Tonight’s story, “The Transferred Ghost” by Frank R. Stockton, is important in the history of ghost stories and the literature of haunting because it is so remarkably different from our modern conception of ghost stories as horror.  Stockton’s unconventional sense of humor and almost-human ghosts especially make this story unique.    His twist on the traditional ghostly replacement theme also ensures the uniqueness of the piece.  “The Transferred Ghost" is  refreshing and novel in the way that it is told, the situations it presents, and in the concepts it offers, as well as in its ability to subvert the expectations of a ghost story.

According to Stockton’s wife, Marian Stockton, “…he either looked on the best or the humorous side of life.”  This humor is probably what keeps “The Transferred Ghost” from seeming too gloomy, despite its haunting idea that even the dead care about the corporate ladder.

During the time that Stockton wrote, two main cultural and economic issues were at the forefront and are key to understanding “The Transferred Ghost”:  the Industrial Revolution (along with the rise of white-collar workers) and Spiritualism.  It seemed that everyone from the uneducated to justices of the Supreme Court participated in pursuits associated with spiritualism.  Public events such as seances, medium communication, automatic writings, and haunted tours inspired many facets of the American imagination, including scientific experiments, attempts to correspond with passed loved ones, religious experiences, and entertainment.

Stockton so arranges the elements of the short story to provide a discussion on ghosts, class, and capitalism.

And now, turn down the lights and join us for “The Transferred Ghost” by Frank R. Stockton….