The Best Ghost Stories 1800-1849 by Andrew Barger

In short, I would prefer the text to read '54 acres' instead of 'twenty desyatins.' There were many times I felt the point of this translation style was an education in the Russian language or at least an attempt at Russian appreciation. is a good example of how tedious the footnoting can be. Such footnoting is par for the course and slows the reading and impedes the enjoyment of reading short stories. Why not just translate the word? (later in the same story, page 46, overseer is used in the text with 'prikashchik' in the footnote). At the bottom of the same paragraph the word is used for a second time where it is then defined in a footnote. For example, the opening page of story neglects to inform the reader of what a 'prikashchik' happens to be in its first appearance. The reader is subtly brought into self-examination!The compilation is riddled with translation barriers. Yet, who cannot identify with him? Thus, the genius of the story-telling. Likewise, the reader anticipates the fate of Pakhom while laughing at this pathetic character.

For example, Tolstoy is capable of making you cheer for and loathe over the talent-squandering Albert. The book is sprinkled with illustrations, some awkwardly placed.The stories are not all equally fantastic, but they are definitely worth reading. $15.98.The book is arranged first with a 30-page biography of Tolstoy, followed by 20 short stories and concludes with a 5-page ordering of Tolstoy's complete works in chronological order and categorized by genre. 'The Mask of the Red Death,' by Edgar Allan Poe 'A Chapter in the History of a Tyrone Family,' by Joseph Sheridan le Fanu 'The Spectral Ship,' by Wilhelm Hauff 'The Old Maid in the Winding Sheet,' by Nathaniel Hawthorne 'The Adventure of the German Student,' and 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,' by Washington Irving as well as 'The Tapestried Chamber,' by Sir Walter Scott.Īs he has done with a number of other books, Andrew Barger has added his scholarly touch to this collection by including story backgrounds, annotations, author photos and a foreword titled 'All Ghosts Are Gray.' Buy the book today and be ready to be scared.Leo Tolstoy. The other ghost stories in this fine collection are by famous authors. Some stories thought too horrific were published anonymously like 'A Night in a Haunted House' and 'The Deaf and Dumb Girl.' The later story is collected for the first time in any anthology since its original publication in 1839. Ghost stories became very popular in the first half of the nineteenth century and this collection by Andrew Barger contains the very scariest of them all.

The Best Ghost Stories 1800-1849 by Andrew Barger