Realism and the Supernatural in Ghost Stories of the Fin de Siècle
Abstract
This article examines the uses of realism in fin-de-siècle ghost stories by Vernon Lee, Ella D’Arcy, Rudyard Kipling, and Gertrude Atherton, It argues that forms of realist practice were central to the sophistication of these stories, and draws connections between their use in supernatural fiction and the work of modernists such as Joseph Conrad. Examining works from the late 1880s to 1905, it maintains that the dismissal of realism by modernists such as Woolf underestimated its importance and its versatility, and that the ghost story’s importance as a vehicle for literary experiment is insufficiently acknowledged.
Presentato: 16 Ottobre 2020 | Accettato: 12 Dicembre 2020 | Pubblicato 21 Dicembre 2020 | Lingua: en
Keywords Joseph Conrad • Ruyard Kipling • Virginia Woolf • Henry James • Realism • Supernatural • Ghost Story
Copyright © 2020 Nick Freeman. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/EL/2420-823X/2020/01/006