book review of canterville ghost in 250 words

Book Review – The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde

Do you like Oscar Wilde? How about a good ghost story? If you answered to both questions, then you'll love the Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde. It's not a scary ghost story, it's actually quite funny. And a delightful tale.

Below, you'll find my thoughts on The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde.

All the images in this post are clickable! 

Initial Thoughts on The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde

book review of canterville ghost in 250 words

The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde is a short story . Like many works of literature, the story first appeared in a magazine, The Court and Society Review in February 1887. The Canterville Ghost is a story of contrast – American vs. British Society.

When the story starts, the American minister, Mr Hiram B. Otis has purchased Canterville Chase, an English country house. Otis is warned by Lord Canterville that the house is haunted, but he doesn’t believe in ghosts.

This is not a typical ghost story. I found it quite funny, laughing a lot while reading the book.

Have you read?

Oscar Wilde Personal Library – The Shaping of a Mind The Model Millionaire by Oscar Wilde The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde – Book Review

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What is The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde About?

The Otis family consists of husband and wife, their eldest son, Washington, daughter Virginia and twin sons. Shortly after the Otis family arrives at their new country estate, they notice a spot on the floor in the library. Their housekeeper informs them that Lady Eleanore de Canterville was murdered at that exact spot by her husband, Sir Simon de Canterville, who survived her by nine years. His body was never discovered, however, his spirit haunts the place.

Washington applies some strong stain remover – Pinkerton’s Champion Stain Remover and Paragon Detergent – to the blood stain, which disappears temporarily and reappears the next day. As soon as they remove the stain it reappears the following day – bright red, dull red, purple and even bright emerald green.

After the blood stain reappears the first time, the Otis family concludes that there must be a ghost. Mrs Otis is a modern day woman and declares that she is going to join the Psychical Society. Washington decides to write to Messrs Myers and Podmore,

“on the subject of the Permanence of Sanguineous Stains when connected with crime.”

caterville ghost oscar wilde, the canterville ghost by oscar wilde, the canterville ghost

To get the most from this SummaReview of The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde, after you have read it, answer the following questions:

  • Is this a book I’d like to read for myself? Why? Why not?
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  • Were there any kernels of wisdom in this reading?
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  • What are five takeaways from the SummaReview ?

The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde is told through the eyes of the very theatrical ghost, Sir Simon, who appears in many different costumes and personas – Red Reuben, Strangled Babe, Dumb Daniel, Suicide’s Skeleton, Martin the Maniac, Masked Mystery, Reckless Rupert, Headless Earl and so on. The first night, Sir Simon decides to haunt the Americans, Mr Otis greets him with a container of Rising Sun Lubricator for him to oil his manacled chains so he doesn’t make so much noise and disturb the family’s sleep. The twin boys also throw a pillow at him.

The ghost quickly retreats to his hiding place and is feeling quite insulted. Never in his three hundred years of haunting people at Canterville Chase has he ever received that kind of reception. The tables have been turned on the ghost, and instead of terrifying the residents, they instead “terrify” him. The twins use their pea shooters and discharge pellets at Sir Simon. One night after he attempts to frighten the family with one of his terrible laughs, Mrs. Otis lets him know that he sounds quite terrible and offers him a bottle of Doctor Dobell’s tincture.

The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde - Illustration

Sir Simon suffers great indignities at the hand of the American family, who are not afraid of him. He enters the twins’ room to scare them and a large jug of water falls on him, which just about does him in. He has a grand plot to exact revenge against Washington whom he bears a special grudge for removing the blood stain with Pinkerton’s Paragon Detergent. But once again, the joke is on Sir Simon, when he encounters, what he perceives as another.

The ghost has never seen another ghost and is quite terrified , and flees to his room. When he regains his composure and courage, Sir Simon seeks out the ghost to form some sort of alliance. He discovers to his chagrin, that the ghost wasn’t a real ghost. In another instance, Washington and the twins force him into the great iron oven, which luckily wasn’t lit at the time, forcing Sir Simon to escape through chimneys

Sir Simon’s nerves begin to unravel because nothing is working and he is becoming quite weak. He even decides not to bother with replacing the stain on the floor in the library. He doesn’t think very highly of the Otis family

“They were evidently people on a low, material plane of existence, and quite incapable of appreciating the symbolic value of sensuous phenomena. The question of phantasmic apparitions, and the development of astral bodies, was of course quite a different matter, and not really under his control…”

Based on my analytics, readers seem to like stories written by Oscar Wilde. I came across the article, On Art and Prison: The 5 Best Books on Oscar Wilde .

Two of the books mentioned in the article that I found intriguing are The Secret Life of Oscar Wilde by Neil McKenna, and The Real Trial of Oscar Wilde by Merlin Holland.

The Secret Life of Oscar Wilde

The ghost resigns to the fact that he will not be able to frighten the “rude” American family. The twins lay in wait for Sir Simon on several occasions laying traps for him but he never appears. The family concludes that the ghost has left Canterville Chase. All during this time, Virginia was the only one in the family that did not play a trick on, or even approach the ghost. Why?

One day while out riding, Virginia tears her riding habit quite badly and decides to enter Canterville Chase through a back door. She is surprised to discover the Canterville Ghost sitting by a window. His disposition is that of someone suffering from depression and she feels sorry for him.

An interesting dialogue takes place between them and during that time, he admits that he killed his wife and why, and virginia tells him that it is wrong to kill. she is also upset because he stole her paint to replace the blood stain and hence the mystery of the different colours of “blood” is solved..

