Bracebridge Hall

Rating:
Summary: Humdrum sketches, with a scattering of gems
Review: Published under his pseudonym Geoffrey Crayon, "Bracebridge Hall" is a sequel of sorts to "The Sketch Book." Less a novel than a series of sketches--or a "medley," to use Irving's term from the title page--these tales revolve around the inhabitants of an English manor (based on the real Aston Hall, where Irving often stayed), the characters living in the village nearby, and the stories they tell. The "plot," such as it is, concerns the gathering of relations for a wedding. "In a word," Irving admits, "I cannot foresee a single extraordinary event that is likely to occur in the whole of my sojourn at the Hall."

Most of the character sketches rarely rise above type: the English squire, the old general, the widow, the servants. A few, however, humorously evoke remarkable eccentrics: the village "radical," Christy the crotchety huntsman, the gypsy who still retains the squire's sympathies after he's accused of stealing a sheep. Irving's recollection of the village's May Day celebration is particularly amusing.

Even more valuable are the masterful stories ("told" by various characters staying in Bracebridge Hall) that are hidden among these profiles and that stand on their own. The most famous of these is the ghost story "Dolph Heyliger" (and its story-within-a-story, "The Ghost-Ship"), but readers should not miss "The Stout Gentleman," a simple story about a mysterious apparition; "Annette Delarbre," an affecting love story; and especially "The Student of Salamanca," an overlooked gem of intrigue and suspense.