The 5th Fontana Book of Great Ghost Stories

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The remarkable success of the preceding Fontana Books of Great Ghost Stories, and my own correspondence, leave no doubt that the series has happily enlisted a large following of regular readers. In Introductions to the four earlier collections, I have set forth my general view both of ghost stories and of ghosts; devoting thereto much care and considerable thought. The steady students would not wish me to go fully into the matter again. The previous books are still obtainable, and I must ask newcomers to accept here a brief summary. The following I believe to be the crucial points.

The ghost story should be clearly distinguished alike from the horror story on its right and from the science fiction on its left. The ghost story appeals primarily as little to sadomasochism as to scientific prediction. At its best, its true affinity is rather with poetry: it is a projection and symbolisation of thoughts and feelings experienced by most people (perhaps by all) but of their nature excluded from the common plod of ordinary prose narrative and record. These thoughts and feelings, though dependent for their expression upon suggestion rather than upon definition, are often, perhaps for that reason, among the strongest and most real within us.

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