Virginia tries to convince Sir Simon to go to America because they would appreciate a ghost there, but he doesn’t want to go to America. Sir Simon is weary because he hasn’t slept in over three hundred years. He wants to rest , but is terrified of the Garden of Death. Through Virginia, he believes that he will receive forgiveness and allowed to rest. He believes that through the purity of a child, Hell cannot prevail.

She takes him through the portal, and doesn’t tell her parents, so when they cannot find her they panic. But no one even thinks about Sir Simon, because they believed he had left. Virginia appears the next day after her family had searched for her everywhere and couldn’t find her. She relates what happens and shows them the gift of jewels she received from Sir Simon. Mr Otis tries to return the jewels to Lord Canterville, who refuses them and is convinced that should he take them, Sir Simon would return.

canterville ghost

The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde ends when Virginia is married a few years later, and you get the sense that something profound took place with her encounter with Sir Simon that she has never revealed.

I found this story quite funny and I laughed a lot. But when you stop to think, this is a story of contrasts. Think about it, an American family emigrates to England and buys a very English country home. Though they are warned that the house is haunted, they initially do not believe.

However, when they realize that the house is indeed haunted, they do not respond in a “British” way by being scared, they turn things around on the ghost baffling him. You see the ghost going through a range of emotions until he is a broken man. It’s a story of role reversals, instead of the ghost terrorizing the residents of Canterville Chase, they terrorize him instead.

book review of canterville ghost in 250 words

Should I Buy The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde?

book review of canterville ghost in 250 words

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book review of canterville ghost in 250 words

Oscar Wilde Book List

Further Reading/Viewing

Oscar Wilde: A Controversial Writer Oscar Wilde – The Canterville Ghost

Cannot view video? Click here . Uploaded by  SpidersHouseAudio  on May 26, 2009

The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Canterville Ghost, by Oscar Wilde

For those who want a print book to read:  The Canterville Ghost: By Oscar Wilde

Canterville Ghost

You can also view the film here .

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THE CANTERVILLE GHOST by Oscar Wilde, Book Review

Review Summary: In The Canterville Ghost , with modern prose and themes, and characters like caricatures, Oscar Wilde lampoons traditional ghost stories.

The Canterville Ghost - Oscar Wilde - Book Review

The Canterville Ghost Short Synopsis:

A terrifying ghost is haunting the ancient mansion of Canterville Chase, complete with creaking floorboards, clanking chains and gruesome disguises – but the new occupants, the Otis family, seem strangely undisturbed by his presence. Deftly contrasting the conventional gothic ghost story with the pragmatism of the modern world, Wilde creates a gently comic fable of the conflict between old and new.

Rupert Degas’s hilarious reading brings the absurdity and theatricality of the story to life.

(Unabridged Audiobook Length: 1 hr and 17 mins,  W F Howes )

Genre: Audio, Classics, Humour, Historical, Literature, Mystery

Disclosure: If you click a link in this post we may earn a small commission to help offset our running costs.

BOOK REVIEW

With so many wonderful new books being released I’ve not found time to read many of the classics. Only quite recently have I discovered the brilliance of Oscar Wilde’s satirical works. I found the audiobook versions of The Importance of Being Earnest and Lady Windermere’s Fan  an absolute delight – the perfect thing to brighten my mood during the daily commute. Next on my list was his short story  The Canterville Ghost .

I’m not drawn to ghost stories, so I was relieved to find The Canterville Ghost  is atypical of the genre.

Firstly, a large portion of the hilarious narrative is from the viewpoint of the ghost of Sir Simon de Canterville who is immensely frustrated by the Otis family’s arrival at his long-time home ‘Canterville Chase’. Secondly, while the setting is definitely gothic this story actually lampoons traditional features of ghost stories; the appearance of bloodstains, the creaking floorboards and the sound of rattling chains. It is a satire or parody of gothic fiction.

Themes and characters

The underlying theme of this novel is actually the clash of stereotypical American consumerism and traditional British historical sensibilities but taken to the extreme.

“The next morning, when the Otis family met at breakfast, they discussed the ghost at some length. The United States Minister was naturally a little annoyed to find that his present had not been accepted. “I have no wish,” he said, “to do the ghost any personal injury, and I must say that, considering the length of time he has been in the house, I don’t think it is at all polite to throw pillows at him”—a very just remark, at which, I am sorry to say, the twins burst into shouts of laughter. “Upon the other hand,” he continued, “if he really declines to use the Rising Sun Lubricator, we shall have to take his chains from him. It would be quite impossible to sleep, with such a noise going on outside the bedrooms.”

The key characters, Sir Simon de Canterville (ghost), British aristocrats Lord and Lady Canterville (previous owners of the property), new wealthy American owners Mr and Mrs Otis (a minister and NY socialite, respectively), their artistic teenage daughter Virginia Otis and her younger twin brothers, read more like caricatures. The twin boy characters are not even named, simply referred to by their nickname ‘The Stars and Stripes’. Virginia is the most likeable member of the Otis family, being sympathetic towards the curmudgeonly Sir Simon de Canterville (even when he steals her paints), rather than fearful.

Note: If you are wanting a detailed analysis and summary of The Canterville Ghost characters, themes, plot and even chapter by chapter, CourseHero is an excellent resource.

What I am continually impressed by is how modern and fresh Oscar Wilde’s prose still sounds. It would be easy to forget it was penned in the late 1800s.

Rupert Degas’ narration of The Canterville Ghost  audiobook is first class.

The deadpan and quizzical tone of his delivery enhances the intended sarcasm of The Canterville Ghost text ( listen to a sample ).

