@@ClassicGhost I think you have been taking too many hits over the past weeks... Money, and then unkind texts...all I can do is support you. I ,and many others love the afterward of your stories...
+@stevecausey545 Yes it seems like I’ve been happily chattering about my love of these stories and various people have come and punched me i. the face for doing so. Big thank you for taking the time to say this. (Jasper has just come up to me and lick my face so that made me smile too.)
@@ClassicGhost I appreciate your videos and also your talent..a gifted author..and a great narrator. I like the way you write, why wouldn't I want to hear your thoughts also...? Don't let meatheads get you down.
On Tony's channel, it's "ask and you shall receive." Thank you Tony! This is one of my favorite Shirley Jackson fever dreams.❤ The unnamed woman in this story reminds me a lot of poor Eleanor in The Haunting of Hill House. So insecure.
@@ClassicGhost Hain’Cha done most of these recently or am I losing my marbles? Not complaining just double checkin’… Yer prolly busy workin’ w Jasper. Need filler. Tracer rounds…
Prolly what happened when some slick city dude would play a “sweet young thang [ain sweet no mo!” - sorry- broke into Mudhoney lyrics, there, lol ANAZING freakin blues meets grunge song slide guitar song BTW- highly recommended by moiymoizomisseurz]
@@4362mont Well that’s …different. 😏 Technically, the commentary is also a series of stories. 🤔 But if nothing else, you give support for keeping the waffling! 🥰
thanks. there are a lot of reasons why I do them and some of them are practical. One of them is to be different and the other is to show TH-cam that I am not just reusing content because they can shut you down for that.
My comment vanished like Jamie Harris! Shirley is brilliant at writing stories that ask more questions than she answers. Is Jamie a real guy who feels he is about to make a mistake and dives out because he is a coward? Probably not because that would be too simplistic. This is no wedding! A few preparations hastily made…….bacon in the fridge, no mention of a ceremony, guests or a honeymoon etc. No, the more I think about it the more I am convinced that she met this man at a bus stop or somewhere and dreamed up the rest. Is she nameless in order to throw the spotlight on the man? That he crops up in other stories is an interesting theory. Thank you for your rendering of this thought provoking story, Tony.😊
Enjoyed the story while also wincing in secondary embarrassment for the protagonist. I did a stem degree and so never had to learn about Shirley Jackson. Fantastic and amazing writer. Your commentary absolutely illuminated the story and gave me much food for thought. Thank you!
I really liked this story and loved your narration of it. It can be interpreted on so many levels. What came through to me was this poor person's total desperation. And I loved your "after party talk", great fun. Thank you.
What a haunting story and superb narration. And congratulations Tony, 3 weeks to go! I’m so happy for you. So well-deserved. Edit: Thank you for talking about debating- some people seem to have lost basic decency and respect. They can’t/wont/don’t listen. There is nothing wrong with discourse, and to agree to disagree- with kindness.
I always listen to Tony Walker's stories and narrations twice because the first time around I have an emotional reaction and the second time around I can be rational and reasonable, usually. So I like this story, it won't let me go on my merry way, it is making me think outside the box I want to put it in. All in all, the lady in the blue dress and her daemon lover have a better love story than the one I am in.
In the vein of "shoulds" and "oughts," I love the symbolism in the main character choosing her dress. She is clearly very insecure about what her fiance or others might think about her based on her clothing and makeup, she frets and goes back and forth about how she "ought" to present herself. She finally lands on the more youthful, outgoing, romantic option, and as the story goes on and she begins to doubt herself more and more she regrets the decision to be outgoing, and covers up the dress with her coat.
You hit the nail on the head with "small group with loud voices" statement on online hate. My theory is that the more unhappy one is the more they are online.
The most telling part of the story for me was when she returned the used towel back onto the bathroom rack; whereas previously, she'd place towels used for a split second into the hamper! AT THAT POINT SHE KNEW HER QUEST FOR JAMES WAS FUTILE. But she went on 'stalking' him... I don't believe he was her fiancee - I think she projected her desires & dreams onto a strange man living in her neighbourhood.... Perhaps she 1st saw him at t drugstore & there the fantasy began - & she found out his name by asking the drugstore owner. Bloody depressing & desperately sad whichever way you look at it, whether a phantom fiancee or not 🤔
Thank you Tony this is just so Bloody Unsettling and Wonderful!!😊 Thoroughly enjoyed your 'Blerhering' at the end, and wished you could have talked some more!!❤ Namasté 🙏🕊️💞🌟 Andréa and Jasper. XxX...
Most people are decent. They shouldn't listen if they don't like your channel. Do not let other mean people get you down. It isn't fair to you. Your channel is great. And the commentary. Much future success.
Just settled down and saw this posted. Any guesses as to what I am doing for the next hour or so? What a great story! I do so love your chats! Never change! As a veteran, I thank you for all of us you have helped. I can only imagine how many people you helped. I carefully listen to what you say during your chats, and I can tell you know this stuff inside and out. You worked in your career field for years and give great insights as to what goes through the minds of people finding themselves in the situations described in these stories. Thank you, my friend!
Agree! I have found many of your comments regarding mental health to be not just fascinating, but personally meaningful and thought provoking. Working very hard in therapy to get rid of the “shoulds” and “oughts!”
Here's a thought --- The main character intentionally doesn't have a name because she is a representation of women during that time. Shirley Jackson, from what I remember in school, hates the rigid gender roles. Just like in the story either be married and have standing in society or not married and be mocked about it. She's in a constant state or unrest (paranoia) and can't even write how they met to her sister. In the end there was no James or Jamie Harris because she made him up in her own mind.
