The Canterville Ghost

by Oscar Wilde

Much adapted for television and film, Oscar Wilde's The Canterville Ghost tells the story of the Otises, a modern American family, who are looking to buy a house in the English countryside. 'Canterville Chase' possesses all of the trappings of a standard haunted country house - including large suits of armour and Gothic panelled library walls. However, it soon becomes difficult to ignore the spooky signs that 'Sir Simon' is haunting the house - the usual Halloween fare of rattling chains and bloodstains. Surprisingly, and hilariously, the Otises refuse to be scared; despite all of Sir Simon's best flamboyant efforts and costume changes: stain remover is deployed to clean bloodstains and oil is applied to clanking chains. Instead, the poor revenant is faced with practical jokes from the two young twins in the family - and seeks solace by befriending fifteen-year-old Virginia instead, perhaps she holds the key to unlocking the mysteries of his being marooned on earth.
Told from the unusual point of view of the ghost rather than the haunted party, it still bears the trademark Wildean moral message but the message is carried lightly in this entertaining, amusing and heart-warming Christmas story. With a new animated film featuring the voices of Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie (working together for the first time in thirteen years) hitting cinemas at Christmas, interest in this classic story is sure to be huge.

• ISBN13: 9781843915287
• Publish Date: 26 September 2014 (first published 1 March 1887)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 4 March 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Hesperus Press Ltd
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 144
• Language: English

Reviews

[MurderByDeath]

I fell in love with the TV adaptation of this story decades ago, but only recently went searching of the original story.   

Well, of course, the two are very different.  Oscar Wilde's book is much more about the ghost's comeuppance, with a firm jab at American consumerism and involves a lot more children in the household.  Those kids pranked Sir Simon so ruthlessly I felt sorry for him as I was giggling.     

Virginia's efforts to help the ghost move on hardly take up a chapter and there's nothing at all about what happens to her after she passes through that wall with Sir Simon.   

Of course I like the book better; but the TV adaptations have their charm too; they are almost equivalent to fan fiction, as they take the story between Virginia and Sir Simon further than Wilde did.   I think this might be a fun one to read to my nieces next Halloween.