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Madam Crowl's Ghost by J S Le Fanu
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ส.ค. 2024
- Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu was an Irish writer born on August 28, 1814, in Dublin, Ireland. He was the third son of a Protestant family with French origins.
Le Fanu received his early education at Trinity College, Dublin, but left before finishing his degree to pursue a career in journalism. He quickly established himself as a successful writer, publishing stories in various magazines and newspapers.
In the 1840s, Le Fanu began to focus more on fiction writing, and his works began to gain wider recognition. His most famous novel, "Uncle Silas," was published in 1864 and is considered a classic of Victorian Gothic literature. Other notable works include "In a Glass Darkly" and "Carmilla."
Le Fanu's writing style was characterized by a strong sense of atmosphere and suspense, often incorporating supernatural elements. He was known for his ability to create vivid and memorable characters, particularly his strong female protagonists.
Despite his success as a writer, Le Fanu's personal life was marked by tragedy. He lost his wife and infant daughter to childbirth complications, and his health began to decline in the late 1860s. He died on February 7, 1873, at the age of 58, leaving behind a legacy as one of Ireland's most important literary figures.
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Love the accent. It could be the voice of a great evil, but for my American ear it gives me the image of inglenook fireplaces, the glow of embers, the creak of a rocking chair, drying herbs, a basket of sleeping puppies, sewing baskets, peas ready to be shelled, dripping candles, patter of soft rain, tins of cookies, etc. etc.
You said it!
It's an accent from far north of England with a good use of true folk words from that area North humbria it's a stunningly beautiful place
Such a lovely image!
I was channeling my grandmother.
Tony, do you have a Granny Weatherwax?
:D
The huge effort put into these is not unnoticed and you are by far the most prolific and gifted at this sort of narration. Looking forward to years of new stories.
years and years and years... (we hope)
I bow in reverence. You Sir have gone beyond excellence! The accents, the passion, the atmosphere……THANK YOU X
Part of the horror, I think, with regard to her age and not dressing her age stems evokes the theme of the aged feasting off the young. She would not have had the luxurious life she experienced if her stepson had not "disappeared" her long life and the luxury in which she keeps herself are vampiric in essence, except instead of blood, it was wealth she fed off of.
yes like an Elizabeth Bathory type thing?
My dad was born just outside Haltwhistle on the Northumberland/Cumberland border,so I could hear his dialect in your rendition. There are a lot viking words in the Northumberland dialect,that flat vowel sound that you can still hear today if you listen to a Norwegian speaking English. 'Hyem' meaning home is still used by many folk around the Newcastle, Sunderland and Northumberland area. I love accents and dialects. P.S I love your ramblings...jethro tull also!
+Elaine Parker i know Haltwhistle. the centre of Britain!
I really enjoyed this story, loved the accent.. The atmosphere of the maid going into the room and slowly looking through the bed drapes.. Brilliant..Thank you tony...
Horrifying - an old woman driven mad by the memory of the murder of a young child that she committed and the horror of the death the child endured. Very well told, and I really liked the dialect you used! Sheridan LeFanu was a really good author
SPOILERS
@@clevelandplonsey7480 Sorry, but you're supposed to listen to the story first, then read the comments! 🤣
@@merlapittman5034 I all most always read the comments first because most people of the common sense not to retell the story in their own words.
@@jessicaloggins9764 I read before listening too; but, given that’s my choice, I also then proceed with the knowledge that “spoilers” or “plot-scriptures” will be written.
It was in my Film 101 course where I learned that more folk will use step by step plot to speak of “what happens” in the story, rather than using metaphor to leave the review audience with enough evidence to entice a viewing [listening in this case] or decide to avoid wasting one’s time; for I learned then it takes a gifted reviewer whose brains & experience can recreate the depth & grit of the [story] without replaying the plot; so, I try to recall this lesson for my own comments.
Though, it still “nerves” when I see “spoilers”, however, I now try to think of these comments as miserable oversharing movie trailers- because I love the production team [Tony Walker in this case], no matter what is over-shared, I remain interested to be a personal witness to GREAT STORYTELLING!
