A Warning to the Curious | A Ghost Story by M. R. James | A Bitesized Audio Production
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.ย. 2024
- A visitor to Seaburgh is fascinated by the local legend of an Anglo-Saxon crown buried nearby, guarding against invaders. He follows the clues to see where they lead, but soon finds himself wishing he'd left well alone...
A new, original recording of a classic public domain text, read and performed by Simon Stanhope for Bitesized Audio.
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Montague Rhodes James (1862-1936) was a medievalist and scholar, and is probably the best known and most celebrated English ghost story writer of the 20th century, although he actually began composing supernatural tales in the late Victorian era, beginning with 'Canon Alberic's Scrap-Book' (1894). He was born in Kent, but spent most of his childhood in Suffolk, a county which features prominently in many of his stories, including perhaps his most famous 'Oh Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad'. Several of James's protagonists also reflect his own antiquarian interests, with academics and historians featuring regularly. During a long academic career which encompassed several positions at King's College, Cambridge, and Eton College, M. R. James developed a tradition of reading ghost stories aloud to a group of friends, most famously on Christmas eve, and the majority of his stories were first heard in that setting.
A Warning to the Curious originally appeared in the London Mercury in August 1925, and became the title story in James's fourth and final collection of ghost stories published later that same year. The fictional town of Seaburgh is based on Aldeburgh, the Suffolk seaside town which James knew well from his childhood: his grandmother lived there and he visited her regularly until she died in 1870. Many of the landmarks mentioned in the story can still be seen nearby, including the Martello tower, The Bear (actually The White Lion), the church, and William Ager's cottage.
Recording © Bitesized Audio 2020.
My favorite thing about this tale is that the guys hear this stranger's story and go along with him to rebury it bc he says it's got a supernatural being attached who won't leave him in peace. They briefly doubt if he actually found it, but once that's established they are on board to help him rebury it bc he says it's haunted. No wasting the reader's time trying to explain it away with modern science or psychology, just, "Well, this fellow seems distraught. We'd best help him secretly reinter a precious artifact under the cover of darkness. It might hurt his feelings if we acted incredulously."
Refreshing.
Yes, it is refreshing. Thanks for listening, and taking the time to comment
The narrator's voice and skill is exactly what my American ears want to hear when listening to these stories
What a lovely comment Adam, thank you!
@@BitesizedAudio totally would love to a collab/cross promo with Ian over at horrorbabble you're both top tier channels for listening to the classics :) well done
@@BitesizedAudio 111
Adam Bartlett Yes!!! That wold be brilliant!
@@BitesizedAudio i think i luv you.
There’s one thing an Anglo-Saxon crown would be never be: of rough workmanship.
Their jewelry was amazing!
Sutton Hoo and the Staffordshire Hoard prove your point
Thanks to the "Treasure Trove Act" or it's more modern equivalent I've been able to see some Anglo-saxon work. It was all gold and garnets. Interesting work.
Sutton Hoo had not been discovered when this story was written.
What a great tale, with a warning to let buried crowns lie! Howard Carter's discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamen was still news, possibly inspiring the idea of awakening something unwelcome when ancient things are uncovered. From the advantage of hindsight, it is good that the crown was put back in order to guard against the next invasion from the Germans.
Loving MR James as I do, Bitesized did a WONDERFUL job with this classic! It was a performance that was truly satisfying for me.
Made me realize that I can listen to my favorite stories multiple times under different narrators and almost feel like it's the first time! YAY!
I'M A FAN❗❤❗🐾🌵💚
Thank you for your kind words Nanny, so glad you enjoyed it
It’s great isn’t it.
Just like, a huge fan of mr james,cant imagine life without his wonderful ghost stories...
Reminds me of another gem, "Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad". Thank you for a wonderful treat.🙏
Yes there's certainly more than an echo of that tale - another one I hope to record at some point. Thanks for listening
This MR James classic has been told many times, yet this is very fresh.
