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British Library Tales of the Weird #15
A Phantom Lover and Other Dark Tales
Be prepared to enter a unique and unsettling world in this new collection of dark fantasies from the unparalleled imagination of Vernon Lee. These are tales of lonely souls possessed by recurring tragedies of the past, holy sanctuaries disrupted by unruly pagan forces and aspiring youths enthralled and consumed by the undying art of their ancestors.
From the modernised folktales “Marsyas in Flanders” and “The Legend of Madame Krasinska” to ingenious psychological hauntings such as “A Phantom Lover” and “Amour Dure”, Lee’s captivating voice rings out just as distinctively now as in her fin-de-siècle heyday.
From the modernised folktales “Marsyas in Flanders” and “The Legend of Madame Krasinska” to ingenious psychological hauntings such as “A Phantom Lover” and “Amour Dure”, Lee’s captivating voice rings out just as distinctively now as in her fin-de-siècle heyday.
262 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 17, 2020
About the author
Vernon Lee
254 books95 followersViolet Paget, known by her pen name Vernon Lee, is remembered today primarily for her supernatural fiction and her work on aesthetics. An early follower of Walter Pater, she wrote over a dozen volumes of essays on art, music, and travel, poetry and contributed to The Yellow Book. An engaged feminist, she always dressed à la garçonne, and was a member of the Union of democratic control.
Her literary works explored the themes of haunting and possession. The English writer and translator, Montague Summers described Vernon Lee as "the greatest [...] of modern exponents of the supernatural in fiction."
She was responsible for introducing the concept of empathy (Einfühling) into the English language. Empathy was a key concept in Lee's psychological aesthetics which she developed on the basis of prior work by Theodor Lipps. Her response to aesthetics interpreted art as a mental and corporeal experience. This was a significant contribution to the philosophy of art which has been largely neglected.
"The Lie of the Land", in the voume "Limbo, and other Essays", has been one of the most influential essays on landscaping.
Additionally she wrote, along with her friend and colleague Henry James, critically about the relationship between the writer and his/her audience pioneering the concept of criticism and expanding the idea of critical assessment among all the arts as relating to an audience's (or her personal) response. She was a strong, though vexed, proponent of the Aesthetic movement, and after a lengthy written correspondence met the movement's effective leader, Walter Pater, in England in 1881, just after encountering his famous disciple Oscar Wilde. Her interpretation of the movement called for social action, setting her apart from both Wilde and Pater.
Her literary works explored the themes of haunting and possession. The English writer and translator, Montague Summers described Vernon Lee as "the greatest [...] of modern exponents of the supernatural in fiction."
She was responsible for introducing the concept of empathy (Einfühling) into the English language. Empathy was a key concept in Lee's psychological aesthetics which she developed on the basis of prior work by Theodor Lipps. Her response to aesthetics interpreted art as a mental and corporeal experience. This was a significant contribution to the philosophy of art which has been largely neglected.
"The Lie of the Land", in the voume "Limbo, and other Essays", has been one of the most influential essays on landscaping.
Additionally she wrote, along with her friend and colleague Henry James, critically about the relationship between the writer and his/her audience pioneering the concept of criticism and expanding the idea of critical assessment among all the arts as relating to an audience's (or her personal) response. She was a strong, though vexed, proponent of the Aesthetic movement, and after a lengthy written correspondence met the movement's effective leader, Walter Pater, in England in 1881, just after encountering his famous disciple Oscar Wilde. Her interpretation of the movement called for social action, setting her apart from both Wilde and Pater.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
April 18, 2020
I reviewed this for Sublime Horror. Read the full review here: A Phantom Lover: and other Dark Tales by Vernon Lee review – a writer ahead of her time
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'A Phantom Lover' has been one of my favourite ghost stories for a long time, but somehow I'd never read anything else by Lee. This newly published collection seemed like a good opportunity to put that right. I'd started reading Hauntings before and found it hard to get into, but that didn't happen with Dark Tales – perhaps because editor Mike Ashley places 'Winthrop's Adventure' first, and the more florid 'Amour Dure' (which opens Hauntings) comes later.
