The Story Vinton Heard at Mallorie
Blanche Colton Williams’s study examines Miss Moseley’s war-time supernatural story as a ghost narrative shaped by a visitor from the spirit world. She compares its thematic device—the dead exerting power among the living—to Mr. Rhodes’s “Extra Men,” and cites Mr. O’Brien’s view of the story’s standing among war-related supernatural legends. Williams then maps the plot from Mallorie’s death through the mysterious aeronaut’s arrival and conduct at Mallorie Abbey to the revelation of his supernatural identity and disappearance. Her discussion of presentation explains how layered narration, the speakers’ declared credulity, the New England retelling of an English tale, and a stormy night collectively make the extraordinary incident more believable.
By Blanche Colton Williams · First published 1919 · Genre: Literary Analysis, Literary Criticism, Literary Essay · 459 words
First lines
In this work Miss Moseley has presented a story of the war, a narrative of the supernatural having points in common with Mr. Rhodes's "Extra Men. " In each, there is the spirit-world visitor, in each the truth conveyed by him which gives the story its thematic character, and in each the living power of the dead made manifest. As I have pointed out in "Representative Ghosts" (_The Bookman_, August, 1917), and elsewhere, mankind will be interested in ghosts so long as earth endures. The most decided impetus to fiction given by the war has been, so far, in the direction of the supernatural. It is interesting to know that Mr. O'Brien considers this and Frances Gilchrist Wood's "The White Battalion" the two most enduring legends contributed this year to the supernatural literature of the war.
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Genres
- Literary Analysis — The section systematically identifies plot stages and explains the story’s narrative presentation.
- Literary Criticism — Williams compares the work with other supernatural war narratives and evaluates its thematic methods.
- Literary Essay — The study combines concise argument, contextual commentary, and close discussion of technique.
- Non-Fiction — It is an expository section from a study volume rather than a work of fiction.
Tags
Blanche Colton Williams · Miss Moseley · war supernatural fiction · ghost story criticism · spirit-world visitor · plot structure · initial incident · climax · framed narration · credulity · Mallorie Abbey · Lieutenant Templar
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The Story Vinton Heard at Mallorie is listed on Textopian as an essay by Blanche Colton Williams, dated 1919 CE.
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- Work type: Essay
- Author: Blanche Colton Williams
- Date: 1919 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Literary Analysis, Literary Criticism, Literary Essay, Non-Fiction
- Length: 459 words
- Structure: 1 section, 6 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)
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