The Canterville ghost - wikipedia The Canterville ghost For other uses, see The Canterville Ghost ( disambiguation ). This article possibly contains original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. ( August 2016 ) `` He met with a severe fall '' -- Illustration by Wallace Goldsmith of the effects of a butter slide set up by the twins as part of their campaign of practical jokes against the ghost. The Canterville Ghost is a novella by Oscar Wilde. It was the first of Wilde 's stories to be published, appearing in two parts in The Court and Society Review, 23 February and 2 March 1887. The story is about an American family who move to a castle haunted by the ghost of a dead nobleman, who killed his wife and was starved to death by his wife 's brothers. It has been adapted for the stage and screen several times. Contents 1 Synopsis 2 Plot 3 Adaptations 3.1 In music 4 References 5 External links Synopsis The home of the Canterville Ghost was the ancient Canterville Chase, which has all the accoutrements of a traditional haunted house. Descriptions of the wainscoting, the library panelled in black oak, and the armour in the hallway characterise the setting. Wilde mixes the macabre with comedy, juxtaposing devices from traditional English ghost stories such as creaking floorboards, clanking chains, and ancient prophecies. Plot The story begins when the American Minister Mr Otis and his family move into Canterville Chase, despite warnings from Lord Canterville that the house is haunted. Mr Otis says that he will take the furniture as well as the ghost at valuation. The Otis family includes Mr and Mrs Otis, their eldest son Washington, their daughter Virginia, and the Otis twins. The other characters include the Canterville Ghost, the Duke of Cheshire ( who wants to marry Virginia ), Mrs Umney ( the housekeeper ), and Rev. Augustus Dampier. At first, none of the Otis family believe in ghosts, but shortly after they move in, none of them can deny the presence of Sir Simon de Canterville. The family hears clanking chains, they witness reappearing bloodstains on the floor just by the fireplace, which are removed every time they appear in various forms. But, humorously, none of these scare the Otis family in the least. In fact, upon hearing the clanking noises in the hallway, Mr Otis promptly gets out of bed and pragmatically offers the ghost Tammany Rising Sun Lubricator to oil his chains. Despite the ghost 's efforts to appear in the most gruesome guises, the family refuses to be frightened, and Sir Simon feels increasingly helpless and humiliated. When Mrs Otis notices a mysterious red mark on the floor, she simply replies that `` she does not at all care for blood stains in the sitting room ''. When Mrs Umney informs Mrs Otis that the blood stain is indeed evidence of the ghost and can not be removed, Washington Otis, the eldest son, suggests that the stain will be removed with Pinkerton 's Champion Stain Remover and Paragon Detergent : a quick fix, like the Tammany Rising Sun Lubricator, and a practical way of dealing with the problem. Wilde describes Mrs Otis as `` a very handsome middle - aged woman '' who has been `` a celebrated New York belle ''. Her expression of `` modern '' American culture surfaces when she immediately resorts to giving the ghost `` Doctor Dobell 's tincture '', thinking he was screaming due to indigestion at the family 's second encounter with the ghost, and when she expresses an interest in joining the Psychical Society to help her understand the ghost. Mrs Otis is given Wilde 's highest praise when he says : `` Indeed, in many respects, she was quite English... '' The most colourful character in the story is undoubtedly the ghost himself, Sir Simon, who goes about his duties with theatrical panache and flair. He assumes a series of dramatic roles in his failed attempts to impress and terrify the Otises, making it easy to imagine him as a comical character in a stage play. The ghost has the ability to change forms, so he taps into his repertoire of tricks. He takes the role of ghostly apparitions such as a Headless Earl, a Strangled Babe, the Blood - Sucker of Bexley Moor, Suicide 's Skeleton, and the Corpse - Snatcher of Chertsey Barn, all having succeeded in horrifying previous castle residents over the centuries. But none of them works with these Americans. Sir Simon schemes, but even as his costumes become increasingly gruesome, his antics do nothing to scare his house guests, and the Otises beat