In fact, 'Amour Dure' ended up being one of my favourites from the book, with 'Winthrop's Adventure', 'The Legend of Madam Krasinka' and 'Sister Benvenuta and the Christ-Child' in close contention. Like Lee herself, many of the characters are deeply preoccupied with their appreciation of art and music; the stories are packed with densely detailed, vivid, heady descriptions, creating an intense atmosphere that is immediately recognisable as Lee's. There's not a dud among them, with only 'A Wicked Voice', which features diluted versions of themes from a couple of the others, appearing weaker. There are also surprises: I didn't expect to find myself laughing out loud, but 'Sister Benvenuta' is genuinely really funny.
'Winthrop's Adventure' originally went by the title 'A Culture-Ghost' – a phrase that could act as a subtitle to so many of Lee's supernatural stories, since 'culture' is always so present in her writing. I often find Victorian ghost stories underwhelming, and what I've got out of reading, for example, M.R. James, is more of a grounding in the formation of a genre than actual enjoyment. It's different with Vernon Lee's work. The stories are still fresh, so modern and unusual and beautiful. I could enthuse about them all day, but I'll just say that this collection is a brilliant introduction.
I received an advance review copy of A Phantom Lover and Other Dark Tales from Sublime Horror, courtesy of British Library Publishing.
TinyLetter
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'A Phantom Lover' has been one of my favourite ghost stories for a long time, but somehow I'd never read anything else by Lee. This newly published collection seemed like a good opportunity to put that right. I'd started reading Hauntings before and found it hard to get into, but that didn't happen with Dark Tales – perhaps because editor Mike Ashley places 'Winthrop's Adventure' first, and the more florid 'Amour Dure' (which opens Hauntings) comes later.
In fact, 'Amour Dure' ended up being one of my favourites from the book, with 'Winthrop's Adventure', 'The Legend of Madam Krasinka' and 'Sister Benvenuta and the Christ-Child' in close contention. Like Lee herself, many of the characters are deeply preoccupied with their appreciation of art and music; the stories are packed with densely detailed, vivid, heady descriptions, creating an intense atmosphere that is immediately recognisable as Lee's. There's not a dud among them, with only 'A Wicked Voice', which features diluted versions of themes from a couple of the others, appearing weaker. There are also surprises: I didn't expect to find myself laughing out loud, but 'Sister Benvenuta' is genuinely really funny.
'Winthrop's Adventure' originally went by the title 'A Culture-Ghost' – a phrase that could act as a subtitle to so many of Lee's supernatural stories, since 'culture' is always so present in her writing. I often find Victorian ghost stories underwhelming, and what I've got out of reading, for example, M.R. James, is more of a grounding in the formation of a genre than actual enjoyment. It's different with Vernon Lee's work. The stories are still fresh, so modern and unusual and beautiful. I could enthuse about them all day, but I'll just say that this collection is a brilliant introduction.
I received an advance review copy of A Phantom Lover and Other Dark Tales from Sublime Horror, courtesy of British Library Publishing.
TinyLetter
October 15, 2023
Review only for Sister Benvenuta and the Christ Child, an eighteenth-century legend which I read elsewhere, but I hope to have this entire collection someday.
The titular nun of this short Gothic story is a lame (word used in the story; I assume some sort of paralysis) young woman from a noble family. She is a novice in a convent and becomes infatuated with a little figurine or doll-like structure of the Child Christ. It is locked away from her and the rest of the convent in a cabinet that Benvenuta so desperately desires to get into for the sake of the Christ Child. Told in the form of Sister Benvenuta's diary, it records her unwavering desire towards the figurine of the Christ Child, her jealousy of the nun in charge of the cabinet, her devotion to God, her ability to laugh at the Devil but also doubt his trickery.
