You are a bright light that has seen many people through some dark days. Thankyou!

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

That's very kind of you to say, thank you Blue bird!

@ramblingirl1

2 жыл бұрын

I agree.

@cynthiaholland13

2 жыл бұрын

So very true!

@colemarie9262

2 жыл бұрын

Also have to agree.

@auntyJanette

2 жыл бұрын

Beautifully said 💛💛💛 And so very true.

Your voice and delivery does full justice to Le Fanu, one of the greatest in the line. Just the right tinge of spooky depth to a soberly told story.... Well done as always!

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you @blixten2928, appreciated. Thanks for listening and for your kind words

This allows us to engage in the tradition of ghost stories at Christmas time - if not on Christmas Eve. As always, I’m going to save this for night time with the accompanying cup of hot tea. One has to do these things right - since you do. Thank you.

@michellebastiani6470

2 жыл бұрын

I have playlists of 4 specific channels of ghost stories. I get to 300 stories and I make a new sleepytime playlist. I'm gonna be starting my 4th soon 💀 lol. It's my favorite part of night time.

@chrisnorman9980

2 жыл бұрын

I have favorite channels of ghost stories on You Tube but nothing really organized. I like the Victorian and Edwardian ghost stories the best - especially when they’re read by Simon. There are some other good narrators out there but none that come close to him. Simon’s in a class by himself. I don’t like a lot of the newer ghost stories - they lack the atmosphere of these classics and are frequently either too grizzly or depressing to be fun - IMHO.

@michellebastiani6470

2 жыл бұрын

@@chrisnorman9980 I absolutely love everything narrated by Simon but especially A Christmas Carol nobody even comes close to doing the absolute perfection he did narrating that story. But horrorbabble and encrypted two other really good channels as well as Ghost Stories podcast. And those are for the only four channels that I listen to. The three I mentioned are also narrated and ran by gentleman that write their own stories as well and all three of them are very good writers in my opinion.

@chrisnorman9980

2 жыл бұрын

Yes - Ian does a good job on Horror Babble. I think it’s a combination of Simon’s voice - his reading (that doesn’t sound like he’s reading but a one man play) and his story choices put his channel on the top. For a different kind of scary story - I like “Bedtime Stories” and their fantastic artwork. I also just started listening to Unclassified Encounter - which is so far - so very good.

@michellebastiani6470

2 жыл бұрын

@@chrisnorman9980 thank you I'll check that channel out. And yes Simon is just absolutely amazing I listen to A Christmas Carol again this year because like I said before he blew it out of the water. You're totally correct in saying he's comparative to a one-man show. I absolutely love how he does such different voices for every character in A Christmas Carol. But what made me fall in love with his version of A Christmas Carol the most is the voice and laugh that he does for Scrooge's nephew I absolutely love it I can't help but to smile when I hear him do Scrooge's nephews voice and laugh. Thank you Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to ya 🎄🎁☃️

This story was so good, and so expertly read that it not only gave me chills, but made me think what an amazing opera it would make. I could hear in my head, the love duet between Sutherland and Pavarotti, the uncle of baritone - maybe Robert Merrill, the evil living corpse of the basso profundo. The choruses, duets, quartet!!! Ah😮 And, of course, a magnificent mad scene for the soprano! Now you see what you’ve done?😅😂😮

@BitesizedAudio

Жыл бұрын

What a wonderful idea, I'd love to see/hear that!

@tesshiva

8 ай бұрын

What a brilliant idea!

SPOILER ALERT: Do not read until after you've listened to the story! I've read this story several times and with each reading I'm struck by how truly horrifying it is. Rose, young and lovely and innocent, being cold-bloodedly sold by her uncle to a dreadful walking revenant. How casually was she disposed of by her guardian/uncle, and by the man who claimed to love her! The dinner party scene with the dead-undead suiter is unexpectedly funny, but the ending, oh, that ending. Even in her obvious terror, suffering from want of nourishment, her uncle muses that she's probably been confined to a lunatic asylum for her own good and has managed to escape. And the ONE thing she asks, that she begs and pleads for--that she not be left alone for any reason until the priest comes to aid her--even that her bumbling, idiotic uncle (genius painter though he be) manages to fail at, to disastrous end. Of course her smile for the dreaming Schalken was arch. "See how you failed me," it says. "If Uncle hadn't sold me, if you had been strong enough to defy convention and declare your love for me, if either of you had listened to my desperate pleas when I came to you for help, you could have save me. But... you didn't." Of all the characters Le Fanu has written, none make me so itch to give them a good hard slap as Gerard and Schalken. Poor, doomed Rose.

