The Collected Supernatural and Weird Fiction of Vernon Lee

The Collected Supernatural and Weird Fiction of Vernon Lee PDF

Author: Vernon Lee

Publisher:

Published: 2011-08

Total Pages: 392

ISBN-13: 9780857066831

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Vernon Lee was the pseudonym of Violet Paget, she was born to British parents in France in 1856. Today she is remembered for her numerous works on art, music and travel, but most especially for her superb supernatural fiction. Although British and writing primarily for an English speaking market, she spent most of her life living and working on the continent. Lee is an inspirational female and feminist figure, who dressed as a man and formed passionate long term lesbian relationships. Her subtle supernatural fiction focussed on the exploration of the enduring themes of haunting and possession and sometimes contains elements of palpable terror. A contemporary, Montague Summers, the eccentric British writer and clergyman, noted for his own literary forays into the uncanny, wrote that in his opinion 'she was the greatest of the modern exponents of the supernatural in fiction.' This gives some indication of the respect in which Lee was held by her peers. She was a personal friend of the writer Henry James, author of that iconic story of malevolent haunting 'The Turn of the Screw, ' and it is logical to assume that this relationship would certainly have had an influence on her fiction. Lees collection Hauntings appeared in 1890, and her famous story 'Prince Alberic and the Snake Lady' appeared in the Yellow Book in 1895. This notorious and hugely influential publication featured the often erotic art of Aubrey Beardsley and the work of notable writers including Max Beerbohm, Arnold Bennett, Henry James, H. G Wells, William Butler Yeats and many others. Although Lee's fame may not have endured as abidingly as some of her contemporaries of the fin de siecle period, she rightly deserves a place in the pantheon of authors of the supernatural and this comprehensive, Leonaur collection is the perfect way for readers to reap the many rewards of her work. This special two volume edition contains twenty four fantastic examples of Lee's tales of the haunted and possessed. Volume one includes the novelettes 'Winthrop's Adventure, ' 'A Phantom Lover, ' 'A Seeker of Pagan Perfection' and the 'The Gods and Ritter Tanhuser' together with 'The Hidden Door' and six more short stories. Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket.

The Collected Supernatural and Weird Fiction of Vernon Lee

The Collected Supernatural and Weird Fiction of Vernon Lee PDF

Author: Vernon Lee

Publisher:

Published: 2011-08

Total Pages: 356

ISBN-13: 9780857066855

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Vernon Lee was the pseudonym of Violet Paget, she was born to British parents in France in 1856. Today she is remembered for her numerous works on art, music and travel, but most especially for her superb supernatural fiction. Although British and writing primarily for an English speaking market, she spent most of her life living and working on the continent. Lee is an inspirational female and feminist figure, who dressed as a man and formed passionate long term lesbian relationships. Her subtle supernatural fiction focussed on the exploration of the enduring themes of haunting and possession and sometimes contains elements of palpable terror. A contemporary, Montague Summers, the eccentric British writer and clergyman, noted for his own literary forays into the uncanny, wrote that in his opinion 'she was the greatest of the modern exponents of the supernatural in fiction.' This gives some indication of the respect in which Lee was held by her peers. She was a personal friend of the writer Henry James, author of that iconic story of malevolent haunting 'The Turn of the Screw, ' and it is logical to assume that this relationship would certainly have had an influence on her fiction. Lees collection Hauntings appeared in 1890, and her famous story 'Prince Alberic and the Snake Lady' appeared in the Yellow Book in 1895. This notorious and hugely influential publication featured the often erotic art of Aubrey Beardsley and the work of notable writers including Max Beerbohm, Arnold Bennett, Henry James, H. G Wells, William Butler Yeats and many others. Although Lee's fame may not have endured as abidingly as some of her contemporaries of the fin de siecle period, she rightly deserves a place in the pantheon of authors of the supernatural and this comprehensive, Leonaur collection is the perfect way for readers to reap the many rewards of her work. Volume two of this special Leonaur edition of Vernon Lee's excursions into the literature of the other worldly includes the novelette, 'Prince Alberic and the Snake Lady, ' the novel, 'Louis Norbert' and nine short stories including, 'The Doll, ' 'Pope Jacynth' and 'Limbo.' Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket.

