Tales of the Dead
Encyclopedia
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
anthology
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
of horror fiction
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
, published in 1813 by the publishing house White, Cochrane
John George Cochrane
John George Cochrane was a Scottish editor and bibliographer, also a librarian, with a general knowledge of literary history.-Life:...
and Co.
Origin
The collection had its origin in Das Gespensterbuch ("The Ghost Book"), a five-volume anthologyAnthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
of German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
ghost stories
Ghost story
A ghost story may be any piece of fiction, or drama, or an account of an experience, that includes a ghost, or simply takes as a premise the possibility of ghosts or characters' belief in them. Colloquially, the term can refer to any kind of scary story. In a narrower sense, the ghost story has...
. The original anthology was published in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
between 1811 and 1815. The stories were compiled by Friedrich August Schulze (1770–1849), under the pen name
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
Friedrich Laun, and Johann August Apel
Johann August Apel
Johann August Apel was a German writer and jurist.Apel was born in Leipzig. His tale Die Jägerbraut formed the basis for the libretto of Der Freischütz.- Works :* Die Aitolier...
(1771–1816).
A selection of short stories
Short Stories
Short Stories may refer to:*A plural for Short story*Short Stories , an American pulp magazine published from 1890-1959*Short Stories, a 1954 collection by O. E...
from the first two volumes received a French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
translation
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
by Jean Baptiste Benoit Eyries (1767–1846) and was published in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
during 1812. The French title was Fantasmagoriana, ou Recueil d'Histoires d'Apparitions de Spectres, Revenans, Fantomes, etc.; traduit de l'allemand, par un Amateur. The title is derived from Étienne-Gaspard Robert
Étienne-Gaspard Robert
Étienne-Gaspard Robert , often known by the stage name of "Robertson", was a prominent Belgian stage magician and influential developer of phantasmagoria. He was described by Charles Dickens as "an honourable and well-educated showman"...
's Phantasmagoria
Phantasmagoria
Phantasmagoria can refer to:* Phantasmagoria, a type of show using an optical device to display moving images* Phantasmagoria, a video game* Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh, a video game sequel to Phantasmagoria...
. The two volumes use as an epigraph
Epigraph (literature)
In literature, an epigraph is a phrase, quotation, or poem that is set at the beginning of a document or component. The epigraph may serve as a preface, as a summary, as a counter-example, or to link the work to a wider literary canon, either to invite comparison or to enlist a conventional...
"Falsis terroribus implet. — HORAT
Horace
Quintus Horatius Flaccus , known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus.-Life:...
", meaning roughly "he fills [his breast] with imagined terrors".
Five stories from the Fantasmagoriana were then translated into English by Sarah Elizabeth Utterson née Brown (c.1782–1851), wife of publisher Edward Vernon Utterson (1777–1856). Three of the stories from the French she omitted as they "did not appear equally interesting" to her. She also noted she had "considerably curtailed" her translation of "La Tête de Mort," "as it contained much matter relative to the loves of the hero and heroine, which in a compilation of this kind appeared rather misplaced." Utterson also added a story of her own, "The Storm." The six tales formed the 1813 book Tales of the Dead. Utterson used lines from The Tempest
The Tempest
The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place,...
by Shakespeare for an epigraph, "Graves at my command/Have wak'd their sleepers; oped, and let 'em forth/By my so potent art."
Fantasmagoriana has a significant place in the history of English literature. In the summer of 1816 Lord Byron and John William Polidori were staying at the Villa Diodati by Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva or Lake Léman is a lake in Switzerland and France. It is one of the largest lakes in Western Europe. 59.53 % of it comes under the jurisdiction of Switzerland , and 40.47 % under France...
and were visited by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the major English Romantic poets and is critically regarded as among the finest lyric poets in the English language. Shelley was famous for his association with John Keats and Lord Byron...
, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley and Claire Clairmont
Claire Clairmont
Clara Mary Jane Clairmont , or Claire Clairmont as she was commonly known, was a stepsister of writer Mary Shelley and the mother of Lord Byron's daughter Allegra.-Early life:...
. Kept indoors by the "incessant rain" of that "wet, ungenial summer", over three days in June the five turned to reading fantastical stories, including Fantasmagoriana (in the French edition), and then devising their own tales. Mary Shelley produced what would become Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus
Frankenstein
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel about a failed experiment that produced a monster, written by Mary Shelley, with inserts of poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley started writing the story when she was eighteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty-one. The first...
and Polidori was inspired by a fragmentary story of Byron's to produce The Vampyre
The Vampyre
"The Vampyre" is a short story or novella written in 1819 by John William Polidori which is a progenitor of the romantic vampire genre of fantasy fiction...