That was a fabulous story. I had a feeling that he was imaginary, possibly a fiance who was killed during the war or something similar that she couldn't come to terms with, but I liked the idea that he was completely imagined better though. The ending was amazing and really put the hairs up at the back of my neck. Excellent story. :)
There's something about this story that reminds me of the Tulpa, a figment of someone's psyche that becomes so vivid they take on a reality of their own. The most chilling aspect of this tale for me wasn't just the figure of the man, but all the people she encounters in her search for him, the sense of alienation some of them make her feel.
As always, Tony, I enjoy your long unstructured commentary. I was a little surprised to see you regard Harris first and foremost as an outside entity rather than as a delusion or projection of the protagonist's mind, and I suppose different point of views is the point and the advantage of hearing someone else's commentary. I had a suspicion at one point that this might be an imaginary wedding day, one that reoccurred over and over in a poor deluded woman's life. Another point you made that stretched my imagination by contrasting with my own preconceptions, was comparing the the protagonist of this story to Eleanor in in The Haunting of Hill House. The protagonist here seemed to be fairly content to be living a common life ( not necessarily humdrum in her own eyes) but delighted to have a great addition like marriage and a loving man; Eleanor on the other hand seemed seemed enslaved by Family obligation the dictates of unworthy family members and the condition of poverty . I had a sense that Eleanor was all set to escape into something more exciting and totally different at the first opportunity. in The Daemon Lover as with most Jackson I find I have to stretch to interpret and the stretching and uncertainty is the greatest satisfaction in the unreached conclusion would be. oddly enough with Jackson's most famous story, the lottery, I thought everything about the story was clear and easy to understand even the setting was fantastic and unlikely to be encountered in real life.
the intro to this perfectly describes the amount of overthinking women waste on men who couldn't care less. He would just appreciate that she looked lovely in any of her dresses or however she styled herself.
That was kind of sad. I had different expectations for a daemon lover but I get this, that man was a dickhead. I mean there were so many red flags, like how she didn't know what flowers Dickhead would choose for her because he never had before...
@DenWell-SeedsOfChaos, That's why many of us relate to her writing, she reminds us that we are not the only ones who have, in our optimism, made foolish moves, despite our doubts. We can be forgiven because it happens to the best of us. ☺️ We'll be smarter next time... maybe. Luckily there is Shirley and chocolate.
@@StoryVoracious I wasn't smarter the second time around, the third time around, the 8th time around... I am in my 50's now and I am wise enough to see that I haven't just had a run of bad luck, no, I have just made some stupid choices.
Great reading. Good luck on taking the pulge to full time. I've listen for a long while now and always thought that you should make a career of voice acting.
It’s an interesting career field at the moment with the twin challenges of AI narration and the gatekeepers of theatrical agents. I have to steer my way through the middle.
@@ClassicGhost Threading the needle with Scylla on one side and Charybdis on the other. It can be nerve-wracking. However, I think your narration skills and especially your original stories will see you through. Best of luck
@@matthewharper7333 that’s who i was looking for ! I’m content here tbh. audiobook narration for others is a faff with auditions you rarely get and having to dance to their tune instead of your own. i gave up doing them for others because of that . this is much better
Definitely a feminist interpretation from my perspective. I read this story 30 years ago and felt the same then. I relate to the main character, having lived with an alcoholic who often didn’t come home. I remember trying to figure out where he was, thinking he’ll be home soon and being devastated when he wasn’t. He wasn’t a daemon luckily and I no longer live like that, but I definitely relate to the feminist perspective.
The story was begining to get me cross.....i was saying "leave the nasty piece of work be, he isnt worth it".....i stuck it out as i enjoy your commentary. I am on my own with my 4 dogs and i do what i want and when i want, i do not pander to folk whom think i should be this or i should be that and i do not tolerate men who say "you shouldnt be on your own". Thanks again for another tale. 🤗🐾🐾🐾🐾
I did not realize that James Harris is some kind of recurring character of Jackson's, free-roaming about her writings---and I've read most everything she wrote. I wonder why our young woman who thinks she's to be a bride tore up the letter she began to her sister? Given that she (the protagonist) becomes fixated on the door to the empty apartment at the end---well, it makes me wonder if she even truly has a sister? Your ramble was epic, but I honestly don't give a fig what "feminists" say. Always a pleasure to hear your reading interpretation of an outstanding author's works....thanks Tony.
Among the truly great, REAL HUMAN narrative voices on YT: (in no particular order): Mark John Maguire, (who has channel "THEY GOT AWAY WITH MURDERS":G.M. Danielson, THE TALE MASTER (does a lot of Lovecraft, including the best ever THE CALL OF CTHULHU, which uses audio crackle and hiss to great affect) and the wonderful,mesmerizing Tony Walker. All endlessly listenable!
That’s interesting that you describe Socrates’ daemon as a moral guide even though the daemon convinced him to “drink the hemlock”. The movie version of Jackson’s life staring Elisabeth Moss gives a glimpse into Jackson’s mental state. There were environmental element to her depression that had very strong influences on her. Jackson’s substance abuse, her husband’s affairs, her occult practices, her mother’s rejection contributed to her self destruction. Her daemons were very real and were not moral guides.
This tale masterfully weaves a narrative of a woman's search for her fiancé on her wedding day, only to turn into a haunting exploration of disappointment and betrayal. Jackson's psychological insights cut to the bone, revealing the specters of loneliness and the elusive nature of human connections. Prepare yourself for a journey that leaves more questions than answers, where every door and face can lead to deeper despair.
