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Rating: Celebrity sometimes takes unexpected paths.
Montague Rhodes James, born in 1862 a few kilometers from Canterbury, was a brilliant academic at Eton College, a translator of Andersen's works, an expert cataloguer of medieval manuscripts, a theology teacher, and whatnot.
A perfect figure of a British gentleman with an equally British hobby: writing ghost stories and telling them to his friends at Christmas.
He would probably chuckle heartily to discover that this is the only reason why his name is still known today, albeit in a small circle of enthusiasts, only for this passion that likely was nothing more than a whim for him.
More than a century later, his stories remain among the most original and frightening ever published, and I believe it is worth highlighting his work, especially now that Christmas is approaching.
M.R. James, in fact, distanced himself from the "classic" style of Anglo-Saxon ghost stories, filled with ethereal creatures and desecrated tombs, and made a decisive break from the clichés of Gothic literature with his works. No scientists grappling with creatures composed of corpses, no bloodless vampires, no creaking chains in dilapidated manors. The paraphernalia of Walpole's "The Castle of Otranto", of Mary Shelley and Polidori, is far apart.
Montague Rhodes James is the link between the tradition of the Gothic novel and the Copernican revolution carried out later, in America, by Poe and Lovecraft: unsurprisingly, the somber bard of Massachusetts was a great admirer of his. In his stories, they start from classic settings (ruined abbeys, ghost legends) to reach decidedly more unusual territories.
The creatures evoked by James in stories like "Doll's House," "The Ash-Tree," or "Count Magnus" include conglomerates of monstrous spiders, dollhouses that suck in unwitting buyers, hotel rooms that change dimensions, creatures made of only mouths and hair hidden beneath pillows, and other terrifying oddities.
It is enough to know that the works of old Montague have been ransacked repeatedly by screenwriters and comic book writers: lastly, the writers of the Bonelli comic series "Dampyr," with very effective results (and, fortunately, always citing the source).
In contrast to his visionary ideas and extremely modern imagination, the Eton academic used one of the most traditional writing styles: his protagonists are shy professors, reserved researchers, tourists with impeccable composure. The stories are told with understatement, sobriety, and subtle humor. They unfold quickly, with perfect narrative timing suitable for stories constructed to be read in a group by a fireplace while the weather rages outside and the wind howls like a Banshee's cry.
Today's reader might find this author's style somewhat outdated, but I (being dated inside) find it simply delightful to immerse myself in reading these deeply unsettling little tales that have already made me wake up in the middle of the night a couple of times, trembling at some harmless noise from the next room.
Allow me, therefore, to conclude with a couple of
Tips for the Perfect Enjoyment of the Work
1. Wait for a snowy, windy, and/or rainy night.
2. Prepare a tisane or a typically Christmas aromatic tea with cloves and cinnamon (cinnamon is essential). Alternatively, a mulled wine or a long coffee corrected with juniper liqueur will do nicely. Place the chosen substance within reach.
3. Insert a not too invasive melody suitable for the context in the CD player. I found Loreena McKennitt worked perfectly.
4. Settle into your favorite armchair, with a wool blanket over your knees. Dim the lights, focusing the illumination on the book. Light a fireplace, if available, or some candles to create long, floating, and sinister shadows around us.
5. Ensure that all other inhabitants of the house are asleep, that the TV and cell phone are turned off, that no one can break the spell for at least a couple of hours.
6. Decide, with serene and well-disposed conviction, that it is wonderful to be afraid.
7. Prepare to be scared, opening all the pores of your mind.
Merry Christmas to all.
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