@ipsygypsy16

2 жыл бұрын

This is a work of fiction. But to think that there was a time when such incidences were, indeed, common place occurence for the upper class society, makes me really mad.

@shannondore

2 жыл бұрын

It's a great story and I know you're excited about it but you should edit this to say "Spoilers!" At the beginning of your comment so anyone who hasn't heard this can enjoy it without knowing what going to happen. It's just a kind thing to do.😊

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

@NepentheBlue Yes I agree, it's very dark and horrifying. I also think it's interesting how little insight we're really given into Schalken's feelings and reaction (or lack of!). As you say, pretty frustrating for the audience/reader...

@NepentheBlue

2 жыл бұрын

@@shannondore Yes, I meant to add a spoiler tag and forgot. Just edited to fix that.

@NepentheBlue

2 жыл бұрын

@@BitesizedAudio Please accept my apology if it sounded as if I didn't enjoy the story. I did, very much. It's a story that has lost nothing of its ability to frighten, though much time has passed since Le Fanu first wrote it. And your narration was superb--as always--particularly Rose's terrified pleas for help! I've always wondered if Le Fanu wrote this particular story as a way of illustrating the danger of choosing a woman's husband *for her* with no thought for what sort of person the potential suitor really is. And apologies for forgetting to add a spoiler notice at the beginning of my initial comment. It was late for me and I dashed off the comment without considering that. I enjoy your work immensely and each time I get a new notification, I know my evening's entertainment is taken care of. I hope you have a lovely Christmas. xo and cheers from America.

That was awesome Mr. Simon. The way you bring these old stories to life is amazing. Can't wait for next one.

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks AA!

This is the first Victorian Ghost story that I ever read 5 years ago. I have seen the movies, The Exorcist, Halloween, Rosemary baby. But this Victorian Ghost story scared me to death. Why at first I did not know. I had my 21 year old intern at work read it and he said Wow, the guy is a Zombie. I hate zombies. During lunch, I gave a summary of this Ghost Story to the luncheon ladies. Oh my, the ladies argue and yell about poor Rose. The uncle FAILED poor Rose 3 times. He never had this guy Mr. V investigated. He sold her to a fiend. When she escaped, she pleaded do not leave her alone in the room and he did. I read other Le Fanu stories and they are also scary and thought provoking. Well done Simon!

Great reading, thanks. "Schalken the Painter" really does conjure up a Rembrandt or Vermeer, doesn't it? It's certainly a story of dark rooms. I remember "Schalcken the Painter" (with the additional "c") was televised as part of Omnibus almost exactly 42 years ago. I wasn't allowed to stay up and watch it back in 1979, but have seen it since. It's incredibly faithful to the story. Jeremy Clyde was Schalcken, Maurice Denham was Gerrit Dou, John Justin was Vanderhausen and Cheryl Kennedy Rose. It wasn't exactly "A Ghost Story for Christmas" of that era, but it might just as well have been. What a wonderful source of language of the time the story has. I've been checking some of it out. One fabulous phrase is .."his ample Flemish inexpressibles." Apparently this refers to trousers of the time which bore this name because they were so tight they left nothing to the imagination. It seems Schalken's were ample, so he probably wasn't doing so bad! An idiom that caught my eye was "..over head and ears." Maybe a precursor to "head over ears", finally settling at "head over heels"?

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Yes indeed it is a great adaptation. I understand it's part of the old 'Omnibus' series, as incidentally was the Jonathan Miller/Michael Hordern adaptation of 'Oh Whistle' some years earlier, so both were separate from the 'Ghost Story for Christmas' series, although of course still produced by the BBC

Quite a story! Very unique. Thanks Simon.

Brilliant story! Looking forward to this - thank you and best wishes to you for Christmas!

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Ross, same to you!

Wonderful to knit in front of an open fire as the light dims at the end of the day, listening to these atmospheric tales. Thank you.

Thank you!

What a tragic tale! Thank you very much.

