Andrew Smith's The Ghost Story, 1840-1920

Readers with an interest in scholarly speculations on the ghost story are advised to keep an eye out for Andrew Smiths' new book, The Ghost Story 1840-1920: A Cultural History. In this wide ranging study, Smith charts the course of the English ghost story and carefully samples its spectral cobwebs reaching into other areas of 19th century life. Philosophers, political economists, and storytellers collide in an overarching snapshot that tries to x-ray the ghost story's heart. Winter is an exceptionally chilling season with its own ghost story tradition, reaching back to M.R. James and beyond, so this book is a fantastic compliment to any fireside horror.

More importantly, Smith's contribution is an original one to weird fiction studies focusing on ghostly literature. His position as an English Professor at the University of Glamorgan signals a perspective that may also be less commonly encountered in weird scholarship. Smith's main scholarly interests are in Gothic literature, rather than the depths of near contemporary supernatural literature. Quite a different outlook than one might get from other minds, like S.T. Joshi and Robert M. Price.

I haven't had a chance to thoroughly read and review this title yet, but Matt Foley's blog post whets the appetite. The Ghost Story 1840-1920: A Cultural History is worthwhile, in my opinion. New weird studies of this magnitude are rare these days, and Smith's book sounds remarkably approachable, not to mention engrossing.

-Grim Blogger