I didn't read all that but from what I can tell, you could have said all of this in the comments instead of telling the whole story in two sentences. If you would have put your reply to me in the comments, I would have loved to read it. But since you chose to tell the whole story (that's not a trailer btw) then I'll just feel blessed
Maybe the fundamental horror of 'Madam Crowl' is the fear of aging. A kind of uncanny valley: human form and intelligence, degraded by time and the burden of dark secrets. The cosmetics and accessories only make the decay more horrible by reminding us of what she was once like.
i actually think this is bang on the money. thank you very much
I like the overlaying thematic transparency you’ve suggested.
I think that’s a very good summation. Sad too, but true.
I love the accent in this, it makes me miss the north of England.
Oh go on… you and Sheila have a wrestle. Love these Tony, including the rambling.
Yay! A new ghost story for bedtime! I can't wait. Thank you so much,Tony 👍💜✌️💤
Absolutely Fantastic !
Story = ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narration = ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️❤
awwwwwww. Shucks.
Just as horrifying this time around --vivid word images, love the accents, masterful narration and entertaining, informative "ramblings". Thank you again, Tony, for your hard work..
Absolutely brilliant!! Loving this story! Well chosen as per! And fabulous performance 🎭!! Thank you so much Tony!👌🌟
Isn’t he just superb, so growing in his specialism…….best wishes to you, fellow friend listener x
@@kimbykimbers3750 😊
@@kimbykimbers3750 just saw this message! Was not in the entertainment mood at all as my mum had a cancer scare. She’s had the all clear but it shook me all the same…. We only have one mother after all and I live abroad from her…. So I am sorry I didn’t reply! All is well after all and it’s prepared me a tiny bit because we of all people should get it that death comes to us all! Even mother’s! Why dose it shock us so when we know it all our lives but even with dad’s it’s not the same thing! Sorry if I have depressed you it’s just I loved your reply! Having another listen cos I fell asleep at the end…. Enjoy what’s left of your weekend and blessings of all good things fellow listener!🙏🫶✨
♥️🌟🌹🧚♀️✨👑✨🧚♀️🌹🌟♥️
@@kimbykimbers3750 🕊🤍🕊
Thanks Tony, great story Le Fanu is someone I only recently came across but as you note rightly MR James was quite the fan. I always thought that there are clear traces of Schalcken the painter in the Mezzotint and Canon Alberic's scrap book.
I like it when you ramble! That’s how we get to know you.
He is tge best rambler ever!...😂 I love it when he does
I like the ramblings at the end of the stories. 👍👍
In my 1800’s book of Ghost Stories was Thrawn Janet.
I saw it was in dialect so I saved it to last.
It was my favorite of all.
Thrawn Janet is on here somewhere.
Such writing!
Ooh! This is me excited!
One of my favourite stories,ever.
I'm going to enjoy this. I've never heard it read before.
😃
Marvellous work Tony !
Great story, well read as always and very much appreciate the ramblings as well! Carry on!
01:31 I can't sleep and I'm glad I saw this. Thank you. 🤝
After listening to two stories back to back from this channel, it’s safe to say the narrator has improved his craft compared to last time when I listened to him narration
i’m very happy you said that because people have been unhappy with this story where i speak like my old nana
@@ClassicGhost I don’t know about others, but I truly liked it.
Top notch, the fact that you introduce and then gradually intensify the Northumberland accent is chef-kiss. best Le Fanu narrator EVER
Another le Fanu story narrated in the voice of a young girl--interesting! Thanks for your ramblings.
Good point again. I bet someone has done a thesis on that.
You are amazing Tony! I love Le Fanu's tales. Thank you.
Read the story for the first time, when I was ten or eleven. Scared to living shit out of me at the time. Still does. Thx
Love the reading of this one, well done on the accent. Although the ending is not exactly unexpected the build up is masterly. Thank you
Love the rambling, especially if it involves Prog Rock 🙂
Lovely telling of a classic gothic ghost tale. The comments at the end are enjoyable as well.
I've listened to this story before, but only with half an ear.......now, at last, I got it!!!! It was like watching a film, you're so clever x
Thank you. Glad you liked it
Great story, well told!
Brilliant narration, fabulous atmosphere and a really chilling story. Thank you so much and Bravo.
