An Ancient Ghost Story
2023
First Published
3.52
Average Rating
300
Number of Pages
We tend to think of the written horror tale as a relatively recent phenomenon. But in fact the first hand circulated ghost stories date back at least two thousand years. This one was related by several ancient authors, the historian Tacitus among them. The version here, however, is by the Roman letter-writer Pliny the Younger (A.D.61-115). In it are the staples of the horror tale: the restless corpse, the rattling of chains, the beckoning finger. There's even a ghost breaker or exorcist for later writers or film makers to build upon. The translation is that of William Melmoth (1746), as slightly revised, with proper deference to the Latin original, by R. W. Stedman.
Avg Rating
3.52
Number of Ratings
23
5 STARS
17%
4 STARS
22%
3 STARS
57%
2 STARS
4%
1 STARS
0%
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