, the progenitor of the romantic
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
. Some parts of Frankenstein are surprisingly similar to those found in Fantasmagoriana and suggest a direct influence upon Mary Shelley's writing.
Later publications
Both Fantasmagoriana and Tales of the Dead did not receive second editions during the remainder of the 19th century. Thus they were long unavailable for most of the 20th century.In 1992, the Gothic Society of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
published a new edition, introduced and slightly revised by Dr. Terry Hale (1957-). A second edition was published in 1994. This edition was available only by mail.
The 1990s version received a Greek language
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
translation by Nikos Stampakis (Νίκος Σταμπάκης). The translation was published as Istories ton Nekron (Ιστορίες των Nεκρών) by publishing house Archetypo-Metaekdotiki (Greek: Archetype
Archetype
An archetype is a universally understood symbol or term or pattern of behavior, a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated...
- Meta-publishing) in Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
during November 2003. The Greek edition claims to be the first available in bookstores since the 1810s.
In 2005, the first "full" English translation of Fantasmagoriana was published by Fantasmagoriana Press. This edition included three additional tales that Mrs Utterson had omitted from her translation; translations of "Le Revenant", "La Chambre grise" and "La Chambre noire" Day gave the titles "The Ghost of the Departed," "The Grey Room" and "The Black Chamber." The book also provided an academic essay by A.J.Day with possible evidence for Mary Shelley's visit to Burg Frankenstein in Germany, prior to the writing of her novel. However, it omits Utterson's translation of the French translator's preface, and reproduces her abridged translation of "La Tête de Mort."
The stories
| Das Gespensterbuch | Fantasmagoriana | Tales of the Dead | Ιστορίες των Nεκρών |
|---|---|---|---|
| Die Bilder der Ahnen | Portraits de Famille | The Family Portraits | Τα Οικογενειακά Πορτραίτα |
| Die Verwandtschaft mit der Geisterwelt | L'Heure Fatale | The Fated Hour | Η Μοιραία Ώρα |
| Der Todtenkopf | La Tête de Mort | The Death's Head | Η Νεκροκεφαλή |
| Die Todtenbraut | La Morte Fiancée | The Death-Bride | Η Νύφη του Θανάτου |
| N/A | N/A | The Storm | Η Καταιγίδα |
| Stumme Liebe | L'Amour Muet | The Spectre Barber | Ο Κουρέας-Φάντασμα |
| Der Geist des Verstorbenen | Le Revenant | N/A | N/A |
| Die graue Stube | La Chambre grise | N/A | N/A |
| Die schwartze Kammer | La Chambre noire | N/A | N/A |
Introduction
The tale starts briefly after sunset in a forest road of the former Holy Roman EmpireHoly Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
. A lonely stagecoach
Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
makes its way through the forest. The coachman complains of the disrepair of the old road while his passenger is lost in contemplation. The narrator introduces the passenger as Ferdinand Meltheim, last of the "ancient" Meltheim family. Ferdinand was reportedly a typical youthful member of the aristocracy
Aristocracy
Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...
, having visited several universities and traveled across Europe. His father however had died during his absence. Ferdinand was returning to his homeland in order to receive his paternal inheritance.
His contemplations concern Clotilde Hainthal, a female member of another distinguished Noble House. She was one of several women his mother had made a point of bringing to his attention as suitable brides for him. His mother had apparently reached the conclusion that Clotilde was the most promising candidate. Consequently their latest correspondence mainly concerned Clotilde and the chance for her to give birth to a new heir for the Meltheims. Having however never met the young lady, Ferdinand was reportedly less than eager to marry her. He had however decided to head for the capital where the Hainthals were reportedly attending a carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
. Reasoning that meeting the bride would provide him with better arguments for rejecting her than a mere whim.
The imagination of Ferdinand also turns to the pleasant memories from his early days. He reportedly felt his future offered no charm comparable to those of his past. Content to recall his past existence, Ferdinand felt discouraged from a future seemingly against his inclination. He would reportedly like to prolong this journey.
Ghost stories
Returning to the present and noticing a nearby village, Ferdinand instructed the coachman to enter it. The villagers were apparently having a celebration. Mr. Meltheim first reserved the best room of the local inn and then went out for a walk. He was attracted by the sounds of a concert and followed their source to the house of the local pastorPastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
. There he was welcomed by the host and his wife. Offered a choice between joining the amateur musician led by the pastor or the conversation circle of his youthful wife.
