Supernatural Tales

by Vernon Lee

Book Overview

Penned at a time when the literature of the fantastic was at its peak, this chilling collection of eerie tales fuses the fantastic with the decadent, creating new artistic forms redolent with satanic... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0099575205
• ISBN13: 9780099575207
• Release Date: March 1989
• Publisher: Random House (UK)
• Weight: 0.42 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Six Intriguing Tales - Italian Art, Music, Architecture, and Horror

This collection, Supernatural Tales - Excursions into Fantasy, offers six intriguing stories by Vernon Lee: Prince Alberic and the Snake Lady, A Wedding Chest, Amour Dure, A Wicked Voice, The Legend of Madame Krasinska, and The Virgin of the Seven Daggers. A lengthy introduction is provided by Irene Cooper Willis. These tales were written from 1881 to 1913 and have appeared in various collections. Five of these stories take place in Italy; decaying mansions and aging ruins seem somber and vaguely menacing. Vernon Lee's detailed descriptions of faded tapestries, darkened paintings, and crumbling architecture reflect her life long passion for Italian art, music, and architecture. The setting for the last story, The Virgin of the Seven Daggers, is in Grenada in the reign of Philip IV. Prince Alberic and the Snake Lady: A worn and discolored tapestry depicting a disturbing vision - a woman that is part reptilian - fascinates unduly, almost obsessively, the young Prince Alberic, grandson to Duke Balthasar. A Wedding Chest: This short tale reveals the ghastly history of art auction item no. 428, a much stained and damaged coffer intended for garments and jewels of a bride. Lee's imaginative tale is one of kidnapping and murder. Amour Dure: This is a classic story of the evil that dieth not, and is perhaps the most frightening in this collection. A visiting scholar becomes increasingly obsessed with the legend of Medea Malatesta, a dangerous, seductively beautiful woman whose lovers remained hopelessly faithful until their death, even when betrayed and dying under torture. A Wicked Voice: The singer Balthasar Cesari, known popularly as Zaffrino, was said to have made a pact with the devil in return for vocal gifts greater than any singer, ancient or modern. A visiting Norwegian composer unwisely scoffs at this legend. The Legend of Madame Krasinka: It is said that on occasion the dead are forgiving for abuse and mistreatment in life. Perhaps. The Virgin of the Seven Daggers: Don Juan Gusman del Pulgar, count of Miramor, in his prayers admits that he has committed every crime without faltering, including murder, perjury, blasphemy, and sacrilege; he only asks of Madonna of the Seven Daggers to save him from eternal fire. In return, he promises to assert by tongue and sword to all that no lady was ever so fair as our Lady of the Seven Daggers. This account relates the rather unusual circumstances in which Don Juan honors his promise. Another Recommendation: A Dover publication, Five Victorian Ghost Novels (edited by E. F. Bleiler), includes a ghost novel by Vernon Lee. A Phantom Lover (1890) is quite remarkable for its detailed characterizations and psychological complexity. It would not be an exaggeration to compare A Phantom Lover with the literary ghost stories by Henry James. Much like The Turn of the Screw, this short novel engenders multiple interpretations and warrants repeated readings. A Phantom Lover was also published under the t