Ghost Stories by M. R. James Vol 1
Written by M. R. James. Read by Derek Jacobi
BBC - 2007
Audio Download - Unabridged
As previously mentioned in other
posts, I've been listening to a lot of M. R. James readings and dramatizations
recently. I’m not entirely sure why he’s become a bit of a lure for me
now, after all these years of my being generally indifferent to him, but I'm
going to carry on and see where it takes me next. Perhaps it is just to
do with getting old and dealing with the inevitable, as I suggested previously
but I think there might be a little more to it than that. He feels
like a foundation stone, or at least a very significant strata through late 20th
century culture. And I think I want to fully understand what that means;
what his work is built upon and what has been built upon it, afterwards.
The theories are coalescing, and I'll come back to them when they are
fully formed.
The latest collection
to fall into my ears are all read by Derek Jacobi, who masterfully narrates his
way through five stories of varying length.
These are; A View from A Hill and The Ash Tree, which I have
encountered before in other forms. And Rats, A School Story and The
Story Of A Disappearance, which are all new to me.
If my audible history is correct then I’ve previously listened
to five M. R. James, stories read by David Suchet and I didn’t imagine these
could be bettered by anyone else but if I was forced to make a preference now,
I would have to go with Jacobi. There is just that little bit more of a performance
to his readings, almost as if he was standing upon stage doing them as part of
a one man show. I can almost see his
arms moving about, his face contorting through emotions and the wicked glint in
his eye as he delivers the denouement. But
that could just be my preference and I would recommend either actors readings as
a great way to introduce yourself to these ghost stories.
There's a volume 2 in the audible library awaiting my attention some time soon but for now the next haunted old pile I'm off to investigate is Fetch Priory and the second coming of the Fendahl.
Steve
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