While I strongly recommend enjoying this tale in the audiobook medium (it’s only a short listen at 1 hr 17 mins), this novel has been translated to the big screen several times. For example, check out this movie trailer of The Canterville Ghost (1996) starring Patrick Stewart and Neve Campbell.

How’s that for a retro blast from the past? But in all seriousness, thankfully the  TV movie of The Canterville Ghost (1997) starring Ian Richardson and Celia Imrie appears to be much more faithful to the story’s characters and period setting.

According to IMDb, there is yet another remake of this classic currently in pre-production, an animated movie  featuring the voices of Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry (the ghost) and Miranda Hart. I’ll definitely be checking that out.

The Canterville Ghost is another highly entertaining piece of classic literature from a writer born well before his time. It is one well worth finding the time to read.

BOOK RATING:  The Story 4.5 / 5; The Writing 4.5 / 5

Get your copy of The Canterville Ghost  from:

Amazon Booktopia OR listen to the audiobook FREE with Audible’s Trial (check eligibility)

RELATED READS: We have subsequently also enjoyed listening to another of Oscar Wilde’s plays, An Ideal Husband in audio. Plus Author Laura Lee shared with us the fascinating story of how she came to write Oscar’s Ghost , the first book to focus on the battle for this author‘s legacy.

About the Author, Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde 1889, author of The Canterville Ghost

Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900) was an Irish writer and poet . After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London’s most popular playwrights in the early 1890s. Today he is remembered for his epigrams, his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray , his plays, and the circumstances of his imprisonment and early death .

Booklover Fact: More than 36,500 people have rated this title on Goodreads.

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book review of canterville ghost in 250 words

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book review of canterville ghost in 250 words

The Canterville Ghost – Horror Mixed With Humor!

  • ⏳ [read_meter]

Some books stay with you much longer than others. And The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde is certainly one of them for me. I had first read it as part of my CBSE syllabus. Back in school, I used to wonder how it would be to read something of this sort without the pressure of scoring well. And when I did, it turned out to be nothing short of an extremely delightful experience.

The Canterville Ghost (Review)

The Canterville Ghost Horror Mixed With Humor!

The title might make you think that it is a ghost story that will induce a shiver down your spine. Well, sorry to break your bubble, but you are up for a major surprise. It is anything but scary!

The introduction by Kaushal Goyal describes The Canterville Ghost as a study in contrasts. Read on to find out what that means. The short story has every possible trope of traditional gothic literature; be it clanking chains, cracking floorboards, or changing weather. What more, the very first page has a passing mention of two skeleton hands. But Wilde uses these devices as a means of participating in and parodying the gothic tradition itself. General notions and stereotypes are what he aims to lampoon at each juncture.

Recommended Reading For You! 📖 📚

A Promised Land By Barack Obama Author Review Rating Summary

Wilde excels in the economy of words, using fewer words to say more. But the winning factor is how fresh these words read/sound even today, though the story was first published, as part of The Court and Society Review magazine, in the late 1800s. His wild blending of macabre with comedy is as imaginative as it can get. For most parts, the irony is what lends the story its comic timing. The juxtaposition of misfit elements and situations begins the moment Wilde places a typical American family in an old British country house, Canterville Chase.

Everything is so categorically reversed from the onset itself that you know you have signed up for a rollercoaster ride. Unlike in most ghost stories, Sir Simon (a three-hundred-year-old ghost) is the narrator here. The story is told from his point of view, and it is his emotions that we get to see. Hilarity arises when Sir Simor’s innumerable attempts at scaring off the new inhabitants (the Otis family) go in vain. Oddly enough, it is him who ends up ill and terrified of the “wild shrieks of laughter from the twins.”

The Canterville Ghost By Oscar Wilde Author Novel Review Rating Summary

Washington’s (the elder son) way of mentioning the Pinkerton’s Champion Stain Remover and Paragon Detergent sounds like a ludicrous advertisement. But it is one of the many jibes at the Americans’ “practical way of dealing with the problem.” How Sir Simon speaks of the mundaneness of ghost life is just as funny as it is a firm reminder of the British aristocracy’s seemingly bizarre routines. He seamlessly creates a plethora of blink-and-you-will-miss-it moments throughout. With multiple interesting incidents unfolding one after the other, he keeps you on edge. Like most ghost stories, you are always wondering what would happen next. Almost every page of this seven-chapter-long short story has a one-liner that is likely to have you in splits. But my favorite one has to be Sir Simon’s description of Lady Eleanor de Canterville’s (his wife) murder as a family matter, which concerned no one else.

There is a tonal shift towards the end. Silliness makes room for some seriousness. The ending, if I may say so, is somewhat open. By making Virginia (the Otis’ fifteen-year-old daughter) hold on to her secret, Wilde makes us ponder more over the basic message of the story, “what Life is, and what Death signifies, and why Love is stronger than both.” Ultimately, Virginia’s marriage to the Duke of Cheshire comes across as a blend of the two cultures. And this symbolism brings the playful sparring of the Old and New World to a full circle. The ending was too sentimental for my taste, I admit. But it still left me yearning for more. I wish Wilde had given us some more scoops of this delish drama.