As far as I know, Vernon Lee was agonistic but she had an admiration for Catholicism and its aestheticism; at least the aestheticism filled with glory and bright Heaven and saints rather than the morose memento mori that she specifically accused Spanish art of. Given the Gothic tone of the story, and the origins of the Gothic, I assumed that Sister Benvenuta's devotion and visions would be reveal to be delusional or misguided, and there is some small suggestions of this, though interestingly enough it comes from Benvenuta's fellow skeptical sisters. However, Lee surprised me. The story shows these visions, both holy and diabolical, as genuine. Sister Benvenuta's life and visions seem to be inspired by the many female mystics of Catholicism and those saints who had visions of the Christ Child--particularly Saint Catherine of Siena.
As the diary progresses, we do see insight into Benvenuta's psychological landscape. There's no instances of anything troubling or repressed. Or, if it is the latter, then Lee has no made it very apparent in her writing. At one point, Sister Benvenuta discusses a puppet show being put on at the convent by an outside entertainer. One puppet represents the Devil and is described with the usual features i.e. horns, hoofed feet, but, most noticeably, the black beard of a Capuchin monk. Later on, when Benvenuta is describing her childhood, she mentions her father had horn spectacles and a black chin, what I assume is a beard. Her father's description is a very brief thing, and I may be looking into it too much, but his slight similarities to the Devil puppet can be striking. Nothing in her description of her childhood suggest any abuse from her parents or ill will towards them. If anything, Sister Benvenuta's lameness and being a simpleton, as pinned on her by the other nuns, might suggest some prejudice against the authenticity of her visions. Sister Benvenuta's devotion to the Christ Child grows more and more fervent, certainly making some readers uncomfortable. Apparently the Mother Superior was uncomfortable as well and she orders the diary destroyed and halts the progression for Benvenuta's sainthood. What's even stranger is that Benvenuta makes some sort of undescribed pack with Devil, possibly to get the Christ Child. This obscure deal probably also frightened the Mother Superior.
In the final section, written from the perspective of Benvenuta's cousin and fellow sister Atalanta, we learn that the diary wasn't destroyed and that Atalanta saved it. It also gives us another perspective of Sister Benvenuta's death and love for the Christ Child along with an ambiguous ending with her pact with the Devil. I won't say what it is. I want readers to read it for themselves and come up with their own conclusions. I would love to discuss them.
I am so glad I finally found this story.
The titular nun of this short Gothic story is a lame (word used in the story; I assume some sort of paralysis) young woman from a noble family. She is a novice in a convent and becomes infatuated with a little figurine or doll-like structure of the Child Christ. It is locked away from her and the rest of the convent in a cabinet that Benvenuta so desperately desires to get into for the sake of the Christ Child. Told in the form of Sister Benvenuta's diary, it records her unwavering desire towards the figurine of the Christ Child, her jealousy of the nun in charge of the cabinet, her devotion to God, her ability to laugh at the Devil but also doubt his trickery.
As far as I know, Vernon Lee was agonistic but she had an admiration for Catholicism and its aestheticism; at least the aestheticism filled with glory and bright Heaven and saints rather than the morose memento mori that she specifically accused Spanish art of. Given the Gothic tone of the story, and the origins of the Gothic, I assumed that Sister Benvenuta's devotion and visions would be reveal to be delusional or misguided, and there is some small suggestions of this, though interestingly enough it comes from Benvenuta's fellow skeptical sisters. However, Lee surprised me. The story shows these visions, both holy and diabolical, as genuine. Sister Benvenuta's life and visions seem to be inspired by the many female mystics of Catholicism and those saints who had visions of the Christ Child--particularly Saint Catherine of Siena.
As the diary progresses, we do see insight into Benvenuta's psychological landscape. There's no instances of anything troubling or repressed. Or, if it is the latter, then Lee has no made it very apparent in her writing. At one point, Sister Benvenuta discusses a puppet show being put on at the convent by an outside entertainer. One puppet represents the Devil and is described with the usual features i.e. horns, hoofed feet, but, most noticeably, the black beard of a Capuchin monk. Later on, when Benvenuta is describing her childhood, she mentions her father had horn spectacles and a black chin, what I assume is a beard. Her father's description is a very brief thing, and I may be looking into it too much, but his slight similarities to the Devil puppet can be striking. Nothing in her description of her childhood suggest any abuse from her parents or ill will towards them. If anything, Sister Benvenuta's lameness and being a simpleton, as pinned on her by the other nuns, might suggest some prejudice against the authenticity of her visions. Sister Benvenuta's devotion to the Christ Child grows more and more fervent, certainly making some readers uncomfortable. Apparently the Mother Superior was uncomfortable as well and she orders the diary destroyed and halts the progression for Benvenuta's sainthood. What's even stranger is that Benvenuta makes some sort of undescribed pack with Devil, possibly to get the Christ Child. This obscure deal probably also frightened the Mother Superior.