Love the North humbrian accent it works perfectly for the story Tony😊
Thank you very much for these ghost stories I prefer these some of them are just too gory you’re an angel❤
Hey! I like how you took the time to put a bio of Le Fanu in the video description. I find these kinds of details fascinating. Thanks
An excellent story thank you for sharing.
Thanks for listening
Thanks Tony,
I always loved this story for a few reasons, one of which is that I found the Belldam truly scary.
P.C be jiggered!
I could see this character though the eyes of a country,14 year old girl and she's scary.
Big, yellowing, false teeth. Long pointed nails, tottering along in high heels like some wizened hob-goblin , as like to jump into the fire or out of the window.
To a child of little understanding, old people with dementia are scary.
Another reason to like it is because it was clearly an inspiration for Neil Gaiman's Coraline story.
There are obvious comparisons.
Thanks for sharing your rock concert experience. You're a braver man than I.
Camping, mud... not for me.
I'd rather be on the player's side of music, than the spectator's these days.
Happy Puppying Pup-daddy.
It's sunny today here. Had a nice morning walk with the pups by the river. Very lovely. Horror is far away!
💝 aw thanks for that!
Winter is showing her teeth here.
You have a green light to ramble from me!
Fantastic accents. I can even hear where a lot of white Australian accents have these dialects at their base. Well done and ramble on, as they say.
they do say that
This was my first time hearing your stories. I enjoyed it immensely! I had some difficulty with the language (yak? on the walls?) but understood most. Interesting that this precedes Stoker. Contemporary with Shelley. And your discussion of the horror of aging women at that time made me think of the terrifying old “bride” in Dickens’ Great Expectations. I wonder if very old people were more frightening too because of the shorter life expectancy. Old “crones” were more unusual, thus perhaps more frightening then. Just speculating…
Charming and horrifying.
Great voice ❤
Ramble on Mr. Walker, it's enjoyable!😃
Great but sad story. This narration, like all the rest you do, is amazing.
I love the accent!
Wonderful story and reading. I loved the accent.
What a tragic life. But wonderful story 👻
Awesome. Loved the story and your ramble. I chuckled out loud ... you should think about writing. Haha lol.
Great accent!! Really added authenticity.
Always loved this story. It's like Dorian Gray were the reflection or painting shows her how she was before her crime took it's tole. This accent suits you Tony!
Mad adventure last weekend! How do you do it! 😅
I was wondering whether like Jonathan Swift he took the ferry over to Whitehaven because he seems familiar with this dialect.
I kinda understood the story! Loved the ramble ❤!
Thanks Lisa :)
Ramble on my friend, ramble on. Cheers from Northern BC, Canada. Up the Irons🤘
Hi Tony, I loved the dialect - great stuff. And re. the issue of the old lady wearing make-up etc: yep, there are no doubt general issues of misogyny/ageism going on there (it's of its time!), but apart from that, it's an issue of fashion, too. The old woman is dressed up in the style of the late C18, by the sound of it - towering, powdered wig, high heels etc...eyebrows made from strips of dead rodent-skins and glued on...chalk-white face make-up, bright red patches of rouge...all that stuff was the height of fashion for the rich, in the late C18, and would have been worn by young and old alike...and aside from the frock, by both women and men! But in this story, the woman is being observed by a child seventy years after those styes were de rigueur, who in all likelihood would not have seen anyone actually dressed and made up like that - they mostly would've been long dead. In Victorian times, when Le Fanu was writing, 'respectable' ladies were not supposed to wear any make-up at all - not be seen to be wearing it, anyway. If they did, it had to be so subtle that it was undetectable as make-up; if the cosmetics were in any way obvious, it would put their, er, 'virtue' in doubt. So the old woman would, quite reasonably, have been a bizarre and frightening sight to the child...in all honesty, those styles would probably give anyone a fright if we encountered them today. They truly were startling, and not at all like the prettified and sanitised versions that we see in costume dramas on the telly. Also...I think there's a genuinely scary effect when anybody dresses (or more to the point) wears make-up that grotesquely exaggerates and distorts the human face, while at the same time obscuring it...think clowns, people in masks, etc etc etc. That C18 style does all of that. Sorry about the essay, but my main point is, the fear the old woman provokes in our wee servant-girl is not *necessarily* based on good old-fashioned misogyny/sexism alone! ;)
Hawkwind, Wishbone, Tull. Magical stuff. "Argus" is such a masterpiece.