So, here is the deal. This entertaining and engaging piece is highly recommended for children and adults alike. It can serve as a great mood lifter during gloomy lockdown days. Even at a slow pace, you can finish it in a couple of hours. And for those of you who could not and would not get enough of it (like me!), you can find several stage and screen adaptations of the short story. Honestly, you really have to be living under a rock to not be familiar with Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde. But if you are, do check out his other remarkable works like The Importance of Being Earnest, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and The Happy Prince. You can get the book here! 📖

The Canterville Ghost

The Canterville Ghost Horror Mixed With Humor

URL: https://bookwritten.com/the-canterville-ghost-by-oscar-wilde-review/1692/

Author: Oscar Wilde

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book review of canterville ghost in 250 words

Home » Books » The Canterville Ghost Book Review #24

book review of canterville ghost in 250 words

The Canterville Ghost Book Review #24

I needed something light and easy to read to help me get back on track with my Goodreads challenge and to give my brain a bit of a rest and The Canterville Ghost novella was perfect.

I’ve only managed to read about 150 pages of the third Game Of Thrones book this week as we’ve had some family illness that’s resulted in numerous hospital visits and lots for us to do that we don’t normally do. We don’t mind one bit because it’s family, which is obviously a whole lot more important than finding time to read!

The Canterville Ghost

Here’s the blurb from Goodreads :

This is Oscar Wilde’s tale of the American family moved into a British mansion, Canterville Chase, much to the annoyance of its tired ghost. The family — which refuses to believe in him — is in Wilde’s way a commentary on the British nobility of the day — and on the Americans, too. The tale, like many of Wilde’s, is rich with allusion, but ends as sentimental romance…

My Thoughts

I always loved watching this movie with my mum when I was younger.

I’ve never thought about reading the book, though, until I saw it came as a free audiobook from Loyal Books 🙂

It’s only a novella with just over 100 pages but it was totally what I needed while I carried on with a craft project I’m working on. I’m getting used to audiobooks now and I’ve decided I’m not going to rush to finish the Game Of Thrones book I’m reading because I want to enjoy reading it, but to help keep up with my Goodreads challenge, I’m going to listen to audiobooks while I’m working and read my GoT book at night when I’m in bed and whenever I get chance to grab a quite half hour 🙂

The Canterville Ghost

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Do you know I don’t think I’ve read anything from Oscar Wilde before, perhaps this is something I should #readwithme

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I’ve not come across this Oscar Wilde although have read a few a long time ago. And you’ve made me think that I should investigate whether audiobooks would work for my mum, as she can’t see well enough to read a book now. Hope your family member is better soon #readwithme

' src=

Sorry to hear about your family member. I’ve never read anything by Oscar Wilde or seen this film. I agree that sometimes it’s important to have an easier read and it sounds like you’ve found a good solution for getting through your Game of Thrones book!

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This is a brilliant story. I read a simplifies version with my EFL students who thought it was great :o)

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simplified!!

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The Canterville Ghost

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31 pages • 1 hour read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

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Summary and Study Guide

The Canterville Ghost , by Oscar Wilde, is a story about forgiveness, love, and the clash of Old World and New World beliefs. Through a satirical approach, Wilde highlights the shortcomings of each set of beliefs and how the characters overcome those shortcomings to bridge the two worlds.

The story begins with Hiram Otis and Lord Canterville discussing the ghost that haunts Canterville Chase, where the Otis family will be living. When they arrive, they find a blood stain that reappears every morning in the library, where Sir Simon de Canterville murdered his wife in the sixteenth century. It is his ghost that haunts the Chase. Hiram’s oldest son, Washington, tries to remove the stain with detergent, but it keeps coming back.

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Sir Simon tries to frighten the Otis family, but instead of being frightened, Hiram offers the ghost a lubrication solution to keep his chains from rattling, so that he and his family can sleep. The two youngest of the Otis family, twins referred to as Stars and Stripes, play tricks to humiliate Sir Simon, and Lucretia Otis, Hiram’s wife, offers the ghost a tincture for indigestion when she hears him cry out.

What follows is a sort of war between the twins and Sir Simon’s ghost. Over time, they continue to torment him, until he is afraid to make too much noise at night. When the Duke of Cheshire, one of Virginia Otis’ suitors, comes to visit, Sir Simon decides he will scare him, but is too frightened of the twins to go through with it.

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When Virginia finds Sir Simon sulking, she agrees to help him find his way to everlasting rest—and peace—by undergoing a frightening journey with him, to cry and pray for forgiveness of his sins. She’s successful, and before he fully dies, he rewards her with a casket of jewels . Though Hiram tries to give the jewels to Lord Canterville, Lord Canterville insists that Virginia keep them.

While she’d been gone, Hiram, Washington, and Cecil (the Duke of Cheshire) all searched for her. Hiram suspected a local group of gypsies of having kidnapped her, but was proved wrong when he learned that they had gone to a fair. Four of them stayed behind to help with the search.

At the end of the story, Virginia marries the Duke of Cheshire, and they are happily in love. Sir Simon is laid to rest, and all the main characters are happy, having learned that love is the reason for existence.

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book review of canterville ghost in 250 words

The Canterville Ghost

Oscar wilde, everything you need for every book you read..

Mr. Hirsham B. Otis , an American minister, has just purchased an English estate named Canterville Chase from Lord Canterville , whose family has owned it for centuries. Everyone who’s heard about the sale believes Mr. Otis to have made a mistake, because Canterville Chase is widely known to be haunted. Even Lord Canterville feels compelled by honor to tell Mr. Otis about the ghost inhabiting the property and the multiple members of his family who have seen it. Mr. Otis, who says he comes from a country far too modern to believe in ghosts, is not impressed by these stories. He agrees to purchase the estate, ghost and all.

