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"There Was a Man Dwelt by a Churchyard" by M R James / Very Short Ghost Story
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ส.ค. 2024
- Chapters:
00:00:00 Introductory Preamble
00:02:50 The Story Begins
00:08:54 Wrap Up and Thank you
Here is an exceptionally brief ghost story from the pen of Montague Rhodes James.
It was first published in December 1924 and later appeared in "The Collected Stories of 1931." Its title is lifted from the tale nearly told by poor prince Mamilius in Shakespeare's Romantic play The Winter's Tale.
Mamilius: A sad tale's best for winter: I have one
Of sprites and goblins.
Hermione: Let's have that, good sir . . .
Come on, sit down: come on, and do your best
To fright me with your sprites; you're powerful at it.
Mamilius: There was a man-
Hermione: Nay, come, sit down; then on.
Mamilius: -Dwelt by a churchyard: I will tell it softly;
Yond crickets shall not hear it.
It is more a lengthy high-brow" joke than a ghost story. It's fun but still a little bit spooky. Nevertheless, it is further testimony to James's ability to wring a compelling narrative out of even the most unpromising premises. Moreover, it is an early example of folk horror, given that the story occurs in Elizabethan times and in an apparently rural setting.
There are already several renditions of this little piece on TH-cam, but I thought I'd enjoy reading an M R James story. And I certainly did enjoy it!
Excellent combination of images & narration Thank You *Scary Tales*
Thank you Miji Yoon 😊 Glad you liked it.
The narrator is fantastic!
Thank you ever so much @sealskin2001 😊
Very kind of you to say so and I appreciate your support.
Thank you 😊
You're most welcome Jacky 😊
Wow you’re good the different voices I was enthralled
Thank you very much. Kind of you to say😊. When I'm reviewing the recording I sometimes think I'm a bit "hammy" and essentially I have only two female character voices and two different types of country yokel types...both from unspecified counties 😂 I'm so glad you liked it.
Wonderful! Somehow this work by M. R. James has escaped my notice all these years. Thanks for a great narration.
I'd overlooked this story myself. Thank you for the kind words Jared.
There may be many narrations of this story but it's a first for me. Thanks for the first version for me, it is wonderfully done!
Hi Stephanie, 😊 You are most welcome. And thank you once again for listening and for your supportive words.
M R James is my ultimate favourite whom I have studied and listen to almost every day. Your voice is perfect for this story. Yes it is true they used to bury them at night, no wonder times gone by, women were advised not to attend their loved ones funerals. Can’t imagine anything more creepy. We once found a beautiful house we really wanted to buy, but it backed onto a grave yard! ⚰️⚰️⚰️and as much as you know that we loved to be spooked, that would have taken things a little too far, so as you know, we now live peacefully by the sea. 🌊
Why, thank you! That is welcome feedback, indeed🤗. I’ve been hesitant about reading more M R James because his work has such a scholarly feel about it, and I didn’t think it suited my voice and northern accent. His stories are always better when a great actor performs them🎭😁. I really want to read more of his work because I’m a huge admirer, as well. One of the difficulties I find is that it can be challenging to deliver the long, wordy sentences that writers of the Victorian and early twentieth century liked to compose.
A house by a graveyard would undoubtedly give me pause, too😱. Living by the seaside is a much better way to enjoy spooky tales at your leisure😊.
Please, No! Do not feel because of your Yorkshire accent that you are not suitable to read the works of M.R. James. He wrote his works for everyone and (excuse the pun) would be horrified a person would feel his accent prevented him from interpreting his work. He was not a snob. Far from it. You have the perfect voice for the journey you have chosen (or it may have chosen you) Happy reading 📗📘📙
You're completely correct, of course. I'm sure Mr James would be delighted at his stories being told and given life anew in video and digital audio, regardless of voice, accent or language. The Chit-Chat Club has a wider membership now and I'm certain he would love that.