him every time. He falls victim to tripwires, peashooters, butter - slides, and falling buckets of water. In a particularly comical scene, he is frightened by the sight of a `` ghost '' rigged up by the mischievous twins. During the course of the story, as narrated from Sir Simon 's viewpoint, he tells us the complexity of the ghost 's emotions : he sees himself brave, frightening, distressed, scared, and finally, depressed and weak. He exposes his vulnerability during an encounter with Virginia, the Otis 's fifteen - year - old daughter. Virginia is different from everyone else in the family, and Sir Simon recognises this. He tells her that he has not slept in three hundred years and wants desperately to do so. The ghost reveals to Virginia the tragic tale of his wife, Lady Eleanor de Canterville. Unlike the rest of her family, Virginia does not dismiss the ghost. She takes him seriously, she listens to him and learns an important lesson, as well as the true meaning behind a riddle. Sir Simon de Canterville says that she must weep for him, for he has no tears ; she must pray for him, for he has no faith ; and then she must accompany him to the angel of death and beg for Death 's mercy upon Sir Simon. She does weep for him and pray for him, and she disappears with Sir Simon through the wainscoting and goes with him to the Garden of Death and bids the ghost farewell. Then she reappears at midnight, through a panel in the wall, carrying jewels and news that Sir Simon has passed on to the next world and no longer resides in the house. Virginia 's ability to accept Sir Simon leads to her enlightenment : Sir Simon, she tells her husband several years later, helped her understand `` what Life is, what Death signifies, and why Love is stronger than both ''. The story ends with Virginia marrying the Duke of Cheshire after they both come of age. Adaptations This article appears to contain trivial, minor, or unrelated references to popular culture. Please reorganize this content to explain the subject 's impact on popular culture, using references to reliable sources, rather than simply listing appearances. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( March 2017 ) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( March 2017 ) The Canterville Ghost, a 1944 Hollywood movie with Charles Laughton in the title role. The Canterville Ghost, a 1962 BBC television drama featuring Bernard Cribbins. The Canterville Ghost, a 1966 ABC television musical that aired 2 November and featured Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., and Michael Redgrave. Featured songs by Fiddler on the Roof songwriters Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick. An episode of Mystery and Imagination, which aired 12 March 1966 and featured Bruce Forsyth as the title character Кентервильское привидение, a 1970 Soviet cartoon The Canterville Ghost, a 1974 radio drama adapted by George Lowthar for the CBS Radio Mystery Theater series. The Canterville Ghost ( 1974 ), a made - for - TV film aired on 10 March 1975 in the United States, which also aired in West Germany and France. Starred David Niven. The Canterville Ghost, a 1985 film. The Canterville Ghost, a 1986 film. The Canterville Ghost, a 1988 animated television special. A radio dramatisation was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on New Year 's Eve 1992. The Canterville Ghost, a 1996 film, starring Patrick Stewart. The Canterville Ghost, a 1997 TV film starring Ian Richardson, Celia Imrie The Canterville Ghost, a 2001 film by Burbank Films Australia. A reading of the story by Alistair McGowan was broadcast on BBC Radio 7 in December 2007. Bhoothnath, a 2008 Bollywood movie adaptation A graphic novel version published by Classical Comics in 2010 adapted by Scottish writer Sean Michael Wilson, with art by Steve Bryant and Jason Millet The Canterville Ghost, a 2011 audiobook production by WF Howes narrated by Rupert Degas The Canterville Ghost, a 2016 film. The Canterville Ghost, an upcoming animated feature film with the voices of Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, and Miranda Hart, intended for release in 2016 In music The Canterville Ghost is an opera by the Russian composer Alexander Knaifel to a libretto by Tatiana Kramarova based on Wilde 's story. `` The Canterville Ghost '' is a song by the Austrian symphonic metal band Edenbridge about this ghost in the album Shine. The song is preceded by an intro track named `` The Canterville Prophecy ''. `` El