A few weeks later, Mr. Otis and his wife, Mrs. Otis , take the train to their new home with their children, Washington , Virginia , and the twins . The ride from the rail station is a long one, and as they approach the house, the fine summer evening transforms into an ominous storm. Mrs. Umney , Canterville Chase’s housekeeper, meets the group at the door and ushers them inside. After a short period of exploring the house, the family is surprised to find a bloodstain on the floor by the sitting room’s fireplace. When questioned, Mrs. Umney informs the Otis family that the stain cannot be removed, both because it has already set into the fabric and because it is centuries old and has become a popular tourist attraction. Sir Simon de Canterville , she says, created the bloodstain when he killed his wife in 1575. Sir Simon disappeared shortly thereafter and, though he was never seen alive again, and his body was never found, his ghost haunts Canterville Chase.

The Americans react to the story of Sir Simon with the same disbelief that Mr. Otis showed about the ghost originally. Washington immediately sets to work removing the stain with the help of Pinkerton’s Champion Stain Remover and Paragon Detergent, which proves to be quite effective. The spot is soon completely clear. It appears again the next morning, however, and for many mornings thereafter, despite Washington’s diligent and daily removal of it. Strangely, the stain seems to always be changing colors, sometimes into hues quite unnatural for a bloodstain, including purple and bright green. The family becomes convinced that the stain’s reoccurrence must be the work of the ghost after all, though they are mostly curious about the phenomenon and not at all scared. At any rate, all doubt about the haunted nature of the house are removed when the ghostly Sir Simon makes his first appearance a few days later, in the early morning hours after the family has long been asleep. With his sinister red eyes, torn, dirty clothes, and limbs shackled in long, dragging chains, Sir Simon attempts to make a frightening first impression on Mr. Otis. But the minister takes little notice of these trappings, instead awakening only to offer Sir Simon a bottle of Tammany Rising Sun Lubricator. The oil, Mr. Otis tells the ghost, will stop the awful squeaking produced by Sir Simon’s chains and allow the family to rest. Sir Simon, who displays all the haughty indignation of his aristocratic past, takes great offense to this and smashes the bottle on the ground before storming off. Before he leaves the scene entirely, however, he is accosted by the twins, who rudely throw pillows at him. They force Sir Simon to walk through a wall in order to escape to his bedroom, a secret chamber hidden in a wing of the estate.

In his room, Sir Simon contemplates his long history of haunting Canterville Chase. He considers the haunting as though it were a job—one that he takes great pride in doing. He remembers multiple instances of past haunts, reveling in the scares he was able to produce in the English aristocrats of centuries past. Remembering these successes only makes him more confused about how he was so easily foiled by a handful of upstart Americans. He vows to himself that he will have revenge. After a few days to collect his thoughts on how best to accomplish this task, Sir Simon decides to try to scare the Otis family by putting on his old suit of armor and walking around the house with it. He waits until the family is asleep before beginning his plan. Unfortunately, he quickly finds that the suit has become too heavy for him to lift, and the only scare he manages is that produced by the loud clang as the armor falls to the ground. Sir Simon quickly finds himself surrounded by the Otis family: the twins shooting him with their toy guns while Mr. Otis levels a real gun at him, as though he were a common burglar. Again, Sir Simon is forced to flee from the Otis family, retreating once more to his room to consider his changed fortunes. The back-to-back failures take a strangely physical toll on the ghost, and it takes several days before he has the strength to make another attempt at a scare.

Sir Simon’s third attempt is his most elaborate yet, with especially diabolical plans laid out for Washington Otis (because he keeps removing the bloodstain) and the twins, whom Sir Simon has come to despise. In fact, Sir Simon plans to visit each member of the Otis family individually, though he plans to take it easy on Virginia, as she has never insulted him and possesses a gentle nature. The Otises have other plans, however. They’ve set up a kind of scarecrow (a fake ghost made up of a broom, a sheet, and a hollowed-out turnip) in the hallways to ward off Sir Simon. It is their plan that succeeds. As Sir Simon turns the corner, costumed in his most frightening garb and accessorized with a rusty dagger, he encounters the counterfeit ghost and is frightened out of his wits. For a third time, he flees to his quarters in terror. It’s almost daylight when he finally works up the resolve to return and try to talk to the ghost (since Sir Simon is, himself, a ghost, he seemingly has little reason to fear other ghosts). When he does, he is enraged by the trick that’s been played on him and yet again vows revenge—but he soon loses his confidence and returns to his room downhearted, tired, and on edge. He gives up renewing the bloodstain on the sitting-room floor and limits his ghostly activities to only those he feels bound by tradition to continue—he even begins using the lubricating oil to quiet his chains, lest the twins hear him.

The twins, however, do not give up. They continue to lay traps for Sir Simon, such as pulling string across the hallway, in the hopes of catching him. One such trap, involving a slide greased with butter designed to tumble him down a staircase, so injures and angers Sir Simon that he finds the strength of will to try one last scare. He pulls out all the stops for this one, donning the guise of “Reckless Rupert, or the Headless Earl.” The costume takes a while to assemble, as he hasn’t used it for nearly a century, and he’s left the necessary props scattered around the estate, but he manages to bring it all together in time for a final assault the next night. The twins, however, are ready for him. As Sir Simon enters their room, he springs the trap they’ve laid for him and is instantly doused with water from a jug placed above the doorway. For the fourth time, the ghost flees to his room in a mixture of fear, defeat, and outrage. The physical toll of this last failure so debilitates him that he doesn’t leave his bed for weeks. Even when he finally regains his strength, he keeps well away from the Otis family, though the twins keep a constant vigil. Even a visit from the Duke of Cheshire , whose family have long been the victims of Sir Simon’s scares, isn’t enough to bring the ghost out.