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

It is quite a bleak one, isn't it? Thanks for listening Susan

Whata guy!! this is the best site on KZread. Thank you for such generosity

Oh, classy in/outro music, that's nice...this story is genuinely a little frightening, but perhaps that's because I listened to 'The Man With The Nose' recently and/or because we're still telling that same story century after century, both in horror and real life: the one where a woman's will (or teenage girl's in this case) gets pushed aside and her observation of danger dismissed as hysterical by the men around her, then she suffers the exact consequences she foresaw. It's painful. I don't know if the souless-yet-cheerful glimpse of Rose at the end makes the coda better or worse, really.

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Interesting, I was reminded of 'The Man with the Nose' too (written incidentally by Le Fanu's niece, Rhoda Broughton) and wondered if this story had inspired it... just as there's another later echo in E. F. Benson's 'The Face'. Appreciate your thoughtful comments, thank you

When I happened upon this unique channel, I felt like I'd been given a time machine, a wardrobe with that doorway into timeless Narnia for aren't ghost stories generated in childhood? And I am an unrepentant lover of English, beautifully written and here narrated by a delightful host who seems to be of that time. Here's to the boogeyman under the dust ruffle and all the varied, women and men who never regarded a good fright, lesser literature. Merry Christmas, All the Best for 2022, you've given respite to many through fiction, in the time of a very real virus and helped the sick and or worried get enjoyment in perhaps long, worrisome, days of unemployment. Namaste. A fan from Canada.

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

What a lovely comment, thank you so much. All best wishes for Christmas and the New Year

What a tragic story. Inspite of his uneasiness at the groom, he still gave his niece away to such a character. Really feel sorry for Rose to be married to the dead. Could her fear of this figure in the church conjure him to come after her.

@Frenchblue8

2 жыл бұрын

Good point, you could be right

I’m re-listening to all of Simon’s stories because no one does it better. Arizona, USA.

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Absolutely fabulous work as usual! I wouldn’t accept I mean expect anything less from you! You are so unique and you have a voice that is particularly suited to reading works from this era! It’s great being Irish to hear of another Irish success story! Particularly from this period, I know Oscar Wilde was Irish but recently I found out that people were prejudiced against Irish and black people and even dogs!!! I couldn’t believe it! Anyway yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is the gift! Elanore Roosevelt! Anyway great job Simon and many thanks and blessings galore! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Yes indeed, there were so many great Irish writers in this era - Le Fanu himself was from a literary family, being the great-nephew of the playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan (which is where the 'Sheridan' bit of his name came from), plus as you say several later playwrights such as Oscar Wilde, and George Bernard Shaw. And several of the very best ghost and horror story authors of the 19th century were Irish: just from the ones I've covered so far on the channel, we have Charlotte Riddell, B. M. Croker, Bram Stoker, Rosa Mulholland, L. T. Meade, M. McDonnell Bodkin, plus Allen Upward (actually born in Wales, but educated in Dublin)... Thanks as always for listening Maria, glad you enjoyed it

@mariameere5807

2 жыл бұрын

@@BitesizedAudio no thank you and thank you for that extra information! This channel has increased my vocabulary and my knowledge of literature! Love it! Enjoy the rest of your weekend! Keep up the good work!🕊🤍🕊

A favourite story of mine. I have always thought it genuinely unsettling. This is a really welcome new narration of a story that has been inexplicably absent from the ever increasing number of audiobook anthologies of classic weird tales. From memory this is only the third audio version I've found and is right up there with my previous favourite. As with all of the narrations I've had the pleasure of listening to over the last week, yes I'm new here, the readers tone and metre never feels at odds with the story. In my opinion the very best narration is one that you hardly even notice, the story is all you experience. A very subtle art indeed. Thank you 'Sir reader' for giving me a chance to enjoy a favourite story read beautifully. Lovely and creepy.

@BitesizedAudio

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for listening, and for your kind feedback, much appreciated. Best wishes

A superlative, "spook" channel and the language, ahem, most assuredly for the discerning listener! Many thanks for many nights of ghastly! visitations etc. I wish you continued success and A Very Dickensian Christmas! I can't think of one anachronistic adjective- one, sir, to melt your mustache wax! Curse covid and outwit omicron. Namaste from a Devotee from Canada.

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you kindly! Best wishes to you, Happy Christmas

Happy Christmas all have fun and keep smiling Great story

Amazing! So different from all the other stories! Thanks, Simon ❤

@BitesizedAudio

11 ай бұрын

Thanks for listening. Glad you enjoyed it!