Thank you for reading in your English accent. 😂 I'm wondering about the blue suit. It was such a recurring detail and I have the impression of a blue suit being the sign of a dandy, or a salesman, or a huckster at that time.
This is wonderful! Would love to hear you read more Jackson, even one of the few comic stories. On the subject of waffling, I love commentaries and yours are among the best I've ever heard. Keep doing them!
How DARE you refer to me as "Old Bean!" You have no right nor basis to project your ageism upon my beans! I challenge you to a duel of deadly eyepins!! ;) Seriously, though, huge congratulations on leaving your day gig! I've been rooting for you for years and you've finally made it! Please take it as a compliment that I'm very jealous and hope, one day, in the fullness of time, I, too, might be able to pay my bills with only my own creativity. How about this for a contentious interpretation: Tricksters have been around forever (you mentioned Loki from Norse mythology, consider also Coyote and Iktomi in Lakota mythology) and, although mostly confined to the protagonist's mind, Harris is a trickster because he leaks into her physical reality, even into the apartments of strangers. Harris is also, by the end, a ghost, because he is missing-yet-not-quite-presumed-dead. He is again also a daemon in that he has brought this message of exceptionalism into the life of the protagonist and has turned all the routines of her plainness upside down. He is the daemon, but she is the daemon-lover. I'm glad you mentioned Kafka in the comments. Although I don't know Schultz well, the ending of this story has always seemed like almost an homage to Kafka. Have you ever thought that these interminable mazes of sparsely populated buildings and old newspaper (or Machen's brick-kiln suburbs, or Aikman's sealess seashores, or Burroughs's Interzone tenements...) are the actual ends of the Earth? They're not edges off which to fall, but, instead soft borders beyond which travel could continue forever without changing anything of notice to the traveller. That's what makes Harris a ghost. He has penetrated that edge of her world and now only exists somewhere just outside it. (...oh, and if we're thinking about the same Geoff, I'm pretty sure he was actually a beetle who turned into a teacher...) The Freudian slip about masculinity might be telling as well. She eschews her blue pocketbook and blue silk dress because they are too plain and severe. Instead she carries a shabby brown pocketbook that matches her "soft, feminine... over-young" print dress -- a garment which is repeatedly torn as she waits and later searches the city for a man in a commonplace blue suit. Maybe, even as a woman in a man's world, she is sufficient in herself, but cannot see it. Or, at least, she cannot see how to simultaneously be flowery and feminine while also maintaining the (plain? blue?) severity needed to navigate (and, indeed, be an author within) the wide world. Your comments about "shoulds-and-oughts" are also dangerously on the money, and frankly chilling. I'm not sure that they are the only pillars of depression, but you've got to be right in that they are among its crucial supports. Ill have to think more about that! Congratulations again on your career as a full time creator!
What a great comment. Thank you for your thoughts. If you write a book about this, I'll buy it. Did you listen to Three Miles Up? It is reminiscent of 'are the actual ends of the Earth? They're not edges off which to fall, but, instead soft borders beyond which travel could continue forever without changing anything of notice to the traveller.'
@@ClassicGhost thanks, I'll get to work on that book right away :) .Good call on Howard's "Three Miles Up." What a great job you did with that reading! The endless marsh canal bit definitely qualifies, although the penultimate paragraph has always made me think that, when the dryad disappeared, the men stopped travelling and actually ended up arriving somewhere final, with no way back, like a Greek Limbo, or a Chinese Realm of Hungry Ghosts or Burrough's "LoD" (land of the dead). A chilling ending for sure, but seems a bit different -- finding doom at the end of wandering, rather than being doomed to wander endlessly.
Tony, you romantic old fool, she got dumped at the alter....I think her story is about denial, making excuses for him, as far too many women do...Kay, from a life of hard knocks. Love your stories Tony x
I've wondered for a long time now how much mental illness imfluenced her writing vs. feminst themes, ie a response to her husband's infidelity. Also, I thought the rat was James. Here she is thinking the locked apartmet contains her lover who is ignoring her and perhaps cheating on her, when in fact the empty room with the rat, (the trickster) is the reality?? A reversal of the Cinderella (ella, ella)😁 fairytale. The prince turns into a rat. No house in the country. No happily ever after.
I am familiar with Shirley Jackson's biography Etc. I don't think I see in the evidence of mental illness guiding her stories which seem to be the result of the most careful and rational analysis all the aspects of life including the painful the delusional and the inexplicable. the perceptions of the subtleties of life may have lead to stories of extraordinary vision and insight and also led to intense stresses which may have contributed to an imperfect mental and emotional state.
@@garybernstein3527 that is a very effective point. I in no way meant to lessen her talent in wondering what part mental illness may have played in her writing. I forget who the author is, but there is a wonder book called, "Touched by Fire," which examines how some of the greatest talents in the arts channeled their mental struggles into the most memorable and meaningful work, such as Van Gogh. Thanks for responding!✌️
I’ll tell you what was imaginary, that “evil” rat. I guarantee you that was a very kind rat and she just projected some outdated and cruel rat stereotypes. I’ve never once met an evil rat. Cecelia was a bit grumpy, but certainly not evil.