Two or three years ago, I visited Elton,during an open day, and met the provost, who told me that as a James addict, he was reading the stories as the old Provost did to his new crop of Scholars, to some great acclaim. What stories they are, and probably the best, even more so than Le Fanu, but as Monty James noted, “ I am a Victorian”, so some may not like his style. I do, and so do countless numbers, who may find ghosts in odd places, and peculiarly confrontational, as it happens. It is due to him, that I still find myself wary of going to the bathroom for a pee, lest a hand grab my ankle, as I leave my bed , and an ancient hand covered in long hair, connected to what body?
It is now after midnight and it’s Christmas 2020 here in Australia. Listening to
this as a late night Christmas ghost story, enlivened by your wonderful voice and reading. Wishing you a safe and very Happy Christmas!
Thank you! Same to you
There's nothing 'Christmas' about it.
@@rezzer7918 James' stories were written for and read at Christmas. A ghost story at Christmas, whenever set, is an old and great tradition.
Thank you for this wonderful gift during these difficult times.
Thanks David, best wishes to you
Always loved this story.... I believe it was on television as a Tales of the Unexpected... thanks for another great upload
You're most welcome. I'm not sure about Tales of the Unexpected, they may have adapted it, but there was definitely a version produced by the BBC in the 1970s, as part of their 'Ghost Story for Christmas' series. It changed a few details around the character of Paxton, but it is certainly a great adaptation.
Thank you for completing a perfect evening for me ! relaxing in an armchair after dinner and just listening to your perfect retelling of this classic story . Stay safe
Thanks Bob, you too
How did you get that golden coin? And what does it mean?
Just superb Simon. A beautiful reading of an exceptional story. One of the truly great Ghost Stories, wat a treat on a cold afternoon. Thank you.
Thank you so much for this. Great as always. Evening plans sorted. You doing a public service here. Well done sir and we are thankful for your time and skills.
Stay safe.
Thanks Roshani, you too
This is such a great story, from an author, who after his physical death, continues to teach us how to write a ghost story! ;)
Yes indeed! Thanks Budahbaba
@Bitesized Audio Classics, by chance do you know if Mr James and Mr Tolkien were ever aware of each other in their writing? Granted they were a generation apart in age, but their lives did overlap significantly. The reason why i ask is because there is a certain benchmark, i think, that few authors pass, but both of them did. That benchmark is the ability to obsess on small, trivial details, and still be fascinating. That is not our contemporary style. E A Poe could do it. Victor Hugo could do it. M R James, and J R R Tolkien could both do it. Honestly, not many writers who get published actually possess that same trait. And i don't say that to fault them as writers; i think it is something that we have backed away from in literature in contemporary times. And i am not convinced that is a good thing.
@@budahbaba7856 I don't know whether they knew each other, I'm afraid... I'm sure Tolkien would have been aware of James's writings, but I associate Tolkien with Oxford while James was associated with Cambridge. You make an interesting point about the obsession on apparently trivial details. Do you know the work of Iris Murdoch? It's quite a while since I read any of her books, but I enjoyed reading several of them years ago and have a memory of thinking a similar thing about her style
I cannot claim to be a real fan of M R JAMES, but I am real fan of your voice!! It has such a calming quality to it & your talent with accents is great. Thank you Mr. Stanhope for these quality productions.
Thank you so much Felene, very kind. Aiming to keep reading a balance of different authors and styles so hopefully there's something for all tastes!
An excellent and gripping reading of a story by my favorite ghost story writers.
Beautifully read. Very much enjoyed this chilling yarn.
Glad to know that, thanks Geoff
Thank you for the great reading, as well as the detailed description, much appreciated.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for your feedback
The scariest part about this story is that even after the man returned the crown, he was not forgiven. There was no escape.
Definitely one of his best, and also one of my favourites. Thank you again for another great choice.
Mine too. Thanks Shane
@@BitesizedAudio
I'd never want to tamper with your plans for your releases, but my young daughter also listens to your stories and is a huge fan of 'A View from a Hill'. That particular tale is also a favourite of mine, but much like your favourite, The Tractate Middoth, it seems to be very much overlooked when it comes to TH-cam readings...so maybe, at some point......??