Thank you for your encouragement.😊 I've slated "The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance" in for Christmas and "Canon Alberic's Scrap-Book" (where it all began for early in the new year. 🎉🎈
Have a great weekend :-)
Many thanks indeed for this superb reading, I really enjoyed this. It matters not that there are other renditions out there - it's not a competition and you each bring something different to the table which makes it your own.
Thank you for those kind words Yvonne. I entirely agree! In fact, Mr James himself is of the same mind when in the story he says "Everybody may set it in what frame he likes best. This is mine."
@@scarystoriesbythefireside Precisely!
Thank you for your wonderful narration of this story. Its many years since I last heard it, and your reading made it the more enjoyable.
You're very welcome Caroline and I'm glad you enjoyed it...and thank you ever so much for saying so too😊
Loved it! Thank you for your great readings, they're right up my street. Love Hil xx 😊
Thank you very much Hil 😊. So glad you liked it xx
Well done. I agree that it doesn't really matter if there are other narrations of the story. Enjoyed hearing it again. Happy Halloween 👹👻💀🎃. Thank you.
🎃🧛♀️☠👻 Happy Halloween to you too Rosie and thank you ever so much!
"Everybody may set it in what frame he likes best. This is mine"
M R James ☠👻🎃🍹
Oh! Thank you for the visuals! Love this tale,and your delivery is so very smooth. Cheers!
Thank you so much for saying so 😊. Very kind of you. I have a lot of fun messing around with the imagery 😁
Very good story. Some of my ancestors were from Badsworth.
Thank you 😊. I've lived in Badsworth for nearly 20 years now and grew up in one of the surrounding villages. It is a lovely, generally peaceful place.
I’m new to your telling of these great stories and am really enjoying your renditions + the visual screen changes gives extra oomph to the imagination. Thankyou, keep em coming please.
Thank you ever so much for those very kind words @marieeab01 😊 I'm so glad you liked them. There are more on the way. I'm trying to increase my productivity when it comes to creating content. Thank you also for listening/watching 😊
You’re defo improving story by story owd lad 😊👍
Thank you once again Tony. Nice of you to say so. 😊 Hopefully the trend will continue 🤞. It still seems take me hours to record 15 minutes of audio though.
@@scarystoriesbythefireside …..did you listen to encrypted’s halloween special?
I haven't yet but I must. In fact I'll listen to it later today. That's another excellent source of well told atmospheric tales.
@@scarystoriesbythefireside ……Yes it is ….and the halloween special employs some novel atmospherics and ambient sounds which I found interesting
@Tony Eden It was excellent! Thanks for the recommendation. The ambient atmospheric soundtrack complimented the story perfectly and I love the dark comedy weaving in and out of the narrative.
Any new stories on the way? Should I unsubscribe?
Hi Sam S, yes, I'm hoping to get back into story telling in the next few days or so. Sorry for the hiatus, life has taken over a bit in recent months but my enforced uploading break is now coming to an end and next up is another E F Benson tale 😊.
That was a good story, a little short, but scary. Now i would like to request a nice long scary story by MR James.. His most disturbing stories are,In my opinion, about medieval Cathedrals . I am thinking of “Canon Alberic’s Scrapbook” i am not certain of the spelling of the Canon’s name but will never forget the story.. Also I would like to hear a selection from the collection of supenatural and very frightening tales in “The Mirror of Shallot” by Fr. Hugh Benson. Monseigneur Benson was the son of the Archbishop of Canterbury and created a sensation when he became a convert to the Roman Catholic Church. He lived in the Edwardian period and wrote this book in the early 1900’s. I subscrbed ad am looking forwrd to receiving notifications soon. Thank you.
Hello @prarieborn6458. Thank you for your kind comment. He does have quite a few tales set in around churches and cathedrals, and I agree they are unnerving. I'm going to record "Canon Alberic's Scrap-Book" in the new year and am trying to put "The Story Of A Disappearance And An Appearance" together, hopefully in time for Christmas.
The Benson family were all quite something! I like “The Mirror of Shallot” too and I've made a note in the "Content Calendar" 😊.
Thank you for subscribing and for your support 🥂