Written in 1785 and published the following year, ‘Halloween’ is not Robert Burns’s best-known poem, but it is one of his longest. Focusing on the traditions and activities associated with Halloween in eighteenth-century Scotland, ‘Halloween’ is best read aloud – but failing that, here’s the text of the full poem […]
Tag: Halloween
A Very Short Biography of M. R. James
The curious life of Montague Rhodes James Many people regard M. R. James (1862-1936) as the finest writer of ghost stories in the English language. How did he come to write such highly regarded tales? In this post we offer a very short biography of M. R. James, focusing on […]
10 of the Best Gothic Poems for Halloween
The best Halloween poems selected by Dr Oliver Tearle What are the best poems about Halloween, the best poems for Halloween? In this post, we’ve gathered up a mixture of the two: some of the following ten poems are specifically about Halloween, while others are suitably Gothic poems to enjoy […]
10 Classic Victorian Ghost Stories Everyone Should Read
The best ghost stories from the Victorian era to read for Halloween or Christmas – selected by Dr Oliver Tearle As the nights are drawing in, how about a ghost story? The Victorians loved a ghost story, and many of the most celebrated writers of Victorian novels had a go […]
Special Halloween Post: The Forgotten Victorian Novelist Who Outsold Dickens
As the nights are beginning to draw in and Halloween approaches, how about something to make the flesh creep and send a shiver down the spine? Charles Dickens was a master of the macabre, whether it’s in his Christmas ghost stories such as A Christmas Carol, in the chilling Gothic […]