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Almost always when we think of Ghost Stories, we first think of those written by the Victorians. If you want a really good ghost story to bring that edge of chill, that foreboding of dread, that feeling that in an empty house we are not quite alone and that sometimes the sharp, sheer shock of what just happened is upon us then look no further than ‘The Victorian Ghost Story’ for your reading and listening pleasure.

Whatever the reasons given or proffered the reality and known facts are that if you want a really good ghost story to bring that edge of chill, that foreboding of dread, that feeling that in an empty house we are not quite alone and that sometimes the sharp, sheer shock of what just happened is upon us then look no further than ‘The Victorian Ghost Story’ for your listening pleasure.

This Victorian masterpiece of comic irony and unsentimental warmth has a force of nature at its core: headstrong Lucilla Marjoribanks. Mrs Oliphant’s unconventional and endearing heroine is ‘a woman with a mission’: she is determined to take charge of her widowed father and shape the social life of the community. With insight, tact and intelligence, she organises events, manages relationships, and guides the fates of those around her, all while remaining firmly in control of her own life.

Over the course of 47 years, Victorian writer Margaret Oliphant produced 120 novels, biographies, and histories, as well as hundreds of essays and book reviews. "She was of an intellect so alert," wrote J. M. Barrie, "that one wondered if she ever fell asleep." Widowed young, she was the sole support of her children and her nieces, whom her brother had abandoned: a powerful impetus for her prodigious output. The two novels included here reflect the difficulties that Victorian wives had when their lives took unexpected turns.

Step into the world of Miss Marjoribanks, one of the captivating entries in Margaret Oliphants Chronicles of Carlingford. Written between 1861 and 1876, this novel, alongside two short stories and five others, first graced the pages of the renowned Blackwoods Magazine. Oliphant, a prolific author of her time, often portrayed strong, independent women in her works. In fact, some have likened Miss Marjoribanks to a modern-day Emma from Jane Austens classic, though with a sharper focus, a resolute nature, and a strategic mindset that sets her apart. Join us as we explore the intricate social ...

Three BBC radio adaptations of famous novels by the prolific 19th-century author Mrs Oliphant - plus an episode of Reading Aloud, with extracts from her autobiography. Sometimes called ‘the feminist Trollope’, Margaret Oliphant wrote more than 100 works of fiction in a wide variety of genres, ranging from novels of small-town life to historical tales and supernatural stories. Included here are three of her best-loved works, brimming with dry wit, perceptive irony and flawed but fascinating heroines.

Hester (1883) is a dramatic story of female power and family tensions within Victorian society. Using her own money, Catherine Vernon manages to save the family bank from collapse after her cousin John absconds with some of its money. As the matriarch of Redborough, Catherine is used to commanding authority, but this is challenged with the arrival of John’s strong and capable teenage daughter, Hester. Ignorant of her father’s conduct, Hester takes against Catherine and a mutual antipathy soon sets in. A masterpiece of domestic realism, the novel is one of Mrs Oliphant’s most admired works.

Step into the world of mystery with Open Door and The Portrait, featuring two captivating tales by Margaret O. Oliphant that explore the realms of the seen and unseen. Originally published in 1881, these stories weave together eerie occurrences and profound insights, inviting listeners to experience the uncanny through the skilled narration of Gesine.

Journey through the legendary life and tragic death of Jeanne dArc, better known as Joan of Arc. As a teenager, Joan, guided by visions, was chosen by the future Charles VII of France to lift the siege of Orleans during the 100 Years War against England. In a matter of nine days, she steered the French army to a historic triumph, only to meet a cruel fate, burned at the stake for heresy. Although posthumously exonerated and canonized in 1920, her story has fascinated and inspired countless retellings. This podcast dives deep into the extraordinary life of this iconic figure. - Summary by Lynne...

Mortimer è un padre che ha portato la sua famiglia a vivere in un vecchio maniero scozzese. Un giorno, nelle vecchie rovine abbandonate di fianco alla casa, suo figlio inizia a sentire delle voci misteriose e subito dopo si ammala gravemente. Eppure il bambino non ha paura: piuttosto prova un enorme dolore per quell'apparizione, e disperato chiede al padre di risolvere il mistero e aiutare l'anima perduta a ritrovare la via.

Una stanza nascosta all'interno di un misterioso castello dalla forma tentacolare; una ragazza bellissima, apparsa dal nulla e impossibile da toccare; uno spirito misterioso che si manifesta nelle rovine di un vecchio maniero. Giocando sul contrasto tra la paura e il fascino dell'ignoto, in questa raccolta di racconti horror Margaret Oliphant sfrutta gli schemi classici del genere gotico in maniera innovativa, arricchendoli di descrizioni realistiche e suggestive che gettano il lettore al centro della storia, davanti al confine che separa sanità e follia.

Nessuno sa quando sia iniziata di preciso la leggenda della stanza segreta nel castello di Gowrie, eppure tutti la conoscono. Dopotutto, vista la forma irregolare del castello, le sue grandi dimensioni e la disposizione tentacolare degli alloggi, l'esistenza di una stanza del genere non sarebbe poi così improbabile, oltre che facile da nascondere. Si dice però che nessuno tranne il conte, il suo erede e un estraneo fidato ne conoscano la posizione.

Quest'anno i festeggiamenti di Natale nella casa di campagna dei Daintrey sono miti e contenuti, smorzati dalla tristezza per la recente morte del figlio maggiore di Sir Robert e Lady Beresford. Sono presenti solo amici intimi e parenti, incluso il giovane Edmond Coventry, guardia di Sir Robert. Un giardinetto recintato con al centro una grande urna collega il vialetto attorno alla casa; ed è nel giardino che Edmond incontra una bellissima ragazza vestita di bianco, che smuove il suo cuore come nessuna ha mai fatto prima.

Margaret Oliphant Wilson was born on 4th April 1828 in East Lothian in Scotland but spent her childhood in Midlothian, Glasgow and Liverpool. She wrote from a young age and in 1849 had her first novel about the Scottish Free Church movement, a cause her parents sympathized with, published. Her next, ‘Caleb Field’, a couple of years later, led to a lifelong association with Blackwood Magazine to which she contributed more than a 100 articles and reviews.

'The Library Window' is a ghost story. A young girl, visiting her aunt in Scotland, finds herself increasingly intrigued by a mysterious window in the house opposite her own favourite window, where she sits to read. There seems to be a local mystery about the window, including a dispute about whether there is even a window there at all. Increasingly this doubt seems odd to the girl as the days go by, as she can see into the room opposite and make out furniture and objects there. Then one day she sees someone in that room....

With the talents on display the most difficult task is choosing only ten. Their virtuosity, their craft and ambition scare belie the difficulties that society places upon most women. Their words cannot be denied, their literary heritage is safe forever.

Short stories have always been a sort of instant access into an author’s brain, their soul and heart. Whether they hail from the Lowlands or the Highlands, to be a Scottish author is to part of a quite an extraordinary band of authors and its literary traditions. These beguiling stories example the full range and majesty of their talents and the subjects they explore.

Almost always when we think of Ghost Stories, we first think of those written by the Victorians. Whatever the reasons given or proffered the reality and known facts are that if you want a really good ghost story to bring that edge of chill, that foreboding of dread, that feeling that in an empty house we are not quite alone and that sometimes the sharp, sheer shock of what just happened is upon us then look no further than ‘The Victorian Ghost Story’ for your listening pleasure.