Although I've developed a fondness for Victorian literature, this short story lost it's eerie feel about a third of the way in. Good, not great. ( )

Green Tea and Mr. Justice Harbottle are two short stories by 19th Century author Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. He was a popular writer of gothic fiction in his time and has provided the foundation for much of today’s horror and mystery genres.

Both stories are based on correspondence between Dr. Martin Hesselius and his friend, Professor Van Loo. The narrator explains that he is in possession of the letters and is using their contents to relay stories of unusual medical interest.

In “Green Tea,” there’s a constant conflict between devout religion and the newly evolving science of medicine. A tale of “goblins and demons,” the reader is never sure if the protagonist’s visions are hallucinations or the result of mental illness or if the story is about a demonic possession. After being harassed by the “monkey demon,” Mr. Jennings can no longer live with the torment so he takes his own life. The narrator blames the potential ill effects of ingesting too much green tea and the impact that can have on the mind.

“Mr. Justice Harbottle” is about ghostly revenge. As a judge, Justice Harbottle has a man executed so that he can take his wife on as his mistress. The judge begins having visions and is sent a summons to appear in an appellate court to be tried for his crimes. During the trial, the man he had executed is present. He is found guilty and sentenced to death with the execution to be carried out on a future date. He awakens and convinces himself that the entire episode was a nightmare. However, on the appointed date of the execution, Justice Harbottle is found hanging in his study. The reader is left to wonder if this was once again suicide brought on by stress or mental illness or if the sentence of the ghostly court had been carried out.

What was most entertaining about these stories is that, while they make mention of ghosts and demons, it’s a human condition that is central to creating the conflict. Like modern horror writers, using the theme of mental illness and one’s inability to control your own actions makes these tales scarier than any “monster” story. While the inclusion of suicide is not particularly shocking to a modern reader, one from the late 1800’s must have found this very disturbing and the stories would have a much more dramatic finale. ( )