Fantasma de Canterville '' is a song by the Argentinian musician Charly García Canterville -- The musical is a musical by Flavio Gargano, Robert Steiner and Valentina De Paolis -- Canterville -- The musical Bílý pán aneb Těžko se dnes duchům straší is an opera by Czech composer Jaroslav Křička based on Wilde 's story, libretto by J.L. Budín The Canterville Ghost opera by Gordon Getty. Debut performance at Leipzig Opera on 9 May 2015. `` Dark Depth '' is a song by the Serbian thrash metal band Alister from the album Obscurity, heavily influenced by Oscar Wilde 's story. References Jump up ^ Sherard, Robert Harborough ( 1906 ). The Life of Oscar Wilde. New York : Mitchell Kennerley. p. 454. Jump up ^ Jones, Kenneth ( 28 July 2012 ). `` Bock & Harnick TV Musical `` The Canterville Ghost '' Gets NYC Screening ``. Playbill. Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2014. Jump up ^ Sonia Chopra. `` Bhoothnath ''. Sify. Jump up ^ The Canterville Ghost ( Audiobook Review ) Booklover Book Reviews Jump up ^ Bettridge, Daniel ( 25 October 2012 ). `` Fry and Laurie to reunite for The Canterville Ghost ''. Radio Times. Retrieved 14 May 2014. External links Works related to The Canterville Ghost at Wikisource Media related to The Canterville Ghost at Wikimedia Commons The Canterville Ghost public domain audiobook at LibriVox The Canterville Ghost at Project Gutenberg Oscar Wilde Novels The Picture of Dorian Gray Essays `` The Decay of Lying '' `` The Soul of Man under Socialism '' `` The Critic as Artist '' `` De Profundis '' Short stories and novellas The Canterville Ghost `` The Portrait of Mr. W.H. '' Collections Lord Arthur Savile 's Crime and Other Stories The Happy Prince and Other Stories A House of Pomegranates Poems The Ballad of Reading Gaol Poems in Prose Plays Vera ; or, The Nihilists The Duchess of Padua Lady Windermere 's Fan A Florentine Tragedy A Woman of No Importance Salome La Sainte Courtisane An Ideal Husband The Importance of Being Earnest Family William Wilde ( father ) Jane Elgee Wilde ( mother ) Willie Wilde ( brother ) Constance Lloyd ( wife ) Cyril Wilde Holland ( son ) Vyvyan Wilde Holland ( son ) Merlin Holland ( grandson ) Dorothy Wilde ( niece ) Places Oscar Wilde Centre ( academic centre ) Merrion Square home Tomb and gravesite A Conversation with Oscar Wilde ( London sculpture ) Memorial triptych sculpture, Dublin Based on Wilde 's life and works Music based on the works of Oscar Wilde Biographies of Oscar Wilde Oscar Wilde ( 1936 play ) Oscar Wilde ( 1960 film ) The Trials of Oscar Wilde ( 1960 film ) The Importance of Being Oscar ( 1960 play ) Oscar ( 1985 miniseries ) Wilde ( 1997 film ) Gross Indecency : The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde ( 1997 play ) The Judas Kiss ( 1998 play ) Oscar ( 2013 opera ) Related Oscar Wilde bibliography The Letters of Oscar Wilde The Manuscripts of Oscar Wilde Lord Alfred Douglas Portal Oscar Wilde 's The Canterville Ghost Films The Canterville Ghost ( 1944 ) The Canterville Ghost ( 1985 ) The Canterville Ghost ( 1986 ) The Canterville Ghost ( 1996 ) Bhoothnath ( 2008 Hindi ) The Canterville Ghost ( 2016 ) Other The Canterville Ghost ( opera ) The Canterville Ghost ( 1995 musical ) Canterville ( 2012 musical ) Oscar Wilde portal Literature portal BNF : cb133338328 ( data ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Canterville_Ghost&oldid=854663698 '' Categories : 1887 British novels Works by Oscar Wilde British novellas Uxoricide in fiction Fictional ghosts British supernatural television programmes Ghost novels Works originally published in The Court and Society Review Ghost narrator British novels adapted into films Hidden categories : EngvarB from September 2017 Use dmy dates from September 2017 Articles that may contain original research from August 2016 All articles that may contain original research Articles with trivia sections from March 2017 Articles needing additional references from March 2017 All articles needing additional references Articles with LibriVox links Articles with Project Gutenberg links Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikisource Català Čeština Deutsch Español فارسی Français Íslenska Italiano עברית Nederlands Русский Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Svenska Українська 6 more Edit links This page was last edited on 12 August 2018, at 23 : 56 ( UTC ). 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Question: who is telling the story in canterville ghost
Answer: Sir Simon