Victorian Short Story Reading Group: ‘The Ghost upon the Rail’ by John Lang

 

The Victorian Short Story Reading Group has regular meetings to explore some of the exciting material from the golden age of the British short story, which began during the latter part of the nineteenth century.

Current Theme: Colonial Short Stories: Australia

Continuing our exploration of Victorian colonial short stories, we now move to Australia. Through a range of genres, such as Gothic, detective, realistic and humour, we will meet ex-convicts, detectives, murderers, lone women, government officials, bush settlers, fossickers and even a ghost. This should give us a more personal perspective of the lives lived within the colonial system than that recorded in the history books. .Our sessions will also give us the opportunity to discuss many of the current debates about imperialism through both the beliefs and understanding of the time and the different perspective and hindsight of the modern age.

‘The Ghost upon the Rail’ by John Lang (first published Household Words, 1853. Collected in: Botany Bay; or True Stories of the Early Days of Australia, 1859).

This story is culturally significant as an early example of Australian Gothic. Reputably based on a real incident, the story covers themes of guilt, justice and redemption and depicts early settler life through a tale of two convicts who, having been sent to Botany Bay for crimes committed in England, choose to remain in Australia after the completion of their sentences

Upon registration you will receive a link to an on-line copy of the text and, as it is a short story group, it will require no more than an evening’s preparation to read the required material.

Sessions take place monthly between October and June at a venue in Chiswick, London, W4 1TT, between 7 and 8.30 pm. At each session there is a brief introduction to the work, followed by a group discussion in a relaxed atmosphere, with wine and nibbles supplied.

Image: Gold panning Australia 1900 – Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, Australia. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Ticket Price: £6
Date: January 22nd, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm– 8:30 pm
Venue: Priory Gardens, London W4 1TT - View on map
Book