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Post by ropardoe on Jul 3, 2021 9:21:58 GMT
I don’t think anyone yet has mentioned Clive (C.E.) Ward’s stories revolving around ghosts from this period. Clive is something of a Civil War expert (and an ex member of the Sealed Knot), so his historical background is always dead on. I’ll suggest a couple to start with, once I've got my head in gear (if that ever happens!).
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Post by ropardoe on Jun 13, 2021 8:52:16 GMT
This is the link minus the Farcebroke f&ckery--which I doubt you noticed, Miss S; that wretched "platform" sneaks in those suffixes most of the time when one copies and pastes: greydogtales.com/blog/the-occult-detective-returns/Worthy of note as it includes a tale by none other than Rosemary Pardoe! Willie Meikle and Paul Finch are also on hand, along with other people I don't know but who no doubt are very talented. Edited by the redoubtable John Linwood Grant, who also contributes--love his work. H. Just so as no one is disappointed, this is a revised reprint of one of my Jane Bradshawe tales, not a new one. It’s a prelude to a forthcoming ODM reprint of all the stories, fully revised and with a new intro.
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Post by ropardoe on May 28, 2021 12:13:51 GMT
I'd still like to read it. Could you contact The M. R. James Appreciation Society and ask them to scan it for you? No such entity! There is a Facebook group of that name, and there might be someone there would could help (I can’t).
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Post by ropardoe on May 27, 2021 8:37:40 GMT
Yes, I read it before, but it didn't strike me as too interesting. That's what I expected, for the reasons given. Yes, it’s a very straightforward article - quite short and with no particular insights.
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Post by ropardoe on Apr 21, 2021 8:51:29 GMT
I actually did a long time ago. It was prompted by an interest in the Fourth Crusade and the Cathars and some horror novels which incorporated topics like Manichaeism. I can't remember much about the particulars, it seemed awfully complicated and of course the catholic church destroyed it at best as it could, the usual behavior. The psychology was interesting though, the bit with the Demiurg and so on. An elaborate construct.
It is always interesting how genre writers used to incorporate such topics into their tales. How Stoker put the catholic faith and its tools so much into the foreground in Dracula or how American pulp writers like Hoffman Price, Quinn and the gang took the nonsense about the Yazidis for granted and made them devil worshippers.
I’m more interested in the early Gnostics (not that the Cathars aren’t also interesting). It’s been argued (tenably, I think) that some of their books predate some of the ones in the canonical New Testament. But my favourite is the second-century Apocryphon of John which offers vast amounts of potential for incorporating into supernatural fiction (all those weird animal-headed angels that the demiurge created, for instance). It’s certainly an elaborate construct - one Gnostic book (third century, I think), the Books of Jeu, continues to be as unfathomable as the Voynich Manuscript! Still, I find them just as believable (or unbelievable) as the canonical books (I did say I’m not a Christian - I could never forgive Jesus for the way he treated pigs and fig trees - and Judas!).
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Post by ropardoe on Apr 20, 2021 13:57:06 GMT
Coincidentally I’ve just written a piece on MRJ's Apocryphal New Testament, among other things grumbling about MRJ’s deliberate omission of Gnostic texts. My piece isn’t for the likes of you though (just kidding!) - it’ll be for the Everlasting Club! You're going to have to include me in this as I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm agnostic, honest to God! Look up Gnosticism! I’m not a Christian either (though I’m also not agnostic or atheist), but if I were, I'd be a Gnostic (technically, a Sethian Gnostic). For a start, you could reread my article (on the G&S website) “James Wilson’s Secret” on the possibility of the maze-builder in “Mr Humphreys” being a Gnostic.
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Post by ropardoe on Apr 19, 2021 12:34:32 GMT
While I thought the same when I saw this reprinted in an issue of Ghosts & Scholars, I think that James McBryde's less formal illustrations have more life in them. Or if you want a heavier read you can access his Apocryphal New Testament here: archive.org/details/JAMESApocryphalNewTestament1924/mode/2upGenuinely, I intend to read his Preface to this. Coincidentally I’ve just written a piece on MRJ's Apocryphal New Testament, among other things grumbling about MRJ’s deliberate omission of Gnostic texts. My piece isn’t for the likes of you though (just kidding!) - it’ll be for the Everlasting Club!
