tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post9168241438249088973..comments2024-03-18T11:01:42.459-05:00Comments on Pretty Sinister Books: FFB: Cold Harbour - Francis Brett YoungJ F Norrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-72699362084364408312012-04-09T16:05:40.454-05:002012-04-09T16:05:40.454-05:00I grew up at The Fox (title of Chapter One). I hav...I grew up at The Fox (title of Chapter One). I have the book (Cold Harbour). In it my mother has written "Francis Brett Young stayed at The Fox when he wrote this book". The Fox Inn I'm referring to is in Stourton, Near Stourbridge on the edge of The Black Country in the English Midlands.<br /><br />Reg Edwards,<br />Harrison, ArkansasEdwardsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-5443537585462796952011-10-08T14:59:23.427-05:002011-10-08T14:59:23.427-05:00I'll have to reread Le Fanu; I remembered the ...I'll have to reread Le Fanu; I remembered the house in <i>The House by the Churchyard</i> as a "character" in the book. I must be confusing it with something else. <i>The Castle of Otranto</i> is Gothic, but it is undoubtedly an example of the house as source of evil.<br />Surely the house as source of evil must have a longer history- it was only a decade after Young's book that Priestley parodied the idea in <i>The Old Dark House</i>Rogernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-46711673927722583342011-10-08T09:07:45.195-05:002011-10-08T09:07:45.195-05:00Roger -
Walpole's novel belongs to the Gothic...Roger -<br /><br />Walpole's novel belongs to the Gothic literature genre and not what I consider the "haunted house" novel. LeFanu's book is not at all a haunted house novel although one is mentioned peripherally in the book; it is more of a novel of mystery and suspense with the focus on the murders committed in the past. If you were to pick an early work that fits my definition of a haunted house novel you should've gone with Bulwer-Lytton's <i>The Haunted and the Haunters</i> (1859) originally published as <i>The House and the Brain.</i> That is the true granddaddy and has more in common with <i>Cold Harbour</i> and the other books I listed than either that you mentioned. But it is not truly a novel, rather a long short story. Young's book is, in my opinion, the book that began the trend of veering away from ghosts, rattling chains, giant boots and other material horror and focusing on the effect of evil on the inhabitants of the "haunted house."J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-4341669141604610302011-10-08T09:05:52.436-05:002011-10-08T09:05:52.436-05:00Thanks. Good review. Nice pictures of the dustja...Thanks. Good review. Nice pictures of the dustjacket and the hardbound book.Richard L. Pangburnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10717563750065476750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-11585446143497898132011-10-08T06:34:17.327-05:002011-10-08T06:34:17.327-05:00Sounds so good from your review that I went right ...Sounds so good from your review that I went right to Amazon and ordered a reprint!joan.kylerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17015342608992682333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-21462021651941150822011-10-07T23:24:12.509-05:002011-10-07T23:24:12.509-05:00"the grandaddy of all the literary haunted ho..."the grandaddy of all the literary haunted house novels "<br />Even older are <i>The House by the Churchyard</i> and <i>The Castle of Otranto</i>: great grandaddy and great great grandaddy, perhaps?Rogernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-34292080844842754922011-10-07T15:32:30.763-05:002011-10-07T15:32:30.763-05:00Curt -
Who is the brother? No one with the last n...Curt -<br /><br />Who is the brother? No one with the last name of Young comes to mind immediately. I'll check my Hubin when I get home. Or there's always Google...J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-87707079444825263782011-10-07T15:25:25.924-05:002011-10-07T15:25:25.924-05:00Sounds spookily good, John. Now if I can only get ...Sounds spookily good, John. Now if I can only get my nerve up. I'm just not a big fan of this sort of thing. Maybe if I were younger...<br /><br />Still, as always, I enjoyed reading your post.Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-43847918786422158722011-10-07T14:26:30.927-05:002011-10-07T14:26:30.927-05:00I am familiar with this book, very good review. T...I am familiar with this book, very good review. The author's brother wrote a couple detective novels, by the way.The Passing Tramphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09830680639601570152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787364257168822822.post-32415702525328362812011-10-07T12:58:19.243-05:002011-10-07T12:58:19.243-05:00Though probably not one I'll read, I really en...Though probably not one I'll read, I really enjoyed you review very much indeed. As always, you're a regular stop on my blog reading day.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com