Hauntings

Hauntings PDF

Author: Vernon Lee

Publisher: DigiCat

Published: 2022-09-15

Total Pages: 154

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "Hauntings" (Fantastic Stories) by Vernon Lee. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

Hauntings and Other Fantastic Tales

Hauntings and Other Fantastic Tales PDF

Author: Vernon Lee

Publisher: Broadview Press

Published: 2006-04-11

Total Pages: 384

ISBN-13: 9781551115788

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Vernon Lee writes in the Preface to Hauntings, “My ghosts are what you call spurious ghosts... of whom I can affirm only one thing, that they haunted certain brains, and have haunted, among others, my own.” First published in 1890, Lee’s most famous volume of supernatural tales occupies a special place in the literature of the fantastic for its treatment of the femme fatale and the allure of the past, along with the themes of thwarted artistic creativity and psychological obsession. This collection, which includes the four stories originally published in Hauntings and three others, enables readers to consider Lee’s work anew for its subtle redefinitions of gender and sexuality during the Victorian fin-de-siècle. The appendices, which include extensive excerpts from writings by Lee’s predecessors and peers, including Algernon Charles Swinburne, Walter Pater, and Lee’s brother Eugene Lee-Hamilton, allow the reader to see how Lee takes on the themes and preoccupations of the late-Victorian period but adapts them to her own purposes.

Hauntings

Hauntings PDF

Author: Vernon Lee

Publisher: Mint Editions

Published: 2021-08-03

Total Pages: 152

ISBN-13: 9781513295640

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Hauntings (1890) is a short story collection by Vernon Lee. Published at the height of her career as a leading proponent of Aestheticism and scholar of the Italian Renaissance, Hauntings collects four of her most chilling tales of the supernatural. Employing formal techniques to mimic diary and letter writing, Lee brings her reader face to face with the psychological unease embodied in her characters. A principled feminist and committed pacifist, Lee was virtually blacklisted by critics and publishers following her opposition to the First World War. Through the efforts of dedicated scholars, however, interest in her works has increased over the past several decades, granting her the readership she deserves as a master of literary horror. "They are things of the imagination, born there, bred there, sprung from the strange confused heaps, half-rubbish, half-treasure, which lie in our fancy, heaps of half-faded recollections, of fragmentary vivid impressions, litter of multi-colored tatters, and faded herbs and flowers, whence arises that odor (we all know it), musty and damp, but penetratingly sweet and intoxicatingly heady, which hangs in the air when the ghost has swept through the unopened door, and the flickering flames of candle and fire start up once more after waning." Vernon Lee's world is one where ghosts and humans walk together, often without taking notice of one another. In those instances when they do, however, strange and terrible things are likely to occur. The stories in this collection record such fateful encounters: a German academic becomes obsessed with a lady of the Italian Renaissance; a young girl is discovered alone on the Italian coast following a brutal storm; a painter grows uneasy at the resemblance of a subject to one of her distant ancestors; and a composer hears the voice of a famous castrato dead for centuries. Hauntings is a masterful work from the mind of Vernon Lee, one of history's most terrifying storytellers. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Vernon Lee's Hauntings is a classic work of supernatural fiction reimagined for modern readers.

