His Unquiet Ghost

Murfree, Mary Noailles, 1850-1922Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.1

Word count: 46K words
Chapters: 5

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.His Unquiet Ghost by Mary Noailles MurfreeAuthor: Murfree, Mary Noailles, 1850-1922,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Nov 19, 2007

Editor's review

“His Unquiet Ghost” is also by Mary Noailles Murfree. The title’s “unquiet ghost” suggests a supernatural or psychological suspense element, but the author’s focus is usually not on generating thrills; instead, she uses anomalous situations to reflect characters’ inner lives and the customs and human relations of mountain society. As a public-domain short story, it is compact, with a slow narrative pace, suited to readers who want to experience a faint, elusive unease in a quiet setting. For readers familiar with Murfree’s mountain writing, this piece can be seen as an interesting extension of her range; for newcomers, it offers a way to sense how late nineteenth-century American short fiction builds atmosphere. While reading, note whether the “ghost” points to external events or to a character’s state of mind—this ambiguity is where the story’s interest lies.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy classic short stories with a psychological suspense flavor
Readers interested in ghost themes but averse to gore and horror
Readers studying American local color literature and Murfree’s works
Learners who want to use a public-domain English short story for close-reading practice

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting the shocks and scares of modern horror fiction
Readers who prefer bright, light reading without a gloomy atmosphere
Beginners with little patience for old-fashioned English narration

Reading tips

Choose a quiet time and read it in one sitting; fragmented reading will weaken the accumulation of atmosphere.
After finishing, revisit “unquiet” in the title and consider whether it points to events or to psychology.
Read it alongside Murfree’s other mountain-themed short stories and compare her realistic and supernatural methods.

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 a horror story?

Judging by the title and subject, it involves a ghost and an uneasy atmosphere, but Murfree’s writing leans more toward local color and psychological description than the gore of modern horror. Readers can approach it as a classic short story with a suspenseful air.

Do I need to read the author’s other works first?

No. This is a standalone short story that can be read directly. If, after reading, you are interested in the author’s mountain writing, reading her other works afterward will make it easier to understand her local color and character portrayal.

How long does it take to read?

As a short story, it can usually be completed in one or two readings. Set aside an uninterrupted period so the atmosphere can build gradually; this conveys the text’s unease better than reading it in scattered fragments.

Comments

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About the author

Murfree, Mary Noailles, 1850-1922 Author

Mary Noailles Murfree (1850-1922) was an American writer of local color literature, best known for her novels and short stories set in the mountain regions of Tennessee. Her works often portray the customs and people of the Great Smoky Mountains, blending realistic observation with a legendary tone. Her representative works include The Prophet of the Great Smoky Mountains, The Ordeal: A Mountain Romance of Tennessee, The Mystery of Witch-Face Mountain, and Other Stories, and The Phantoms of the Foot-Bridge, and Other Stories. Twenty-six of her works are included in this collection, commonly classified under inspirational growth, with many stories focusing on mountain youths coming of age and showing resilience in hardship. Public information about the details of her life is limited, so no speculation is offered here.