SCHEDA DI LETTURA   Miriam Masserut

TITLE  OF WORK  

Edition :

Level:

 The Canterville Ghost and others stories.

Longman

4

                                                                        

AUTHOR

 

  Oscar Wilde 
KIND OF NOVEL

(Horror, crime, love,

adventure)

Ghost tale

 

 

SUMMARY

 

 

 

 

 

 

All the people said that  the Canterville Chase was hunted, but Mr Otis, the American Ambassador, decided however to buy it because he didn’t mind about ghosts. When he arrived at the Chase  with all his family,  the old housekeeper led them into the library for a tea. There, near  the fireplace there was a dark bloodstain. It was the blood of Lady Eleonore the Canterville who had been murdered by her husband in 1575.Sir Simon’s guilty spirit still hunted the Chase.  Mr Otis tried to clean it with his “Pinkerton’s Wonder Stain Cleaner”, but the next morning the stain was there again. That night Mr Otis was woken by a strange noise , it was the ghost with his heavy and rusty chains. Mr Otis offered him a bottle of “Smith’s Rising Sun Oil”. The ghost watched him  with his burning eyes in a state of shock and anger, then disappeared. Someone  had never hurt his  pride in such a way. The ghost then made his terrible and threatening laugh, but Mrs Otis gave him her bottle of “Dr Dobell’s Mixture” for his stomach trouble. This last insult made him very distressed and he felt hill.

Little Virginia  tried to comfort him and she prayed the Death to have mercy of his soul. Virginia owed to the ghost a great deal because he made her see what Life is and what Death means, and   why love is stronger than both.    

SETTING TIME: about 1880

PLACE: an old Chase in Canterville

ATMOSPHERE: mysterious with a lot of unforeseen events.

 

CHARACTERS

 

Description: Mr Otis was a materialistic, American man that thought all could bee bought  with   money. The twins were two little boys very spiteful and insolent. .      Virginia was a little girl of fifteen with long blond hair and large blue eyes. She was very sensitive, polite and gentle.  

The ghost was an old man with grey, long and ruffled hair and burning coal eyes. He wore a dirty and ragged burial sheet. He was very proud, with a big sense of duty. But he was also sorrowed and very unhappy for his guilt.

THEMES The sense of duty, tradition and respect of English people against the coldness of Americans.

People who  had to make amend for their faults.  The Good is stronger than the Evil.                                                          
PERSONAL  COMMENTS

(give your opinion but substantiate !)

I have found this novel fantastic. In fact the author has spoken about the hypocrisy of the high society like a laughing matter. He treated important and serious themes in a funny way. 
POINTS YOU HAVE SELECTED FROM THE TEXT “The power of Evil cannot conquer against the purity of a child.”

“He made me see what Life is, and what Death means, and why Love is stronger than both.”  

“You can have your secret as long as I have your heart.”

SCHEDA DI LETTURA  Valentina Giacomini

TITLE  OF WORK

Edition :

Level:

The Canterville Ghost

Lucarini Scuola

Unabridged edition
AUTHOR Name: Oscar Wilde

 

KKIND OF NOVEL

(Horror, crime, love, adventure

Short story, humoured satire

 

SUMMARY

 

 

 

 

 

 

An American family, the Otis, buy a castle in England, “the Canterville Chase”. The castle includes also a family ghost. This ghost is Sir Simon de Canterville, that in 1557 murdered his wife Lady Eleanore. Sir Simon survived nine years and he desappeared under misterious circumstances. His body was never found. But when the Otis arrive, for the ghost life gets harder, because they don’t believe in ghosts, so they aren’t frightened when they see him. On the contrary the family play some tricks to the ghost. The ghost feels very insulted and furious, so he wants to take revenge for the family’s behaviour. This fight between the Otis and Sir Simon results in comic and sad situations.

 

SETTING TIME:  End of 1800, summer.

PLACE: Canterville chase, castle seven miles from Ascot and four from Bexley

ATMOSPHERE: Romantic and “dark”, often sad but ironic

 

CHARACTERS Description:

-Mr Hiram B. Otis, the American minister, he is the new owner of the chase. He is a republican and a practical person.

-Mrs Lucretia Otis, a healthy middle-aged woman, full of self confidence, vitality and gaiety.

-Washington Otis, Mr and Mrs Otis’s eldest son.

-Mrs Virginia Otis, a little girl of fifteen. She is lovely and delicate.

-The twins, Mr and Mrs Otis’ s youngest sons, called “The Stars and Stripes”. They are always ready to play tricks on the ghost.

-Lord Canterville, the previous owner of Canterville chase, an English aristocrat, calm and self-controlled.

-Mrs Umney, the house keeper of Lady Canterville, she keeps a position at Mrs Otis’ s service. Old-fashioned, full of nation pride for ghosts.

-Duke of Cheshire, a young friend of the family.

-The ghost, Sir Simon de Canterville’ s guilty spirit. He had murdered his wife because she was ugly and knew nothing about cookery.  

 

THEMES

Satire of American and English attitudes, and their practical materialism.

 

PERSONAL  COMMENTS

(give your opinion but substantiate !)

This is a very nice story. Wilde mixed cruel satire, humour and sadness very well. Reading this short story you can realise how comic and vexatious can be sometimes human behaviour. I think this story could be an exact biography of a nineteenth- century family.
POINTS YOU HAVE SELECTED FROM THE TEXT

“DE OTES GHOSTE.

De onlie true and Originale spook.

Beware of De imitations.

All others are Counterfeited.”

 

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