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Post by ropardoe on Apr 16, 2021 11:41:31 GMT
Oh. That's that. Last night I read the original reference to films in Samuel Lubbock's short but excellent Memoir of MRJ, so we do know that he went to the cinema. Incidentally, Lubbock says more about MRJ as a person than Michael Cox does in his full-length biography. Yes, we do know that MRJ went to the cinema, but sadly so far we have no knowledge of which films he saw or liked (despite what Haining claims, but then, of course, he did no proper research anyway, so what would he know?). I wouldn’t go quite so far as you on Lubbock. Cox is still the best source, I think, though Lubbock is affectionate and a good read.
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Post by ropardoe on Apr 14, 2021 17:36:32 GMT
Rosemary, As on p.82 of M.R. James: An Informal Portrait Michael Cox confirms that M.R. James did see films, "the worst sort of" which he enlivened with a running comment, is there any record of his comments on any film in his unpublished correspondence etc? Not that I know of.
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Post by ropardoe on Mar 29, 2021 16:35:39 GMT
A reminder: Couldn't resist giving this a plug. If ever there was an intriguing idea for a themed-anthology of ghost stories this, surely, is among the most appealing. Thanks for this mention, Kev. I’ve got the reprint section of the book sorted now, so can concentrate on the new stories. Several good ones submitted already, but I’m not going to be making a decision on which to include until the deadline - so more submissions are very welcome. Just one point which I don’t seem to have made clear in my request for submissions: the grottoes in question are those which also qualify as follies. Genuinely ancient grottoes don’t come within the scope of the book (fictional versions of the Margate Grotto which might or might not be a folly - though it probably is! - would qualify). On G&S, Mark Valentine and (next guest editor) John Howard like my suggestion for an extra booklet to ride along with the Autumn issue, so I’m very excited about that (no more info for now though!).
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Post by ropardoe on Mar 17, 2021 12:47:40 GMT
Apparently, according to Rob Morgan, the pre-orders for this one have been flying in. Basically, if you plan to order it (and, obviously, you should - it’ll be great), then do it now, before it’s too late. Rosemary, as you're there, I hope that you got that personal message I sent you. I didn’t, because I keep forgetting to check the messages. But I have now. Thank you for your kind thoughts. It’s up and down, but I’m coping.
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Post by ropardoe on Mar 16, 2021 9:53:09 GMT
Oops!! I hate FB, thanks for setting me straight as I hadn't noticed. Apparently, according to Rob Morgan, the pre-orders for this one have been flying in. Basically, if you plan to order it (and, obviously, you should - it’ll be great), then do it now, before it’s too late.
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Post by ropardoe on Feb 14, 2021 13:47:19 GMT
Aha, you think it’s a joke, do you?
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Post by ropardoe on Jan 27, 2021 9:58:57 GMT
Sadly, I heard a couple of days ago that Jeff Dempsey, co-editor of Dark Dreams, has died. He had encephalitis complicated by the virus. This is a major shock - I didn’t even know he was ill. Although we mostly lost touch over the years, he’d stayed a Ghosts & Scholars subscriber and we exchanged Christmas cards. I was very fond of Jeff.
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Post by ropardoe on Dec 29, 2020 12:07:19 GMT
I сan't find his photo on any resource. It looks like he wanted to be anonymous. Maybe Rosemary Pardoe has something to say about this man.
My personal favourite of his stories is " The Four Strengths of Shadow".
He had a massive stroke a few weeks ago and never recovered. He died on Christmas Eve. It’s so very sad - he was a great writer, both when he went the Jamesian route and when he ranged further afield. I never met him, but never had anything but good dealings with him. I believe Fran, his wife, is planning on putting together a bibliography of his writings, as a memorial.
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