The Banshee

O‘Donnell, Elliott, 1872-1965Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 300K words
Chapters: 30

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Banshee by Elliott O'DonnellAuthor: O'Donnell, Elliott, 1872-1965,Language: English, Class: GR: Geography, Anthropology, Recreation: Folklore, Release Date: Nov 9, 2010

Editor's review

This work centers on the banshee, the famous figure of Irish folklore. Elliott O'Donnell spent years collecting and organizing tales of ghosts and spirits, and the book reads more as a compilation of legends and a folkloric account than as a modern horror novel. Its value lies in placing the banshee's cry, its omens, and family legends within concrete stories, letting readers see how folk belief intertwines with death, family memory, and local experience. It is best read as folkloric material: pay attention to how stories are told, which details recur, and how narrators explain the inexplicable. The style bears the marks of early twentieth-century popular folklore writing; some passages dwell on atmosphere, and the pace is not as tight as contemporary genre fiction. For those studying folklore, ghost lore, or Irish culture, it is a useful reference; for readers seeking only thrills, it may seem slow. Overall it suits fragmented reading—one or two tales at a time.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Irish folklore and banshee legends
Writers collecting ghost stories and materials on folk belief
Beginners and enthusiasts in folklore and cultural studies
Readers who enjoy a slow atmosphere and do not demand strong plot

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting modern horror-style scares and tight plotting
Researchers needing systematic academic scrutiny and detailed annotations
Readers impatient with old-fashioned English narrative style
Those who want only short ghost stories and no folklore discussion

Reading tips

Read by story unit, one or two at a time, to avoid fatigue from continuous reading.
Note the omens and narrative modes of the banshee's appearances for comparison across versions.
Read alongside background material on Irish folklore to understand the link between legend and family belief.
If old-fashioned English is difficult, read a summary first and then return to the original to lower the barrier.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a novel or a folklore record?

From the available information, it falls under folklore, centering on banshee legends and bearing the character of a compilation and narrative arrangement of tales rather than a fully structured novel. It is better read as material on folk belief, focusing on how stories are told and explained, rather than expecting coherent fictional plotting.

What does the book mainly say about banshee legends?

The banshee is a figure in Irish folklore associated with omens of death, often signaled by a cry or an appearance indicating that someone in a family will die. The book organizes its content around such legends, presenting related stories and folk accounts. Specific details should be judged by the book's own narrative; readers may note differences in the modes of omen and family relations across stories.

What if the old-fashioned English makes reading difficult?

Start by gauging difficulty from the table of contents or the opening of a story, and begin with shorter, clearer pieces. With long sentences, grasp the main structure first rather than translating word by word; you may also read a Chinese background introduction first and then compare it with the original. If you only want the legendary content, moderate skimming will not hinder overall understanding.

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About the author

O‘Donnell, Elliott, 1872-1965 Author

Elliott O’Donnell (1872–1965) was a British writer known for his works on ghosts, hauntings and the supernatural. Ten of his books are held in this collection, including Twenty Years’ Experience as a Ghost Hunter, Werwolves, Byways of Ghost-Land, Animal Ghosts; Or, Animal Hauntings and the Hereafter, Scottish Ghost Stories, The Sorcery Club, The Banshee and Haunted Places in England. His writing draws largely on local ghost lore and haunted-place legends, and also treats folkloric figures such as werewolves and the banshee, in a reportorial style that emphasises atmosphere and the retelling of tales. Public information about him is limited and few biographical details are known, but his works show a sustained interest in collecting and presenting ghost stories from Britain and Europe, making him one of the more active writers of supernatural popular literature in the early twentieth-century English-speaking world.