"The Weird Works of M.R. James" is an essay I enjoyed reading here on the site. I noticed the Bib. Cit.
says it was "1st published, 1973"; Obviously a postumous publication. I was just wondering if any here
know anything about why it was written or could give any history of it. It reads like a book review
but was perhaps never published? I also notice that James died around the time CAS's more productive
period in writing was winding down and wondered if in fact it wasn't first written in the 30's perhaps?

Comments Welcome,

Cathexis

According to Planets and Dimensions:The Collected Essays of Clark Ashton Smith, the essay/review was published in The Fantasy Fan, February 1934.

Thank you!


Cathexis

You're welcome.

I would add that CAS mentions James in several letters that are re-printed in the Arkham House Selected Letters volume. It's also interesting that, in a list of his ten favorite weird stories, CAS selects James's "A View from a Hill" as one of them. I find this choice interesting for two reasons. First, as I recall, CAS does not mention this story at all in his little essay on James, and second, I have never read of anyone else who singled out this tale as a favorite.

Absquatch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You're welcome.
>
> I would add that CAS mentions James in several
> letters that are re-printed in the Arkham House
> Selected Letters volume. It's also interesting
> that, in a list of his ten favorite weird stories,
> CAS selects James's "A View from a Hill" as one of
> them. I find this choice interesting for two
> reasons. First, as I recall, CAS does not mention
> this story at all in his little essay on James,
> and second, I have never read of anyone else who
> singled out this tale as a favorite.

Nor, to the best of my recollection, have I. It is a very interesting choice, however.... Incidentally, I recently heard a reading of this tale (along with several others) by Derek Jacobi on a BBC Audio CD set of James' ghost stories; and I must say that I found his rendition very enjoyable....

Browsing around this site:

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Shows that "A View,..." tends to be in the middle rank whether you're rating
Most-Liked, Least-Liked. Stories like, "Oh Whistle,..." always rank near the
top. For what it's worth I could hazard a guess at why CAS preferred it.
All of M.R. James' Ghost stories deal with the supernatural - obviously. But
perhaps CAS liked the strong elements of Scorcery in the story. Not trying to
be pushy with my opinions, but I think CAS wrote much more about Wizards and
Sorcerers than he ever did about ghosts.

Also, a frequent theme of James' stories is the "chance" discovery of some
ancient artifact or knowledge that later allows the Supernatural to intrude
on the mundane Present with malevolent results. In, "A View,..." the device
of the binoculars not only evokes the Supernatural but allows the hapless
protagonist to view the Past even though he occupies the Present. Maybe that
"other-worldliness" was attractive to CAS as well.

Just a Thought,

Cathexis