Thank you for the suggestion Shane.... I think that could be arranged! I've put it on my list, not sure when I'll get around to it but hopefully in the next few months. Best wishes to you, and your daughter, thanks for your support
Fantastic...we shall await its appearance with excitement...and we shall pass the time by enjoying your selections until it does.
There's a fragment of an old Welsh legend about the three unfortunate unearthings of a buried skull. One of them preserved Britain from invasion and Arthur, in his hubris unearthed it so that Britain must rely on him for its defence. I wonder if this was the inspiration of this story.
I am listening this story from Korea
Thank to this, I have known English history on those days.
Through this, l got a very important idea of novel core lines as well, such as persons time, events, plots, and so on
For these reasons, l love this channel.
I hope to visit these stores places some day.
Thanks really
I truly hope you fulfil this ambition 🙏
Always excited to see new content from this channel! The perfect voice to really bring these stories to life. Cheers from Boston!
Very kind, thank you. Best wishes to you from the UK!
Many thanks for your description , I always read them prior to listening !
Now I'm sitting very comfortably ,so let's begin . Thank you so much , 👌🏼
Wonderful! Hope you enjoy
I never knew the description was so interesting until I saw you're comment and investigated it for myself.
YES! YES!! Was waiting for you to read this one. Thank you.
Wonderful. Hope you enjoy it!
Excellent narrator, good story.
Thank you!
Wonderful! I have several readings of this story, and none convey so well Paxton's terror as he describes unearthing the object.
Thank you Alee Bee, appreciate your feedback
I love getting the notices for your programs, your classics stories! Thank you for your work it's so worth wild
Lovely to hear that Judith, thanks so much
in lockdown in Lagos, Nigeria.
M.R. James wonderful writing and great narration. Thanks for making my days much more interesting.
Glad to be of service! Best wishes to you
The voice is superb, calming .....allowing me to get into the story 👍❤🇨🇦
Thank you! Glad to know you enjoyed it
A perfect reading of one of the most perfect M R James stories. May I ask - have you yet narrated “The Tool” by W F Harvey? That’s another favourite I would love to hear you read.
Thanks GradKat. I haven't as yet, although W F Harvey is one of the authors on my to-do list. Hopefully before too long!
Such a great tale. It never fails to spook. Wonderful narration, thank you!
You're most welcome pegleg747, glad you enjoyed it, thanks for listening
I just luv this *playlist* this is a gift ... Thank You kind sir named *Simon*
i heard about the three crowns were i was a small boy.i thought it was a true english legend like robin hood and arthur then later in years the past caught up with me and i found the story in a book.the bbc production of a warning to the curious starring peter vaugn was marvellous
How I look forward to these postings! Thank you.
Glad to know that, thanks so much for listening
This story just scare the hair off me ...every time. I'm glad it's broad daylight while I listen😳
From a Norfolk buoy living in Hong Kong- not a bad attempt at the vernacular if I might say so. Only occasionally do we end up in Somerset mid sentence. Well done. Remember, we take ages to say our vowels. Takes me about half an hour to say ‘coffee’.
Excellent narration as always..........but I knew I shouldn’t have listened to this in the middle of the night!!! Thanks so much and greetings from Australia
Thanks for listening and for your kind feedback... hope you managed to get some sleep in the end!
Excellent narration from Simon Stanhope and a story to take us away from these "lockdown" weekends. Thank you so much Bitesized.
You're most welcome! Thanks for your kind feedback
Wonderful as always. Thanks so much!
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for listening
Thank you. Love the voice and reading 😍
Thank you Catherine
Loving these stories thank you.Great narration
Thanks Barbara!
I’m constantly reminded of Geoffrey Palmer. Fantastic voice.
A truly great story.
Thanks Tipi Dan
Sweet... Thank you!
Wow - that was a spooky one.
