The Upper Berth
The story follows a young Englishman, Stephen Phillips, who is traveling by steamship from England to New York. On the voyage, he is assigned a cabin with an upper berth, which is said to be haunted by the ghost of a woman who committed suicide in the cabin years before. Stephen is initially skeptical of the stories, but soon begins to experience strange and frightening occurrences in his cabin. He is visited by a mysterious woman in white, and is plagued by nightmares and strange noises. As the voyage progresses, Stephen's fear and paranoia increase, and he begins to believe that the ghost of the woman is trying to drive him to suicide. In the end, Stephen is able to confront the ghost and discover the truth behind her death. He is able to free her spirit and put her to rest, and in the process, he is able to overcome his own fear and paranoia.
By F. Marion Crawford · First published 1885 · Genre: Gothic Fiction, Horror, Mystery · 4 chapters · 8,684 words
First lines
Somebody asked for the cigars. We had talked long, and the conversation was beginning to languish; the tobacco smoke had got into the heavy curtains, the wine had got into those brains which were liable to become heavy, and it was already perfectly evident that, unless somebody did something to rouse our oppressed spirits, the meeting would soon come to its natural conclusion, and we, the guests, would speedily go home to bed, and most certainly to sleep. No one had said anything very remarkable; it may be that no one had anything very remarkable to say. Jones had given us every particular of his last hunting adventure in Yorkshire. Mr. Tompkins, of Boston, had explained at elaborate length those working principles, by the due and careful maintenance of which the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad not only extended its territory, increased its departmental influence, and transported live stock without starving them to death before the day of actual delivery, but, also, had for years succeeded in deceiving those passengers who bought its tickets into the fallacious belief that the corporation aforesaid was really able to transport human life without destroying it. Signer Tombola had endeavoured to persuade us, by arguments which we took no trouble to oppose, that the unity of his country in no way resembled the average modern torpedo, carefully planned, constructed with all the skill of the greatest European arsenals, but, when constructed, destined to be directed by feeble hands into a region where it must undoubtedly explode, unseen, unfeared, and unheard, into the illimitable wastes of political chaos.
What this Textopian page supports
The Upper Berth is listed on Textopian as a novel by F. Marion Crawford, dated 1885 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Novel
- Author: F. Marion Crawford
- Date: 1885 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Gothic Fiction, Horror, Mystery, Romance
- Length: 8,684 words
- Structure: 4 chapters, 276 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Upper Berth by F. Marion Crawford
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
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Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering The Upper Berth?
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Similar titles
- The Shadows On The Wall by Mary E. Wilkins
- The Judges House by Bram Stoker
- Where Terror Lurked by Perley Poore Sheehan
- Across The Moors by William Fryer Harvey
- The Flayed Hand by Guy De Maupassant
- The Botathen Ghost by R. S. Hawker
Genres
- Gothic Fiction — The Upper Berth is a classic example of Gothic fiction, with its mysterious and suspenseful plot, supernatural elements, and dark themes of death and the afterlife.
- Horror — The Upper Berth contains many elements of horror, such as its eerie atmosphere, supernatural occurrences, and suspenseful plot.
- Mystery — The Upper Berth is a mystery novel, as it follows the protagonist's attempts to uncover the truth behind the strange occurrences in the upper berth of the ship.
- Romance — The Upper Berth contains some romantic elements, such as the protagonist's relationship with his wife and the love story between two of the characters.
Tags
horror · supernatural · ghost story · mystery · suspense · sea voyage · Victorian literature · psychological · narrative · isolation · fear · haunting