Don't see a comment from me?! I was the one hassling you to read this lol. What happened?? I think you must have posted this back when I was in and out of hospital. Coughing up blood and fighting pneumonia. That's the only time I was unable to keep up with new uploads. You must have wondered why no comment from me, the person nagging you for about a year or more to read this. Weird. Oh well, listening now 💜
I am totally onboard with your post- read analyses. It's no different than emerging from a movie theater with friends and talking about the movie is it not? Plus one has to conceed that a British accent offers an air of authority and legitimacy to both the read and subsequent commentary.
i’m actually doing that more and more as I realise that while British people don’t like hearing British stories in American accents it is not mutual. I was trying not to be chauvinistic.
@ClassicGhost There was an American survey (study?) years ago that found that people more readily accepted what was told to them as authoritative if it was said in a British voice. Upper Received Pronunciation, I assume.
@@thurayya8905 I saw a similar study years ago for native Gaelic speakers in the Hebrides. There were two axes. The first was authority and the second was friendliness. They perceived local Gaelic speakers is the most friendly and English RP as the least friendly but most authoritative.
I find it interesting that in the 50s you had to be a trad wife regardless. Now a woman must be an independent career woman regardless. Feminism promised choice but in the end refused to give it. Dont believe me? Just say you are happy housewife and mother to hear the screeching. It's the same with your taste in politics or stories. Say your preference and again with the screeching. One day I hope our society can read the nursery rhyme Jack Sprat could eat no fat His wife could eat no lean And so between them both They licked the platter clean And think "isn't it good we are not carbon copies of each other. Isn't it good we complement each other. There is something for everyone. Hallelujah!"
I can see what you mean, but I think that in the hands of a writer of Jackson's calibre, we can assume that it was done deliberately. I took the dresses to represent two different personas / realities that the protagonist was choosing between. Sorry, I've put that clumsily! But I'd be interested to hear any other thoughts or takes on it.
“The smell of burning fields, Will now mean you and here But I know that this will never be mine”. Your talk reminded me so strongly of this wonderful song, thank you twice Tony. I was particularly impressed by your talk today; your take on the story from a mental health clinician’s point of view was totally pertinent. I can’t help feeling that the *protagonist* was a kind of ghost. Existing in the world, but unable to make an impression on it, barely being noticed at all,except for her incongruity, and completely unable to touch a “real life” All success to you in your future ventures Tony. 🎧🎤📚🛜🧡
I love your ramblings as much as I love the oddities of literature you delight us with.
You are very nice.
Ms. Jackson knows what our nightmares are made of.
Painful, thought provoking also this time around. As always, masterful, Tony. Much appreciated. Thank you.
ty ty
Your program is brilliant just as it’s presented never apologize for your unique talent
+@kevinneighbors1797 😿 🙏
Perfect start to the weekend. I am going to enjoy this. Thank you Tony
Perfect timing! I've been on a Shirley Jackson kick all week. Thank you so much for uploading! ❤
Good & Intriguing Story
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I absolutely adore Shirley Jackson and everything she's written.
Perfect Narration ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐❤️
Thanks Tony! I'll listen to this tonight.
Hope there is a long discussion afterwards...
Me too! Story & ramble 👍
this was the last one i did before I’ve started putting time stamps on the videos so you can tell
@@ClassicGhost I think you have been taking too many hits over the past weeks...
Money, and then unkind texts...all I can do is support you. I ,and many others love the afterward of your stories...
+@stevecausey545 Yes it seems like I’ve been happily chattering about my love of these stories and various people have come and punched me i. the face for doing so. Big thank you for taking the time to say this. (Jasper has just come up to me and lick my face so that made me smile too.)
@@ClassicGhost I appreciate your videos and also your talent..a gifted author..and a great narrator.
I like the way you write, why wouldn't I want to hear your thoughts also...?
Don't let meatheads get you down.
On Tony's channel, it's "ask and you shall receive." Thank you Tony! This is one of my favorite Shirley Jackson fever dreams.❤
The unnamed woman in this story reminds me a lot of poor Eleanor in The Haunting of Hill House. So insecure.
+@carolrios9216 I agree
@@ClassicGhost
Hain’Cha done most of these recently or am I losing my marbles? Not complaining just double checkin’… Yer prolly busy workin’ w Jasper. Need filler. Tracer rounds…
Prolly what happened when some slick city dude would play a “sweet young thang [ain sweet no mo!” - sorry- broke into Mudhoney lyrics, there, lol ANAZING freakin blues meets grunge song slide guitar song BTW- highly recommended by moiymoizomisseurz]
Came here for the waffle commentary, stayed for the ghost story.
Waffle tag metoo bc this # looks like a waffle with no boundaries
Mmm waffle.. I should and I ought to have some (no guilt)…
Only listened to the commentary, as I don't care for Jackson's stories.
@@4362mont Well that’s …different. 😏 Technically, the commentary is also a series of stories. 🤔 But if nothing else, you give support for keeping the waffling! 🥰
This Gentleman gets you every time…
I have a suggestion for the future; it's a bit of creepy folklore by our girl Shirley Jackson. Have you read this one? It's The Man in the Woods.
That sounds interesting, I would like to listen to it.
Personally, I really love the waffles! That's what sets you apart ❤
thanks. there are a lot of reasons why I do them and some of them are practical. One of them is to be different and the other is to show TH-cam that I am not just reusing content because they can shut you down for that.