What a wonderfully rounded story. Excellent deitics. Cheers ears*
It certainly is, thanks Adz
great reading. Def one of my top 3 favourite ghost stories!
A Splendid reading of this evocative classic set in wonderfulSuffolk. Thank you
Thank you Annette, glad to know you enjoyed it
Thank you for uploading.Enjoyed.
What a wonderful telling. I am a huge James fan and this is one of my favorites. Thank you.
Thanks Will, glad to know you enjoyed it - appreciate your kind feedback! I have more M. R. James on my list, so stay tuned....
@@BitesizedAudio I most definitely will stay tuned! Looking forward to it.
Voice is superb!
That was another good ghost story, I have a few of my own.
Hmm...I was walking in Rendlesham yesterday. 😐
Truly enjoyed this bite size ghost story and really enjoyed the narration. Thank you for doing a great job, looking forward to new material!
Thank you Pam, glad to know that. More stories coming soon I hope...
Apart from that great ghost story the local colour is so convincing, I feel as though I travelled to the sea- right in the middle of travel restrictions....😎
How wonderful! Glad you enjoyed it
Just going to make a cuppa+listen with pleasure.Thank you🤗
How lovely. Thanks Stella
Thankyou, Bitesize. Looking forward to listening to new story this evening. May I ask you if you would be doing other genres such as detective, mystery, suspense or crime types?
Thanks BlueFriend. Yes indeed, I'm aiming to keep a balance on the channel between ghost stories and tales in the wider mystery / suspense / detective genre... I have some more from G. K. Chesterton and L. T. Meade coming up soon, as well as other authors including Wilkie Collins, and some less well-known names too, so do stay tuned!
Bitesized Audio Classics looking forward to see what you choose! Thank you!
The way Britains speak English is dreamy....
That was spooky. Thouraghly enjoyed listening to this story. Thanks 👍
You're welcome! It's a good story, this one, isn't it? Thanks for listening
Your voice reminds me so much of the Fractured Fairy Tales guy from Bullwinkle, and by the way that is a huge compliment and not an aspersion
Another wonderful story of M.R.James with your super narration will be catch attention of viewers. Nice information for people who really bored at home. I #BrainBlitzAudios appreciate your content.😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for listening and taking the time to comment
Thank you so much for sharing your talent I do so love listening to you as my nighttime story never to for that
@Sloan Frakes Excellent, glad to know you enjoy them, thanks so much for your kind comments
Excellent - thank you, Simon! Plot spoiler and idle speculation follows...🤫
I think it would have been a more gruesome and satisfying twist at the end if Paxton's death had only been the start of his troubles.
I'd have made it clear that his doom was to replace the existing merciless guardian of the crown, freeing the current victim of the curse (William Ager, who achieved peace for some negligence or failing of his own regarding the crown by killing Paxton) but continuing his own torment and punishment until the next 'curious person' came along.
Paxton's ghost - haunting the scene until further notice - would then gain its own freedom and rest by killing the next treasure seeker, handing on the duty of protecting the crown to some other miserable wretch at an unknown point in the future.
And if no one ever came snooping again, poor Paxton would haunt the area for eternity.
Perhaps that'd be a bit too bleak and hopeless for the time, though. Ghostly tales from this era seem to favour neat and straightforward Sunday School solutions to life's (and death's) little problems. 🙂
That sounds like the sequel that James never got around to producing... perhaps you should write it!
Hurry up and make more, please! Cee from the little haunted cottage in ireland💚💚💚🍀🍀🍀
Thanks c annett - I'll do my best! Lots more are planned but the next one may not be for a week or so due to other commitments.... Do bear with me! Thanks for listening
Thank You again
Thank you so much!
You're welcome, thank you Janet
I remember read the story in The Mammoth Book of Zombies, edited by Stephen Jones. It's correct the inclusion of the story if we had in mind that the anti-hero is a draugr.
Thank you so much 🤗
You're most welcome, thanks for listening
I absolutely love this voice
Thank you, and thanks for listening!
Your readings are great.......!
Thank you!
