The Wrong Turning by Stephen Johnson

The Wrong Turning by Stephen Johnson

Introduced and edited by broadcaster Stephen Johnson, a curated selection of chilling ghost stories from world literature. Why do people love ghost stories, even if they don't believe (or say they don't believe) in ghosts? Is it simply the adrenaline rush that comes from being mesmerized and terrified by a great storyteller, or do these tales yield deeper meanings--tell us things about our own inner shadows? Stephen Johnson brings together some of the most memorable encounters with ghosts in world literature, from Europe, Russia, the United States, and thirteenth-century China. Recurring themes and imagery are noted, interpretations suggested--but only suggested: ambiguity and resistance to rational interpretation are key elements in the best ghost stories. As the writer Robert Aickman observed, often the decisive moment comes when someone, somehow, makes a wrong turning literally perhaps, but at the same time psychologically, even morally--and some mysterious nemesis take over. Old favorites by M. R. James, Sheridan Le Fanu, Bram Stoker, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman are interlaced with extracts from longer works by Emily Bronte, Henry James, Alexander Pushkin, and Susan Hill, along with slightly left-field apparitions from Thomas Mann, Tove Jansson, and Flann O'Brien. With such expert guides, who knows what we will be led to encounter in the haunted chambers of our minds?

Stephen Johnson has taken part in several hundred radio programs and documentaries, including Radio 3's weekly series Discovering Music. He is also a presenter on the Classic Arts podcast series Archive Classics. Johnson has made numerous appearances on TV, contributing as a guest on BBC4's coverage of The Proms, ITV's The South Bank Show, and BBC1's The One Show. He is the author of several books, including The Eighth: Mahler and the World in 1910 and the Notting Hill Editions title How Shostakovich Changed My Mind.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781912559305
ISBN 10	1912559307
Title	The Wrong Turning
Author	Stephen Johnson
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Notting Hill Editions
Year published	2021-10-05
Number of pages	184
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.