153. In a Glass Darkly

In a Glass Darkly
Sheridan Le Fanu
1872
Around 400 pages

As I mentioned (bragged about) previously, I am currently an American Werewolf in London.  As such, my usual Halloween spirit has been somewhat subdued, as it is not as acceptable for an adult to get overly excited about it here.  Usually, I spend October stuffing candy corn in my face and reading horror novels.  The month ends with me dressing up as some obscure fictional character that no one is able to guess.  Unfortunately, no one here seems to even know what candy corn is (unless they are lying to protect their stash) and since I don't have access to a library, my reading material has been limited.  However, this is a collection of horror stories, so it kind of counts...right?

There are five short stories in In a Glass Darkly.  The first three kind of passed by without leaving too much of an impression on me.  They were very short, quite bizarre (did anyone else think Don't Look Now?) and didn't have very satisfying explanations.  The last two stories, which were technically novellas, were far more interesting.  "The Room in the Dragon Volant" tells the story of a naive Englishman who falls in love with a Countess.  The Countess is trapped in a brutal marriage and he attempts to save her.  "Carmilla" is about a lesbian vampire.  Apparently, this story "influenced" Bram Stoker.  That's a nice way of putting it.

If I was judging the last two stories, Le Fanu might earn a five star rating.  Unfortunately, I can't ignore "Green Tea" in which a man is being haunted by an evil monkey. I sincerely wish I could.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

The title comes from the thirteenth chapter of the Corinthians, although it is deliberately misquoted (the quote is "For now we see through a glass, darkly."

UP NEXT: Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne.  Probably one of the most classic-y novels I have not yet read.  Given my sophisticated lexicon, it might surprise you that there are holes in my knowledge.

132. Uncle Silas

Uncle Silas
Sheridan Le Fanu
1864
Around 500 pages

I FINALLY finished Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time (the longest book on The List) so I am able to return to you all in the 1860s.  Now comes the question: when we do finally get to Proust on The List (#685 I believe) do I confess that I have read it before or pretend that I finished it in a week and shock the world?  Time will tell!

I am sure any reader could tell you that after you are reading a book or a series for a long time, it is a bit hard to get your land legs back.  I had a tough time adjusting from Proust's prose to this.  Yes, I will be exploiting the fact that I read Proust for the rest of my life.  Deal with it.  Anyway, I am hoping this is the reason that I didn't enjoy this book at all since the premise is absolutely genius.

Maud Ruthyn must stay with her sinister uncle after her father dies.  For a reason that is never fully clear, her father put a stipulation in his will: if Maud dies before she turns 21, her estate will go to her uncle.  This is one of those million dollar ideas, like Crystal Pepsi or comedy sequels.

The cheesiness of a gothic novel can be definitely be fun at times, but it can be somewhat exhausting in a 500+ page book.  I did enjoy how dark the novel got; I wasn't expecting real horror.  Worth a read?  Perhaps.  Worth a place on The List.  Debatable.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

First example of a locked room mystery genre.

Trailer for the BBC drama, Dark Angel, which is based on the novel.  From YouTube:

UP NEXT: Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens