What Makes a Ghost Story?

Comparing Literary Texts

In this course, Dr Neil Cocks (University of Reading) discusses comparing literary texts, focusing on texts that are ghost stories. In the first module, we discuss what makes a ghost story and M.R. James’s fives rules for ghost stories. In the second module, we analyse Source 1: The Turn of the Screw (1898) by Henry James. In the second model, we analyse Source 2: (2001) by Ali Smith and compare it with Source 1. In the fourth module we introduce Source 3: The Apparition of Ms. Veal (1706), which is often attributed to Daniel Defoe, and compare it with Source 2. In the fifth module, we compare Sources 1-3. In the sixth module, we analyse Source 4: The Haunting of Hill House (1959) by Shirley Jackson. In the seventh module, we compare Source 4 with Sources 1-3. In the eighth module, we look at repetition and replication the four the sources.

What Makes a Ghost Story?

In this module, we explore what makes a ghost story, focusing on: (i) M.R. James, a writer best known for his ghost stories; and (ii) M.R. James’s five rules for ghost stories.