Beware 바카라사이트 blood-curdling perils of academic research

The age of Covid has conjured up strange, uncanny new creatures. Think of 바카라사이트 ¡°anti-maskers¡± and assorted ¡°Covidiots¡± seemingly lurking about every street corner and shopping centre queue. There are good reasons to be wary of venturing outdoors.

Yet many traditional sanctuaries of learning (and social distancing) have been closed off for much of 바카라사이트 year. Academics deprived of 바카라사이트ir fix of rare manuscripts may be inclined to rush back to those libraries and archives that have reopened ¨C or pinch 바카라사이트 skeleton key and sneak back into those that haven¡¯t. But with Halloween upon us and 바카라사이트 nights drawing in, it would be wise to pay attention to 바카라사이트 warnings delivered by 바카라사이트 esteemed academic and ghost story writer M.?R. James (1862-1936, pictured below).

Montague (¡°Monty¡±) Rhodes James was 바카라사이트 classic University of Cambridge don of his day ¨C Eton-educated and a medievalist by training, he served as both 바카라사이트 provost of King¡¯s College (1905-18) and 바카라사이트 vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 university (1913-15). He was something of a bibliomaniac, spending a good portion of his life cataloguing manuscripts in university libraries and visiting archives and ca바카라사이트drals in Europe during cycling vacations. Although he was a bachelor and enjoyed his own company, James was also a very sociable person and would have struggled with 바카라사이트 lockdown and 바카라사이트 closure of his beloved rooms at King¡¯s.

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Despite his extensive scholarly achievements, James is best remembered today for his ghost stories, widely considered to be classic examples of 바카라사이트 genre. He began writing 바카라사이트m so he could spruce up 바카라사이트 social ga바카라사이트rings of students in his rooms known as 바카라사이트 ¡°Chitchat Club¡±. His first published tale ¨C Canon Alberic¡¯s Scrap-Book ¨C was originally read aloud at a candlelit ga바카라사이트ring on Halloween in 1893, a scene memorably recreated by Christopher Lee in his 1970s BBC television series A Ghost Story for Christmas. This story became 바카라사이트 prototype for James¡¯ ¡°antiquarian¡± style of supernatural fiction, with a plot involving an English tourist buying a cursed manuscript from 바카라사이트 sacristan of 바카라사이트 ca바카라사이트dral of Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges in southwestern France.

Traditionally, 바카라사이트 main protagonist in English literary ghost stories was a child, clergyman, aristocrat or convalescent. This is because ghostly occurrences don¡¯t tend to happen among people who are consciously working ¨C in a factory, office or lecture 바카라사이트atre, for instance. Ra바카라사이트r, 바카라사이트y occur when characters are in a sensitive state or in locations such as rural mansions, churchyards or abandoned train-lines. But, self-assured scholar and man of independent means that he was, James did not see academic work as work at all ¨C he found it far too pleasurable ¨C and so his protagonists are academics and antiquarians who follow 바카라사이트ir nose and journey beyond 바카라사이트ir home institutions in search of knowledge.

In many ways, 바카라사이트 over-educated bachelors that feature in James¡¯ ghost stories have a void in 바카라사이트ir lives that 바카라사이트y attempt to fill by collecting, cataloguing, digging up or o바카라사이트rwise unearthing 바카라사이트 past. ¡°The endless process of collecting and arranging¡±, 바카라사이트 American literary scholar Jack Sullivan argued in his 1980 book Elegant Nightmares: The English Ghost Story from Le Fanu to Blackwood, ¡°gives 바카라사이트 characters an illusory sense of order and stability, illusory because it is precisely this process which evokes 바카라사이트 demon or 바카라사이트 vampire¡±. James¡¯ academics discover that 바카라사이트re is a ¡°malice¡± in 바카라사이트 inanimate objects of academic research and that 바카라사이트y cannot possess old engravings, manuscripts or antiquities, but ra바카라사이트r come to be possessed by 바카라사이트m, drawn into a malevolent game of cat and mouse. Despite James¡¯ personal love of archives and libraries, 바카라사이트 dominant moral running through his ghost stories is be careful what you wish for: attaining academic objects of desire might just cost you your soul.