My comment vanished like Jamie Harris! Shirley is brilliant at writing stories that ask more questions than she answers. Is Jamie a real guy who feels he is about to make a mistake and dives out because he is a coward? Probably not because that would be too simplistic. This is no wedding! A few preparations hastily made…….bacon in the fridge, no mention of a ceremony, guests or a honeymoon etc. No, the more I think about it the more I am convinced that she met this man at a bus stop or somewhere and dreamed up the rest. Is she nameless in order to throw the spotlight on the man? That he crops up in other stories is an interesting theory. Thank you for your rendering of this thought provoking story, Tony.😊
Enjoyed the story while also wincing in secondary embarrassment for the protagonist. I did a stem degree and so never had to learn about Shirley Jackson. Fantastic and amazing writer. Your commentary absolutely illuminated the story and gave me much food for thought. Thank you!
Yay! Shirley narrated by Tony!!!!!! 💜💚😁💝💕💙💖🩵
I'm so happy to see how much people loved it!! 💜👏
I really liked this story and loved your narration of it. It can be interpreted on so many levels. What came through to me was this poor person's total desperation. And I loved your "after party talk", great fun. Thank you.
thank you again
49:17
She was such a good author. And you are such a good narrator. Thank you
Always liked her stories.
What a haunting story and superb narration. And congratulations Tony, 3 weeks to go! I’m so happy for you. So well-deserved.
Edit: Thank you for talking about debating- some people seem to have lost basic decency and respect. They can’t/wont/don’t listen. There is nothing wrong with discourse, and to agree to disagree- with kindness.
@@evelanpatton Thanks! 😃
Thanks for your insights. It triggers me to think more deeply about these stories. 🤔
Thank you for all your hard work on these stories.
Thank you very much.
The story was made much better by the commentary. Thank you
Thanks for listening
Debate is a wonderful thing. Anger has no place in a debate. As we say in the south(USA) bless their hearts.
I agree completely
Hi, dear Tony! The "lovey-dovey" remark made me laugh rather loudly! Thank you for all the feels. ❤
ha ha
@@ClassicGhost great read BTW on your part
Thanks, mate.
Thank you very much for this video. I enjoyed the story very much and the commentary even more so.
I always listen to Tony Walker's stories and narrations twice because the first time around I have an emotional reaction and the second time around I can be rational and reasonable, usually. So I like this story, it won't let me go on my merry way, it is making me think outside the box I want to put it in. All in all, the lady in the blue dress and her daemon lover have a better love story than the one I am in.
In the vein of "shoulds" and "oughts," I love the symbolism in the main character choosing her dress. She is clearly very insecure about what her fiance or others might think about her based on her clothing and makeup, she frets and goes back and forth about how she "ought" to present herself. She finally lands on the more youthful, outgoing, romantic option, and as the story goes on and she begins to doubt herself more and more she regrets the decision to be outgoing, and covers up the dress with her coat.
Great story….. and synopsis at the end …. Cheers tone 👍🏻
You hit the nail on the head with "small group with loud voices" statement on online hate. My theory is that the more unhappy one is the more they are online.
Love! More Shirley please if you wouldn’t mind 😍
There will be more without doubt
I love when you credit yourself in the intro.
only started doing thatbecause others do sometimes
Like your interpretation of this story, more food for thought.
Thanks
Thank you very much!
I loved hearing you read, and I wish you had gone on talking about the story for another hour! Really enjoyed your insights.
First time listener , really enjoyed the story but loved the rambling waffle at the end 😅 hope you make a good living out of this job ❤
Another lovely comment that has really helped
Fan of the commentaries here! Love your insights and knowledge!
Than you thnak you.
So excited 😁 love me some Shirley Jackson. Thank you.
You are very welcome
The most telling part of the story for me was when she returned the used towel back onto the bathroom rack;
whereas previously, she'd place towels used for a split second into the hamper!
AT THAT POINT SHE KNEW HER QUEST FOR JAMES WAS FUTILE.
But she went on 'stalking' him... I don't believe he was her fiancee - I think she projected her desires & dreams onto a strange man living in her neighbourhood.... Perhaps she 1st saw him at t drugstore & there the fantasy began - & she found out his name by asking the drugstore owner.
Bloody depressing & desperately sad whichever way you look at it, whether a phantom fiancee or not 🤔
Thank you Tony this is just so Bloody Unsettling and Wonderful!!😊
Thoroughly enjoyed your 'Blerhering' at the end, and wished you could have talked some more!!❤
Namasté 🙏🕊️💞🌟
Andréa and Jasper. XxX...
ta
Thank you for the commentary
She is so spooky! Great story!
I love the commentary.
+@jayeautocorrectstohate5054 I like you for saying that
Taking time to comment while the ads run...
Aaaa! Shirley Jackson! Shirley Jackson!
(Jumping up and down like a 2 Year old!).
😃
Most people are decent. They shouldn't listen if they don't like your channel. Do not let other mean people get you down. It isn't fair to you. Your channel is great. And the commentary. Much future success.
thank you very much for your kindness
I enjoy your waffle to hear your interesting tales.Have listened to your sleep stories Have you done any more.??? Thank you.
Not yet!
Tak!
+@martiwilliams4592 ta
This is a great story and I really enjoyed hearing your critique. Takes me back to my English lit university days. Thank you for doing this one.
Just settled down and saw this posted. Any guesses as to what I am doing for the next hour or so?
What a great story!
I do so love your chats! Never change! As a veteran, I thank you for all of us you have helped. I can only imagine how many people you helped. I carefully listen to what you say during your chats, and I can tell you know this stuff inside and out. You worked in your career field for years and give great insights as to what goes through the minds of people finding themselves in the situations described in these stories.
Thank you, my friend!
❤️
Agree! I have found many of your comments regarding mental health to be not just fascinating, but personally meaningful and thought provoking. Working very hard in therapy to get rid of the “shoulds” and “oughts!”
