Oscar, Dorian and The Canterville Ghost

Back when I couldn't have been more than ten years old, I saved up my pocket money and bought a paperback called, Mystery and Imagination, containing the stories dramatised in the TV series of the same name. Naturally, I was far too young to be allowed to stay up late and watch that, so I eagerly devoured the wonderful short stories of the likes of Sheridan le Fanu, my soon-to-be-hero M.R. James, Edgar Allan Poe, Bram Stoker, and many more. But a little gem stood out from the rest, as much as anything because it made me smile. I had my introduction to Oscar Wilde, and the short story was The Canterville Ghost.

The exploits of the hapless ghost of Sir Simon Canterville - as he attempts to frighten off an American invasion of the Otis family into his ancestral home - are a delight. And when poor old long dead Sir Simon is faced with modern detergents used to clean up his recurring bloodstains and Tammany Rising Sun Lubricator applied to his rusting chains, it's enough to make any spectre swear. But the ultimate insult occurs when, his best efforts having failed to raise even the slightest squeak of fear from the unwanted residents, they have the gall to taunt him with a 'ghostly' creation of their own:

YE OTIS GHOST

Ye Onlie True and Originale Spooke

Beware of Ye Imitationes

All others are Counterfeite.

Over the years, I have read and re-read that story countless times and it still raises smiles to this day.

I came across The Picture of Dorian Gray some years later. In fact I saw the film (the version made in 1945) before I read the story. In life, Oscar Wilde worshipped youth and beauty. He loved to surround himself with beautiful, young, vibrant people. Even more so the older he grew. This is evident in his liaison with the much young Lord Alfred ('Bosie') Douglas and in his friendships with the beauties of the day such as Jennie, Lady Randolph Churchill (American-born mother of Winston), and the Jersey Lily herself, Lillie Langtry. He is famously quoted as remarking, "Youth is wasted on the young."

In The Picture of Dorian Gray, a talented artist is commissioned to paint a portrait of the wealthy young man of the title. As years go by and Gray leads an increasingly debauched life, he remains young, while in the attic, his picture reflects the ravages of time and sin. The story went through various edits, and in the longer version we now know, Oscar wrote a challenging preface to his readers. He entreated them to judge 'art for art's sake' and stated, 'there is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book.' With typical Wilde immodesty, he also remarked, 'Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault.'

The Picture of Dorian Gray was released to a storm of protest and outrage from reviewers, bordering on the hysterical. He was even threatened with possible criminal investigation as a result of his writing - a sad portent of what was to come a few years later.

It remained Oscar's only full-length published novel.

My Latest Release!

Evil runs deep at Mordenhyrst Hall…

When Grace first sets eyes on the imposing Gothic Mordenhyrst Hall, she is struck with an overwhelming sense that something doesn’t want her there. Her fiancé’s sister heads a coterie of Bright Young Things whose frivolous lives hide a sinister intent. Simon, Grace’s fiancé, is not the man she fell in love with, and the local villagers eye her with suspicion that borders on malevolence.

Her friend, Coralie, possesses the ability to communicate with powerful spirits. She convinces Grace of her own paranormal gifts – gifts Grace will need to draw deeply on as the secrets of Mordenhyrst Hall begin to unravel.

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Mystery and Imagination...A Chilling Blast From The Past

OK, I accept I'm older than many of my readers - hopefully not all! But am I alone in remembering a brilliant TV series broadcast on ITV between 1966-70, called Mystery and Imagination?

 

Technically I was too young to watch it, but my love of the ghostly, Gothic and scary had already been well and truly awakened by an early reading (at school) of The Monkey's Paw.  The original three series of Mystery and Imagination were broadcast by ITV franchise holder, ABC, who created a format for the episodes. Irrespective of the story, each had a central character - called David Buck (played by Richard Beckett - who was transposed into adaptations of some of the most famous Gothic and ghostly stories ever written. Sadly, it is believed only two episodes of that era survive.

ABC lost the franchise and Mystery and Imagination moved into a new era with new franchise holder, Thames television. Gone was David Buck and they proceeded to adapt six more episodes, branching into feature length versions of Dracula and Frankenstein, The Curse of the Mummy and more. The series also moved from black and white to colour.

The series served to introduce me to the works of M.R. James - who has proved such a huge influence on me - Sheridan Le Fanu, Edgar Allan Poe, Bram Stoker and even Oscar Wilde (The Canterville Ghost). Robert Louis Stevenson's The Body Snatcher - about two Burke and Hare-like characters involved in stealing and dissecting bodies - had me gasping and holding my breath. The Tractate Middoth, Room 13, Casting The Runes and Lost Hearts sent me in search of anything and everything by M.R. James, and Edgar Allan Poe chilled and thrilled me with The Fall of the House of Usher and The Tell Tale Heart. Along the way, I encountered Sheridan Le Fanu with Camilla, The Flying Dragon and the dark and sinister Uncle Silas.

Many famous names graced the screen including Denholm Elliott, Corin Redgrave, Susan George, Ian Holm, Joan Hickson and the late, great Jack Hawkins to name but a few.

Sadly, little remains of the original 24 episodes. Just eight appear to have survived, along with a few scenes from Casting The Runes. You can find them here Mystery and Imagination Box Set  I live in hope that, one day, someone deep in the bowels of some long forgotten basement archive, will open a drawer and find some rusting cans of film. With trepidation they will open them and the ghosts of Mystery and Imagination will rise again. In the meantime, here are a couple of the surviving clips for you to enjoy: