The activity for this month consists of reading the second story in the book "A Pair of Ghostly Hands". It's title is "Lost Hearts" and it was written by M. R. James.
After reading it, write a brief summary (about 60 words) and say whether you liked this short story and whether you would recommend it to a friend.
Who is (or was) E.M.James? Extra points for those who discover who is the person... Is this writer a man or a woman? What do the initials E and M stand for?
Well, hurry up and solve the mystery! And, of course, enjoy the reading...
Summary:
ResponderEliminarThis story is about a crazy man called Mr. Abney who always was in his library at Aswarby Hall. He learnt that some centuries ago, some writers believed that if you eat the heart of three children bellow the age of twelve and without family, you will become the strongest man in the world. So he started killing a girl called Phoebe Stanley, then an Italian boy called Giovanni Paoli, and finally he wants to kill his cousin called Stephen Elliott, that went to live with him because his parents died. Also, he knew that the ghosts of the children that he had already killed will try to punish him. So finally, Stephen found his cousin killed without his heart by the two other children who wanted revenge about what Mr Abney had did with them.
Like:
I like a lot this story because it is a mystery story with lots of intrigue, and when you’re reading it you don’t know what will happen next. My favourite part was when Stephen found all the letters that Mr. Abney wrote, and when he is reading them, he discovers the entire true.
Recommend:
I think that it is a very good story that I will recommend to my best friends because it shows you that you never can trust all the people including your own family, like Stephen, because his cousin wanted to kill him. Also, I hope that they like it, about its intrigue and mystery.
Montague Rhodes James:
Montague Rhodes James was born on the 1st of August in the 1862 and he died on the 12th of June in the 1936 He was an English mediaeval scholar and provost of King's College, Cambridge (1905–1918) and of Eton College (1918–1936). He is best remembered for his ghost stories which are widely regarded as among the finest in English literature. One of James's most important achievements was to redefine the ghost story for the new century by dispensing with many of the formal Gothic trappings of his predecessors, and replacing them with more realistic contemporary settings. At the same time, James's protagonists and plots tend - like himself - to be absorbed with antiquarianism. As such, he is known as the originator of the "antiquarian ghost story".
- He was a man.
- M: Montague
R: Rhodes
Sandra Nieto PET2D
Dear Sandra,
ResponderEliminarThis is an excellent opinion task. Congratulations! There are some minor grammar mistakes but, on the whole, your text is easy to read and understand. Go on like this!!!! :)
In September of 1811, a boy rang the bell of Aswarby Hall, and was the cousin of Mr. Abney, Stephen that was only because six months before his parents had die. Mrs. Bunch was the housekeeper and she and Stephen were good friends. Stephen discovers that Mr. Abney wants to kill him because some writers believed that if you eat the heart of three children without family, you will become the strongest man in the world, so he started killing a girl called Phoebe then a boy called Giovani and he knows that he will be the next.
ResponderEliminarI like the story because had murders and mistery and I love this types of story that you don’t know who, where, when will dead someone.
I will kill recommend to a friend because it’s a very good mystery story with a lot of intrigue.
Montague Rhodes James was a britain antique dealer, medievalist and writer of horror stories.
Sergio Rodriguez PET 2D
Summary:
ResponderEliminarMr Abney was a mad man with a big house and looked strange about his manners. He had a housekeeper called Mrs Bunch. One day, Stephen, Mr Abney's cousin came to the house because their parents died. He wanted that his cousin come to his house because he read that if you eat three childs hearts, you'll get an infinite power. He ate two hearts but he miss one so he tried to kill his cousin but Stephen found it dead in a chair. Maybe there were the other childs soul...
I liked:
The story looked real and it could be frightening if you couldn't guess the story.
I would recomend because:
This story says many things about the truth of the life and you could learn important things.
Oh sorry i didn't remmembered about putting the mystery but Sandra solved the mystery... I agree with her.
ResponderEliminar-Mr Abney, was a man who learnt that eating three childrens' heart he can have a lot of power. Then he belive it and ate two, only miss one for the moment...
ResponderEliminarStephen was Mr Abney's cousin, a child who went to Mr Abney's house. He found Mr Abneys death in a chair, without blood, only with a clean knife, but he didn't discover anything about the miss of a third heart and the story of the power until some years.
-I think that is entertaining because the story have a lot of imagination and in part invites you to follow the reading.
-I wouldn't recomend it to a friend because I like more another type of storys.