The Stalls of
Barchester Cathedral
‘The cat was on the stairs tonight. I think it sits there always. There is no kitchen cat.’
The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral – M. R. James
Welcome to M. R. James month published late because it turns out it’s faster to read these stories than witter on about them.
So, I tackled The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral. A refreshingly different tale, pieced together by an unknown narrator (we must assume M. R. James himself) from the mysterious papers of the late Archdeacon Haynes of Barchester Cathedral. A man who died under mysterious circumstances. This doesn’t feel like a classic M. R. James set-up, but there are plenty of familiar touches: odd noises, whispers in the night, unsettling folklore.
I listened to this one. These stories work well read out loud, but there is something particular about Sir Michael Hordern reading the mysterious ‘papers’ of the questionable righteous Archdeacon Haynes that just works so well.
Verdict
*** (3 screaming nightmares out of 5)
Unsettling but so long as you’ve not arranged a murder recently it’s unlikely to keep you up at night.
M. R. James bingo
A different type of story this time: a shocking lack of academics on holiday and not a hint of golf.
Ditching friends or offers of company on holidayGetting into trouble on said holidayBook abuse- Ignoring the blindingly obvious hints of others
GolfInterfering with an archaeological site- 19th century snobbery
The Story
The story can be found in James’s anthology More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary (1911) and is included in many later collections of his stories. Depending on your country and copyright restrictions, you may be able to access the book legally and for free via Project Gutenberg.
The lovely people at literature wiki have put together a frighteningly detailed synopsis here.
K.M. Cooke 