One of my favourite ghost stories, brilliantly told

@BitesizedAudio

Жыл бұрын

Thank you Stephen, appreciated

Yet another magnificent reading. Very pleasurable. Thank you.

Wonderful story and brilliant narration as always. Have a Merry Christmas and many blessings in the New Year!

Greag narration as always. Thanks so much Mr Simon! .

I love all the Bitesized productions, especially the M R James, but I think this one triumphs over all of them. It's really absolutely excellent!!! My ghost story for Christmas. Thankyou so much. x

Thanks , Simon ! Always enjoy your stuff !

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Glad to know that, thank you kindly Jeff!

Love... Thank you!

These are so well done! Thank you!

@BitesizedAudio

7 ай бұрын

Thanks for listening

The story and narration complement each other. Class.

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Sean, much appreciated!

How AMAZING Simon. Brilliant.

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Carol, glad you enjoyed it

Another great reading of one of my favourite stories. Good choice for this time of year. (the tale adapted for a BBC ghost story for Christmas. that wasn't officially part of the BBC's "A Ghost Story for Christmas" ). And one of my favourite Godfried Schalken paintings in the thumbnail too.

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Simon. Yes indeed, I believe it was part of the 'Omnibus' series, which was normally arts documentaries but they occasionally made dramas... including, some years earlier, the well-remembered Michael Hordern/Jonathan Miller version of 'Oh, Whistle...' Christmas is indeed the perfect time for ghost stories. Glad to know you enjoyed it!

Absolutely excellent! Binge watching and love all the stories I’ve heard so far. Aloha from Hawaii!

@BitesizedAudio

Жыл бұрын

Wonderful, thanks for listening Donna

Superb, one of my all-time favourite ghost/ horror stories.

Ooh good one! Merry Christmas Simon! Thank you for making this difficult year better!

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

You are very welcome Gina. Merry Christmas to you too, and all best wishes

Splendid stuff sir, I look forward to many more readings

There's an excellent 1979 short BBC film adaptation of this story (directed by Leslie Megahey) also available to watch on KZread.

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

There is indeed, I saw it on television some time ago. Recommended to anyone who hasn't seen it. Thanks for listening Ian

@cadewarrencns

2 жыл бұрын

@@BitesizedAudio Yep, and for folks with Bluray players that can play Region B discs, the BBC published a fantastic disc of SCHALKEN THE PAINTER with great extras. But the sheet level of cinematic excellence and loving craft the filmmakers poured into the film is done due justice by the Blu transfer; in that way, finally seeing a hi-def version of SCHALKEN was as revelatory to me as finally seeing how gorgeous many exquisitely shot eps of Serling's TWILIGHT ZONE truly are. It's, y'know, it's alright. :-)

I remember watching a TV version of this when a child. It frightened me.

I always remember the BBC 1 adaptation : very effective. Thanks for this! 👍

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

A great adaptation indeed. Thanks Graham

Once again, thank you.

Wonderful story. So relaxing. Thank you 🎄⭐🦌☃️❤️‼️

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

You're welcome, thanks Trish

The prosecco is chillin' and I'm getting excited. ❤

Mijnheer, pronounced "m'neer" (roughly), just means Mr. It's analogous to the German "Mein Herr" and would originally have been translated into English as "My Lord". Thanks for another fabulous upload!

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

You're welcome Jane, glad to know you enjoyed it

@janebrown7231

2 жыл бұрын

@@BitesizedAudio Very much so, horrible though it was! Impeccably well read too - but what else would we expect? ♥️

Brrrr! How did I miss reading this? I thought I had read all of Le Fanu’s works. Great ghost story for Christmas. I thank you, Simon, for your most excellent work!

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

You're most welcome, as always. Glad I'm still able to surprise a connoisseur occasionally!

Wow this was terrifying! Love your narrations, they keep me company when I'm alone at home cleaning up or just chilling out. Thank you, thank you!

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

You're most welcome. I hope they don't terrify you too much when you're alone! Glad to know you enjoy them, more to come...

Thank you! I too have read this a couple of times. It never loses it aspect of horror.

Wonderful reading, as always.