Yes it is. Great album.
I saw Nick Mason’s saucerful of secrets last night . Amazing
My jealousy is reaching supernatural proportions.
@@JimBagby74 Electric 6 tonight
Love the stories....keep 'em coming!
Greetings from a Swede in Glasgow! 🍻
thank you. i have stories scheduled even though i’m away for 2 weeks
I've heard this story read elsewhere, but nobody comes close to your fabulous accent. I don't know if it's written in dialect, but I'd much rather listen to it than read it, if you do the narration. Thanks for a splendid listen.
It is written in dialect. I think some people think it was written in standard English and I decided to do it like this. I was trying to be true to Le Fanu's writing.
@@ClassicGhost You succeeded.
Re: the setting in the north of England: Le Fanu's 'Uncle Silas' was essentially a novel-length expansion of an earlier story he had written called 'A Passage in the Secret History of an Irish Countess.' Besides elaborating on the plot, Le Fanu moved the action from Ireland to Derbyshire. Possibly he decided that an English setting would be more relatable for the English market.
How awful it would have been to have to have dealt with these faded “nobility”.
We do really love the rambling! I LOVED the accent, just honk the little pup noses for me, if you get a chance. You know, I’ll tell you something you really should know, well, ok, first of all, you know those little crafting pompoms they give children to glue onto construction paper in preschool? They’re sort of spongy and a bit firm and kinda fuzzy, anyway, that’s what a squirrel’s nose feels like, and they like to press their little squirrel noses into your lips and chin and hand and stuff. When I had my ratties, Bert especially, he was just a monster of a rat, more than 2 lbs, he’d press his little rat nose into my lips and it was the best feeling ever, and I’m pleased to report that squirrels do that as well, so if you ever get a chance to nuzzle a rodent, you should absolutely do that.
That Varieties of Religious Experience book is one of my favorites, btw, and I really appreciated the commentary on that. There was one bit in there about a crab, here, let me find it:
“We must describe and name [the pathological aspects of religion’s existential conditions] just as if they occurred in non-religious men. It is true that we instinctively recoil from seeing an object to which our emotions and affections are committed handled by the intellect as any other object is handled. The first thing the intellect does with an object is to class it along with something else. But any object that is infinitely important to us and awakens our devotion feels to us also as if it must be sui generis and unique. Probably a crab would be filled with a sense of personal outrage if it could hear us class it without ado or apology as a crustacean, and thus dispose of it. “I am no such thing, it would say; I am MYSELF, MYSELF alone.”
I do know those pompoms. Yes, spongy, a tiny bit firm. Well, I didn't know that's how a squirrel's nose felt. They don't seem to get too close to me. I read VRE a looong time ago. I remember it was a second hand paperback copy and it was summer when i read it. He was a v. clever man that William. Apparently he and Henry were close. That whole issue about personal identity is big with me. I may write a story about it (if I haven;t already)
I enjoyed the ramble more than the Ghost story.
Great story, interesting thoughts and I agree with you. But women judge other women, look at that fluff with Helen Mirren and her long hair. Still happens.
A familiar story, but of course, I liked it. I ALWAYS enjoy the interesting facts & interpretations laid over the work. I also enjoy the expanded context & content that leads on to your more personal shares.
I think it can be said that your friends & mine are also inclined to a good bed, quiet rest, & the comforts of a clean, private toilet; and even though we love the MEMORIES of a 3 day music festival, we are getting to the point where we’d all rather prefer MEMORIES from a 13 day beach side resort, where we’ll bring our own wi-fi speaker & dance in the sand & rolling waves to Rock-Steady under the clear skies & a full moon!
Personally, I prefer Hawaiian weather but Mexico or most places on the N/NE Mediterranean will do as well!
🌴🌼🪨🐚🌊🌌🌄🏞️🌅🎑🌌
I don't have a comment that is different from the sentiment of the first few I read so, Thank You 😊
Oooh I love this one! So creepy!