Thank you 🧐
Another gem. 👻👻👻👻
Any chance of the following...
ALGERON BLACKWOOD
The empty house
The haunted island
The listener
REVEREND SABINE BARING-GOULD
Colonel halifax's ghost
EDWARD LUCAS
House of nighmare
WALTER DE LA MARE
A recluse
JOSEPH SHERIDAN
An account of some distubance in aungier street
Very happy to receive requests/suggestions... as it happens I already have Sheridan Le Fanu on my list, and also have some De Le Mare and Blackwood in mind, although there are potential copyright issues with both of them which need to be worked out so may not be for a little while. Will add all these to my list anyway. Thanks Space Hound
this was the influence for the game the lost crown a ghost hunting adventure
The naarator's voice is nearly identical to the voice that narrated the " Rocky & Bullwinkle" cartoon from the '60's!!
😆
Apparently so! I wasn't aware of this cartoon until some listeners mentioned it on this channel. I'm not sure I can quite hear the similarity myself...? But a few people have made the comparison now, so I may be outnumbered!
Please note it is Sir Michael Hordens voice. Credit ehere it is due. Thank you for tthe posts
Actually, it's *my* voice - I'm flattered that you confused me for Sir Michael Hordern, but all the stories on my channel are narrated by me... see the channel homepage and trailer etc. www.youtube.com/@BitesizedAudio
I agree that credit should always be given, and deplore channels who upload other people's work without acknowledgement or permission. I have credited myself in the video description for this one, and in more recent uploads I introduce myself to avoid this confusion. Incidentally, Michael Hordern did narrate this story, and his excellent version of it is available elsewhere on TH-cam (not sure if credited or not!) Thanks for listening and taking the time to comment, much appreciated
I agree
I’ve read a lot of MR James, and this is the only story I can think of where the character who suffers supernatural consequences isn’t the protagonist or the villain, unless you want to call Paxton the villain for grave robbing. I still feel bad for him though.
Yes, a very interesting point. I see some parallels between Paxton and Parkins in 'Oh, Whistle...', as both suffer for their curiosity in unearthing a buried object. But the narrative structure of the earlier tale is much more straightforward, and told in the third person, whereas this one is multi-layered, beginning with one (anonymous) narrator, before moving on to the main narrator who relates his own experiences, but then significant parts are also narrated by Paxton himself. I had seen this one as Paxton's story to some extent, with the main narrator taking the role of the "third person" to tell it, but who is also (unlike 'Oh, Whistle...') directly involved in the action in this case. It's very cleverly structured, I think.
Thank you. I needed this today. By the way, have you ever played any tabletop role playing games or do you stick to narration? I'd love to hear you play through a murder mystery or a horror game. You do very good voices.
Take care!
Thank you! I haven't, but thanks for the suggestion - I shall look into it!
@@BitesizedAudio Personally, I'd like to hear you narrate Terry Pratchett's Discworld books.
I'm loving this from the edge of the Maine woods in the sad new nation of Republica, led by King Donald the Inept. Please pray for us. - Andy Leclair
Thanks Andy. I've always liked the look of Maine.... I hope to be able to visit one day, in happier times to come!
Never let yourself simply enjoy a great story; make sure to always add some Trump-bashing to give yourself a little narcissistic shine. It's not about the story, the author, the narration (all wonderful); it's about YOU, and your self-stylized version of yourself, sitting on the edge of the Maine woods, conferring victimhood status on yourself. You're probably relaxing in Daddy's cabin while your Doorman-building apartment on the Upper East Side full of "Open Borders" T-shirts is watched over by Security personnel. Good news for you is you've got 5 more years to define yourself by what you Hate (Trump) than anything you ARE.. It's a boring shorthand which you imagine makes you cool or special- but it's really just boring, petty, shallow, self-regard. M.R. James just told a wonderful ghost story without ever mentioning how the politicians of the day affected his characters, or, by extension, himself.
@@mancinoist exactly.
@@mancinoist What a very long & boring reply. Yawn!
Dear Simon good morning! How are you? Where are you? What' s up?