The Duke is at Canterville Chase visiting Virginia, with whom he has long been smitten. One day, returning from a trip to the meadows with the Duke, Virginia encounters Sir Simon. The ghost is in a state of despair and takes no notice of her, until Virginia decides to engage him in conversation. She tells Sir Simon that she feels sorry for him but assures him that her brothers will soon be leaving for school in the fall. This, she hopes, will grant him some reprieve—though she reminds the ghost that, while she does not approve of her brothers’ treatment of him, Sir Simon has been very wicked of his own accord. For instance, she accuses the ghost of stealing her paints in order to renew the sitting-room bloodstain (which explains its strangely changing color), in turn making it impossible for her to paint what she wished. The two talk at length, and Sir Simon tells Virginia about a prophecy that foretells the circumstances under which he might be able to stop haunting Canterville Chase and move on to his eternal rest. The divination says that a young, innocent girl must weep and pray for Sir Simon. It further says that the living residents of Canterville Chase will know that the prayers have worked when they see the long-barren almond tree on the property flower again. Since Virginia is so young and good, Sir Simon hopes that she might be the girl foretold by the prophecy and asks if she will help. Virginia agrees. The two disappear into a secret area of the home.

Virginia’s absence is soon noted and a search party dispatched to little avail. Eventually, however, she does return, bearing an odd, coffin-shaped box in her hand. Virginia tells Mr. Otis that the box contains jewels given to her by Sir Simon, who has now passed on. She leads her parents and siblings to a secret room hidden in the estate, where Sir Simon was starved to death by his brothers-in-law and where his body still remained. Sir Simon’s in-laws murdered him as revenge for Sir Simon murdering his wife, who was their sister. With Virginia’s help, the ghost was at last able to find rest—a truth proven when the twins notice the blooming almond tree. The Canterville family is notified of what has transpired, and a funeral is held to bury Sir Simon’s body. Mr. Otis tries to return Virginia’s jewels to Lord Canterville, who refuses, saying that since the ghost was included with the sale of the house, as was the ghost’s property. Virginia later wears the jewels when she meets the Queen of England, following her marriage to the Duke of Cheshire.

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The canterville ghost.

by Oscar Wilde

When Mr. Hiram B. Otis, the American Minister, bought Canterville Chase, every one told him he was doing a very foolish thing, as there was no doubt at all that the place was haunted. Indeed, Lord Canterville himself, who was a man of the most punctilious honour, had felt it his duty to mention the fact to Mr. Otis when they came to discuss terms.

‘We have not cared to live in the place ourselves,’ said Lord Canterville, ‘since my grandaunt, the Dowager Duchess of Bolton, was frightened into a fit, from which she never really recovered, by two skeleton hands being placed on her shoulders as she was dressing for dinner, and I feel bound to tell you, Mr. Otis, that the ghost has been seen by several living members of my family, as well as by the rector of the parish, the Rev. Augustus Dampier, who is a Fellow of King’s College, Cambridge. After the unfortunate accident to the Duchess, none of our younger servants would stay with us, and Lady Canterville often got very little sleep at night, in consequence of the mysterious noises that came from the corridor and the library.’

‘My Lord,’ answered the Minister, ‘I will take the furniture and the ghost at a valuation. I come from a modern country, where we have everything that money can buy; and with all our spry young fellows painting the Old World red, and carrying off your best actresses and prima-donnas, I reckon that if there were such a thing as a ghost in Europe, we’d have it at home in a very short time in one of our public museums, or on the road as a show.’

‘I fear that the ghost exists,’ said Lord Canterville, smiling, ‘though it may have resisted the overtures of your enterprising impresarios. It has been well known for three centuries, since 1584 in fact, and always makes its appearance before the death of any member of our family.’

‘Well, so does the family doctor for that matter, Lord Canterville. But there is no such thing, sir, as a ghost, and I guess the laws of Nature are not going to be suspended for the British aristocracy.’

‘You are certainly very natural in America,’ answered Lord Canterville, who did not quite understand Mr. Otis’s last observation, ‘and if you don’t mind a ghost in the house, it is all right. Only you must remember I warned you.’

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Book Review: 'The Canterville Ghost' by Oscar Wilde - Enjoy the Ride Between the Two Realms

book review of canterville ghost in 250 words

Picture Credit: Alma Books

Most relatable stuff ? When we binge over horror series and movies,feel scared and watch one episode of funny or animated stuff before going to bed so that we don’t hallucinate ghosts made up from random clothes on the chairs, beneath the bed,on the ceiling and behind the curtains. 

This is really rib-tickling but what else can a poor soul do to neutralise the terrifying impact of the movie because this genre is really spine chilling.

What if I suggest a horror story that will make your ribs tickle subtly and leaves you amazed? ‘The Canterville Ghost’ is such a rollicking story that you really need to read before you think of horror stories as dreadful.

Introduction

Book’s Name - The Canterville Ghost

Author’s Name - Oscar Wilde

Genre - Gothic Fiction (Writing style characterized with balanced blend of horror,fear,sorrow and romantic elements.)

Language - English 

Synopsis - Spoiler Alert!

book review of canterville ghost in 250 words

Picture Credit: Film Comment

Despite Lord Canterville's warnings that the house is haunted, Hiram B. Otis and his family move into Canterville Chase, an English country house. Mr. Otis says he'll take the furniture and the ghost for a reasonable price. Mr. and Mrs. Otis, their eldest son Washington, their daughter Virginia, and the Otis twins make up the Otis family.