@@mamacypress they are the roots of depression
Here's a thought --- The main character intentionally doesn't have a name because she is a representation of women during that time. Shirley Jackson, from what I remember in school, hates the rigid gender roles. Just like in the story either be married and have standing in society or not married and be mocked about it. She's in a constant state or unrest (paranoia) and can't even write how they met to her sister. In the end there was no James or Jamie Harris because she made him up in her own mind.
0:00 the time is gone•the song is over•thought I’d something more to say•
+@heidisorenson3775 yep
I DID enjoy this story. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Excellent performance
Thank you.
Great story thank you. Appreciate your commentaries too!
thank you
That was a fabulous story. I had a feeling that he was imaginary, possibly a fiance who was killed during the war or something similar that she couldn't come to terms with, but I liked the idea that he was completely imagined better though. The ending was amazing and really put the hairs up at the back of my neck. Excellent story. :)
Thank You!!! ❤️❤️❤️⚜️
I love your inquiries and explorations. You shouldn’t ever be who you aren’t lol 59:30
There's something about this story that reminds me of the Tulpa, a figment of someone's psyche that becomes so vivid they take on a reality of their own. The most chilling aspect of this tale for me wasn't just the figure of the man, but all the people she encounters in her search for him, the sense of alienation some of them make her feel.
As always, Tony, I enjoy your long
unstructured commentary. I was a little surprised to see you regard Harris first and foremost as an outside entity rather than as a delusion or projection of the protagonist's mind, and I suppose different point of views is the point and the advantage of hearing someone else's commentary. I had a suspicion at one point that this might be an imaginary wedding day, one that reoccurred over and over in a poor deluded woman's life. Another point you made that stretched my imagination by contrasting with my own preconceptions, was comparing the the protagonist of this story to Eleanor in in The Haunting of Hill House. The protagonist here seemed to be fairly content to be living a common life ( not necessarily humdrum in her own eyes) but delighted to have a great addition like marriage and a loving man; Eleanor on the other hand seemed seemed enslaved by Family obligation the dictates of unworthy family members and the condition of poverty . I had a sense that Eleanor was all set to escape into something more exciting and totally different at the first opportunity. in The Daemon Lover as with most Jackson I find I have to stretch to interpret and the stretching and uncertainty is the greatest satisfaction in the unreached conclusion would be. oddly enough with Jackson's most famous story,
the lottery, I thought everything about the story was clear and easy to understand even the setting was fantastic and unlikely to be encountered in real life.
the intro to this perfectly describes the amount of overthinking women waste on men who couldn't care less. He would just appreciate that she looked lovely in any of her dresses or however she styled herself.
You could have stop at the word "waste" 😂
That was kind of sad. I had different expectations for a daemon lover but I get this, that man was a dickhead. I mean there were so many red flags, like how she didn't know what flowers Dickhead would choose for her because he never had before...
Ooff... My bitterness spilled all over that comment, sorry.
@DenWell-SeedsOfChaos,
That's why many of us relate to her writing, she reminds us that we are not the only ones who have, in our optimism, made foolish moves, despite our doubts. We can be forgiven because it happens to the best of us.
☺️ We'll be smarter next time... maybe.
Luckily there is Shirley and chocolate.
@@StoryVoracious I wasn't smarter the second time around, the third time around, the 8th time around... I am in my 50's now and I am wise enough to see that I haven't just had a run of bad luck, no, I have just made some stupid choices.
+@DenWell-SeedsOfChaos Also: chrysanthemums? i don’t
love them
+@DenWell-SeedsOfChaos Me too
Thank you, Tony.
Welcome!
I'll have to put this story on hold for now, I'm only 5 hours into phantom of the opera 😂
+@lyndabrennan4560 I am glad to hear you are !
Great reading. Good luck on taking the pulge to full time. I've listen for a long while now and always thought that you should make a career of voice acting.
It’s an interesting career field at the moment with the twin challenges of AI narration and the gatekeepers of theatrical agents. I have to steer my way through the middle.
@@ClassicGhost Threading the needle with Scylla on one side and Charybdis on the other. It can be nerve-wracking. However, I think your narration skills and especially your original stories will see you through. Best of luck
@@matthewharper7333 that’s who i was looking for ! I’m
content here tbh. audiobook narration for others is a faff with auditions you rarely get and having to dance to their tune instead of your own. i gave up doing them for others because of that . this is much better
@@ClassicGhost That is understandible. Always better to be the captain of the ship. I hope you find the success you want.
Definitely a feminist interpretation from my perspective. I read this story 30 years ago and felt the same then. I relate to the main character, having lived with an alcoholic who often didn’t come home. I remember trying to figure out where he was, thinking he’ll be home soon and being devastated when he wasn’t. He wasn’t a daemon luckily and I no longer live like that, but I definitely relate to the feminist perspective.
The story was begining to get me cross.....i was saying "leave the nasty piece of work be, he isnt worth it".....i stuck it out as i enjoy your commentary. I am on my own with my 4 dogs and i do what i want and when i want, i do not pander to folk whom think i should be this or i should be that and i do not tolerate men who say "you shouldnt be on your own". Thanks again for another tale. 🤗🐾🐾🐾🐾
I did not realize that James Harris is some kind of recurring character of Jackson's, free-roaming about her writings---and I've read most everything she wrote. I wonder why our young woman who thinks she's to be a bride tore up the letter she began to her sister? Given that she (the protagonist) becomes fixated on the door to the empty apartment at the end---well, it makes me wonder if she even truly has a sister? Your ramble was epic, but I honestly don't give a fig what "feminists" say. Always a pleasure to hear your reading interpretation of an outstanding author's works....thanks Tony.
thank you
Thank you Tony!