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you Mariana. Lovely to hear from you, I hope you're well

Incredible as always Simon. This was a great story. Loved it!! The description alone of our creepy suitor was absolutely terrifying. Happy Christmas to you and your family. Take care.😊

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you Shannon. Happy Christmas to you too! Best wishes

Gerrit Dou has many great works. Astronomer By Candlelight maybe my favorite. I believe that who is referred to as the 'master painter'.

@roelienpostma2367

Жыл бұрын

I thought this was a historic tale at first. Still a beautiful portret of himself. Makes me wonder about the painting the story is mentioning

Brilliant, riveting from start to finish _ thoroughly enjoyable, more please

@mariameere5807

2 жыл бұрын

I agree! I love the photograph on this! It’s weird to think that even back they wrote period dramas because this is set in the 17th century, but it was written in the Victorian era!

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Irena. Rest assured I still have a very long to-do list!

@irenabevans3411

2 жыл бұрын

@@BitesizedAudio Oh goody something to look forward to

Goodness me! That was a grim one!! Expertly performed, as always. Remind me not to get married. ❤

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Just to add some extra chill to the prosecco, of course! Thanks Bob

@SpuktasticAudio

2 жыл бұрын

@@BitesizedAudio 😀 x

@nicholasgerrish6022

2 жыл бұрын

It all depends on the chap. Minheer Vanderhausen was a sad choice, but the poor girl had no choice. Imagine the Wedding night……..

The tragedy and the thrill. Great story telling indeed.

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your support, so glad to know you enjoyed it

A good story well read

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you

Awe! Soooooo SWEET! Love lt!

@nicholasgerrish6022

2 жыл бұрын

As well you may. It is the story of an Incubus demon, who over the centuries, prays on young women, and unlike the Vampire, who craves blood, craves sexual activity. At the end of the story, Schalken finds himself seduced one again, by the beauty of Rose, who leads him to her marriage bed in the crypt, perhaps for an unlikely threesome! Poor old Schalken, stuck between an Incubus and a Succubus. All very Gothic in style. It is a pity that Hammer Films didn’t get a crack at it.

Now THAT'S a ghost story !

Wonderful writer, sadly not better known these days. 'The House By The Churchyard' and 'Wylders Hand' are my personal favourites of his novels.

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks @REFaust, good to hear from you. I'm glad to let you know that I have many more detective stories (as you've previously requested) lined up for the new year, including more Loveday Brooke, Dr Thorndyke, Thorpe Hazell and others, plus some new ones (I think you previously suggested Martin Hewitt? He's on my list too... it just keeps growing!)

@REFaust

2 жыл бұрын

@@BitesizedAudio That's fantastic to hear Simon, and while I love the detective stories I have also been riveted to the horror ones too. Discovering authors like Muddock, Upward etc has been truly eye opening. Thanks for all your efforts 👍

Very enjoyable 👏👏👏

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Barbara

Great story!.

Excellent yarn 👏👏👏

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for listening!

I don't always sell my nieces to zombies, but when I do, it's for lotsa lotsa gold. ;)

Just caught up on the last three to four stories enjoyed them all.

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Excellent, thanks Space Hound

This, like other stories, are exceptional. One in particular, lasted with me, long after the last vowel was lovingly enunciated. I walk past aungier street every day,. It is an old Street, and I often find myself looking for THAT house

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Ah yes, next time I visit Dublin I must make time to go and look myself...

Happy holidays to you and family, Sir Simon. Isn't this your longest narrative? I am saving it for the day before 🎄.

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you @gohboy56, happy Christmas to you too. It's actually not my longest: 'A Christmas Carol' which I recorded this time last year (kzread.info/dash/bejne/nI6fm9ipes7LfqQ.html) runs at over three hours! And several of my older Victorian Ghost Story recordings run over an hour, if you're looking for a longer listen: 'The Four-fifteen Express', 'Christmas Eve on a Haunted Hulk' (both set during the festive season) and Le Fanu's 'An Account of Some Strange Disturbances' for example. And 'Nut Bush Farm' and 'The Parasite' are around the two-hour mark. They're available on the Victorian Ghost Stories playlist if you haven't heard them: kzread.info/head/PLi95qAoufCZISCGdeBUtYxynNFtZCeRrv Thanks as always for your support, best wishes to you and your family.

I have such a different take on this story. A woman sold for money and the perpetrators make up a ghost to assuage their guilt. A horrible story beautifully read

Gold- Havilah Gold - pure high quality

This one is top 10% in terms of creepy factor.

