#M.R.James

[fredbensonenthusiast]

M.R. James and the “Twice A Fortnight” Club

This picture can be found in the book "Ghosts and Scholars"

According to the book, Fred was a "long-time friend of MRJ', [and] was a member of the Chitchat Society which heard the two original ‘ghost stories of an antiquary’ being read on 28th October 1893…..but very few of his own superb occult tales were distinctly Jamesian". The Twice a Fortnight club was an offshoot of the chitchat.

And thank you @alovelywaytospendanevening for this delightful snippet from Geoffrey Palmer’s book –

Clearly the plan didn’t succeed!

For more on MR James, there is an interesting podcast from ‘Gone Medieval’ about his career as a medieval scholar and how it influenced his writing, as well as his collaborations with Fred.

And a deep dive into one of Fred's most famous ghost stories 'negotium perambulans' can be found here along with some interesting biographical background.

[hassamkhalidsaidfuckyet]

I was reading Count Magnus by M.R. James today and

i see you, jon

[candont]

I was this years old when I realized The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year has a line saying "There'll be scary ghost stories."

[manmetaphysical]

M.R.James became a noted Medievalist and also held the role the Provost of King’s College Cambridge so he had a very well established reputation as a leading academic, just like his father. The painstaking detailed hard work of scholarship shows up us as Saturn in Virgo, and the enormous scope of his work gained him a reptuation as Jupiter there in Virgo too. M.R. James’ work cataloguing at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge has still not been surpassed. So he set the standard. The love of museums, curating collectibles and the the love of antiquities, spooked or otherwise, shows up as as Venus in Cancer.

Artist and illustrator James McBryde was one such friend. He was handsome and ten years younger than M.R. James and and they even went on holiday together- three years in a row. But in June 1904 McBryde died aged 30 after appendicitis surgery and M.R. James was griefstricken. But also la decade later the loss of thousands of young men to their death in the trenches of WWI increased his sense of isolation. His diary for 1914, the year WWI began, is completely blank. It was McBryde who encouraged M.R.James to publish and he provided the illustrations. M.R. James became welcome godfather to McBryde's young daughter.

But this Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in Virgo squares that Uranus in Gemini. This particular synodic cycle of Jupiter-Saturn is affecting us at the end of 2024 in the form of an opposition of both these archetypes. This relationship of Jupiter-Saturn and Uranus is tense but could be highly constructive for a writer to have Mercury ruling these planets in this arrangement. But the energies they release could be dificult to reconcile.  In July 2025 we’ll get a chance to feel exactly how inventive Uranus in Gemini might be once again. It was in Gemini upon its discovery in 1781 so feels at home there.  Uranus is the higher octave of Mercury after all. It brings that surprise element to the characters- their oddness without being too obvious about it. Perhaps Uranus in Gemini describes the fuddy-duddy academic type he puts in his stories- these people who at a slight angle to the world, slight inept socially, but who are capable of gathering an encyclopaedic knowledge. They endure a shock to their nervous systems as the suddenness of evil bursts into their tidy studious world.

[ghostmanblog]

The Ash Tree by M.R.James

[kansassire]

Whistle and I’ll come to you, 1968, Jonathan Miller

[karavansara]

Ghosts for Christmas

Today I’ve finished the first round of translation on the mystery novella Murder on the Giava, and took the afternoon off to read the new issue of Phantasmagoria, Special Edition, that is all about M.R. James – and as it usually happens when I go back to classic ghost stories, I felt like writing some new ghost stories myself – because that’s where I started with horror, as a reader, with classic…

[infernally-b]

Ghost story for Christmas. 

In honor of the late Jonathan Miller and the frosty, turn of the year tradition of ghost stories, here's his 1968 adaption of M.R. James' Whistle And I'll Come To You

[jaybeefoxy]

Just watched BBC4's program about M.R.James, with the lovely Mark Gatiss. So here is an unashamed Mark Gatiss appreciation post. Enjoy.

Those eyes. That smile. The ginger beard. Nuff said.

[weirdletter]

Phantasmagoria Special Edition Series #3: M.R. James, edited by Trevor Kennedy, Phantasmagoria Publishing, 2020. Cover art by Edward Miller (Les Edwards), info: Facebook.