Great as usual but had to comment on your "head on the nail" commentary on the Northern origins of both some words and accents in the book . Well recognized and good work !
PARISCRIBE JENSWEDEN .
Glad you enjoyed it
@@ClassicGhost
I nearly always enjoy you and am glad to see how many more follow you now than when I joined and you had between 2,5 and 3000 subscribers .
Good on you !
19:00 Stephen King fans should recognize clear influence from a passage like this. These five minutes just before and after this point may be the most terrifying thing I've heard on this whole podcast so far.
Keep On Rambling!
It isn’t about just an old woman in makeup; it’s about the uncanny valley. Madame Crowl is worse than a living corpse, the narrator even says as much, “a corpse is one thing, this was another.” This is the same horror as a zombie- the uncanny likeness to a human that is so close yet just off enough that it’s disturbing. It’s a corpse being kept alive AND it’s also the refusal to admit he reality- which is the point of the story: she refused to confess her crime, and she lived as if she weren’t a murderess. Now she’s living as if her time and her crime haven’t defined her. It’s not a dated horror at all.
Excellent!
Libravox was the best rendition available, and not that good either! The idea of t’owd belle dame, rising off the bed, as if on wires, is enough to make the hair rise on one’s neck!
I do like Le Fanu. There is more of his stuff on the channel somewhere.
#450 LIKE!🦋
11:40AM 05/26/2023
Excellent job on the accent.
+Gerard Kiff i tried to read
it as a slightly broader version of my grandmother. my theory is that Le Fanu (like jonathan swift) to a trip over to the west cumbrian coast as there were frequent sailings
then. that explains why it it is ‘byans’ not ‘banes’ or ‘boans’. he wrote it in dialect so i read what he wrote hearing my grandmother’s voice
As an American, I have no clue where these places are lol but I do love all things British. Thanks again and yes , I do like your ramblings at the end of each story.
Hawkwind are still going?
oh yes
@@ClassicGhost The Golden Void speaks to me
Denying my reality
I lose my body, lose my mind
I blow like wind, flow like wine
Marvellous stuff, Warrior on the Edge of Time. And Space Ritual, naturally.
@@simonward-horner7605 they didn’t play that when i last saw them though they usually do
@@ClassicGhost I'll have to try and catch them next time they play near by..
I couldn't understand what you were saying. I'm just American. Not used to these the sound of these words. 😁
Treat it like music
You can do it! Remember Eliza Doolittle? I'm a Chicagolander and hear it and love it 💛
So baby boy is OK? Did u get results? 💜
No, we haven't got the results. Vet doesn't know why and is chasing the lab. But he is well in himself, having fun, growing. So fingers crossed.
Are you originally from Liverpool?
No, but I have done a story The Companion in a Liverpool accent for you to compare.
I didn't have any trouble understanding the accent, save for one word: what is a "yak" wall? 😂 Someone please enlighten me!
yak is oak
What accent is this supposed to be?
It's a far northern English accent. He wrote it like that. He was obviously familiar with it - the byans for bones, not banes as it would be in Scots or boans as it would be further south.
No offense to any listener, but i can see how for a child of 10, a 90 yr old -- wrinkled, powdered, and wigged in satins of 50 yrs ago in dim candle light wd be horrifying. Think Betty Davis' makeup in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane! 😂😂😂
That’s me your talking about :)
It’s interesting when you mention how there is this ‘horror’ of the older woman dressing in the ‘trappings of the younger woman’ and how that was just garish and disturbing to them. The narrator is a woman, but the story was written by a man, and I wonder how much of that is the male view of the time and expectations men had of how a woman *should* age etc. Who knows, really, but interesting, indeed! Thanks, as always!
Good point. It was a man who wrote and we are distanced in time so we don't know whether that was a common male view, or indeed a common female feeling about things either.
The Victorian middle class frowned on makeup use and believed (wrongly) aging impacted women more than men. The painted up crones in literature of the era seemed to have problematic personalities or seedy pasts. Perhaps, contemporary readers would've understood their garishness as symbols of antiquation and low character. Though the stigma of makeup faded, marketers still sell us the idea of aging as a women's problem today. Just see the beauty aisle at any chemist.