A Warning to the Curious

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"A Warning to the Curious"
Short story by M. R. James
A Warning to the Curious and Other Stories - MR James.jpg
Country England
Language English
Genre(s) Horror
Publication
Publication date1925

"A Warning to the Curious" is a ghost story by British writer M. R. James, included in his book A Warning to the Curious and Other Ghost Stories first published in 1925. The tale tells the story of Paxton, an antiquarian and archaeologist who holidays in "Seaburgh" (a disguised version of Aldeburgh, Suffolk) and inadvertently stumbles across one of the three lost crowns of East Anglia, which legendarily protect the country from invasion. Upon digging up the crown, Paxton is stalked by its supernatural guardian. Written a few years after the end of the First World War, "A Warning to the Curious" ranks as one of M. R. James's bleakest stories. [1]

Contents

Synopsis

The story is written in M. R. James's typical style, and uses a multi-layered narrative device to tell the tale. Time is taken to describe a pleasant traditional Victorian holiday resort, Seaburgh. The narrator states that he collects stories about the area as a result of his happy memories there as a child, and that this is one he was told by a man for whom he had done a favour.

We now hear the story first-hand from the second narrator. He states that he was on holiday at Seaburgh with his friend, Henry Long, when they are approached by another guest, Paxton, who has a tale of woe to tell.

Paxton explains that he has some interest in the architecture of medieval churches, whilst visiting one such place he learns of a local legend about a buried Anglo-Saxon crown that protects the country from invasion; linked to this are a deceased family, called Ager, who were sworn to guard the crown.

Paxton states that he found the crown but has been stalked ever since, to the point of desperation, by its supernatural guardian. Both the narrator and Long are moved by Paxton's story, and decide to help him return the crown. During their successful mission, both men have some appreciation of being under surveillance by a supernatural presence.

The next day the narrator and Long are to meet Paxton for a walk, but discover him gone; a servant states that she saw Paxton running towards the beach, having heard his friends call for him. The two men set off after Paxton onto the beach, where a thick sea mist descends, making visibility poor. The two men come across Paxton's body; he has met a violent end. An independent witness at the subsequent inquest absolves them of any involvement. The narrator states that they keep the location of the crown secret, finishing by saying that he has never been back to, or even near, Seaburgh since.

Adaptations

In 1972, the story was adapted as ‘’A Warning to the Curious’’ by Lawrence Gordon Clark as the second instalment of the BBC's A Ghost Story for Christmas strand. [2] As with the previous instalment, it was first broadcast on BBC 1 at 11pm on Christmas Eve 1972. [3]

In adapting the story, Clark changed the protagonist of the original from a young, innocent amateur who discovers the crown by accident to a middle-aged man (Peter Vaughan) who travels to Seaburgh specifically to find the crown. The era is updated to the 1930s, the background of the Depression adding an extra layer to Paxton's search for the treasure. [2] The narrative layering of the original James story is dispensed with and a chronological narrative is used instead. [4]

Clark also included the character of Dr. Black (Clive Swift), who first appeared in The Stalls of Barchester . The adaptation was filmed around the north Norfolk coastline at Waxham, Happisburgh and Wells-next-the-Sea. [5] [6]

In 2020, the story was adapted by Shadows at the Door: The Podcast into a full-cast audio drama. In this adaptation, Paxton's gender was changed from male to female and the character of the narrator was expanded. Later into 2021 an updated version of this story entitled 'A Curious Tale' was made by an independent outfit and subsequently won three awards. The story was slightly changed whereby the protagonist was a musician seeking the fabled crown whilst on an archeleogical break, which was set in the fictitious Sussex village of Snowgood.

Aldeburgh

The Suffolk setting of Seaburgh for "A Warning to the Curious" is a thinly veiled disguise for the seaside town of Aldeburgh, [7] the home of M. R. James's maternal grandmother, whom he visited frequently until her death in 1870. [8] The town suffers from the coastal erosion common to the east coast, but the majority of buildings mentioned in the story survive to this day; the Martello tower still stands and has been converted into a holiday residence by The Landmark Trust. The Bear/White Lion hotel is a luxury hotel still, St Peter and St Paul's Church, Aldeburgh and the accompanying path through the graveyard similarly are relatively untouched. A few miles outside Aldeburgh is the small village of Friston, which is home to a church dating back to the medieval period and is likely the basis for Froston in the story, though it lacks the Three Crown motif. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M. R. James</span> British author and scholar (1862–1936)

Montague Rhodes James was an English medievalist scholar and author who served as provost of King's College, Cambridge (1905–1918), and of Eton College (1918–1936) as well as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge (1913–1915). James's scholarly work is still highly regarded, but he is best remembered for his ghost stories, which are considered by many critics and authors as the finest in the English language and widely influential on modern horror.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aldeburgh</span> Coastal town in Suffolk

Aldeburgh is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England, north of the River Alde. Its estimated population was 2,276 in 2019. It was home to the composer Benjamin Britten and remains the centre of the international Aldeburgh Festival of arts at nearby Snape Maltings, which was founded by Britten in 1948. It also hosts an annual poetry festival and several food festivals and other events.

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The Collected Ghost Stories of M. R. James is an omnibus collection of ghost stories by English author M. R. James', published in 1931, bringing together all but four of his ghost stories.