The Phantasmagoria Special Edition Series #3: M.R. James. Featuring M.R. James, Ramsey Campbell, Stephen Gallagher, Stephen Jones, Mark Morris, Adam L. G. Nevill, Kim Newman and more! With artwork from Randy Broecker, Dave Carson, Peter Coleborn, Les Edwards, Stephen Jones, Allen Koszowski, James McBryde, Jim Pitts and G.C.H. Reilly, and fiction by M.R. James, Ramsey Campbell, Adam L. G. Nevill, David A. Sutton, Johnny Mains, Raven Dane, Dean M. Drinkel, Joe X. Young, Barnaby Page, Con Connolly and Frank Coffman.

Contents: M.R. James: An Introduction by Sthephen Jones M.R. James: Selected Bibliography: compiled by Sthephen Jones Haunted by M.R. James by Trevor Kennedy The Ghost Stories by M.R. James: article by Richard Dalby Ghost – Threath Thenm Gently!: article by M.R. James "Oh, Whistle and I'll Come to You (1968): article by Kim Newman Ramsey Campbell: on M.R. James: interview 'The Guide': story by Ramsey Campbell James McBryde: M.R. James' Favourite Artist: article by Sthephen Jones Curious Warnings: The Complete Ghost Stories od M.R.James: book review by Trevor Kennedy Les Edward: A Jamesian Portfolio Mark Morris: On M.R. James: interview Stephen Gallagher: On M.R. James: interview The Conception of Terror (2019): audio drama review by Trevor Kennedy A Curiously Pleasing Terror: An Appreciation of the Life and Work of Montague Rhodes James: article by Malachy Coney Jamesian Fiction 'Where Angels Come In' by Adam L.G. Nevill 'Return to the Runes' by David A. Sutton 'Aldeburgh' by Johnny Mains 'The Front Parlour' by Raven Dane 'Made in Stone' by Dean M. Drinkel 'Matters Relating to the Cesation of The Mozart Club' by Joe X. Young 'Oh, Tweet and I'll Come to You' by Conn Connoly 'Night Shapes' by Frank Coffman A Quick Stop in to Martin's Close: article by G.C.H. Reilly on the M.R. James story and its 2019 Mark Gatiss television adaptation Lost in the Maze: article by Jim Moon on the 1976 television adaptation of ' Mr. Humphreys an His Ineritache' A Worthwhile Warning to the Vulnerable: article by G.C.H. Reilly on the M.R. James story 'Lost Hearts' No Diggin' 'Ere!: comparative article by David Brilliance on 'A Warning to the Curious' and its 1972 television adaptation A North American Tale on the Television Adaptation of M.R. James: article by Carl R. Jennings Jamesian Reviews Acknowledgements

[pianodoesterror]

tagged by @solomontoaster to post 2021 reading list plans.

this is a vicious call out post because my reading this year has been abysmal on all fronts. I wasn’t doing too well with reading in 2019, but the past year, plus a maybe dose of covid, fried my book brain. So this is going to be... embarrassing

Books I have started and want to finish in 2021:

The Spectral Arctic; a history of ghosts in polar dreams- by Shane McCorrisitine

Mr Midshipman Easy - by Frederick Marryat

and have been flicking through the uni annotations in my copy of Plutarch’s Lives  - by, well, Plutarch.

New Books:

We Have Always Lived in the Castle - by Shirley Jackson

Dark Matter; a ghost story - by Michelle Paver

Barrow Boys - by Fergus Fleming (properly this time)

Ghost Stories - by M.R.James

The Golden Thread; how fabric changed history - by Klassia St Clair

The Butchering Art - by Lindsay Fitzharris

Three of these books have been in my pile since the start of the year, mea culpa. But I am full of determination

tagging pple off the top of my head; @veganthranduil  @norvegiae @paramaline @matt-j-freeman (despite being Jared, 19) @lobsterbang @junomarlowe @kahootqueen69 @handfuloftime @icicaille @itsevidentvery @midweekblues - no expectations, ignore if you want. You do you.

