Murther and Walking Spirits
Encyclopedia
Murther and Walking Spirits, first published by McClelland and Stewart
in 1991
, is a novel by Canadian
novelist Robertson Davies
.
Murther and Walking Spirits is, in a way, another ghost story
, a genre
Davies visited in his short story
collection High Spirits
(1982
). In the very first sentence of the novel, "Gil" Gilmartin, the protagonist and narrator, is murdered. He then attends a strange film festival, where he sees "films" retracing the history of his ancestors. The films, dealing as they do with more and more recent subjects, bring the novel to its modern-day conclusion.
Davies used his own ancestry — Welsh
and United Empire Loyalist — as inspiration for the "films" presented.
The novel is prefaced with a quote from Samuel Butler
: "But where Murthers and Walking Spirits meet, there is no other Narrative can come near it." (The word "murther" is an archaic spelling of "murder
".)
Murther and Walking Spirits was not well received by the critics, and sales of the book were disappointing, compared to Davies' previous works.
Unlike Davies' previous novels, Murther and Walking Spirits was not part of a trilogy. There is some supposition, however, that had Davies lived long enough this novel and his next novel, The Cunning Man
, might have constituted another trilogy. In fact, in his introduction to The Merry Heart
(1996
), a collection of Davies' writings published posthumously, Davies' publisher, Douglas M. Gibson, tells how Davies had been researching and preparing the novel which would have followed The Cunning Man and would have been the third in the series. Gibson speculated that this unfinished
trilogy might have been called the "Toronto Trilogy
".
McClelland and Stewart
McClelland & Stewart Limited is a Canadian publishing company. It is partially owned by Random House of Canada, now a subsidiary of Bertelsmann....
in 1991
1991 in literature
The year 1991 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Douglas Coupland publishes the novel Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture, popularizing the term Generation X as the name of the generation....
, is a novel by Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
novelist Robertson Davies
Robertson Davies
William Robertson Davies, CC, OOnt, FRSC, FRSL was a Canadian novelist, playwright, critic, journalist, and professor. He was one of Canada's best-known and most popular authors, and one of its most distinguished "men of letters", a term Davies is variously said to have gladly accepted for himself...
.
Murther and Walking Spirits is, in a way, another ghost story
Ghost story
A ghost story may be any piece of fiction, or drama, or an account of an experience, that includes a ghost, or simply takes as a premise the possibility of ghosts or characters' belief in them. Colloquially, the term can refer to any kind of scary story. In a narrower sense, the ghost story has...
, a genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
Davies visited in his short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
collection High Spirits
High Spirits (Short story collection)
High Spirits is a collection of short stories by Canadian novelist, playwright, critic, journalist and professor Robertson Davies. It was first published by Penguin Canada in 1982...
(1982
1982 in literature
The year 1982 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*La Bicyclette Bleue by Régine Deforges becomes France's best selling novel ever.-New books:...
). In the very first sentence of the novel, "Gil" Gilmartin, the protagonist and narrator, is murdered. He then attends a strange film festival, where he sees "films" retracing the history of his ancestors. The films, dealing as they do with more and more recent subjects, bring the novel to its modern-day conclusion.
Davies used his own ancestry — Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and United Empire Loyalist — as inspiration for the "films" presented.
The novel is prefaced with a quote from Samuel Butler
Samuel Butler
Samuel Butler may refer to:*Samuel Butler , author of Hudibras*Samuel Butler , classical scholar, schoolmaster at Shrewsbury, Bishop of Lichfield...
: "But where Murthers and Walking Spirits meet, there is no other Narrative can come near it." (The word "murther" is an archaic spelling of "murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
".)
Murther and Walking Spirits was not well received by the critics, and sales of the book were disappointing, compared to Davies' previous works.
Unlike Davies' previous novels, Murther and Walking Spirits was not part of a trilogy. There is some supposition, however, that had Davies lived long enough this novel and his next novel, The Cunning Man
The Cunning Man
The Cunning Man, published by McClelland and Stewart in 1994, is the last novel written by Canadian novelist Robertson Davies.The Cunning Man is the memoir of the life of a doctor, Dr. Jonathan Hullah, living in Toronto. Hullah is a holistic physician — a cunning diagnostician who can often...
, might have constituted another trilogy. In fact, in his introduction to The Merry Heart
The Merry Heart
The Merry Heart, first published by McClelland and Stewart in 1996, is a collection of writings by Canadian novelist Robertson Davies. It consists of reminiscences, speeches, book reviews, parodies and essays written over a period from 1980 to 1995, the year of Davies' death...
(1996
1996 in literature
The year 1996 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is removed from an advanced placement English reading list in Lindale, Texas because it "conflicted with the values of the community."* In the United Kingdom, the first...
), a collection of Davies' writings published posthumously, Davies' publisher, Douglas M. Gibson, tells how Davies had been researching and preparing the novel which would have followed The Cunning Man and would have been the third in the series. Gibson speculated that this unfinished
Unfinished work
An unfinished work is creative work that has not been finished. Its creator may have chosen never to finish it or may have been prevented from doing so by circumstances outside of their control such as death. Such pieces are often the subject of speculation as to what the finished piece would have...
trilogy might have been called the "Toronto Trilogy
Toronto Trilogy
"The Toronto Trilogy" refers to two separate series of Canadian novels by Robertson Davies and Austin Clarke.-Robertson Davies' "Toronto Trilogy":Whether it was planned or not, Davies' novels formed trilogies...
".