<i>A Warning to the Curious and Other Ghost Stories</i> Fourth and final collection of ghost stories by M.R. James

A Warning to the Curious and Other Ghost Stories is the title of M. R. James' fourth and final collection of ghost stories, published in 1925.

<i>The Stalls of Barchester</i> 1971 TV series or program

The Stalls of Barchester is a short film which serves as the first of the British supernatural anthology series A Ghost Story for Christmas. Written, produced, and directed by the series' creator Lawrence Gordon Clark, it is based on the ghost story "The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral" by M. R. James, first published in the collection More Ghost Stories (1911). It stars Robert Hardy as Archdeacon Haynes of the fictional Barchester Cathedral, whose mysterious death is investigated 50 years later by the scholar Dr. Black, and first aired on BBC1 on 24 December 1971.

<i>The Signalman</i> (film) 1976 TV series or program

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral</span> Ghost story by M.R. James

"The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral" is a ghost story by British writer M. R. James, originally published in 1910. It is included in his collection More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary.

David Pugh was a British actor, probably best known for playing opposite Rosamund Greenwood and Roy Evans in an acclaimed early film by director Tony Scott, Loving Memory, which was shown at the 1971 Cannes Film Festival. Other film roles included Daft Jamie in Burke & Hare (1971), one of the leads in the 1972 sex comedy The Love Pill, and a creditor in Christine Edzard's 1987 Dickens adaptation, Little Dorrit.

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<i>Whistle and Ill Come to You</i> (2010 film) Television drama

Whistle and I'll Come to You is a short film which is part of the British supernatural anthology series A Ghost Story for Christmas. Written by Neil Cross, produced by Claire Armspach, and directed by Andy De Emmony, it is based on the ghost story of the same name by M. R. James, first published in the collection Ghost Stories of an Antiquary (1904), and first aired on BBC Two on 24 December 2005. At 52 minutes it is the longest entry in the series' history.

"The Haunted Dolls' House" (1923) is a short story by M. R. James, collected by him in A Warning to the Curious and Other Ghost Stories (1925). It was commissioned by Queen Mary, wife of George V, as a miniature book for her famous Dolls' House, which can still be seen in Windsor Castle. It is in many ways a typical James story, thematically linked to other works of his, especially "The Mezzotint". Though usually considered a story for adults, it has also been claimed as children's fiction.

<i>Lost Hearts</i> (film) 1973 TV series or program

Lost Hearts is a short film, the third of the British supernatural anthology series A Ghost Story for Christmas. Written by Robin Chapman, produced by Rosemary Hill, and directed by the series' creator, Lawrence Gordon Clark, it is based on the 1895 ghost story of the same name by M. R. James and first aired on BBC1 on 25 December 1973. It is the first instalment to have been broadcast on Christmas Day itself, and one of only three in the series' history.

<i>A Warning to the Curious</i> (film) 1972 TV series or program

A Warning to the Curious is a short film, the second of the British supernatural anthology series A Ghost Story for Christmas. Written, produced, and directed by the series' creator, Lawrence Gordon Clark, it is based on the ghost story of the same name by M. R. James, first published in the collection A Warning to the Curious and Other Ghost Stories (1925) and first aired on BBC1 on 24 December 1972. At 50 minutes it is the longest instalment in the series' original run.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adaptations of works by M. R. James</span>

The author and medievalist M. R. James (1862-1936) wrote over 30 ghost stories, which have been widely adapted for television, radio, and theatre. The first adaptation of one of his stories was of A School Story for the BBC Midlands Regional Programme in 1932, the only one produced in James' lifetime. The only notable film adaptation is Night of the Demon (1957), directed by Jacques Tourneur and based on Casting the Runes, which is considered one of the greatest horror films of all time. The most celebrated adaptations of his works are those produced for British television in the 1960s and 1970s, which have made him, according to critic Jon Dear, “the go-to folk horror writer for television.”

References

  1. Parry, Robert Lloyd (2012). MR James' 'The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral' and 'A Warning to the Curious'. British Film Institute.
  2. 1 2 Angelini, Sergio, A Warning to the Curious at the BFI 's Screenonline. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  3. "A Warning to the Curious". British Film Institute Database. Archived from the original on 1 June 2009. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  4. Duffy, Steve; Introduction to "A Pleasing Terror, The Complete Supernatural Writings", Ash-Tree Press 2001
  5. Burton, Nigel (22 August 2007). "A Warning to the Curious in Aldeburgh, Suffolk: East Anglia's Ghost Trail". worldtravelblog.co.uk. Archived from the original on 4 September 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  6. Fisher, Mark (15 April 2007). "Bleak and Solemn ..." abstractdynamics.org. Archived from the original on 20 August 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  7. S. T. Joshi Introduction, "The Haunted Dolls' House and Other Ghost Stories", Penguin Classics 2006
  8. S. T. Joshi notes from "The Haunted Dolls' House and Other Ghost Stories", Penguin Classics 2006
  9. Annotation 14 from "A Warning to the Curious" in "A Pleasing Terror, The Complete Supernatural Writings" (Kindle Edition), Editors: C Roden & B Roden; Ash-Tree Press 2012