Ferdinand chose the latter and was led to a room reportedly containing several women and few men. The chosen theme for this night conversation was the narration of ghost stories. Ferdinand claimed to have no talent for explaining the wonderful. He was assured that no explanation would be required. Or else there would be no pleasure left in the stories. He had however interrupted the story of a young blonde woman. She asked him to listen to her story and then tell one of his own in return. The youth politely agreed.
Her story concerned Juliana, one of her young friends, who spend summers with her family in an old farm. The old villa
Villa
A villa was originally an ancient Roman upper-class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became small farming compounds, which were increasingly fortified in Late Antiquity,...
at its center was "ancient" and had reportedly been inherited through a long line of paternal ancestor
Ancestor
An ancestor is a parent or the parent of an ancestor ....
s. Her father preserved the traditional style of the building and was especially proud of its portrait
Portrait
thumb|250px|right|Portrait of [[Thomas Jefferson]] by [[Rembrandt Peale]], 1805. [[New-York Historical Society]].A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness,...
gallery
Art gallery
An art gallery or art museum is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection...
.
This particular room of Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
contained the portraits of his ancestors and since time immemorial also served as the dining room
Dining room
A dining room is a room for consuming food. In modern times it is usually adjacent to the kitchen for convenience in serving, although in medieval times it was often on an entirely different floor level...
. Juliana however felt fearful and repulsed while in this room and often asked to be excused. Since early childhood this had reportedly been her reaction to the particular portrait of an unnamed woman. The woman reportedly little resembled the rest of the family and her relationship to them was uncertain. Juliana claimed the portrait was looking directly at her with melancholic eyes. Yearning to pull her to those lips seemingly ready to speak to her. She felt sure this portrait would cause her death.
One night, Juliana thought she had seen those lips moving. She immediately had convulsion
Convulsion
A convulsion is a medical condition where body muscles contract and relax rapidly and repeatedly, resulting in an uncontrolled shaking of the body. Because a convulsion is often a symptom of an epileptic seizure, the term convulsion is sometimes used as a synonym for seizure...
s due to her fear. The attending physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
advised her father to remove any source of fear from her sight. The ominous portrait was removed from the gallery and placed in a previously unoccupied room of the upper floor. Juliana spend two undisturbed years that ended with her engagement
Engagement
An engagement or betrothal is a promise to marry, and also the period of time between proposal and marriage which may be lengthy or trivial. During this period, a couple is said to be betrothed, affianced, engaged to be married, or simply engaged...
. Her fiancé visited her a day before their marriage. Juliana guided through the villa, first the bottom floor and then the upper one with its view to the distant mountain. Her path unknowingly led them to the room inhabited by the solitary portrait. The fiancé enquired about the identity of the depicted woman. Juliana took a glimpse of it, recognized it and then screamed. She panicked and ran for the door. The portrait fell on her. Juliana died because of a combination of its weight and her extreme fear.
The story was verified by another of the guests who had known the family and had seen the portrait. She described the look of the depicted woman as full of affectionate melancholy which pierces the heart. But the portrait was also described as full of charm and with life-like eyes. The hostess commented that she did not like portraits. They were said to grow pale following the death of their subject. The hostess could not stand to look at those wax
Wax
thumb|right|[[Cetyl palmitate]], a typical wax ester.Wax refers to a class of chemical compounds that are plastic near ambient temperatures. Characteristically, they melt above 45 °C to give a low viscosity liquid. Waxes are insoluble in water but soluble in organic, nonpolar solvents...
figures of the dead.
Account of an eye-witness
Time however came for Ferdinand to add his own tale though commenting it as very similar to the previous one. He claimed to have learned it from a trust-worthy friend. The "friend" was actually Ferdinand himself.One day, many years ago, Ferdinand had reportedly quarreled with a close friend of his on the subject of ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
s and omen
Omen
An omen is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change...
s. The two friends had however agreed to spend their vacation
Annual leave
Annual leave is paid time off work granted by employers to employees to be used for whatever the employee wishes. Depending on the employer's policies, differing number of days may be offered, and the employee may be required to give a certain amount of advance notice, may have to coordinate with...
from university together. Following an unusually long winter, Ferdinand and his friend arrived at the family house of the latter in April. The visitor reportedly soon became as familiar to his hosts and their servants as the actual returning son. The two younger brothers of his friend were absent during the day but would sleep at night either with their elder brother or with his visiting friend. Emily, their twelve-year-old sister, called both university students "brothers" and was very hospitable to the unofficial family member.