Hello Natalya, it's evening now... sorry for my delayed reply. I'm currently deep into A Christmas Carol; finalising the first chapter and working on the others too, so a busy few weeks ahead
@@BitesizedAudio Oh, it' s nice.Thank you very much!
Can you please find,and read"my darling Hecate"?
Well there you have it. Don't piss off ghosts. Ooooo! 🙄
Who IS this narrator, and why does he sound like the voice from the Rocky and Bullwinkle show?
Well, the narrator is me... Simon Stanhope (you can find links about me on the About page of the channel if you're interested!). As to your second question, I'm afraid I don't know! I'm not familiar with the show, not sure if it was ever shown in the UK? Thanks for listening Janet
@@BitesizedAudio Hmmm...Simon Stanhope...that's very good to know! I'd forgotten about that "About" page. I'll buzz over there in a bit to get all the "low down" on ya.' What you are providing for your listeners (especially this one - I say that because I am the only one living in this brain/skull) is "worth it's weight in gold" - er, wait a moment; it's worth MUCH more than that. Seriously, it is such a luxury to have you - an experienced reader who takes into account every mark of punctuation in each tale and has a very pleasing voice! (Honestly, some of those "Librovox" readers, they're a little jarring to listen to, for various reasons, but I do credit them for the time they spend reading and their excellent intentions, and I listen to them as well. They DO read lots of things I really appreciate hearing.) But with you, it's smooth mental sailing the whole way through.)
About this "Rocky and Bullwinkle" show, I doubt that it would have caught the attention of the programmers at the BBC 'back in the day,' which would have been in the 1970s. It was/IS a terrific cartoon featuring a flying squirrel with encyclopedic knowledge and a moose with a goofy voice who got all the punchlines. It was WA-A-AY ahead of its time - it was political and sardonic and truly imaginative...NEVER a dull moment! There was probably no other cartoon at the time which included an "evil" pair of Russian spies - Natasha and Boris. They were always thwarted in the end. (Hooray for America!) And there was a show within the show: "Fractured Fairytales," which had many of the same qualities and a positively WICKED sense of humor. (Maybe you can tell that a was a young fan of the show, and I'd watch them all again if I found them somewhere.) At the age I was then, 10+ years, I wasn't interested in the productive details, but I'd like to find out about the guys who wrote them (they WOULD have been 'guys' in THOSE days and they were probably underpaid.) Hmmm...maybe GOOGLE might actually perform a positive service for me (for a change.)
My, I DO go on sometimes. Please excuse me for that. But, again, thank you for being here for us. You ARE, shall we say, a 'living treasure.' Best wishes to you! kris k.
Like most Yanks, I have always associated the English accent with certain perceived, advanced social and personal qualities, or levels of education, or the level of intelligence of the speaker. I have often wondered how we Yanks sound to an average Brit. Well, I got the opportunity one time to ask an English gentleman. I had told him, "We Yanks think of the average Brit as more educated, even more intelligent than other people, just based on your accent." I then asked him how we Yanks sounded. His first words were, stated very coolly "Well you certainly don't sound more intelligent..." Sorry, I stopped listening there. He told me what I wanted to know, but it wasn't quite what I expected to hear.
That was harsh. But to be perfectly honest, accents from the deep South don't exactly conjure up thoughts of genius. Sorry.
@@mikelheron20 Hahaha...Yanks from the deep South couldn't care less how they sound to an average Englishman; it just doesn't cross their minds. Cheers, Mike.
Actually, I know some very articulate and intelligent people with wonderfully strong 'regional' accents. Also some quite dim, vapid people who speak the Queen's English.
Meanwhile in Democraticly controlled cities - people get free stuff from this guy’s taxes to not have to work, not have to try, all while complaining about this guy’s ‘privledge’ and smugly take his money while always demanding more.
The Germans would never kill the English on their own homes in some type of landing
M.R. James waffles on seemingly incessantly on trivia before getting to the meat of his story. He is at once extremely boring and dull.