Can Such Things Be? · Chapter
The Ways of Ghosts explained
The narrator introduces a collection of ghost stories obtained from a peculiar acquaintance, noting the author's simple and direct style and his own reluctance to embellish the narratives.
What happens
The narrator introduces a collection of ghost stories obtained from a peculiar acquaintance, noting the author's simple and direct style and his own reluctance to embellish the narratives.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Falling action.
- Setup
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This passage marks the dramatic climax because it presents the emotional and psychological peak of the narrato…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- The Uncanny and the Grotesque
The chapter sets the stage for uncanny ghost narratives, emphasizing the mysterious and unsettling nature of the stories to come.
Key passages
“My peculiar relation to the writer of the following narratives is such that I must ask the reader to overlook the absence of explanation as to how they came into my possession.”
The narrator has a unique connection to the author of these stories, but asks readers not to question how he obtained them.
Establishes the mysterious provenance of the tales.
“his style, for the most part devoid alike of artifice and art, almost baldly simple and direct, seems hardly compatible with the disingenuousness of a merely literary intention”
His writing is plain and straightforward, suggesting he is more interested in truth than in literary effect.
Defends the authenticity of the narratives.