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Yes indeed, it is quite a hair-raiser this one! Thanks for listening

A very dark story-thank you for yr reading.

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

You're welcome, thanks Douglas

I am so glad I chose this narration for my first Le Fanu. This is the best audio story I have heard. Masterfully told and masterfully narrated. Perfect. Scott.

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Very kind of you to say so, thank you!

Gave me the chills. Don’t listen to the naysayers (I know you don’t bother with them). Cheers and best always

Great again ! As per....

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you, appreciated

Found the film, I was certainly not a child.

I love the " forward" from Job, was that commentary from the book or an insert from yourself? Xx

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Hello Tracy. No that's not my addition, it's reproduced at the start of the story, or at least the version I read (the 1839 text), it doesn't seem to be included in the later revised version of the text. Well identified!

@paeganshadow

2 жыл бұрын

@@BitesizedAudio Hello Simon, I'm glad you did use the 1839, it added just the right touch of "impending fear" lol. As always, awesome story, told awesomely. If I don't speak to you before, have a wonderful Christmas, and to all your followers 🎄🎉🎊🎆

Good

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you

I’ll be coming back to this one often. I may even acquire one of his paintings in my future. I enjoy when liberties are taken in the right way and transformed into a wonderful creepy tale. Have you seen the tv adaptation sir? It’s a fantastic viewing on a cool fall evening with some wine 😌

@BitesizedAudio

Жыл бұрын

I have indeed seen the TV adaptation, a while ago now, but I remember it vividly. Thanks for listening!

Does anyone know the name of that opening musical piece?

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Hello Brandon - it's an extract from 'Duet for Two Violins' by Luigi Boccherini, Op 5 N2 Larghetto

@brandonletzko4239

2 жыл бұрын

@@BitesizedAudio Thank you sir. Always the gentleman.

That's what happens when you marry your family off for gold.

I am indignant and anxious on your behalf. KZread's decision is completely unreasonable, and I can only hope that they revise it fast. Does 'demonetising' affect our ability to 'buy you a coffee', please?

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you Katy. No, Buy Me a Coffee is a completely separate thing, so that's not affected. In the light of this, I may have to reassess whether I do more with BMAC and rely less on KZread if they're going to pull the plug so suddenly without warning. I hope it's resolved quickly too. Thanks so much for your support

What a horrific tale

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

It is indeed.... Thanks for your comments Miji Yoon, best wishes

7:23 "...upon his ample Flemish inexpressibles." Do I dare ask what an inexpressible is? lol Is that his groin? lol I have never heard of "inexpressible" used as a noun, but maybe that's how genteel Victorian authors had to talk about such things! lol I'm clueless so if someone can shed some light on this, I'd appreciate it!

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

@sugarfalls1 It's an archaic term for trousers, I believe! So you were in the right sort of area!

@sugarfalls1

2 жыл бұрын

@@BitesizedAudio Thanks for clearing that up, Simon! I'm glad his inexpressibles weren't too inexpressible! lol Great story and reading! :) Seasons greetings from across the pond!

I love the descriptions and the atmosphere...but I have to admit i don't understand the story...😒😔

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks @Rheinhart Silvento - I think quite a lot in this story is left to our imagination to fill in the gaps. I'm quite struck by how little we really see of Schalken's reaction to his disappointment (sorry to be vague, I'm trying to avoid giving spoilers for those who haven't listened yet) and Le Fanu certainly leaves us to form our own conclusions about what happens to Rose. Perhaps worth another listen?

@janebrown7231

2 жыл бұрын

@@BitesizedAudio I thought the same about Schalken - I expected that we would hear one man at least leap into action straight away. But sadly, nobody loved that poor girl... In Carmilla too, Le Fanu leaves a lot floating, incompletely explained.

