The Body Snatcher - Robert Louis Stevenson

[Jeffbert]

I had been wanting to read this for a while, but it slipped my mind until I saw a thread titled "The Body Snatchers." I was unfamiliar with that title, so I sought this one, since being reminded of it.

I did not realize that it was such a short story; I think the film version with Karloff, Lugosi, etc, did a great job of embellishing it. For films usually must skip many details, but here, a few more were needed.

I had already read several of Robert Louis Stevenson's stories, both adventure & horror. Though I had not thought of him as an author of horror stories, this one is actually a bit creepier than its film version, because it includes the characters' thoughts.

[j. d. worthington]

I think it is a genuine classic in the field, and overall very well done; but for my taste, it is eclipsed by "Thrawn Janet", which is such a concentrated bit of nightmare that it is difficult for me to sum it up. However, "The Body Snatcher" certainly has some powerful stuff to it, and definitely should not be missed....

[Randy M.]

I agree with what J. D. said about "The Body Snatcher" -- and the Val Lewton/Robert Wise film with Karloff and Lugosi is one of my favorite 1940s horror movies.

"The Body Snatcher" is at the center of one of my literary pet peeves: In the introduction to Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural Herbert Wise, the editor, goes to lengths to explain why "The Body Snatcher" wasn't included. And every time I read his justification, I think he's full of baloney. He doesn't see it as a ghost story, and apparently was oblivious to the psychological power of the ending.

Anyway, I've meant to read "Thrawn Janet," J. D., but in trying to read the collection I have cover to cover, I twice bogged down in "Markheim," and both times set the book aside afterward. Maybe I should just go directly to "Thrawn Janet."


Randy M.

[j. d. worthington]

Interesting you've had that reaction. "Markheim" is, to my mind, the most "studied" of his tales of the supernatural; a bit too mechanical to be in the top rank. I say this despite HPL's high regard (at least, in SHiL) for the tale -- which may owe something to its thematic similarities to Poe's "William Wilson".

"Thrawn Janet", in my opinion, is quite another matter; a true masterpiece in weird storytelling. True, the dialect is a bit thick for most modern readers, but it is well worth the effort (and if you've accustomed yourself to works with such heavy dialect it should be actually a lead-pipe cinch), and it does add tremendously to the eeriness of the effect....

[Randy M.]

Originally Posted by j. d. worthington

Interesting you've had that reaction. "Markheim" is, to my mind, the most "studied" of his tales of the supernatural; a bit too mechanical to be in the top rank. I say this despite HPL's high regard (at least, in SHiL) for the tale -- which may owe something to its thematic similarities to Poe's "William Wilson".

It's been a while, but that rings a bell -- "studied," "mechanical." I had a lesser but similar reaction to portions of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Though overall the novel worked quite well, there were portions during which I felt like the story was diagrammed, a bit too neatly black & white.

"Thrawn Janet", in my opinion, is quite another matter; a true masterpiece in weird storytelling. True, the dialect is a bit thick for most modern readers, but it is well worth the effort (and if you've accustomed yourself to works with such heavy dialect it should be actually a lead-pipe cinch), and it does add tremendously to the eeriness of the effect....

Maybe I'll try to tackle it sooner than later. I've been looking at Stevenson and debating about trying some more of his weird tales.

Thanks, J.D.


Randy M.

[j. d. worthington]

You're welcome.... I'll be quite interested in your reaction.....

[Teresa Edgerton]

I think more interesting for me than the end -- which was not such a surprise for a ghost story, after all -- was watching the moral sense disintegrate, step by step.

Yes, Stevenson did a masterful job of creating a building sense of impending horror in the final scenes, but I thought that what led up to it was even more horrifying, for all that it was written in such a matter-of-fact way, in almost prosaic language (or probably for that very reason).

Perhaps most dreadful of all was looking back from the end to the beginning and seeing how differently the experience had affected the two participants. Especially (highlight to read the spoiler) Macfarlane. That he went on to comfortable prosperity was far more chilling (to my mind) than the physical and psychological deterioration of Fettes.

[Connavar]

This story was included in the Dr Jykell and Mr Hyde collection and it didnt read nearly as well prose,mood wise. I dont think i was in the right mood to read it. I dont even remember despite i read last year for the first time.