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J. Sheridan Le Fanu's Ultor de Lacy: A Detailed Summary and Literary AnalysisIn my estimation, “Ultor De Lacy” is one of the finest, most enigmatic, and most terrifying of Le Fanu’s short fiction, standing comfortably...
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H. P. Lovecraft's The Terrible Old Man: A Detailed Summary and Literary AnalysisLike its eponymous hermit, “The Terrible Old Man” may be slight, but it packs a stunning wallop – especially for an early Lovecraft story....
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Edith Nesbit's Uncle Abraham's Romance: A Detailed Summary and a Literary AnalysisPeter Yearsley, who beautifully narrated Nesbit’s 1893 collection, Grim Tales for LibriVox, described the book’s contents in the...
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M. R. James' The Ash-Tree: A Detailed Summary and a Literary AnalysisHeavily Puritan East Anglia was the hot bed of England’s witch trials, peaking in the mid-1640s with the three year reign of terror of Matthew...
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Stories with Spirits: A Macabre Mixology of Ideal Wines & Cocktails to Pair with Your Favorite Classic Horror Writer, from Stoker to ShelleyJust before Christmas I received a delightful and thought-provoking email from a reader who had a question about one of my old blogposts, “7...
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J. Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla: Inspirations, Interpretations, & a Deep Literary AnalysisNone of Le Fanu’s stories compare in influence, popularity, or acclaim to his chef d’oeuvre , “Carmilla.” I say chef d’oeuvre , though I would...
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M. R. James' The Rose Garden: A Detailed Summary and a Literary AnalysisOne of the most recurring themes in M. R. James is the idea that the comforts of the present were afforded by the horrors of the past. Fey, fusty,...
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New Book Release! — And a Personal Message from Michael as we Close our Ten Year AnniversaryDear Friends, As many of you know, 2023 has been the ten-year anniversary of Oldstyle Tales Press , a project I started planning in grad...
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Amelia B. Edwards' The Phantom Coach: A Five Minute Summary and Literary AnalysisWe are continuing to celebrate Oldstyle Tales’ 10th anniversary during the month of November by highlighting neglected Victorian supernatural...
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Mary Elizabeth Braddon's The Cold Embrace: A 5 Minute Summary and Literary AnalysisWe are continuing to celebrate Oldstyle Tales’ 10th anniversary during the month of November by highlighting rarely commented upon tales from...
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Reviewing: Marc Harris' Wild and Uncanny TalesWhen I’ve agreed to take on a new book to review, I often remark how the novel or collection in question must have been written by a kindred...
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Thomas Hardy's The Superstitious Man's Story: A Five Minute Summary & Brief AnalysisIn honor of Oldstyle Tales’ 10th anniversary, for the month of November we will be highlighting rarely commented upon tales from our very first...
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Halloween Rediscovered in Over the Garden Wall: Healing Grief & Fear by Blessing Our Inner DarknessIn this third and final entry in our Over the Garden Wall trilogy, we’ll be taking a deep look into the holiday which the series is built around....
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Greg’s Gospel: Community, Self-Expression, & Radical Love – Over the Garden Wall’s Moral PhilosophyOur previous post – the first in this series – took an expansive look at Over the Garden Wall’s visual, musical, and literary influences , and...
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All That Was Lost is Revealed Pt. 1: Over the Garden Wall's Vintage Visual, Musical & Literary MusesAlthough Oldstyle Tales primarily focuses on the elegant horrors found in classic literature , a recent experience of mine has compelled me to...
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W. W. Jacobs' The Three Sisters: A 5 Minute Summary and Literary AnalysisThroughout his oeuvre, Jacobs frequently produced stories about people who are drawn towards ethically dubious decisions, irrevocably side against...
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H. P. Lovecraft's Dagon: A 5 Minute Summary and Literary AnalysisOne of Lovecraft’s perennial – and most famous – sources of horror was the sea. Like so many of his predecessors and influences, he viewed it as...
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M. R. James' A School Story: A 5 Minute Summary and Literary Anslysis“A School Story” ranks among James’ vaguely-defined puzzlers, and – like so many of his puzzlers, including “Two Doctors” and “An Evening’s...
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Washington Irving's The Adventure of My Uncle: A Summary, Literary Analysis, and a Vigorous DefenseCryptic, opaque, and disturbing, the first salvo in Irving’s “Stories by a Nervous Gentleman” is also, sadly, one of his most underappreciated and...
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E. T. A. Hoffmann's The Vampire (aka, Vampirismus, or Aurelia): A 5-min Summary & Literary AnalysisThe modern concept of a vampire is only a century and a half old or so. Aristocratic, posh, and stylish, we picture a vampire as a vision of...
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William Hope Hodgson's The Derelict: A 5-Minute Summary and Literary AnalysisOne of Hodgson’s most gruesome and revolting stories, “The Derelict” is a fascinating blend of science fiction, sea adventure, and grisly mystery...
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Charles Dickens' Confession Found in Prison: A 5 Minute Summary and Literary AnalysisLittle known or celebrated, the following story (an excerpt from Chapter 2 of the antiquarian novel, Master Humphrey’s Clock ) will sound...
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Robert W. Chambers' The Mask: A 5 Minute Summary and Literary Analysis“The Mask” begins with one of the most substantial artifacts that we have from The King in Yellow , a scene commonly referred to as “the...
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Algernon Blackwood's The Occupant of the Room: A 5 Minute Summary and Literary AnalysisMood was Blackwood’s primary medium. He was a master of the slow-developing atmosphere which blooms in front of us like a black and white photo...
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Ambrose Bierce's Mysterious Disappearances: A 5 Minute Summary and Literary AnalysisLike his earlier short-story scrapbooks The Ways of Ghosts and Some Haunted Houses , the following anthology series is written in a...