No one in the Otis family believes in ghosts at first, but soon after they move in, they can't deny the existence of Sir Simon de Canterville. Mrs. Otis simply says, "She does not care at all about bloodstains in the living room," when she sees a mysterious bloodstain on the floor.

The stain can be cleaned with Pinkerton's Champion Stain Remover and Paragon Detergent, according to Washington Otis, the eldest sibling.

When the ghost emerges for the first time, Mr. Otis jumps from his bed and offers the ghost Tammany Rising Sun Lubricator to grease his chains. The ghost hurls the bottle into the hallway, enraged. The ghost flees after the Otis twins throw pillows on him.

Bloodstains occur on the floor near the fireplace and are cleaned every time they appear, in different shades, according to the Otis family. The family continues to live in terror, despite the ghost's best efforts and most grotesque disguises, leaving Sir Simon feeling increasingly powerless and embarrassed.

Virginia, the lovely and wise fifteen-year-old daughter, stands out from the rest of the family to Sir Simon. He says that he hasn't slept in 300 years and that he is desperate to do so.

Lady Eleanor de Canterville's sad story is told to her by the ghost. Virginia pays attention to him and discovers a valuable lesson as well as the real meaning of a riddle.

She weeps for him and prays for him, and she walks through the wainscoting with Sir Simon to the Garden of Death, where she bids the ghost farewell.

About the Author

Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish poet and playwright who lived from 16 October 1854 to 30 November 1900. After writing in various forms in the 1880s, he rose to prominence as one of London's most prominent playwrights in the early 1890s. His epigrams and plays are his most well-known works.

Wilde attended Trinity College, Dublin, and Magdalen College, Oxford, for his studies. Wilde became interested in the aesthetic movement while at Oxford. He moved to London after graduation to pursue a literary career.

His work was varied. His first book of poetry was published in 1881, but he also wrote fairy tales, contributed to publications including the 'Pall Mall Gazette,' and published a novel called 'The Image of Dorian Gray' (1891).

His greatest talent was writing plays, and he was responsible for some highly successful comedies, including 'Lady Windermere's Fan' (1892), 'An Ideal Husband (1895),' and 'The Importance of Being Earnest (1895).

About the Book

Oscar Wilde's "The Canterville Ghost" is a lighthearted short story. It was Wilde's first story to be published, appearing in two parts in The Court and Society Review on February 23 and March 2, 1887.

The plot revolves around an American family who relocate to a castle possessed by the ghost of a dead English nobleman who murdered his wife and was then walled in by his wife's brothers and starved to death. It's been adapted for stage and screen several times.

One of the most famous adaptations of the story was the 1996 family movie directed by Sydney Macartney under the same title.

Themes Involved

Cultural differences, reality of death, ultimacy of sin and redemption are some of the major themes that are highlighted in ‘The Canterville Ghost’.  

The cultural differences between America and England has been broadly and subtly presented by Oscar Wilde. The contrast between both the cultures have been aptly used to bring the element of humor in the story where Lord Canterville speaks of English worldview and Mr. Otis represents the American culture.

Death has been depicted as the most fearful act but desirable at the same time. The way Sir Simon died and killed his wife was dreadful but now he seeks the real death i.e. to attain pantheistic salvation . He is paying for the sins he committed from the past 300 years showing that sins are never left unpaid.

When Virginia prays and cries for the ghost, it leads to him to gain redemption. She thinks that now finally the ‘God has forgiven him’ when the almond tree blossoms.

Famous Quotes

“Death must be so beautiful. To lie in the soft brown earth, with the grasses waving above one's head, and listen to silence. To have no yesterday, and no tomorrow. To forget time, to forgive life, to be at peace.”

“He made me see what Life is, and what Death signifies, and why Love is stronger than both.”

The Bottom line

‘The Canterville Ghost’ is a light-hearted and interesting read. It makes you laugh, introspect, and compel you to think of the parallel dimension while keeping your eyeballs engaged in itself. 

This is really a great pick for the ones who admire humorous and superstitious thrilling experiences because this is really going to thrill you right from the beginning to the end.

My ratings for the book - 4 on 5

You can buy a copy from Amazon right away- The Canterville Ghost

Written By - Palak Chauhan

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COMMENTS

  1. Book Review

    The Canterville Ghost is my first full Oscar Wilde reading (I'm still in the middle of Dorian Gray) and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Oscar Wilde and a ghost story is the perfect combination.

  2. Book Review

    The Canterville Ghost is a story of contrast - American vs. British Society. When the story starts, the American minister, Mr Hiram B. Otis has purchased Canterville Chase, an English country house. Otis is warned by Lord Canterville that the house is haunted, but he doesn't believe in ghosts. This is not a typical ghost story.

  3. THE CANTERVILLE GHOST by Oscar Wilde, Book Review

    Firstly, a large portion of the hilarious narrative is from the viewpoint of the ghost of Sir Simon de Canterville who is immensely frustrated by the Otis family's arrival at his long-time home 'Canterville Chase'. Secondly, while the setting is definitely gothic this story actually lampoons traditional features of ghost stories; the ...

  4. The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde [Review]

    The Canterville Ghost (Review) The title might make you think that it is a ghost story that will induce a shiver down your spine. Well, sorry to break your bubble, but you are up for a major surprise. It is anything but scary! The introduction by Kaushal Goyal describes The Canterville Ghost as a study in contrasts.

  5. The Canterville Ghost Study Guide

    The best study guide to The Canterville Ghost on the planet, from the creators of SparkNotes. Get the summaries, analysis, and quotes you need. ... Although today's readers are most likely to encounter The Canterville Ghost as a standalone book, the novella was first published via installments in The Court and Society Review, a short-lived ...

