The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde

-

Ghostcapades

The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde is an amusing short story about a brash American family that knowingly moves into a haunted English house.  They’re not afraid, no siree.  The ghost, Sir Simon de Canterville, wastes no time in starting his tricks the moment the family of six settles in. But, this time, he’s the one in for a shock, as this American family proves more difficult to scare.  In fact, his tenured position as head horrorfier is no match as the Otis gang has their own tricks up their sleeves. Instead of fainting at a blood stain that continuously returns on a rug, the elder son quickly pulls out Pinkerton’s Champion Stain Remover and Paragon Detergent to clean it. When the rattling chains prove to interrupt Mr. Otis’s sleep, he opens the door and insists the apparition uses Tammany Rising Sun Lubricator on his manacles.  Even the mother is tough as nails.  The ghost is getting frustrated and demonstrates his most demonic laugh, only to have Mrs. Otis offer him a bottle of Dr. Dobell’s tincture for his apparent indigestion problem. To his consternation, Sir Canterville’s solid reputation of 300 years of haunting is laughable to the Otis twins who make his un-life a living hell with all kinds of pranks. So, what happens to silly Simon and the Otis opponents?  You’ll have to read it.  It’s very short and like most classics, you can find it online.  Visit  http://www.free-ebooks.net/ebook/The-Canterville-Ghost/pdf/view to read this 30+ page story.

I happen to have a soft spot for Oscar Wilde.  If you have read some of my reviews in the past, you may know that I loved his novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, as well as his play, The Importance of Being Earnest.   October 16 is Wilde’s birthday, and in honor of that I have included a short quiz below for other Wilde fans.  The answers can be found in the “Quiz Answers” top tab of my blog.


   1.  In The Picture of Dorian Gray, who was Dorian’s love interest?
a.    Sibyl Vane
b.    Catherine Barkley
c.    Zeena Frome

    2.  Oscar Wilde was born in:
a.    Massachusetts
b.    Ireland
c.    Scotland

    3.  Oscar Wilde was convicted and sentenced to two years hard labor for:
a.    Plagiarism
b.    Embezzlement
c.    Gross Indecency

    4. In The Canterville Ghost, the Otis twins were affectionately known as:
a.    Rock’em and Sock’em
b.    Heckle and Jeckle
c.    Stars and Stripes

    5.  In his lifetime, how many novels did Oscar Wilde publish:
a.    1
b.    17
c.    85

    6.  Which of these is not written by Oscar Wilde?
a.    The Metamorphosis  
b.    A House of Pomegranates
c.    The Ballad of the Reading Gaol

    7.  Which museum displays the painting “Picture of Dorian Gray” by Ivan Albright which was used in the 1945 film “The Picture of Dorian Gray” starring Angela Lansbury?
   a.    The National Gallery in London
   b.    Art Institute of Chicago
   c.    Los Angeles County Museum of Art

The answers can be found in the “Quiz Answers” top tab of my blog.

Happy Reading,
Annette

Comments

Anonymous said…
I have not read anything from Oscar Wilde, but thanks to you I have pushed him to the top of my list. Especially this short story. I love Halloween and can't wait to read it. Also loved the quiz. I didn't do well but still had fun. Thank you. Happy Halloween!!!
October 15, 2014 at 8:35 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

-
Image
 Remains of the Day This book immediately struck me as a character study. I didn’t expect much action, and predictably, didn’t get much.  Mostly it was about getting inside a stuffy, dignified butler’s head, listening to his internal dialogue, his thought process, and his many recollections of a thirty-year career, annnnnnnnnnd—I LOVED IT!!  ðŸ’— It had such depth and insight that I couldn’t wait to return each day to see what Mr. Stevens would reveal and what the outcome of his quest would be.  I was not disappointed.  In fact, the book stirred me more than I expected.  Yes, those tears fell freely when I wasn’t looking.  It snuck up on me—all of it, all of Mr. Stevens’ days that he shared moved me in some way.   I’m not sure this book is for everyone.  "Boring" is how one friend described it as he politely set it aside. BUT I truly believe if my friend got into his Zen mode and picked it up again, he might—if not quite LOVE it—at least appreciate it.  In my opinion this book
Read more

Liebster Award

-
Image
Ich Liebe the Liebster Award!   In July Marianne from Let’s Read blog nominated me for the Liebster Award , an award given to smaller blogs.   I was extremely honored, especially coming from Marianne, whose book review blog I just love.   My beautiful mother passed away at the time Marianne nominated me, and although I already had posts scheduled in advanced, I wasn’t in the mood to do much, even the simple rules of the award below…until now.   Rules for the award: 1.    Thank the amazing blogger who nominated you.  (check) 2.    Answer the 11 questions the nominator provided (answer on your blog.) (check, see below) 3.    Nominate 11 other bloggers who have less than 200 followers. 4.    Post 11 different questions for your nominees to answer on their blogs. (check, see below) 5.    Contact your nominees to let them know that you've nominated them.  (check) Unfortunately, I really got hung up on #3 (Nominate 11 other bloggers who have less than 200 fol
Read more

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

-
Image
  You Go, Girl! Pure love—that’s what I felt about this book!  It’s smart, witty, and emboldening! I don’t know how many countless times I cheered or chuckled.   A female chemist struggles to rise above the chauvinistic male domination of the 1960s and live life on her terms despite ingrained oppression of women.  Hooray for this feminist heroine who points out that just because women’s bodies are smaller than men's doesn’t mean their brains are!   I fell in love with brilliant Elizabeth and her support system:  her impressively  smart daughter Mad; her straightforward neighbor Harriet; her kind-hearted producer Walter, the irreverent Reverend Wakely; and her obstetrician/rower Dr. Mason. Oh, and let’s not forget Six-Thirty, her beloved dog!   I would definitely be one of Elizabeth’s devoted fans of her show,  Supper at Six !  If my kids were still at home, I’d mimic Elizabeth and tell them, “Children, set the table. Your mother needs a moment to herself.” (Even though I’m not the
Read more