The Norton Book of Ghost Stories

Leithauser (Seaward) believes that the ghost-story genre divides into plot-driven and psychologically motivated stories, and that the best of each ``constantly hunger after the infinite.'' To that end, he has compiled a series of rather musty, but still serviceable, ghostly tales that manage to conjure up the idea of ``vastness'' (representative of the unseen, supernatural world) while still offering some good shudders. In his introduction, Leithauser focuses much of his attention on Henry James and M.R. James (who has managed to stay in print since 1904) and gives shorter shrift to ``newer'' writers like Shirley Jackson and John Cheever. This emphasis not only gives the anthology a dated feel but indicates an unfamiliarity with, or disregard for, the ghostly literature of the past 25 years. Is there not one story by Ramsey Campbell, Stephen King, Peter Straub, Robert Aickman or Clive Barker that deserves inclusion along with tales by the two Jameses, Edith Wharton, Oliver Onions, Muriel Spark, Elizabeth Bowen, Saki and A.S. Byatt? Although all of the selected tales are classy, they tend-again, because of Leithauser's myopia concerning contemporary ghost stories-to repeat themes: ghostly lovers do dastardly deeds with predictable alacrity; exotic places cast mysterious and occasionally dangerous spells; loyal garments chastise greedy materialists. Considering the determinedly literary quality of these tales of formless wraiths and whistling vapors, and Leithauser's scanting of the rich though relatively recent developments in the genre, it can be said that, in this anthology, style clearly triumphs over substance. (Oct.)