  6. Mark Porton's review of The Canterville Ghost

    Mark Porton 's review. Sep 21, 2023. really liked it. bookshelves: classics, horror, mystery, oscar-wilde, romance, suspense. 7 notes & 16 highlights. The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde is a ghost story with a few surprises. Sure, it contains horror, as one would expect. Indeed, some moments are very chilling, but there's also suspense ...

  7. The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde

    Oscar Wilde. 3.88. 61,154 ratings4,206 reviews. This is Oscar Wilde's tale of the American family moved into a British mansion, Canterville Chase, much to the annoyance of its tired ghost. The family -- which refuses to believe in him -- is in Wilde's way a commentary on the British nobility of the day -- and on the Americans, too.

  8. Review: The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde

    October 19, 2010. The Canterville Ghost is a ghost story with a difference. It takes place in an English country house, Canterville Chase, which for centuries has been said to be haunted. When a rich American called Mr Otis moves into the house with his wife and children, Lord Canterville feels he should warn them about Sir Simon, the resident ...

  9. The Canterville Ghost Book Review #24

    The Canterville Ghost. Here's the blurb from Goodreads: This is Oscar Wilde's tale of the American family moved into a British mansion, Canterville Chase, much to the annoyance of its tired ghost. The family — which refuses to believe in him — is in Wilde's way a commentary on the British nobility of the day — and on the Americans, too.

  10. The Canterville Ghost Full Text and Analysis

    The Canterville Ghost. Wilde published "The Canterville Ghost" in 1887 at the end of the Victorian period. This short tale is a study in contrasts, simultaneously parodying the traditional ghost story and satirizing American values. While Wilde most obviously satirizes American materialism, English traditional culture is also fair game.

  11. The Canterville Ghost Analysis

    "The Canterville Ghost" is a study in contrasts. Wilde takes an American family, places them in a British setting, then, through a series of mishaps, pits one culture against the other.

  12. The Canterville Ghost Summary and Study Guide

    The Canterville Ghost, by Oscar Wilde, is a story about forgiveness, love, and the clash of Old World and New World beliefs. Through a satirical approach, Wilde highlights the shortcomings of each set of beliefs and how the characters overcome those shortcomings to bridge the two worlds. The story begins with Hiram Otis and Lord Canterville ...

  13. The Canterville Ghost

    "The Canterville Ghost" is a humorous short story 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 moved to a castle haunted by the ghost of a dead English nobleman, who killed his wife and was then walled in and starved to death by his wife's ...

  14. The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde: Summary and Analysis

    November 26, 2020. —. Fiction. The Canterville Ghost is a short story written by Oscar Wilde. It was first published in 1887. Unknown to many, this was his first published prose fiction work. Contrary to what the title of the story may suggest, this is a humorous story at the core of which lies the differences in the American and British culture.

  15. The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde Plot Summary

    The Canterville Ghost Summary. Mr. Hirsham B. Otis, an American minister, has just purchased an English estate named Canterville Chase from Lord Canterville, whose family has owned it for centuries. Everyone who's heard about the sale believes Mr. Otis to have made a mistake, because Canterville Chase is widely known to be haunted.

  16. The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde

    After the unfortunate accident to the Duchess, none of our younger servants would stay with us, and Lady Canterville often got very little sleep at night, in consequence of the mysterious noises that came from the corridor and the library.'. 'My Lord,' answered the Minister, 'I will take the furniture and the ghost at a valuation. I ...

  17. Book Review: 'The Canterville Ghost' by Oscar Wilde

    About the Book. Oscar Wilde's "The Canterville Ghost" is a lighthearted short story. It was Wilde's first story to be published, appearing in two parts in The Court and Society Review on February 23 and March 2, 1887. The plot revolves around an American family who relocate to a castle possessed by the ghost of a dead English nobleman who ...

  18. The Canterville Ghost

    Despite multiple warnings, Horace B. Otis and his family move to Canterville Chase, a sprawling English manor with a dark history and a lingering guest. From the brilliant mind of Oscar Wilde, The Canterville Ghost is an irreverent mix of horror and humor. Canterville Chase is an English estate known for its troubled past. It was previously owned by a nobleman, Sir Simon de Canterville, who ...

  19. The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde

    "The Canterville Ghost" is not a horror book as it said on the cover but it does have something to do with ghosts. When Mr. Otis and his family (Americans) bought a house in England, Mr. Otis was warned by the owner of the house that there is the ghost of Lord Canterville for 300 years. Lord Canterville was the founder of the house then.

  20. The Canterville 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 a family who moves 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.

  21. The Canterville Ghost

    The Canterville Ghost. Oxford University Press, 2002 - Fiction - 56 pages. 0 Reviews. Reviews aren't verified, but Google checks for and removes fake content when it's identified. Reading a complete story in English gives students a great sense of achievement -- and encourages them to read more. The Oxford Bookworms Library offers a variety of ...

  22. The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde

    Despite multiple warnings, Horace B. Otis and his family move to Canterville Chase, a sprawling English manor with a dark history and a lingering guest. From the brilliant mind of Oscar Wilde, The Canterville Ghost is an irreverent mix of horror and humor. Canterville Chase is an English estate known for its troubled past. It was previously owned by a nobleman, Sir Simon de Canterville, who ...

  23. The Canterville Ghost

    "The Canterville Ghost" is a short story by Oscar Wilde, widely adapted for the screen and stage. 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 a family who moves 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.