disscusscantervilee ghost as a ghost story
Albeit being a parody of the genre, Oscar Wilde's The Canterville Ghost is primarily a ghost story in itself - employing the motifs that a conventional ghost story would have. The story is set at Canterville Chase, an old, dark Tudor hall with an ominous atmosphere. The Otis' entry into the house is marked by a sudden overcast sky, a "curious stillness" all around and a "great flight of rooks" - all signs usually signalling a place to be haunted. Sir Simon de Canterville, the resident ghost, has a gruesome history as befits him - he had murdered his wife. So is his appearance, consisting of burning eyes, grey and matted hair, ragged clothes and chains on his limbs. His behaviour in his past terrified the past occupants of the house to hysterics and even death. His 'performances' as the 'Headless Earl', the 'Strangled Babe' or the 'Blood-Sucker of Bexley Moor' would be worthy of any ghost story that was worth its salt, despite falling short of modern technology which is ushered into the house by the Otis family. Lastly, the story also follows the traditional structure of a ghost story - it begins with unsuspecting family putting up at a haunted place, followed by horrific incidents (the blood stain in the library, the ghost's demonic laughter) which is then explained with a history of the haunting (Sir Simon's guilty of his wife's murder) and finally the exorcism of the ghost by one brave soul (in this case, Virginia helping the ghost to end his curse). Possibly because it is also a successful ghost story that The Canterville Ghost also succeeds as a parody.