Episode #91: The Ghost Stories of Henry James and Edith Wharton

Along with their acclaimed novels and short works of fiction, Henry James and Edith Wharton both extensively explored the genre of the ghost story. Ghost stories along with the fiction of the Victorian Gothic were enormously popular throughout much of the 19th century. In nearly all of their ghostly tales, both James and Wharton explore the inner depths of the human psyche and the all too human emotions of fear, abandonment, passion and loss.

In this episode, Carl is joined by returning guest Dr. Emily Orlando, author and professor of English at Fairfield University for an in-depth look at examples of the ghost story from both Henry James and Edith Wharton. Carl and Emily delve into James’ techniques of horror and suspense in his masterpiece “The Turn of the Screw” and how Wharton explored the ambiguities and challenges of marriage and abandonment in several of her stories including “The Lady’s Maid’s Bell”, “Afterward”, “Pomegranate Seed” and perhaps her own masterpiece “All Souls”.

Carl is joined by special guest:

— Dr. Emily Orlando, a Professor of English and the E. Gerald Corrigan Chair in the Humanities and Social Sciences at Fairfield University. She is an internationally recognized scholar on the American writer Edith Wharton.

LISTEN NOW: The Ghost Stories of Henry James and Edith Wharton

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