Petrified feelings: Edith Nesbit’s ghost stories

Abstract. The Edwardian / late Victorian writer Edith Nesbit (1858–1924) is mainly known for her children’s books, but she also excelled at writing ghost and horror stories. Both genres seem to be rooted in fears, either individual traumatizations or social fears. In this essay, two of her ghost stories will be examined in light of these constellations, Man-size in marble and John Charrington’s wedding. In both stories as in much of her works of fantasy, biography, psychological insight and a questioning of (patriarchal) conceptions intersect.
Key words: Edith Nesbit; ghost story; psychology; gothic; trauma; Edwardian culture

Schenkel E (2024) Petrified feelings: Edith Nesbit’s ghost stories. Creativity 7(2): 179–189. doi:10.22381/C7220242