A Phantom Lover

A Phantom Lover PDF

Author: Vernon Lee

Publisher: Graphic Arts Books

Published: 2021-08-03

Total Pages: 48

ISBN-13: 1513297163

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

A Phantom Lover (1886) is a story by Vernon Lee. Published at the height of her career as a leading proponent of Aestheticism and scholar of the Italian Renaissance, A Phantom Lover is a chilling tale of psychological unease featuring a strange married couple and a doppelganger from across the centuries. A principled feminist and committed pacifist, Lee was virtually blacklisted by critics and publishers following her opposition to the First World War. Through the efforts of dedicated scholars, however, interest in her works has increased over the past several decades, granting her the readership she deserves as a master of literary horror. “Yes; I began the picture, but it was never finished. I did the husband first. I wonder who has his likeness now? Help me to move these pictures away from the wall. Thanks. This is her portrait; a huge wreck. I don't suppose you can make much of it; it is merely blocked in, and seems quite mad.” Vernon Lee’s world is one where ghosts and humans walk together, often without taking notice of one another. In those instances when they do, however, strange and terrible things are likely to occur. In this story, a painter in desperate need of a commission accepts the opportunity to paint the portraits of William and Alice Okehurst. At their rural home, he attempts to get to know them before sitting down for the long sessions required in his line of work. Taking note of William’s jealousy, he soon understands why: Alice is a strikingly beautiful woman. Obsessed with an ancestor from the seventeenth century, also named Alice, Mrs. Okehurst wears ornate antique dresses and carries herself with the air of a woman not quite of this world. A Phantom Lover is a masterful work from the mind of Vernon Lee, one of history’s most terrifying storytellers. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Vernon Lee’s A Phantom Lover is a classic work of supernatural fiction reimagined for modern readers.

A Phantom Lover

A Phantom Lover PDF

Author: Vernon Lee

Publisher:

Published: 2021-08-03

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

A Phantom Lover (1886) is a story by Vernon Lee. Published at the height of her career as a leading proponent of Aestheticism and scholar of the Italian Renaissance, A Phantom Lover is a chilling tale of psychological unease featuring a strange married couple and a doppelganger from across the centuries. A principled feminist and committed pacifist, Lee was virtually blacklisted by critics and publishers following her opposition to the First World War. Through the efforts of dedicated scholars, however, interest in her works has increased over the past several decades, granting her the readership she deserves as a master of literary horror. "Yes; I began the picture, but it was never finished. I did the husband first. I wonder who has his likeness now? Help me to move these pictures away from the wall. Thanks. This is her portrait; a huge wreck. I don't suppose you can make much of it; it is merely blocked in, and seems quite mad." Vernon Lee's world is one where ghosts and humans walk together, often without taking notice of one another. In those instances when they do, however, strange and terrible things are likely to occur. In this story, a painter in desperate need of a commission accepts the opportunity to paint the portraits of William and Alice Okehurst. At their rural home, he attempts to get to know them before sitting down for the long sessions required in his line of work. Taking note of William's jealousy, he soon understands why: Alice is a strikingly beautiful woman. Obsessed with an ancestor from the seventeenth century, also named Alice, Mrs. Okehurst wears ornate antique dresses and carries herself with the air of a woman not quite of this world. A Phantom Lover is a masterful work from the mind of Vernon Lee, one of history's most terrifying storytellers. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Vernon Lee's A Phantom Lover is a classic work of supernatural fiction reimagined for modern readers.

The Virgin of the Seven Daggers

The Virgin of the Seven Daggers PDF

Author: Vernon Lee

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2022-08-25

Total Pages: 401

ISBN-13: 0192574493

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

I entered the church...It struck me suddenly that all this crowd of men and women standing all round, these priests chanting and moving about the altar, were dead... Vernon Lee was a polymath whose copious writings include deeply learned studies of art, music, literature, and history, but also a small but exquisitely crafted group of Gothic tales, most of which first appeared in fin de siècle periodicals including the iconic Yellow Book. In these stories of obsession and possession, transgressive desire reaches out from the past — through a haunting portrait, a murdered poet's lock of hair, the uncanny voice of a diabolical castrato — dragging Lee's protagonists to their doom. Among those haunted by Lee's 'spurious ghosts' was Henry James, who praised her 'gruesome, graceful...ingenious tales, full of imagination'. This new edition includes Lee's landmark 1890 collection Hauntings complete, along with six additional tales and the 1880 essay 'Faustus and Helena', in which Lee probes the elusive nature of the supernatural as a 'vital...fluctuating...potent' force that resists definite representation. Aaron Worth's contextual introduction, drawing upon Lee's newly published letters, reassesses her place in the pantheon of the fantastic. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.