Mickelsson's Ghosts
Encyclopedia
Mickelsson's Ghosts is John Gardner's final novel, published in 1982. It follows Peter Mickelsson, former football player and current Professor of Philosophy at Binghamton University
. Mickelsson is driven, opinionated, probably a drunk, definitely bankrupt, and perhaps going completely mad. During his personal descent, which he seems powerless to arrest, he somehow scrounges enough money together to buy a farmhouse in northern Pennsylvania
's Endless Mountains
, which seems to be haunted by the ghosts of an incestuous family. During his more and more frequent absences from reality, the self-destructive Mickelsson has several affairs (including one with a young prostitute, and one with a fellow faculty member who unsuccessfully attempts to help him put his life together), inadvertently causes a death, and becomes involved with a sectarian religious group which may or may not be entirely imagined.
The ghosts of the title refer not just to individuals, but types. Although traditional ghost stories stick to one of three different kinds of ghosts, Gardner uniquely populates this novel with all three: real supernatural entities, "psychological" ghosts that originate in the imaginings of a character, and supernatural seeming occurrences that have natural explanations. Although Mickelsson seems irredeemable, evident throughout is Gardner's characteristic love for or sympathy toward all of his characters, even the protagonist, whose final disposition remains ambiguous.
Binghamton University
Binghamton University, also formally called State University of New York at Binghamton, , is a public research university in the State of New York. The University is one of the four university centers in the State University of New York system...
. Mickelsson is driven, opinionated, probably a drunk, definitely bankrupt, and perhaps going completely mad. During his personal descent, which he seems powerless to arrest, he somehow scrounges enough money together to buy a farmhouse in northern Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
's Endless Mountains
Endless Mountains
The Endless Mountains are a chain of mountains in northeastern Pennsylvania. The Endless Mountains region includes Bradford, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Northern Wayne, and Wyoming Counties.-History and geography:...
, which seems to be haunted by the ghosts of an incestuous family. During his more and more frequent absences from reality, the self-destructive Mickelsson has several affairs (including one with a young prostitute, and one with a fellow faculty member who unsuccessfully attempts to help him put his life together), inadvertently causes a death, and becomes involved with a sectarian religious group which may or may not be entirely imagined.
The ghosts of the title refer not just to individuals, but types. Although traditional ghost stories stick to one of three different kinds of ghosts, Gardner uniquely populates this novel with all three: real supernatural entities, "psychological" ghosts that originate in the imaginings of a character, and supernatural seeming occurrences that have natural explanations. Although Mickelsson seems irredeemable, evident throughout is Gardner's characteristic love for or sympathy toward all of his characters, even the protagonist, whose final disposition remains ambiguous.