The Canterville Ghost and Other Stories (Dover Thrift Editions Series) (Paperback)

by Oscar Wilde (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"[A] classic of Wildean wit and Victorian sentimentality…a delight." -- Booklist --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Product Description
Four of the famed English writer's finest works, among them "The Sphinx Without a Secret," "The Model Millionaire," "Lord Arthur Savile's Crime," and the title story, a delightfully comical tale of a 300-year-old ghost who fails to intimidate the newest occupants of his manor house. Also includes the author's six "Poems in Prose."


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Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (November 13, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486419258
• ISBN-13: 978-0486419251
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #662,046 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What if ghosts were just enslaved victims?, May 22, 2003

By	Jacques COULARDEAU "A soul doctor, so to say" (OLLIERGUES France) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Oscar Wilde, in this Canterville Ghost story, reaches a tremendous level of humor and caustic social vision. The humor comes from the fact that the American family that buys the ghost along with the mansion takes him as being real and apply to him all the possible modern techniques to improve his life and make his sojourn in the mansion untroublesome for the new inhabitants. It is also funny because two young boys play all kinds of tricks to the ghost and there is no end in their creativity. But the story is also a little bit sad because it reveals the ghost has become a ghost when the brothers of his wife, whom he had assassinated, took vengeance and starved him to death. It also reveals that the ghost can be redeemed if love comes along and frees him of his misery and fate. And this love will come from the young daughter of the American family. She will naively open her heart to the suffering of the ghost and thus free him of his lot. This also shows how the attitude of the English owner of the mansion are just not interested in the suffering of the ghost, whereas the Americans will take this ghost seriously and will try to understand him and give him solace. Beyond the humor of the tale there is the tremendous belief that suffering can be solved.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University of Perpignan

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read, July 6, 2009

By	Steven Lovotti - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book was a great quick read and suprised me. Oscar Wilde's biography and what is written is this book are contrary. It has spiritual stories that blessed me by reading them. If you like to think or like a book to make you think, this is it. Wonderful stories by a good man.