Martin's Close
| "Martin's Close" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by M. R. James | |
 | |
| Country | England |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Horror |
| Publication | |
| Publication date | 1911 |
"Martin's Close" is a ghost story by British writer M. R. James, included in his 1911 collection More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary.
Plot summary[edit]
The story is presented as a report of a trial in the year 1684, before Judge Jeffreys. Squire George Martin has been accused of murdering a young girl named Ann Clark, with whom he had a one-sided romance. The prosecution presents the case that Martin murdered Ann Clark, because she ruined a good marriage proposal for him. During the trial, an event is described in which Martin acted in a guilty manner when confronted with a possible apparition of the girl. In the end, Martin is found guilty of the crime, despite his attempt to have the case dismissed on a legal technicality, and is sentenced to death.[1]
Adaptations[edit]
A version of the story, Martin's Close, adapted by Mark Gatiss, was broadcast on 24 December 2019 on BBC Four as part of the long-running A Ghost Story for Christmas series. It stars Peter Capaldi, Elliot Levey, Wilf Scolding, Sara Crowe, James Holmes, Jessica Temple, Simon Williams, Fisayo Akinade, and Ian Hallard.[2]
References[edit]
- ^ James, M. R. (1993). Collected Ghost Stories (Repr. ed.). Ware, Hertfordshire: Wordsworth. pp. 160–175. ISBN 1853260533.
- ^ "Peter Capaldi (Doctor Who, The Thick Of It, Paddington) will star in Martin's Close, airing this Christmas on BBC Four". BBC Media Centre. 21 August 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
External links[edit]
The full text of Martin's Close at Wikisource- An omnibus collection of James's short fiction at Standard Ebooks
- Full text of "Martin's Close"
Martin's Close public domain audiobook at LibriVox- A Podcast to the Curious: Episode 14 - Martin's Close
- Martin's Close at IMDb
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