[adivinationwitch]

rules: tag 9 people you’d like to know better/catch up with.

Thanks for thinking of me @crescendoofstars

Last song: My friend just sent me a nostalgia trip link that was Avril Lavigne singing Skater BoI, which was THE song when I was in high school, so...technically that I suppose? Haha

Last movie: I watched The Artist for the first time since it came out TEN YEARS AGO. And it’s still an amazing film and it’s amazing how quickly you forget that it’s a silent movie. Also, love the dog in it so much. I’ve been a sucker for a Jack Russell ever since I was a kid. It’s probably Eddie on Frasier that started it all, but then my first acting job had a gorgeous JRT called Olive and she just immediately attached herself to me and would go to sleep on my knee in between takes. So yeah, wherever there’s a JRT...I’m just heart eyes. 

Currently reading: Collected Ghost Stories by M.R.James. It was a gift at Yuletide

Currently watching: The Hogfather. Rewatching because had a bit of a Yule-y day, as it’s still Yuletide for us. 

Currently craving: I don’t know actually, as I’ve just had a delicious dinner followed by a gingerbread donut....so I’m quite satisfied food wise haha

Tagging; whoever wants to! You can steal this all ya want!

[vervedoff]

M.R.James-An Informal Portrait ~ Michael Cox

[vitormam]

"Lançando as Runas" (1911) - M.R.James (1862/1936) / "Casting the Runes"

[falsebooles123]

Diary of a Horror Buff 8.28.22

Ugh ok so I kinda just have this weird listliss feeling right now so lets watch movies instead of doing anything productive with my time.

I mean I am also doing laundry but you get what I'm saying.

also I watched the rest of the Ghost Storys for Christmas so lets get into it.

The Dead Room (2018) dir. Mark Gatiss.

So it turns out Mark Gatiss is the director for the last four AGSFC and while I still like Clark better I don't hate his style. This one is an original story and its a bit meta, its about a voice actor who reads ghost storys for radio, you know a real david cummings type. A reference that totally doesn't show my age.

The dude long in the tooth and grumpy and also

HAUNTED BY A FACELESS SPECTRE THAT HARANGES HIM FOR HIS CRIMES!!!!!

but also the ghost is gay cause he is a HOMOSEXUAL and I love that for them.

So this was an alright film it had some nice ideas and some lampshading references to the series. I can't say this is my favorite of the series but it has its moments.

Martin's Close (2019) dir. Mark Gatiss

so this is a more traditional rendition of M.R.James and it really pointed out to me why people don't like the new series as much as the original clark run. Mostly theres no Grit. this stuff is too clean too brightly lit too crisp. And yes you can have historical fiction without patina but it needs to sell itself in other ways. This was solid plot wise I liked the court drama aspect. The bridge narrative was completly pointless but it was watchable.

Whistle and I'll Come to You (1968) dir. Jonathan Miller.

so this was my least favorite in the series. This film is aestetic it has some lovely visuals but dear lord is it rather dry and I careth not for the main character. so um yeah lets just spam some gifs of it.

Ok enough about the subliminal and empty expanse of the oceanside lets watched some fucked up shit.

Inside the Human Lab (2018) dir. Joe Blandamer

CW: Gore, Torture, Animal Abuse(symbolic)

Ok so claymation we always love how fuked up that looks. Basically this is a story about human experimentation and its styleized and fucked up and also meant to be a metaphor about animal testing which honestly is super fucking up.

The Twins (2022) dir. Michelle Tang

honestly his twin brother is kinda a bitch.

so we start off with as you can imagine a pretty shitty sibling rivalry, and then we get to what makes animation such an amazing medium, the ability to suddenly change tone to blur the lines between the natural and the fantastic. This like many of the Calarts ones we have seen are absoltuely lovely. Good job bitches.

Winters Last Bones (2022) dir. Izabella Itzia

CW: Child Murder

ok so this was exactly the vibe we would expect. The art style is reminescent of Emily Carrol, Minna Sundberg, or maybe, Josceline Fenton. that sort of loose storybook style that feels heavily reminscent of folktale and myth.

Its grimy it uses these desatriated pops of color , and you have these graunt gangly characters, absolutely lovely, my bussy is popping over everything in this. what an icon what a qween.

