It occurs to me that I didn't give much biographical information in the first part of this review. So here goes:
Katherine Tynan (1859-1931) was an early supporter of women's suffrage, an Irish nationalist, a devout Catholic, and in 1893 she married an Englishman, Henry Hinkson. The couple lived in London for a while, then moved to County Mayo in 1912. Henry, who earned a meagre stipend as a magistrate, died in 1919, leaving Katherine dependent upon her writing to provide for her three children. A prolific and popular popular novelist, she achieved much critical praise for her poetry, which made her a significant figure in the Irish literary revival of that period.
On to the middle bit of a very enjoyable collection of what might loosely be termed Gothic Tales. And I find an interesting example of great minds thinking alike. 'A Sentence of Death' bears a strong resemblance to E.F. Benson's tale 'The Bus Conductor'.
A young woman, guest at a country house, hears a coach pulling up at night. She looks from her bedroom window to see a hearse drawn by four black horses. The driver calls up: 'Just room for one, madame!' The following day she tactfully mentions it, wondering which of the guests might have died in the night? But she is told there was no hearse... It turn's out that, as in Benson's story, the hearse was delivering a warning that the young woman later takes advantage of, saving her own life and that of her new husband.
Tynan's story was published in 1908. Benson's story first appeared in 1906, so it may be that Tynan had read it an unconsciously used the plot. She was certainly not above re-using her own plots. The theme of bodysnatching - an excellent one, of course - is given several outings, 'The Body Snatching' shows the nasty business from the perspective of an actual 'resurrection man', and as with the earlier story 'The Dead Coach' it ends with romance.
Tynan also re-uses the concept of the title story in 'The Spancel of Death'. In 'The Death Spancel' she avoided being too specific about the magical item's origins. Here she is much more specific, and quite a horrible revelation it is. It is a fascinating piece of Irish folk horror and I won't reveal too much here. Also full-on in its horror is the mildly titled 'A Night in the Cathedral', which sees a young soldier trapped in the eponymous building as flood waters bring sewer rats up from the catacombs.
There are some gentler tales. 'The Ghost' sees a kindly man haunted by a spectre of a living girl and is eventually able to help her and her family. 'The Dream House' is fairy self-explanatory and offers one of the many depictions of domestic bliss with which Tynan, knowing her audience, routinely rounds off her stories.
So, the running review continues. Back soon with the final part!
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