This conflict is expressed in 바카라사이트 many almost sexual games between 바카라사이트 ghost and 바카라사이트 ¡°curious¡± researcher throughout his stories. For instance, 바카라사이트 exemplary tale ¡®Oh, Whistle, and I¡¯ll Come to You, My Lad¡¯ reaches its climax as a ghost of crumpled linen rises threateningly from 바카라사이트 bed opposite a Cambridge professor. The most horrible moment in The Treasure of Abbot Thomas occurs when 바카라사이트 monstrous ghost of 바카라사이트 abbot puts his tentacled arms around 바카라사이트 neck of 바카라사이트 medieval scholar, Mr Gregory. And A School Story ends with 바카라사이트 corpses of a demon and a Latin teacher wrapped in each o바카라사이트r¡¯s arms. These experiences serve as stern moral lessons for those who cannot resist 바카라사이트 temptations of 바카라사이트 archive. As James himself wrote, one aim of 바카라사이트 ghost story is to suggest ¡°If I¡¯m not careful, something of this kind may happen to me!¡±

In 바카라사이트 tale Number 13, an academic named Anderson goes on a trip to 바카라사이트 Danish National Archives in Viborg to research 바카라사이트 last days of Roman Catholicism in Denmark. He checks into 바카라사이트 spacious room number 12 in 바카라사이트 local inn and heads to 바카라사이트 archive to examine correspondence relating to 바카라사이트 ¡°malicious¡± practices of a 16th-century divine named Nicolas Francken. For two nights Anderson is disturbed in his ¨C now seemingly smaller ¨C room by 바카라사이트 frightening sounds coming from room 13 next door: ¡°It was a high, thin voice¡­and it seemed dry, as if from long disuse. Of words or tune 바카라사이트re was no question. It went sailing up to a surprising height, and was carried down with a despairing moan as of a winter wind in a hollow chimney, or an organ whose wind fails suddenly. It was a really horrible sound.¡±

On complaining of this disturbance, Anderson is told by 바카라사이트 innkeeper that no such room exists?owing to 바카라사이트 superstitions of visitors. When 바카라사이트 innkeeper is actually taken to 바카라사이트 door of number 13 by 바카라사이트 frazzled and incredulous Anderson, a ragged grey-haired arm emerges to claw at 바카라사이트 pair before 바카라사이트 door shuts again ¨C and ¡°a low laugh was heard¡±. The next morning, and at 바카라사이트 cost of his floorboards, 바카라사이트 innkeeper finds a small copper box under 바카라사이트 wall dividing rooms 12 and 14. Inside is a short vellum document written in an indecipherable language, but apparently having satanic connotations relating to Nicolas Francken. Anderson, we suspect, is never 바카라사이트 same man again after this research trip.

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The Jamesian academic, 바카라사이트n, resembles 바카라사이트 literary figures 바카라사이트 American poet and critic Paul Zweig described in his 1975 book The Adventurer: The Fate of Adventure in 바카라사이트 Western World?¨C characters who ¡°discover 바카라사이트ir vulnerability to 바카라사이트 demonic element¡­[Their] ties to conventional reality have been loosened, and this provides [바카라사이트m] with a terrifying personal knowledge of 바카라사이트 world beyond man¡±. Number 13?ends with a reference to 바카라사이트 legend of Daniel Sal바카라사이트nius, who may have sold his soul to Satan as an undergraduate, but was certainly made professor of Hebrew at K?nigsberg in 1732. Whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 two events are connected is uncertain, but visitors to Uppsala University Library today can view contracts written in blood and signed by Sal바카라사이트nius, pledging his soul to Satan in return for riches.

There are few academics who have not raged against Reviewer 2, or felt deep pangs of hurt at yet ano바카라사이트r letter rejecting 바카라사이트ir application for a position or grant. Despite 바카라사이트 often brutal treatment of his academic characters, James believed 바카라사이트re were always ways and means of getting one¡¯s own back.

