WCP3961

Letter (WCP3961.3901)

[1]

Broadstone, Wimborne

Dec[embe]r 8th. 1904

Dr. R. Garnett.

Dear Dr. Garnett1

I am much obliged to you for sending me your friend’s letter, which I return. From the outline of the story he sends, I feel sure that it cannot be the one referred to be Borrow2. It seems to me a very ordinary type of ghost-story — or rather as I should say of spirit appearance — of which we have so many in all ages & in all countries. Certainly Borrow would never have spoken in [2] such terms as he does of the story he refers to, if it were not in some way distinctive, and unusually dramatic. I cannot imagine this one exciting the enthusiastic applause of a chance company of Welsh peasants3. There are a dozen better stories in R. Dale Owen’s4 two volumes — all well authenticated — while "A Wonderful Ghost Story" first published (and twice) in Dickens' All the Year Round, and republished by the widow of the author in 1882, is, I consider, by far the most wonderful of all, and also the [3] best authenticated, since it was written and published by the man to whom it occurred — it spread over some months at several distinct times and places, and all with a purpose of adequate importance, which it fulfilled. The author was a well-known English portrait painter Mr. Thomas Heaphy5, thoroughly trusted by his friends as a man of integrity, who in it described as accurately as possible what occurred to him. If you have not read this, pray do so. The little book, which gives important correspondence with Dickens, is pub[lishe]d. by Griffith & Farran.

My interest in L. de Vega’s6 story [4] so praised by Borrow, is to see whether that or this, can claim to be the Most wonderful ghost-story in the World

Believe me | Yours very truly | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]

1
Garnett, Richard (1835-1906). Librarian, biographer and poet. Assistant keeper of printed books at the British Museum.
2
Borrow, George Henry (1803-1881). English author and writer of travelogues.
3
A reference to the chapter in George Borrow’s book Wild Wales: The People, Language and Scenery , (John Murray, 1862), in which he recounts the tale by Lope de Vega
4
Owen, Robert Dale (1801-1877). Scottish-born American socialist and radical politician. Son of Robert Owen.
5
Heaphy, Thomas Frank (1813-1873). The story first appeared in an edition of Charles Dickens’ periodical and literary magazine, All Year Round (1859-1895), and was republished, with correspondence between Dickens and Heaphy, in 1882.
6
de Vega y Carpio, Felix Arturo Lope (1562-1635). Spanish playwright and poet. The story in question is probably 'El Peregrino en su Patria' (The Pilgrim in his own country), 1604.

Editorial information

Status: Draft transcription [Letter (WCP3961.3901)]

For more information about the transcriptions and metadata, see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon

Revision history

Transcribed by Cooper, Rod [2014-02-21] Transcription checked by Benny, Ruth [2014-02-25] Transcription checked by Sherwood, Danni [2020-08-10]

Please cite as “WCP3961,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 28 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP3961