A ghost story for Christmas

December 23, 2022 ~ Duncan J. Rule ~ 1 Comment

It has been well over a year since I made my last post here, and for that I must apologise to regular readers. As I mentioned in my most recent update back in September 2021, I had at that time begun a programme of postgraduate study, and it transpires that such an undertaking leaves little time for extracurricular pursuits when combined with a full-time job and family life. This situation is likely to continue into the latter parts of 2023, but following that I hope to return to a schedule of more regular updates on various Jamesian topics as I have many ideas in mind to pursue.

Nevertheless, for now I would like to share a ghostly (although admittedly non-Jamesian) tale with you all for the “dark season”. I have for some time now volunteered with Cambridgeshire Archives, the local authority archive for the county, in support of my studies. Each April, ARA Scotland, part of the wider Archives & Records Association, conducts a social media outreach campaign titled #Archive30 in which archives nationwide are encouraged to select and publicise thirty items from their collections related to a particular daily theme. One such theme of the 2022 campaign was “something scary”, and given my own interests I was tasked with creating a reading of a series four of ghostly 18th century letters.

The letters in question were penned in 1717 by the British Orientalist Simon Ockley, who at the time was imprisoned in Cambridge Castle as a debtor, and addressed to an acquaintance named as “Dr. Keith” (presumably James Keith, M.D., as indicated by the catalogue entry for three further letters held in the British Museum’s archive). In his correspondence Ockley recounts a series of supposed encounters with a malevolent spirit inhabiting the castle during his incarceration. Unfortunately due to their nature as real letters rather than a transcribed story, the final entry brings little resolution to the matter. The originals can be found within the Cambridgeshire Archives collections in a large volume of compiled original documents and transcripts titled Miscellanea Book ‘C’ (ref. no. City/PB Volume 31), within the wider Cambridge Borough: Palmer Barnard Volumes series.

My readings were originally uploaded to the Cambridgeshire Archives social media accounts episodically in four parts, but below I present the full recording. I must warn you that I am certainly no actor, but I hope you enjoy my own attempt at a ghost story for Christmas.

Duncan J. Rule.

‘Account of a Spirit in Cambridge Castle’ – An 18th century ghost story.
Transcribed, performed and edited by Duncan J. Rule. © Antiquarian Ghosts, 2022.

Jamesian News – February ’21

February 25, 2021July 21, 2021 ~ Duncan J. Rule ~ Leave a comment

Just a short post today to bring you all three pieces of exciting news for the M. R. James aficionado:

Fans of the long running A Ghost Story For Christmas strand will be delighted to learn that writer/director Mark Gatiss will be making a return to BBC Two this Christmas with another Jamesian adaptation, The Mezzotint. Details have just been revealed following completion of principal photography, which, judging from the slate pictured on the BBC website, took place entirely last week.

The Mezzotint (2021) - © BBC/Can Do Productions/Adorable Media — *The Mezzotint* (2021) – © BBC/Can Do Productions/Adorable Media

Rory Kinnear will star as the protagonist and recipient of the titular mezzotint, Mr. Williams, and Robert Bathurst will fill the role of Mr. Garside. The BBC press release also revealed the names of an additional five cast members, including Frances Barber as a “Mrs. Ambrigail”, suggesting a significant expansion on James’ original story and, I expect, a dramatisation of the actual events depicted in the haunted print. While some will no doubt find issue with these changes, it seems to me a justifiable direction to take when attempting to translate this particular story to the screen. Despite some alterations I’ve largely enjoyed Mr. Gatiss’ previous adaptations and am keen to see what he does with The Mezzotint. It’s no bad thing that those of us interested in James have such a high-profile individual willing and able to get these dramatic works commissioned in the first place for us all to enjoy, and I was most disappointed we missed out on a new entry into the series in 2020.

Continuing the theme of adaptations of James’ works, director Chris Crow has just announced a new feature-length adaptation of James’ classic A Warning to the Curious, currently in development and scheduled to begin shooting this coming winter. According to the post on Chris’ website, the film “embraces the original story whilst elevating the Folk Horror and Psychological Horror elements”. What this means for adherence to the spirit of the original tale remains to be seen, but I will certainly be following this project with interest.

Finally, and slightly late, is news that Dr. Jane Mainley-Piddock’s new book Casting the Runes: The Letters of M. R. James, which I have discussed previously, achieved its funding goal through crowd-funded publisher Unbound toward the end of January, and is now in the writing stage. The most recent update from the start of February provides an insight into the current state of progress with the transcriptions. Following the funding goal announcement, Dr. Mainley-Piddock has also revealed that the aforementioned MRJ superfan Mark Gatiss will be providing a foreword to the completed book.

Casting the Runes: The Letters of M. R. James, edited by Jane Mainley-Piddock - © Unbound/Jane Mainley-Piddock — *Casting the Runes: The Letters of M. R. James*, edited by Jane Mainley-Piddock – © Unbound/Jane Mainley-Piddock

Although the funding target has now been met, there is still time to back the project and receive one of the numerous available rewards should you wish to. Full details (along with updates) can be found on the project’s page over on Unbound.

Duncan J. Rule.

Updates for January ’21

January 6, 2021July 21, 2021 ~ Duncan J. Rule ~ Leave a comment

Welcome back for the first post of the new year, in the depths of the dark season. I had originally begun to put something together for a planned pre-Christmas post, but it ended up a somewhat directionless ramble on the BBC’s A Ghost Story for Christmas strand that I ultimately decided not to publish. While enough has probably been said about that particular series over the years, I’m sure that I’ll return to the subject in detail at some point when I’m able to organise my thoughts on it slightly more coherently.

Nevertheless, as is traditional over the festive period I did sit down to re-watch many of the classic MRJ adaptations that make up the bulk of the AGSfC strand thanks to the DVD set released several years ago by the BFI, as well as the repeat of Mark Gatiss’ 2019 adaptation of Martin’s Close on BBC Two on Christmas Eve. I always find it difficult to choose a favourite from the series (leaving the 1968 Whistle… to one side in this instance as it’s technically not part of the series proper), although I increasingly find myself drawn to The Stalls of Barchester as my go-to adaptation, in no small part due to the beautifully dark cinematography made possible by the somewhat unusual decision to shoot both interiors and exteriors on film rather than video (a trait thankfully carried through the original run). Generally the series’ low points are few, although for some reason I also decided to watch the decidedly un-Jamesian original story The Ice House again, which left me feeling as bored and confused as I have been on all previous viewings. A somewhat sad way to officially end the original series, but at least we have 1979’s Schalcken the Painter which may as well have been an episode and provides a more fitting conclusion. I’d love to know my readers’ favourite adaptations, so please leave a comment below with yours.

Over the last couple on months I’ve also developed a bit of a backlog of books to add to the collection pages, and have made an initial update with four newly acquired titles – James’ manuscript catalogue for Queens’ College; a copy of Arthur Christopher Benson as seen by some friends, which features a contribution by MRJ on his late friend; a bound volume XXII of the Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and Natural History, which contains a short catalogue by Monty of Mss. in Ipswich Public Library; and finally a copy of the sole published work of James’ father Herbert, The Country Clergyman and his Work.

^{New M. R. James acquisitions, November/December 2020}

I have a number of others to add over the coming weeks, including a copy of the Eton College catalogue of Mss. received as a Christmas gift, which contains a number of interesting letters relating to some research carried out in the early 1970s. I’m planning to put together a more detailed piece on this particular acquisition in due course.

Duncan J. Rule.