Miss Mary Pask by Edith Wharton
"Miss Mary Pask" by Edith Wharton is a ghost story that explores themes of memory, loneliness, and the supernatural. The narrator recounts an unsettling experience he had while traveling in Brittany. He visits the home of Mary Pask, the sister of his friend Grace Bridgeworth, after being urged by Grace to check on her lonely sister. Upon arrival, he is enveloped in a dense fog and eventually finds the house, where he is greeted by an old woman who lets him in. Inside, he encounters Mary Pask herself, despite having known that she had died the previous year. The encounter is eerie, as Mary speaks of her loneliness and the narrator is struck by the reality of her presence, despite her supposed death. The conversation reveals Mary's deep sense of isolation and her longing for connection, which she expresses in a way that blurs the line between the living and the dead. The narrator is deeply disturbed by the experience, questioning his own sanity and the nature of what he witnessed. He later learns from Grace that Mary had not died but had been in a cataleptic trance, a fact that had been widely reported but missed by him. This revelation adds a layer of ambiguity to the story, leaving the narrator and the reader to ponder the nature of Mary's existence and the boundaries between life and death. The story concludes with the narrator feeling a profound disinterest in Mary Pask, suggesting a resolution of his internal conflict but leaving the supernatural elements unresolved.
By Edith Wharton · First published 1893 · Genre: Gothic Fiction, Supernatural Fiction, Horror · 4 chapters · 7,795 words
First lines
It was not till the following spring that I plucked up courage to tell / Mrs. Bridgeworth what had happened to me that night at Morgat.
What this Textopian page supports
Miss Mary Pask is listed on Textopian as a short story by Edith Wharton, dated 1893 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Edith Wharton
- Date: 1893 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Gothic Fiction, Supernatural Fiction, Horror, Psychological Fiction, Mystery
- Length: 7,795 words
- Structure: 4 chapters, 107 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Miss Mary Pask by Edith Wharton
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Genres
- Gothic Fiction — The text features a haunting, eerie atmosphere, decaying settings, and an interplay between life and death characteristic of Gothic narratives.
- Supernatural Fiction — The apparent manifestation of Mary Pask as a ghost blurs the line between reality and the paranormal, central to supernatural storytelling.
- Horror — The presence of unsettling deaths, spectral figures, and a pervasive sense of dread evoke classic horror elements.
- Psychological Fiction — The protagonist's unreliable perception and inner turmoil from fever-induced hallucinations drive the narrative into the realm of psychological exploration.
Tags
Social Satire · Class Conflict · Gender Roles · Aristocratic Society · Constrained Relationships · Psychological Insight · Social Critique · Satirical Humor · Nineteenth Century · Tradition vs Modernity · Cultural Expectations · Inner Conflict