Mysterious and Horrific Stories

Mysterious and Horrific Stories is a collection of Gothic tales by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. Although he is more widely known today for his novella Carmilla (1872), which influenced Bram Stoker`s Dracula (1897) and remains an important work of early vampire fiction, Le Fanu was also an influential figure in mid-nineteenth century Irish literature as a writer and editor for the Dublin University Magazine. Mysterious and Horrific Stories collects fifteen of Le Fanu`s finest works of short fiction from across his storied career. In "The Fortunes of Sir Robert Ardagh," a man returns home after years abroad accompanied by a strange, shadowy companion. Under mysterious circumstances, Sir Robert has amassed a tremendous fortune and seems either unwilling or unable to reveal the truth behind his sudden rise to wealth. In "Schalken the Painter," a young Dutch apprentice falls in love with his master`s young niece, the beautiful Rose Velderkaust. Fearful of angering the great painter Gerard Douw, whom he worries would reject a marriage proposal from a struggling artist, he keeps silent about his affections. When an older, wealthier man proposes to Rose, Douw consents to their marriage despite the man`s unsettling appearance. "The Drunkard`s Dream" is a tale of horror in which a man receives a powerful and terrifying vision of Hell. Alongside twelve more tales of ghosts and other supernatural forces, including "An Authentic Narrative of a Haunted House" and "The Child That Went With the Fairies," these selections from Le Fanu`s body of work continue to entertain and astound nearly two centuries after they first appeared in print. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu`s Mysterious and Horrific Stories is a classic of Irish literature reimagined for modern readers.