Richard Dalby Witchcraft Anthology
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darkling_talesRichard Dalby has long been one of my favourite editors and supernatural fiction scholars. He’s probably best known for editing the seminal Virago Book Of…ghost story anthologies, but I’ve recently resolved to explore some of his lesser-known works from the 80s and early 90s. I’ve just finished his 1991 themed collection Tales of Witchcraft.
For some reason, there are relatively few supernatural stories purely about witchcraft, and not all of them are successful either, by any means. This is sometimes down to the way authors insist on describing the processes of magic in agonizing pseudo-scientific detail, and the worst occult stories of all tend to be the ones written by people who practise witchcraft themselves (feel free to check out Aleister Crowley’s dire fictional output if you need any evidence…) So I was keen to see how Dalby would fill his brief of selecting 17 quality stories from the subgenre. And true to form, Tales of Witchcraft provided me with many enjoyable moments!
Things get off to a flying start with ‘The Peace of Mowsle Barton’ by Saki (one of the very tiny number of authors able to successfully combine humour and terror) followed by that Holy Grail of supernatural fiction anthologists: the previously unpublished M R James story. ‘The Fenstanton Witch’ is not one of James’ best tales, and features far too much Cantabrigian waffle from unimportant characters, but it’s a good find (even though you can now find the story online at Ghosts & Scholars!) In fact, the Edwardian and pre-war eras are very well represented in this anthology. There are many cultivated, finely crafted offerings from A.M Burrage (‘Furze Hollow’), E F Benson (‘Gavon’s Eve’), Marjorie Bowen and others. The feared surfeit of clanking chains, black candles, ill-advised orgies and other Gothic trappings failed to materialize, with most of the tales benefitting from resolutely modern setttings.
Another reason to read Tales of Witchcraft is the inclusion of relatively obscure modern authors, some of whom pen some of the finest stories in the book. Especial praise goes to Ron Weighell for his ‘Carven of Onyx’, a story set in a medieval convent where a Jamesian fondness for sacred places and strange unearthed objects blends with the very modern machinations of the characters involved. Throw in a very scary Thing and you have a story with a unique flavour and written with economy and taste. David G Rowlands – himself the editor of the horror fiction periodical Supernatural Tales – submits a fine tale, ‘The Executor’, which deals with a practical-minded modern academic who finds out his recently deceased great-aunt is a powerful (and none too white) witch.
As you’d expect, some of the stories deal with the persecution of women throughout the ages for practising sorcery. Roger Johnson’s ‘The Taking’ is the most sympathetic example here, though things wouldn’t be any fun if the witches involved were +entirely+ innocent…Several stories make the point (more or less subtly) that old women living on their own still seem to inspire unease and suspicion in the stupid, even if they haven’t done anything, as in Robert Bloch’s ‘Catnip’, though the most interesting tales tend to depict the witches as both black and white, capable of both healing and destroying, and treated by the locals with a kind of scared gratitude that only flares into open hostility in exceptional circumstances.
The collection’s main weak point is the selection of overseas material. Robert Bloch’s ‘Catnip’ and Stephen King’s over-anthologized ‘Gramma’ both fall flat, and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s ‘The Hollow Of The Three Hills’ is a mysterious choice, since he and Julian have both written far better stuff about the occult. It’s also true that few of the tales represent the authors at their best, at least where the cream of the crop is concerned. Fortunately, in most of these cases the writers are generally so talented that even their ‘bad’ is better than most authors’ ‘good’, but it does confirm my suspicion that witchcraft is a poor focal point for a ghost story, even if veiled allusions to occult goings-on can greatly enhance such tales.
But don’t let these minor grouses put you off too much. Dalby’s signal-to-noise ratio is unusually high in this collection (even by his standards) and a quick look at the Fantastic Fiction website reveals that many hardback copies of the book are available for less than a quid! The copy I bought via the site is in perfect condition, though I must admit I did push the boat out and pay a whole £1.50 for it ;)
For some reason, there are relatively few supernatural stories purely about witchcraft, and not all of them are successful either, by any means. This is sometimes down to the way authors insist on describing the processes of magic in agonizing pseudo-scientific detail, and the worst occult stories of all tend to be the ones written by people who practise witchcraft themselves (feel free to check out Aleister Crowley’s dire fictional output if you need any evidence…) So I was keen to see how Dalby would fill his brief of selecting 17 quality stories from the subgenre. And true to form, Tales of Witchcraft provided me with many enjoyable moments!
Things get off to a flying start with ‘The Peace of Mowsle Barton’ by Saki (one of the very tiny number of authors able to successfully combine humour and terror) followed by that Holy Grail of supernatural fiction anthologists: the previously unpublished M R James story. ‘The Fenstanton Witch’ is not one of James’ best tales, and features far too much Cantabrigian waffle from unimportant characters, but it’s a good find (even though you can now find the story online at Ghosts & Scholars!) In fact, the Edwardian and pre-war eras are very well represented in this anthology. There are many cultivated, finely crafted offerings from A.M Burrage (‘Furze Hollow’), E F Benson (‘Gavon’s Eve’), Marjorie Bowen and others. The feared surfeit of clanking chains, black candles, ill-advised orgies and other Gothic trappings failed to materialize, with most of the tales benefitting from resolutely modern setttings.
Another reason to read Tales of Witchcraft is the inclusion of relatively obscure modern authors, some of whom pen some of the finest stories in the book. Especial praise goes to Ron Weighell for his ‘Carven of Onyx’, a story set in a medieval convent where a Jamesian fondness for sacred places and strange unearthed objects blends with the very modern machinations of the characters involved. Throw in a very scary Thing and you have a story with a unique flavour and written with economy and taste. David G Rowlands – himself the editor of the horror fiction periodical Supernatural Tales – submits a fine tale, ‘The Executor’, which deals with a practical-minded modern academic who finds out his recently deceased great-aunt is a powerful (and none too white) witch.
As you’d expect, some of the stories deal with the persecution of women throughout the ages for practising sorcery. Roger Johnson’s ‘The Taking’ is the most sympathetic example here, though things wouldn’t be any fun if the witches involved were +entirely+ innocent…Several stories make the point (more or less subtly) that old women living on their own still seem to inspire unease and suspicion in the stupid, even if they haven’t done anything, as in Robert Bloch’s ‘Catnip’, though the most interesting tales tend to depict the witches as both black and white, capable of both healing and destroying, and treated by the locals with a kind of scared gratitude that only flares into open hostility in exceptional circumstances.
The collection’s main weak point is the selection of overseas material. Robert Bloch’s ‘Catnip’ and Stephen King’s over-anthologized ‘Gramma’ both fall flat, and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s ‘The Hollow Of The Three Hills’ is a mysterious choice, since he and Julian have both written far better stuff about the occult. It’s also true that few of the tales represent the authors at their best, at least where the cream of the crop is concerned. Fortunately, in most of these cases the writers are generally so talented that even their ‘bad’ is better than most authors’ ‘good’, but it does confirm my suspicion that witchcraft is a poor focal point for a ghost story, even if veiled allusions to occult goings-on can greatly enhance such tales.
But don’t let these minor grouses put you off too much. Dalby’s signal-to-noise ratio is unusually high in this collection (even by his standards) and a quick look at the Fantastic Fiction website reveals that many hardback copies of the book are available for less than a quid! The copy I bought via the site is in perfect condition, though I must admit I did push the boat out and pay a whole £1.50 for it ;)