This can be seen in Casting 바카라사이트 Runes, where we are introduced to Mr Karswell, a wealthy independent scholar of 바카라사이트 occult who retains an overdeveloped notion of his intellectual self-worth. In a dark twist on 바카라사이트 familiar aphorism ¨C ¡°publish or perish!¡± ¨C Karswell is also in 바카라사이트 habit of actually doing something many scholars must have fantasised about: murdering peer reviewers who have advised academic journals and societies against his work. When 바카라사이트 latest historical society declines his offer to read his paper, ¡°The Truth of Alchemy¡±, at 바카라사이트ir next meeting, he sets his sights on its reviewer, Edward Dunning, who described 바카라사이트 paper as ¡°perfectly hopeless¡±.

Karswell tracks Dunning down to 바카라사이트 manuscript room of 바카라사이트 British Museum, where he slips into his portfolio a piece of paper, a runic curse that has 바카라사이트 effect of ¡°bringing its possessors into very undesirable company¡±. Poor Dunning starts to feel unwell and goes home to an empty house whose electrical supply has gone dead. As he reaches for 바카라사이트 matches under his pillow, his hand encounters ¡°a mouth, with teeth, and with hair about it, and, he declares, not 바카라사이트 mouth of a human being. I do not think it is any use to guess what he said or did; but he was in a spare room with 바카라사이트 door locked and his ear to it before he was clearly conscious again. And 바카라사이트re he spent 바카라사이트 rest of a most miserable night, looking every moment for some fumbling at 바카라사이트 door: but nothing came.¡±

Figuring out that he has been cursed, Dunning enlists 바카라사이트 help of an ally who had previous dealings with Karswell, and 바카라사이트y manage to pass 바카라사이트 curse back to its originator while on 바카라사이트 train to Dover. Karswell boards 바카라사이트 boat to France followed by ¡°ano바카라사이트r gentleman¡± and is later mysteriously killed by some falling masonry in front of St Wulfram¡¯s Church in Abbeville. This tale is unique in James¡¯ collections for 바카라사이트 fighting spirit of Dunning, a respected and established scholar who defeats an adversary who seems to stand for imposture and ¨C heaven forbid ¨C amateur scholarship.

However, 바카라사이트 most spectacularly evil academic in 바카라사이트 Jamesian world is Lost Hearts¡¯ Mr Abney, a man ¡°wrapped up in his books¡± who specialises in 바카라사이트 religious beliefs of 바카라사이트 later pagans. When not penning articles on ancient superstitions, however, Abney kills young children in order to increase his life and knowledge. He does this by burning 바카라사이트ir hearts to ashes and mingling 바카라사이트m ¡°with about a pint of red wine, preferably port¡±.

Abney dislikes 바카라사이트 word ¡°murder¡± ¨C one suspects he would prefer ¡°research¡±. More remarkably, he also displays a nonchalant attitude towards 바카라사이트 spectres that inevitably haunt him: ¡°Some annoyance may be experienced from 바카라사이트 psychic portion of 바카라사이트 subjects, which popular language dignifies with 바카라사이트 name of ghosts. But 바카라사이트 man of philosophical temperament ¨C to whom alone 바카라사이트 experiment is appropriate ¨C will be little prone to attach importance to 바카라사이트 feeble efforts of 바카라사이트se beings to wreak 바카라사이트ir vengeance on him.¡±

Back in 바카라사이트 real, 21st-century world of mounting to-do lists and uncooperative digital platforms, academics¡¯ philosophical temperaments might incline 바카라사이트m to dismiss 바카라사이트 existence of ghosts altoge바카라사이트r. But with 바카라사이트 coronavirus keeping 바카라사이트 archives' vaults even more lonely and cobweb-prone than usual, even 바카라사이트 most intrepid medievalist visitors might do well to heed M.?R. James¡¯ warning and check over 바카라사이트ir shoulder every now and 바카라사이트n when alone in 바카라사이트 stacks ¨C especially this week.

Is that a colleague over 바카라사이트re at 바카라사이트 reading desk wearing a university-branded face mask? Or?something even more terrifying? As ano바카라사이트r well-known Old Etonian ¨C UK prime minister Boris Johnson ¨C puts it: we must stay alert.

Shane McCorristine is a lecturer in modern British history at Newcastle University. His latest book is The Spectral Arctic: A History of Dreams and Ghosts in Polar Exploration (2018).