Teeth ALTER (2015) dir. Tom C J Brown, Daniel Gray

CW: Teeth Harm, Gore, Titties.

Ooh dear god I hate it i hate it i hate it.

everything about this is pain and suffering.

this is a story about a man obsessed with teeth and how much he hates have them inside of there head. this is distrurbing on so many levels, The teeth, the gore, the sound design. the narration, it had everything I needed to make my skin crawl.

The Clockmaker's Secret (1907) dir. Gaston Velle.

ok so this is another one of those medieval storys adapted as morality tales type things. Basically some mayor dude is like yo I want a big fucking clock and this dudes like UWU and then the devil comes over and is like yo you want this cool clock plan and the guy was like bet. but then the devil like but like BTDUBS you kinda owe me your soul now and the dudes like oh no.

honestly this is actually a really charming film. theres a lot of charm in melies especially his later works but this one managed to take that inspiration while still having its own form. Its hard to understand early cinema since it just doesn't have the same visual language as modern cinema. its takes a lot of inspiration from stagecraft and I really like how this one has a central story but has these short but very satsifring performances like the clock dancers at the mid way point or the devils running around with torches. Its a type of vibe that really sings with me every once in a while. Obviously I'll need to watch a lot more of these films before I can trully appreciate them but I do like this Gaston Velle guy would watch his stuff again.

Dr. Jerkyl's Hide (1954) dir. Friz Freleng

Oh dear lord where these characters annoying we have this obnoxious pipsqueek character who basically just constantly sucks his friends dick whose this generic bull dog thug type. Like bro literally has a cockney accent which just feels kinda offensive.

also I think Slyvester was trying to give him a glasgow smile which is a bit fucked up just saying.

Theres some quite gags here but honestly I never really enjoyed this era of cartoons. Its the lack of cell shading for me I think. That being said its cool to watch the history of cartoon animation during this challenge.

Eaten Horizons (1950) dir. Wilhelm Freddie, Jørgen Roos

OK so this is definetly something I don't understand.

so this one follows two hobos? maybe who interact with a scary loaf of bread and a woman filled with either motor oil r beef stew. I don't understand the imagery and maybe I'm not supposed to. Maybe I need to understand that not everything is representary. that just like other art not everything is a representation of some deeper emotional state. Some things are simple a interplay of light and shadow, an aestetical exploration of format devoid of inherent meaning. I can fuck with that. But seriously why is that bread so scary.

The Little Mermaid (2011) dir. Nicholas Humphries

Ok I always love a story thats like mermaids but make it fucked up.

This has a general dark circus vibe which I love theres something so mysterical about the concept of curios or freak shows. Think of The Jar by Ray Bradbury. This one feature swhat appears to be a honest to goodness mermaid and proabably one of the top 10 most fuckable ringmaster daddy doms ever.

So I mean if this sounds like the aestetic you wan't in life well do I have a short for you.

Missing Girl (2017) dir. Andrew Adams

so this is another one of those short teaser type shorts thats basically what if you were walking along and you found a bunch of missing posters of yourself.????

Meow CRYPT TV (2019) dir. Christopher Jopp

ok so first everytime I see that thumbnail I'm like bitch thats the Junjo Ito cat.

Its like looking in a mirror.

so yeah this is the story of a girl who moves into a new apartment with a no pets policy and as you can imagine theres a car involved.

theres a lot to like about this. the music, the aspect to aspect shots, the main character, The POV shots.

Of course like junjo ito I just like cats so this was always going to be a win for me.

My First Day CRYPT TV (2017) dir. Jon Kovel

OK so i picked this one since its one of the last of Jon Kovel's shorts on letterboxd. This one features little Anthony Kane on his first day of school, that school being a school for serial killers and slashers. So good for him hope you get straight A's bucko.

The Oven CRYPT TV (2017) dir. Unknown

Yeah this is just a guy being burned to death in an oven. Riviting stuff.

Anyway home slices that was the end of our movie watching for today. We have three days left in the month so stay tuned for whats left of the movie challenge.

[karavansara]

The Stalls of Barchester