The visitor noticed however that his younger friends appeared fearful when approaching a particular sizeable portrait. Ferdinand decided to more closely examine this portrait. The painting depicted a knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
of the distant past. A long gray cloak
Cloak
A cloak is a type of loose garment that is worn over indoor clothing and serves the same purpose as an overcoat; it protects the wearer from the cold, rain or wind for example, or it may form part of a fashionable outfit or uniform. Cloaks are as old as human history; there has nearly always been...
hanged from his shoulders to his knees. A foot was set in front of the rest of the body, making the knight appear ready to step out of the painting. His facial expression caused fear to viewers. Rigor mortis
Rigor mortis
Rigor mortis is one of the recognizable signs of death that is caused by a chemical change in the muscles after death, causing the limbs of the corpse to become stiff and difficult to move or manipulate...
having reportedly frozen the face in an expression revealing violent and disastrous passion
Emotion
Emotion is a complex psychophysiological experience of an individual's state of mind as interacting with biochemical and environmental influences. In humans, emotion fundamentally involves "physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience." Emotion is associated with mood,...
, unconquered by death. The portrait gave the impression its unnamed artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
had depicted the features of a man risen from the grave
Grave (burial)
A grave is a location where a dead body is buried. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as graveyards or cemeteries....
. Only the adolescent girl smiled at the painting. She regarded the man to be not evil
Evil
Evil is the violation of, or intent to violate, some moral code. Evil is usually seen as the dualistic opposite of good. Definitions of evil vary along with analysis of its root motive causes, however general actions commonly considered evil include: conscious and deliberate wrongdoing,...
but miserable. The portrait depicted the founder of this family.
The vacation was eventually reaching its conclusion. The elderly Count
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
at the head of the family devoted the day preceding the departure of the two youths to a series of entertainments for them. Emily visibly took pleasure in actively participating and organizing them. The count and his daughter also made their visitor promise to return during the autumn. Ferdinand went to sleep with the two younger boys that night. But found himself unable to sleep. Partly due to his anticipation for the journey to university and partly due to his thoughts of young Emily. He was certain of her affection for him.
He eventually rose from the bed and reached the widow to gaze at the spots of the garden Emily had revealed to him. He feared that months of absence would replace her affection with reserve toward him. Ferdinand was lost in sad thoughts while leaving the room. He absent-mindedly started wandering the rooms until again reaching the scary portrait. Late at night the painting was partly covered in darkness and partly revealed by the moonlight. The knight appeared to be a horrid, moving spectre about to step out of the darkness. His facial expression revealing deep melancholy and pain. A shaken Ferdinand returned to his room. Only to see through the window, a deep fog seemingly leaving the ruins of the nearby ancestral tower
Tower
A tower is a tall structure, usually taller than it is wide, often by a significant margin. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires....
and quickly approaching the window. The familiar gray-cloaked figure of the knight approaching with it. Ferdinand was further unnerved and returned to bed with the sleeping boys on the bed. But the knight soon also appeared at the edge of the bed. Ferdinand was petrified from fear while witnessing the ghost lightly kissing both boys on their foreheads.
The next morning Ferdinand awoke to the caressing of the two boys. He was eager to consider the events of the previous night as a dream. The elderly count however informed him of having been seen wandering the garden late at night. Ferdinand did not remember the event but attributed it to fever
Fever
Fever is a common medical sign characterized by an elevation of temperature above the normal range of due to an increase in the body temperature regulatory set-point. This increase in set-point triggers increased muscle tone and shivering.As a person's temperature increases, there is, in...
along with the terrifying visions
Visual perception
Visual perception is the ability to interpret information and surroundings from the effects of visible light reaching the eye. The resulting perception is also known as eyesight, sight, or vision...
of the previous night. The count enquired on those visions and learned of the ghostly kiss. Informing Ferdinand of its meaning. Both boys were expected to die. The ghost believed to serve as a messenger of death from the spiritual world
Spirit
The English word spirit has many differing meanings and connotations, most of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the material body.The spirit of a living thing usually refers to or explains its consciousness.The notions of a person's "spirit" and "soul" often also overlap,...
.
Visitor and elder brother wanted to learn the reason of this fate for the two boys. But the elderly count considered them too young to learn the truth. The two left according to schedule. Informed three days later that both younger boys had perished during the same night.
The Spectre-Barber
Titled in the original German, "Stumme Liebe", Hale attributes the story to Johann Karl August MusausJohann Karl August Musaus
Johann Karl August Musäus was a German author from Jena. He studied theology at the university of Jena, and would have become the pastor of a parish but for the resistance of some peasants, who objected that he had been known to dance.From 1760–62 Musäus published in three volumes his first...
(29 March 1735 - 28 October 1787).