![]() There are a limited number of plots available to writers in any genre, and often the best an author can hope is that he or she may be able to bring an exciting new twist to a plot that has been used several times before. Nor should it be overlooked that James utilised several excellent plot devices, which would naturally appeal to anyone attempting to write ghost stories at a later date. However, bearing in mind that some of these successors were friends and associates of James, sharing an academic background and an interest in manuscripts, it is hardly surprising that there should be some similarity in subject matter. This classification simplifies matters too much and tends to deny the author credit for his or her own particular talent. Successors there were: those whose stories, because they exhibited similarities to the style of the maestro, are often classed as ‘Jamesian’. ![]() We may trace the real foundation of that era to the early years of the century, when M R James set the standard by which his successors would be judged. The first half of the twentieth century was a golden era viewed in terms of the English ghost story. ![]()
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