The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain
The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain by Charles Dickens is a novella that tells the story of a man who is haunted by a ghost after he has lost his wife and daughter. The ghost offers him a bargain: if the man agrees to be haunted, the ghost will restore his deceased loved ones to life. The man agrees, but soon realizes that being haunted is not as easy as it seems. The story explores themes of grief, loss, and the supernatural.
By Charles Dickens · First published 1848 · Genre: Fiction, Ghost Story, Christmas Story · 3 chapters · 42,338 words
First lines
Everybody said so.
Far be it from me to assert that what everybody says must be true. Everybody is, often, as likely to be wrong as right. In the general experience, everybody has been wrong so often, and it has taken, in most instances, such a weary while to find out how wrong, that the authority is proved to be fallible. Everybody may sometimes be right; "but _that's_ no rule," as the ghost of Giles Scroggins says in the ballad.
What this Textopian page supports
The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain is listed on Textopian as a novel by Charles Dickens, dated 1848 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Novel
- Author: Charles Dickens
- Date: 1848 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Fiction, Ghost Story, Christmas Story, Victorian literature, Supernatural
- Length: 42,338 words
- Structure: 3 chapters, 856 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain by Charles Dickens
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain?
- How does this novel by Charles Dickens fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Fiction first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
- A Christmas Carol by Charles Kingsley
- Three Ghost Stories by Charles Dickens
- The Modern Scrooge by G. K. Chesterton
- The Childs Story 1852 by Charles Dickens
- A Ghost Child by Bernard Capes
- The Image Of The Lost Soul by Saki
Genres
- Fiction — The book utilizes imaginative narrative and is not based on real events or people. Consequently, it falls under the broader genre of 'Fiction'.
- Ghost Story — The central plot of the book revolves around a haunted man and a ghost, making it categorically a 'Ghost Story'.
- Christmas Story — The book is part of Dickens' series of 'Christmas Stories' and its plot unfolds around the Christmas season.
- Victorian literature — The book was written during the Victorian era and reflects the contemporary society, culture and moral concerns, making it a part of 'Victorian literature'.
Tags
ghosts · bargain · haunting · redemption · memory · Christmas · supernatural · fantasy · morality · self-reflection · time · regret