In the final section, written from the perspective of Benvenuta's cousin and fellow sister Atalanta, we learn that the diary wasn't destroyed and that Atalanta saved it. It also gives us another perspective of Sister Benvenuta's death and love for the Christ Child along with an ambiguous ending with her pact with the Devil. I won't say what it is. I want readers to read it for themselves and come up with their own conclusions. I would love to discuss them.
I am so glad I finally found this story.
November 23, 2022
Veoma zavodljiv stil pisanja i prelepe rečenice, kombinacija koja je dovodila do toga da se lako izgubim u pričama i da mi bude nevažno kako će se završiti. Spook element je suptilan, ima ga ali nije u prvom planu već kao da je tu da učini priče za nijansu zanimljivijim. Kako nikad ne preskačem biografije pisaca kad se izdavači ovoliko potrude i ispred vas stave mnoštvo detalja iz literarnog i privatnog života spisatelja, biografija Vernon Li je samo pojačala moju fascinaciju onim što sam pročitala.
December 27, 2023
Ho iniziato questo romanzo partendo dalla parte più consona: ovvero la fine.
Prima che mi linciate, in mia difesa è vero che sono le note sull’autore la parte più succosa. E se siete il tipo di lettore che le salta a piedi pari vi conviene correre; c’è una ciabatta in arrivo.
Tornando a noi, Presenze si concentra su alcuni racconti di Vernon Lee, pseudonimo di Violet Paget.
Ebbene sì, Vernon in realtà è una lei, costretta come molte autrici del suo tempo a indossare i pantaloni per essere presa sul serio. Ed ecco perché è sempre bene leggere le note.
La sua biografia è stata interessante e sì, sono entrata in empatia con lei, tant’è che ha alzato di molto le mie aspettative per i suoi racconti.
Inutile dire che ho amato il suo stile.
Per quanto sia prolisso e descrittivo, ha un linguaggio arguto e intrigante, capace di catturare l’attenzione del lettore. I suoi racconti “weird” sono infatti una parte secondaria del suo lavoro, dato che era più dedita ai saggi storici e d’arte, ma non mi dispiacerebbe leggere altro di suo in futuro.
Presenze racchiude in sé il saggio “I boschi incantati” e tre racconti: L’amante fantasma, Amour dure e La voce del male.
Rispetto a quanto si potrebbe immaginare, le “presenze” in queste novelle sono marginali. Lee infatti si concentra sulle ossessioni e le passioni che guidano i personaggi, oltre che la malinconia e la speranza. Questo studio psicologico ha aiutato a sopperire la mancanza di un climax e se vi piacciono gli svarioni mentali Vernon Lee è l’autrice che fa per voi.
Nel complesso ho amato “I boschi incantati” per la sua tematica e l’atmosfera magica che chi ama le scampagnate nei boschi può capire; ho adorato “L’amante fantasma” per i suoi personaggi atipici e la loro relazione ancora più atipica, oltre che per il finale; ma gli ultimi due racconti non mi hanno coinvolta come immaginavo, sebbene le atmosfere impeccabili. Già, erano troppo prolissi anche per me.
Ma sono soddisfatta di aver scoperto questa autrice.
Prima che mi linciate, in mia difesa è vero che sono le note sull’autore la parte più succosa. E se siete il tipo di lettore che le salta a piedi pari vi conviene correre; c’è una ciabatta in arrivo.
Tornando a noi, Presenze si concentra su alcuni racconti di Vernon Lee, pseudonimo di Violet Paget.
