Monty’s life during WWI we lean heavily on Michael Cox’s excellent biography. It is sadly now out of print but secondhand copies are available, if expensive. Try your local library before you splash out, they may be able to order it in for you.
• Warnings to the Curious (Ed. Joshi & Pardoe) (Amazon)
  We have recommended this many times before, but once again this great book of essays has helped a lot with our understanding of the story.
• Whitminster/Wheatenhurst, Gloucestershire (Googlemaps)
  The real Whitminster can be found here, although it was known as Wheatenhurst in James’s lifetime. More information on Whitminster House and estate, from which the place got it’s new name, can be found at british-history.ac.uk. Also see the Whitminster Community Website.
• Saul, in the Bible (Wikipedia)
  Lord Saul’s namesake appears in the Books of Samuel, and comes to a sticky end after some necromantic funny-business involving the Witch of Endor (no, not that Endor).
• Some Remarks on Ghost Stories by M.R. James (Ash Tree Press)
  In this episode we mention the M.R. James essay ‘Some Remarks on Ghost Stories’ which can be found in the ‘Pleasing Terror’ M.R. James anthology. The hardback is out of print but the eBook version is available.

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