The Canterville Ghost

The Canterville Ghost is a popular 1887 novella by Oscar Wilde, widely adapted for the screen and stage.
“The Canterville Ghost” is a parody featuring a dramatic spirit named Sir Simon and the United States minister (ambassador) to the Court of St. James’s, Hiram B. Otis. Mr. Otis travels to England with his family and moves into a haunted country house. Lord Canterville, the previous owner of the house, warns Mr. Otis that the ghost of Sir Simon de Canterville has haunted it ever since he killed his wife, Eleonore, three centuries before. But Mr. Otis dismisses the ghost story as bunk and disregards Lord Canterville’s warnings. When the Otises learn that the house is indeed haunted, they succeed in victimizing the ghost and in disregarding age-old British traditions. What emerges is a satire of American materialism, a lampoon of traditional British values, and an amusing twist on the traditional gothic horror tale.

Canterville Chase possesses all of the trappings of a standard haunted country house—including large suits of armor and Gothic paneled library walls. However, it soon becomes difficult to ignore the spooky signs that “Sir Simon” is haunting the house—the usual Halloween fare of rattling chains and bloodstains. Surprisingly, and hilariously, the Otises, a modern American family, refuse to be scared; despite all of Sir Simon’s best flamboyant efforts and costume changes: stain remover is deployed to clean bloodstains, and oil is applied to clanking chains. Instead, the poor revenant is faced with practical jokes from the two young twins in the family—and seeks solace by befriending 15-year-old Virginia instead. Told from the unusual point of view of the ghost rather than the haunted party, it bears the trademark Wildean moral message but the message is carried lightly in this entertaining, amusing, and heart-warming Christmas story. Two other Wilde short stories are included: “The Sphinx Without a Secret” and “Lord Arthur Saville’s Crime.”