Ebbene sì, Vernon in realtà è una lei, costretta come molte autrici del suo tempo a indossare i pantaloni per essere presa sul serio. Ed ecco perché è sempre bene leggere le note.
La sua biografia è stata interessante e sì, sono entrata in empatia con lei, tant’è che ha alzato di molto le mie aspettative per i suoi racconti.
Inutile dire che ho amato il suo stile.
Per quanto sia prolisso e descrittivo, ha un linguaggio arguto e intrigante, capace di catturare l’attenzione del lettore. I suoi racconti “weird” sono infatti una parte secondaria del suo lavoro, dato che era più dedita ai saggi storici e d’arte, ma non mi dispiacerebbe leggere altro di suo in futuro.
Presenze racchiude in sé il saggio “I boschi incantati” e tre racconti: L’amante fantasma, Amour dure e La voce del male.
Rispetto a quanto si potrebbe immaginare, le “presenze” in queste novelle sono marginali. Lee infatti si concentra sulle ossessioni e le passioni che guidano i personaggi, oltre che la malinconia e la speranza. Questo studio psicologico ha aiutato a sopperire la mancanza di un climax e se vi piacciono gli svarioni mentali Vernon Lee è l’autrice che fa per voi.
Nel complesso ho amato “I boschi incantati” per la sua tematica e l’atmosfera magica che chi ama le scampagnate nei boschi può capire; ho adorato “L’amante fantasma” per i suoi personaggi atipici e la loro relazione ancora più atipica, oltre che per il finale; ma gli ultimi due racconti non mi hanno coinvolta come immaginavo, sebbene le atmosfere impeccabili. Già, erano troppo prolissi anche per me.
Ma sono soddisfatta di aver scoperto questa autrice.
April 28, 2024
Horor isto koliko i iskustva domaćica u Praktičnoj ženi. Interesantno isto koliko i čekanje čajnika da uzavri. Stilski na momente lepo, na momente logoreično i bolesno opširno. Y svakom slučaju ne pripada u ovoj ediciji i jedna je od tzv. "mamipara" knjiga kojima (sm)Orfelin pokušava da izmuze još novca od ljudi koji sakupljaju ediciju. Sramota, jedva dvojka.
P.S. MOTHER IN LAW ŽENSKOJ OSOBI JE SVEKRVA, NE TAŠTA, PREVODIOČE I UREDNIČE.
P.S. MOTHER IN LAW ŽENSKOJ OSOBI JE SVEKRVA, NE TAŠTA, PREVODIOČE I UREDNIČE.
September 3, 2021
3.5 stars
These stories were written at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century, and it shows. For modern readers, they hold little horror. All the same, I found them entertaining. I especially liked 'Amour Dure' and 'The Legend of Madame Krasinska'.
These stories were written at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century, and it shows. For modern readers, they hold little horror. All the same, I found them entertaining. I especially liked 'Amour Dure' and 'The Legend of Madame Krasinska'.
September 17, 2020
4,5 stars. My review of the novella A Phantom Lover (1886): https://theblankgarden.com/2020/09/17...
April 1, 2024
Presencias
Autora: Vernon Lee
País: Viajó tanto que es difícil de decir. Diré italiana.
Año: 1890
Hay algo innegable en mi personalidad, y es que soy alguien con arrebatos obsesivos. Tal vez por eso este libro llamó tanto mi atención cuando supe cuál era el hilo que conectaba todos los relatos que contiene: el hilo de la obsesión.
Obsesión por el pasado, por los deseos y los miedos. Obsesiones tan fuertes y marcadas, selladas en personajes tan reales que a veces puedes olvidar que son ficticios, que no puedes evitar obsesionarte un poco también con lo que están contando. Y es que Vernon Lee (o Violet Paget, su nombre real) tiene esa pluma magnífica que hace que, una vez empiezas a leer, deseas saber lo que va a pasar… a pesar de que puedes ver venir el final. Un final a la altura de las pasiones que viven los protagonistas.
