Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1851-07-24

had read them yesterday. We will each
write ghost story said Lord Byron; and
his proposition was ucccded to. There
were four Of us. The noble author began
tale, a fragment of which he printed at
the end Of his poem Of Mazeppa. Shelley.
more apt to embody ideas and sentiments
in the radiance ef brilliant imagery, and in
the music Of the most melodious verse that
adorns our language, than TO invent the ma
chinery of story, commenced one found
ed on the experiences of his early life
Poor Polidori had some terrible idea about
skull l-headed lady, who was SO punished
for peeping through key-hole-what to
see l forget-something very shocking and
wrong of course; but when she was rednc-
ed to worse condition than the renowned
Tom Of Coventry, he did not know what
to do with her, and was obliged to dispatch
her to the tomb Of the Capulets, the only
place for which she was fitted. The illus
trious poets also, annoyed by the platitude
Of prose, speedily relinquished their uncon-
| genial task.
Il busted myselfto think Of story,--a
story TO rival those which had excited us
to this task One which would speak to
the mysterious fears of our nature, and
awaken thrilling horror-one to make the
reader dread to look around, to curdle the
blood and quicken the beatings ofthe heart.
III did not accomplish these things, my
ghost story would be unworthy ofits name.
thought and pondcred--vainly. I felt
that blank incapability of invention which
is the greatest misery of authorship, when
dull Nothing replies to our anxious invoca-
tions. Hare you Moaght Of a storyl |
was asked each morning, and each morn
ing | was forced to reply with mortifying
negative. Every thing must have be-
ginning, to speak in Sanchcan phrase; and
that beginning must be linked to something
that went before. The Hindoos give the
world an elephant to support it, but they
make the elephant stand upon a tortoise
Invention, it must be humbly admitted,
does not consist in creating out Of void, but
out of chaos; the materials must. in the first
place, be afforded: it can give form to
dark, shapeless substances, but cannot
bring into being the substance itself In
all matters Of discovery and invention, even
Of those that appertain to the imagination,
we are continually reminded of the story
ofColumbus and his egg. Invention con-
sists III the capacity of scizing on the capa-
bililies of subject, and in the power OF
moulding and fashioning IDEAS suggested
to it. Many and long were the conversa-
tions between Lord Byron and Shelley, to
which was devout but nearly silent lis
tener. During one Of these, various phil
osophical doctrines were discussed, and
among others the nature OF the principle
oflifc, and whether there was any proba-
bility Of its ever being discovered and com
municated. They talked of the expert
ments of DIR. Darwin Il speak not of what
the Doctor really did, or said that he did,
but as more to my purpose, of what
was then spoken ola having been done
by him), who preserved piece Of vermi-
cell in glass case, till by some extraordi-
nary means it began to move with volunta-
ry motion. Notthus, after ALL would life
be given. Perhaps corpse would be re-
animated; galvanism had given token Of
such things: perhaps the component parts
of IL creature might be manufactured,
brought together, and endued with vital
warmth. Night waned upon this talk; and
even the witching hour had gone by, be
fore we retired to rest. When ] placed
my head upon my pillow, | did not sleep
nor could be said to think. My imogi
nation, unbidden, possessed and guided me
Citing the successive images that arose il
my mind with a vividness far beyond the
usual bounds of reverie. | saw-with
shut eyes, but acute mental vision-I saw
the pale student Of unhallowed arts kncel-
ing beside the thing he had put together
| saw the hideous phantasm of a man
stretched out, and then on the working oi
some powerful engine, show signs Of life,
and stir with an uneasy half vital motion
Frgthful must it be; for supremely fright
full would be the effect of any human en-
deavor to mock the stupendous mechanism
of the Creator Of the world. His success
would terrify the artist: he would rush
away from his odious handywork, horror
stricken. He would hope that, left to itself,
the slight spark of life which he had com
municated would fade; that this thing,
which had received such imperfect ANNA
ton, would subsidc into dead matter; and
he might sleep in the belief that the silence
Of the grave would qucnch for ever the
transient existence Of the hideous corpse
which he has looked upon as the cradle Of
life He sleeps; but he is awakened; he
opens his eyes; behold the horrid thing
stands at his bedside, opening his curtains,
and looking on him with yellow, watery,
but speculative eyes.
Il opened mine in terror The idea so
possessed my mind, that thrill of fear ran
through me, and | wished to exchange
the ghastly image Of my fancy for the real
tiles around. see them still; the very
room, the dark parquet, the closed shut
ters,with the moonlight struggling through,
and the sense / had that the CLASSY lake
and white high Alps We're beyond. could
not SO easily get rid Of my hideous phan-
tom; still It haunted me. | must try to
think of something else. l REQUIRED to
my ghost story,-my tresome unlucky
ghost story o. if could only contrive
one which would frghten my reader as
myselfbad been frightened that night =
Swift as light and as cheering was the idea
that broke in upon me. i have found it
What terrified me will terrily others ; and
| need only describe the spectre which had
haunted my midnight pillow On the
morrow announced that had thought Of
a story. I began that day with the words,
IL ,cas on dreary nigM Of Nocember,
making only a transcript Of the grim ter
rors Of my waking dream"
The next year Shelly and herself were
in Buckinghamshire, where the great poet
wrote TIE Rerot Of Liam. In the spring
of 1918, they quilted England for Italy,
and their eldest child died in Rome. Soon
after, they took house near Leghorn-
half way between the city and Monte