
SELECTED, WITH AN INTRODUCTION - BY - DOROTHY SCARBOROUGH, Ph.D. - LECTURER IN ENGLISH, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY AUTHOR OF “THE SUPERNATURAL IN MODERN ENGLISH FICTION,” “FUGITIVE VERSES,” “FROM A SOUTHERN PORCH,” ETC. COMPILER OF “FAMOUS MODERN GHOST STORIES”
The Humorous Ghost - INTRODUCTION
HUMOROUS GHOST STORIES
The Canterville Ghost
“Dey Ain't No Ghosts”
The Transferred Ghost
The Rival Ghosts
The Water Ghost of Harrowby Hall
The Ghost-Ship
The Last Ghost in Harmony
This collection reimagines the after‑life as a stage for wit rather than dread. The introduction sets a playful tone, noting how today’s specters have swapped solemn chains for jokes, treating hauntings as opportunities for mischief and commentary. Readers will meet ghouls who brag about rent‑free living, sigh at courtroom antics, and even sport fashionable clothing while rattling the living with sarcasm instead of terror.
The stories themselves showcase a parade of comic ghosts—mostly boisterous gentlemen whose jokes echo through creaking halls, and a few clever ladies who out‑wit their male counterparts with effortless charm. Their antics range from harmless pranks in old mansions to absurd courtroom escapades, all underscored by a gentle satire of old‑fashioned gothic conventions. With each tale, the collection invites listeners to laugh at the supernatural, revealing that even the most ancient haunt can enjoy a good punchline.
Language
en
Duration
~9 hours (542K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by David Edwards, Marcia Brooks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from scanned images of public domain material from the Google Print project.)
Release date
2008-10-18
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1878–1935
A Texas-born novelist, folklorist, and literary scholar, she is best remembered for vivid stories of Southern and Southwestern life and for helping preserve American folk-song traditions. Her work ranges from eerie ghostly tales to the stark, windswept novel The Wind.
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