My pleasure!
Love this! ❤❤❤
Your voice is fantastic. I’m subscribing. 😊
Thanks for subbing! Thanks for the compliment too :)
Among the truly great, REAL HUMAN narrative voices on YT: (in no particular order): Mark John Maguire, (who has channel "THEY GOT AWAY WITH MURDERS":G.M. Danielson, THE TALE MASTER (does a lot of Lovecraft, including the best ever THE CALL OF CTHULHU, which uses audio crackle and hiss to great affect) and the wonderful,mesmerizing Tony Walker. All endlessly listenable!
Thank you. Jasper Le Strange. I must listen to those others. Good recommendations.
That’s interesting that you describe Socrates’ daemon as a moral guide even though the daemon convinced him to “drink the hemlock”. The movie version of Jackson’s life staring Elisabeth Moss gives a glimpse into Jackson’s mental state. There were environmental element to her depression that had very strong influences on her. Jackson’s substance abuse, her husband’s affairs, her occult practices, her mother’s rejection contributed to her self destruction. Her daemons were very real and were not moral guides.
the a makes a difference. she had demons while socrates had a daemon
This tale masterfully weaves a narrative of a woman's search for her fiancé on her wedding day, only to turn into a haunting exploration of disappointment and betrayal. Jackson's psychological insights cut to the bone, revealing the specters of loneliness and the elusive nature of human connections. Prepare yourself for a journey that leaves more questions than answers, where every door and face can lead to deeper despair.
Could you do a few more Richard Aickman strange stories…. Or recommend something as good as
Aickman is sort of one of a kind. i’ve just done never visit venice though
@@ClassicGhost and I loved it ……great work , great channel…..I thank you 🙏🏻
Your comments are gold!
Ha ha. Nice to hear this.
I do like your commentary, those other people can move on to the next video and stop complaining.
Thank you Marlene. I'm a big fan :)))
Oy. That was a very uncomfortable story. Lots of Eleanor Vance in that woman.
If anyone is interested, there's a recording of the author herself reading this story elsewhere on TH-cam.
Thank you for reading in your English accent. 😂
I'm wondering about the blue suit. It was such a recurring detail and I have the impression of a blue suit being the sign of a dandy, or a salesman, or a huckster at that time.
On reflection, it seems to mean something. But what....?
@@ClassicGhost Maybe a trickster/con man reference
This is wonderful! Would love to hear you read more Jackson, even one of the few comic stories.
On the subject of waffling, I love commentaries and yours are among the best I've ever heard. Keep doing them!
Oh no, this is a sad story 😢. The poor dear.
I know
How DARE you refer to me as "Old Bean!" You have no right nor basis to project your ageism upon my beans! I challenge you to a duel of deadly eyepins!! ;)
Seriously, though, huge congratulations on leaving your day gig! I've been rooting for you for years and you've finally made it! Please take it as a compliment that I'm very jealous and hope, one day, in the fullness of time, I, too, might be able to pay my bills with only my own creativity.
How about this for a contentious interpretation: Tricksters have been around forever (you mentioned Loki from Norse mythology, consider also Coyote and Iktomi in Lakota mythology) and, although mostly confined to the protagonist's mind, Harris is a trickster because he leaks into her physical reality, even into the apartments of strangers. Harris is also, by the end, a ghost, because he is missing-yet-not-quite-presumed-dead. He is again also a daemon in that he has brought this message of exceptionalism into the life of the protagonist and has turned all the routines of her plainness upside down.
He is the daemon, but she is the daemon-lover.
I'm glad you mentioned Kafka in the comments. Although I don't know Schultz well, the ending of this story has always seemed like almost an homage to Kafka. Have you ever thought that these interminable mazes of sparsely populated buildings and old newspaper (or Machen's brick-kiln suburbs, or Aikman's sealess seashores, or Burroughs's Interzone tenements...) are the actual ends of the Earth? They're not edges off which to fall, but, instead soft borders beyond which travel could continue forever without changing anything of notice to the traveller. That's what makes Harris a ghost. He has penetrated that edge of her world and now only exists somewhere just outside it.
(...oh, and if we're thinking about the same Geoff, I'm pretty sure he was actually a beetle who turned into a teacher...)
The Freudian slip about masculinity might be telling as well. She eschews her blue pocketbook and blue silk dress because they are too plain and severe. Instead she carries a shabby brown pocketbook that matches her "soft, feminine... over-young" print dress -- a garment which is repeatedly torn as she waits and later searches the city for a man in a commonplace blue suit. Maybe, even as a woman in a man's world, she is sufficient in herself, but cannot see it. Or, at least, she cannot see how to simultaneously be flowery and feminine while also maintaining the (plain? blue?) severity needed to navigate (and, indeed, be an author within) the wide world.
Your comments about "shoulds-and-oughts" are also dangerously on the money, and frankly chilling. I'm not sure that they are the only pillars of depression, but you've got to be right in that they are among its crucial supports. Ill have to think more about that!
Congratulations again on your career as a full time creator!
What a great comment. Thank you for your thoughts. If you write a book about this, I'll buy it. Did you listen to Three Miles Up? It is reminiscent of 'are the actual ends of the Earth? They're not edges off which to fall, but, instead soft borders beyond which travel could continue forever without changing anything of notice to the traveller.'