@rheinhartsilvento2576

2 жыл бұрын

@@BitesizedAudio Thanks for your response Simon. Yes, I too found the total lack of description of Schalcken's reaction to his predicament intriguing... There's quite an oniric, a dreamlike atmosphere in the story, with a dream's lack of surface "logic". But if one cares/dares to explore it, it yields a deeper meaning. Maybe one one doesn't want to face. It also feels like a fairy tale - I mean the un-Bowdlerized, un-Disneyified, maybe even pre- H.C.Andersen or Grimm Brothers, REAL fairy tales. Where fairies and elves can be nasty and dangerous, and guardians & parents uncaring, selfish and murderous, etc.... And on an even deeper level, the personae of a story represent our inner personae, repressed or not, that come and act out through us. In this story Le Fanu (who I find an extraordinary author, truly outstanding) a psycho-analytic approach could be very appropriate. An approach discussed and explained for example in Bruno Bettelheim's "The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales", or Clarissa Pinkola-Estes' "Women Who Run With the Wolves" - books that all would benefit from reading, especially those interested in delving deeper into meaning. So in "Schalcken the Painter", what comes to mind is the proximity between Eros (attraction, desire, possession) and Thanatos (death, decay, nothingness) as personified in the mysterious visitor, but speaking to our inner personae, inner pulsions. And the strangeness...? Well, life IS strange☺

@mijiyoon5575

2 жыл бұрын

There is a FREE BBC movie here on YT by the same name that will probably help w/understanding the story ... it is not for the faint hearted as it is truly a horror movie. The design of it is like a painting so it is lovely to look at, but still a horror tale & watch it while it is here as I understand it is a rare film

@rheinhartsilvento2576

2 жыл бұрын

@@mijiyoon5575 Thanks for the recommendation! I saw the whole movie (it's about an hour long). Its a brilliant BBC production from 1979. Recommend it!

It's quite noticeable here how language has changed. If a modern author wrote this way, they'd surely be in a lot of trouble :)

Sound rather low

its an unsatisfying and grisly little story full of cruelty....there is no redemption and no explanation and only the innocent seem to do any suffering....nothing is affirmed, nothing is restored, nothing is corrected and the devil wins in the end ....honoring this kind of dismal devil-ascendant story by the skilled retelling is a departure from a diverting entertainment and serves no purpose

@Shineon83

3 ай бұрын

….You see “no purpose” in Le Fanu’s illustrating ( by means far more powerful than mere sermonizing ) the extreme evil that can arise when a parent or guardian shirks his greatest responsibility toward his charge ? ….Le Fanu illustrates beautifully the utter careless, criminally negligent manner in which the Uncle disposes of his niece ( to not insist on investigating the proposed groom-worse: To not question his “You must decide immediately “ ultimatum?)…. ….I believe that Le Fanu also establishes WHY the sweet & innocent Rose had become such an easy mark for the undead in the first place : She is shown as being surrounded by rather ungodly men : Schalken-swearing even on the name of the Saints in the opening….her Uncle, portrayed as not being a regular church goer ( that he didn’t consult with his Priest on such a rushed proposal from a total stranger-and the way he described the Priest who he had Schalken summon, reveal as much )….Remember, Le Fanu was a very committed Catholic. Finally, he shows that even in Rose’s desperation-he fails her ( for the final time ) : Being unable to sense the evil surrounding her ( attributing her sudden appearance to “escaping from a lunatic asylum”), and by not heeding her constant admonitions, not to “leave her”….I believe it was the ULTIMATE in cautionary tales for parents…

Sorry, but this was a boring and cliche ridden tale. Melodrama. All the heroine asked was for the two men to stay with her, and they fail at that. Her guardian married her to a corpse. Her fate is never known. It dragged on and on and there was no payoff in plot or any other way. There was nothing wrong with the reading; the material was very poor, especially in light of some of the other brilliant gems on this channel.

Interesting but not satisfying 😒

Bloated and boring story.

This story keeps matters far too vague and doesn’t tie anything together. The narrator did a wonderful job as always but the story itself falls utterly short of the mark. Compared with the other short tales on this channel, this one just isn’t up to snuff.

@BitesizedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Fair enough, I appreciate your comments - thank you. Interesting this story seems to have divided opinion in the comments quite a bit. It certainly leaves things quite open and unexplained, personally I quite like that aspect, though can appreciate it may also feel frustrating.

@Shineon83

3 ай бұрын

@@BitesizedAudio…..Whereas, I prefer art that is more opaque: Impressionism over Realism ( with extreme Impressionists, my favourites )….The same preference applies to creative writing ( and though I’ve never been a great fan of “ghost stories,” this one I did like - because it DIDN’T explicitly “spell out “ the plot )… Although I prefer Simon’s funny/quirky readings best ( “Miss Bracegirdle…;” The Anthony Trollope Christmas story, etc. ), were more of the ghost stories similar to “Schalken,” I’d definitely like them better….. Gayle L.