Ghost Story Review: "The Specter Bridegroom" by Washington Irving

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This is a cute little send up of gothic ghost stories, set “on the summit of one of the heights of the Odenwald, a wild and romantic tract of Upper Germany that lies not far from the confluence of the Main and Rhine.” The main action takes place in a Castle belonging to the Baron von, ahem, Landshort. His only child, a beautiful daughter, has been brought up with care by two maiden aunts so that she can embroider nicely. The saints in her tapestries look like look like souls tortured in purgatory. Her other great accomplishment is that she can sign her name without missing a letter. Her aunts can read her signature without their spectacles. Of course, such a catch has to be off married quickly. A match is negotiated with a count in Bavaria, sight unseen. This is an important point. The young man is detained by his military duties and tragedy strikes. Nevertheless, he charges a companion to go to Castle Landshort and explain why he can’t keep his promise to the Baron’s daughter. The companion is overwhelmed with his reception and finds it hard to break the bad news to the expectant wedding party. Most of all, he can’t bring himself to disappoint the young bride-to-be… This was fun, but on the silly side and may not strike the 21st century reader as funny as it did the 19st century reader. Author Washington Irving was more famous for his stories “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and “Rip van Winkle.” His humor shows here. He also served as a U.S. Ambassador to Spain and an advocate for stronger copyright laws. The story is available online at the link below. _____ Title: “The Specter Bridegroom” Author: Washington Irving (1783-1859) First published: November 1819 in The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. Source: ISFDB, Wikipedia _____ *An earlier version of this review appeared on another site. It has been updated and expanded for its inclusion on myLot.*