Un libro cortito que me ha permitido descubrir a la escritora y que, desde luego, no será lo último que lea de ella. Os lo recomiendo. Pero, ¿y vosotres? ¿lo habéis leído? ¿Qué os pareció? ¡Os leo!
Autora: Vernon Lee
País: Viajó tanto que es difícil de decir. Diré italiana.
Año: 1890
Hay algo innegable en mi personalidad, y es que soy alguien con arrebatos obsesivos. Tal vez por eso este libro llamó tanto mi atención cuando supe cuál era el hilo que conectaba todos los relatos que contiene: el hilo de la obsesión.
Obsesión por el pasado, por los deseos y los miedos. Obsesiones tan fuertes y marcadas, selladas en personajes tan reales que a veces puedes olvidar que son ficticios, que no puedes evitar obsesionarte un poco también con lo que están contando. Y es que Vernon Lee (o Violet Paget, su nombre real) tiene esa pluma magnífica que hace que, una vez empiezas a leer, deseas saber lo que va a pasar… a pesar de que puedes ver venir el final. Un final a la altura de las pasiones que viven los protagonistas.
Un libro cortito que me ha permitido descubrir a la escritora y que, desde luego, no será lo último que lea de ella. Os lo recomiendo. Pero, ¿y vosotres? ¿lo habéis leído? ¿Qué os pareció? ¡Os leo!
November 17, 2020
Vernon Lee's ghost stories are not subversive or innovative as such, and yet they might be some of the best in the genre.
Lee's approach is close to that of Henry James and Edith Wharton in that her hauntings are as much psychological as they are supernatural. All of them are rather standard fare, though; we often follow the gradual breakdown of a character and the narrative never ends up far from where you might expect.
Nevertheless, Lee manages her characters and tension arcs deftly. The stakes are heightened, and so are the characters' action, but never are they opaque or unreasonable within the story world. Much of this has to do with Lee's writing. Her pregnant prose evokes sumptuous scenes of (often Italian) splendour and dread; the sensuous baroque combined with the cold gothic. She manages to engage the senses in such a way that the stories feel at the same time real and heightened. It is at this crossroads where the ghost story can flourish, and hers truly do.
Lee's approach is close to that of Henry James and Edith Wharton in that her hauntings are as much psychological as they are supernatural. All of them are rather standard fare, though; we often follow the gradual breakdown of a character and the narrative never ends up far from where you might expect.
Nevertheless, Lee manages her characters and tension arcs deftly. The stakes are heightened, and so are the characters' action, but never are they opaque or unreasonable within the story world. Much of this has to do with Lee's writing. Her pregnant prose evokes sumptuous scenes of (often Italian) splendour and dread; the sensuous baroque combined with the cold gothic. She manages to engage the senses in such a way that the stories feel at the same time real and heightened. It is at this crossroads where the ghost story can flourish, and hers truly do.
February 19, 2022
3.5☆
i am not sure i enjoyed this as much as i had hoped, i just had a hard time finding myself engaged with the stories.
regardless, i really liked the titular story, "a phantom lover", "amure dure" and "the legend of madame krasinska", as well as the ending of "sister bienvenuta and the christ child". there was a sense of drama in them, as well as an opportunity for lee to show off her abilities to build up a plot and anticipation.
i am not sure i enjoyed this as much as i had hoped, i just had a hard time finding myself engaged with the stories.
regardless, i really liked the titular story, "a phantom lover", "amure dure" and "the legend of madame krasinska", as well as the ending of "sister bienvenuta and the christ child". there was a sense of drama in them, as well as an opportunity for lee to show off her abilities to build up a plot and anticipation.
August 22, 2020
A longwinded story with a mediocre ending.
Nothing dark to it, it's rather predictable.
Nothing dark to it, it's rather predictable.
March 2, 2024
L’ossessione per il passato lentamente infesta la psiche dei personaggi di questa raccolta, sebbene non si tratti di classiche storie di fantasmi queste appartengono a quel filone che si contraddistingue per una connotazione fortemente psicologica.