@@ClassicGhost thanks, I'll get to work on that book right away :) .Good call on Howard's "Three Miles Up." What a great job you did with that reading! The endless marsh canal bit definitely qualifies, although the penultimate paragraph has always made me think that, when the dryad disappeared, the men stopped travelling and actually ended up arriving somewhere final, with no way back, like a Greek Limbo, or a Chinese Realm of Hungry Ghosts or Burrough's "LoD" (land of the dead). A chilling ending for sure, but seems a bit different -- finding doom at the end of wandering, rather than being doomed to wander endlessly.
I love waffles 🧇
tyvm
Tony, you romantic old fool, she got dumped at the alter....I think her story is about denial, making excuses for him, as far too many women do...Kay, from a life of hard knocks. Love your stories Tony x
I've wondered for a long time now how much mental illness imfluenced her writing vs. feminst themes, ie a response to her husband's infidelity.
Also, I thought the rat was James. Here she is thinking the locked apartmet contains her lover who is ignoring her and perhaps cheating on her, when in fact the empty room with the rat, (the trickster) is the reality?? A reversal of the Cinderella (ella, ella)😁 fairytale. The prince turns into a rat. No house in the country. No happily ever after.
I am familiar with Shirley Jackson's biography Etc. I don't think I see in the evidence of mental illness guiding her stories which seem to be the result of the most careful and rational analysis all the aspects of life including the painful the delusional and the inexplicable. the perceptions of the subtleties of life may have lead to stories of extraordinary vision and insight and also led to intense stresses which may have contributed to an imperfect mental and emotional state.
@@garybernstein3527 that is a very effective point. I in no way meant to lessen her talent in wondering what part mental illness may have played in her writing. I forget who the author is, but there is a wonder book called, "Touched by Fire," which examines how some of the greatest talents in the arts channeled their mental struggles into the most memorable and meaningful work, such as Van Gogh. Thanks for responding!✌️
Good evening all ❤
Good morning!
Hi fellow ghost chaser! 🙋♀️
I’ll tell you what was imaginary, that “evil” rat. I guarantee you that was a very kind rat and she just projected some outdated and cruel rat stereotypes. I’ve never once met an evil rat. Cecelia was a bit grumpy, but certainly not evil.
I was gonna say, this did remind me of Kafka. It was that stressful-weird, like The Trial, just kind of slightly off.
I see that
i think rats in general
get a bad press. They are typecast as the villains of so many stories.
@@ClassicGhost my little Phrasie was cuddling with me while I was listening to this last night. I bet you didn’t know you had rat listeners. =D
I didn't but I'm glad.
Don't see a comment from me?! I was the one hassling you to read this lol. What happened?? I think you must have posted this back when I was in and out of hospital. Coughing up blood and fighting pneumonia. That's the only time I was unable to keep up with new uploads. You must have wondered why no comment from me, the person nagging you for about a year or more to read this. Weird. Oh well, listening now 💜
I think i must have done it because you said
@@ClassicGhost Awwww it really was sweet of you. But it was a good one, don't you think?
😅
I am totally onboard with your post- read analyses. It's no different than emerging from a movie theater with friends and talking about the movie is it not? Plus one has to conceed that a British accent offers an air of authority and legitimacy to both the read and subsequent commentary.
Lol. I shall enjoy the unearned authority :)
No Jamie. Imaginary lover.
I would rather hear your British voice reading the American story than an American voice.
i’m actually doing that more and more as I realise that while British people don’t like hearing British stories in American accents it is not mutual. I was trying not to be chauvinistic.
@ClassicGhost There was an American survey (study?) years ago that found that people more readily accepted what was told to them as authoritative if it was said in a British voice. Upper Received Pronunciation, I assume.
@@thurayya8905
I saw a similar study years ago for native Gaelic speakers in the Hebrides. There were two axes. The first was authority and the second was friendliness. They perceived local Gaelic speakers is the most friendly and English RP as the least friendly but most authoritative.
I find it interesting that in the 50s you had to be a trad wife regardless. Now a woman must be an independent career woman regardless.
Feminism promised choice but in the end refused to give it.
Dont believe me?
Just say you are happy housewife and mother to hear the screeching.
It's the same with your taste in politics or stories.
Say your preference and again with the screeching.
One day I hope our society can read the nursery rhyme
Jack Sprat could eat no fat
His wife could eat no lean
And so between them both
They licked the platter clean
And think
"isn't it good we are not carbon copies of each other. Isn't it good we complement each other. There is something for everyone. Hallelujah!"
Ok, love the channel but this story...seems to be a woman obsessed over what she's going to wear. Must be a woman thing. Ill try and finish it later.
I can see what you mean, but I think that in the hands of a writer of Jackson's calibre, we can assume that it was done deliberately. I took the dresses to represent two different personas / realities that the protagonist was choosing between. Sorry, I've put that clumsily! But I'd be interested to hear any other thoughts or takes on it.
"Christian stories". Ha, haaa. Also known as The Book
“The smell of burning fields,
Will now mean you and here
But I know that this will never be mine”.
Your talk reminded me so strongly of this wonderful song, thank you twice Tony.
I was particularly impressed by your talk today; your take on the story from a mental health clinician’s point of view was totally pertinent.
I can’t help feeling that the *protagonist* was a kind of ghost. Existing in the world, but unable to make an impression on it, barely being noticed at all,except for her incongruity, and completely unable to touch a “real life”
All success to you in your future ventures Tony.
🎧🎤📚🛜🧡
i think that is one of my favourite KB songs. That and Under The Ivy