A Warning to the Curious
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias - A podcast by Paul Fricker, Matthew Sanderson and Scott Dorward - Tuesdays
We’re back and we’re heading off to the seaside. People might tell you that Suffolk can be bleak at this time of year, but what do they know? There’s plenty to enjoy here. The hotel is pleasant enough, although we’re not sure why they gave us a private sitting room. Our shoes have never looked so shiny thanks to the boots and all his elbow grease. That nice old man at the curiosity shop keeps showing us wonderful things that belonged to dead people. And while the sand is too fine for making sandcastles, it’s nice and soft for digging. Everything here is rather idyllic. If it weren’t for the hideous ghost following us and the sense of impending doom, this would be the best holiday ever. Four stars on TripAdvisor. Main Topic: A Warning to the Curious While we’ve wrapped up our discussion of ghosts, we haven’t quite left the spectral world behind yet. Or maybe it refuses to leave us alone. Once these spectres set their sights on you, they can prove vexingly dogged. We’re going to keep away from any Martello towers, just to be safe. Almost as frightening to us as they were to Napoleon. This episode explores M R James’ classic English ghost story, “A Warning to the Curious”. England has an enduring love for ghost stories, and James is the towering figure in the field. We spend some time talking about the man himself and how his work has retained its appeal. Then we go digging for treasure in one of his best-known tales, looking for inspiration for our Call of Cthulhu games. We’re sure everything will be fine. See? The locals are even keeping a lookout for us. Links Things we mention in this episode include: * M R James * Whistle and I’ll Come to You (1968) * A Ghost Story for Christmas (BBC TV series) * A View From a Hill * Number 13 * Whistle and I’ll Come to You (2010) * The Tractate Middoth * Martin’s Close The man himself * Aldeburgh in Suffolk * Martello towers * “A Warning to the Curious” read by Michael Horden * Redacted dates in fiction * A Podcast to the Curious * “The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral” *