E’ perciò facile accostare questi racconti al giro di vite di Henry James ad esempio, alla tensione palpabile che ne permea tutto il racconto, rendendo impossibile scindere finzione e realtà, ciò che viene immaginato da ciò che realmente sta accadendo. Cosi come per esempio non ho potuto fare a meno di notare una similitudine con la scrittura di Shirley Jackson e dei suoi personaggi caratterizzati dalla stessa febbrile psicologia.
I personaggi di Vernon Lee (1856 -1935) sono ossessionati da un passato lontano, tormentati da speranze e legami ormai morti, passioni che diventano impossibili e per questo così affascinanti. Questo tormento per il passato deriva forse per dal suo amore per l’arte, la musica e la cultura europea che studiò per lunghi anni. E così spettri colpevoli di empi crimini tornano in vita, animati ora da terribili maledizioni, dalla passione improvvisa di studiosi o di compositori alla ricerca d’ispirazione.
Un ruolo importantissimo è giocato dallo spirito dei luoghi, il genius loci, che segna indissolubilmente un legame tra la storia di sfondo e le ossessioni che ne derivano. Quelle presenze terribili che si rivelano nelle notti più oscure come alla luce del giorno ne infestano i luoghi perché ne sono impregnati, come in vita così nella morte.
Il soprannaturale secondo Vernon Lee si definisce come lo stimolo esercitato dall'ambiente sull'immaginazione, “… il soprannaturale è l'effetto esercitato sull'immaginazione da una serie di impressioni esteriori, che vengono messe a fuoco e personificate, per quanto in modo fluttuante e mutevole. Tale personificazione è continuamente ridefinita, rafforzata, sfocata, allargata e rimpicciolita dalle nuove impressioni provenienti dall'esterno, e la forma che scorgiamo in questo ammasso fumoso oscilla a ogni piè sospinto…”
L'amante Fantasma è il perfetto manifesto di questo pensiero, un assoluto capolavoro.
E’ perciò facile accostare questi racconti al giro di vite di Henry James ad esempio, alla tensione palpabile che ne permea tutto il racconto, rendendo impossibile scindere finzione e realtà, ciò che viene immaginato da ciò che realmente sta accadendo. Cosi come per esempio non ho potuto fare a meno di notare una similitudine con la scrittura di Shirley Jackson e dei suoi personaggi caratterizzati dalla stessa febbrile psicologia.
I personaggi di Vernon Lee (1856 -1935) sono ossessionati da un passato lontano, tormentati da speranze e legami ormai morti, passioni che diventano impossibili e per questo così affascinanti. Questo tormento per il passato deriva forse per dal suo amore per l’arte, la musica e la cultura europea che studiò per lunghi anni. E così spettri colpevoli di empi crimini tornano in vita, animati ora da terribili maledizioni, dalla passione improvvisa di studiosi o di compositori alla ricerca d’ispirazione.
Un ruolo importantissimo è giocato dallo spirito dei luoghi, il genius loci, che segna indissolubilmente un legame tra la storia di sfondo e le ossessioni che ne derivano. Quelle presenze terribili che si rivelano nelle notti più oscure come alla luce del giorno ne infestano i luoghi perché ne sono impregnati, come in vita così nella morte.
Il soprannaturale secondo Vernon Lee si definisce come lo stimolo esercitato dall'ambiente sull'immaginazione, “… il soprannaturale è l'effetto esercitato sull'immaginazione da una serie di impressioni esteriori, che vengono messe a fuoco e personificate, per quanto in modo fluttuante e mutevole. Tale personificazione è continuamente ridefinita, rafforzata, sfocata, allargata e rimpicciolita dalle nuove impressioni provenienti dall'esterno, e la forma che scorgiamo in questo ammasso fumoso oscilla a ogni piè sospinto…”
L'amante Fantasma è il perfetto manifesto di questo pensiero, un assoluto capolavoro.
February 15, 2024
This addition to the British Library's Tales of the Weird series was a uniquely enjoyable experience. While I admit I was hesitant at first with the title, unsure what theme these stories would take, I nevertheless was duly impressed and really enjoyed them. Vernon Lee's (a pen name for Violet Paget) writing and use of language was a pleasure to read and her stories are so unlike what one has come to think of when anticipating a weird tale of the supernatural. This was a wonderful experience. The tales included in this volume are:
The Enchanted Woods
Winthrop's Adventure
A Phantom Lover
Amour Dune
A Wicked Voice
The Legend of Madame Krasinska
Marsyas in Flanders
Sister Benvenuta and the Christ Child
The Enchanted Woods
Winthrop's Adventure
A Phantom Lover
Amour Dune
A Wicked Voice
The Legend of Madame Krasinska
Marsyas in Flanders
Sister Benvenuta and the Christ Child
February 19, 2024
Presenze, di Vernon Lee, al secolo Violet Paget, è una raccolta di racconti gotici ambientati nell'Ottocento, in cui i personaggi si trovano ad interfacciarsi con eventi e personaggi appartenenti al passato; non possiamo parlare di veri e propri racconti di fantasmi; come ci spiega Mike Ashley, che scrisse l'introduzione originale ai racconti, qui abbiamo a che fare con "il tormento universale che affligge ciascuno di noi e che proviene dal passato e dai ricordi, dai desideri, dalle speranze e dai timori."
Dai racconti emergono l'inquietudine dei personaggi, le atmosfere cupe e l'inquietudine di fondo dei racconti gotici.
La scrittura è eccellente.
Mi piacerebbe trovare altri racconti della Lee, hanno davvero le atmosfere inquietanti che cerco in questo genere di libro.
Dai racconti emergono l'inquietudine dei personaggi, le atmosfere cupe e l'inquietudine di fondo dei racconti gotici.
La scrittura è eccellente.
Mi piacerebbe trovare altri racconti della Lee, hanno davvero le atmosfere inquietanti che cerco in questo genere di libro.
February 11, 2023
I love these British Library Tales of the Weird books, and I really enjoyed A Phantom Lover: And Other Dark Tales. The titular story is of course the best of all here, and it's one of the most excellent ghost stories I've ever (re)read. I love the narrator's voice, the setting, the story and the end... It's perfect. Other stories in this collection were a bit of hit and miss, but some that stood out and I also enjoyed were "Winthrop's Adventure" and "Marsyas in Flanders".
September 25, 2022
Vernon Lee was a woman before her time, which makes the fact that her characters are haunted by the past even more intriguing. A gifted writer who deserves way more credit for her ability to creep out her readers.
October 11, 2023
Izuzetno lep, raskošan stil, bukvalno svaka rečenica je uživanje. Ovo je jedna od onih knjiga za čitanje u dugim jesenjim, zimskim noćima, uz šolju tople kafe ili nekog pića, da isključite sve ometajuće uređaje (tv, mobilni, laptop) i prepustite se uživanju u lepoti pisane reči.
March 8, 2024
Penso di non essere riuscita a capire pienamente i racconti contenuti in questo libro. Mi sarei aspettata qualcosa di più spaventoso, magari da non dormire la notte, ma le mie aspettative non si sono realizzate.
April 4, 2021
Not as queer as I was led to believe, being as it was for my Gothic queer book club, but still queer, and very Gothic.
May 25, 2021
The best short story in the collection is the phantom lover.
August 18, 2022
Never outstanding, never disappointing, a perfect middle-of-the-road trip into the past.
January 24, 2024
Aburrido.
February 18, 2024
una mierda enorme
April 26, 2024
Prima parte carina. La seconda l’ho interrotta.
April 29, 2024
No me gustó nada, son relatos que a mí parecer se vende como una novela de terror actual y para nada. También que no sabía q era una recopilación de relatos y no me gustan ajjajaj
January 3, 2024
Molto carino, perfetta lettura da treno
March 23, 2022
Another enjoyable and interesting collection of Gothic short stories from the British Library Tales of the Weird series. Featuring the work of lesser known author Vernon Lee, I found some of the stories a bit slow but there are also some hidden gems. "A Phantom Lover" and "Wicked Voice" were particularly memorable. The perfect creepy Valentine's read.
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