Monday, November 13, 2023

Not Exactly Ghosts


Basic Information:

Author: Sir Andrew Caldecott

Edition: epub on Google PlayBooks from Gutenberg

Publisher:  Ash-Tree Press

ISBN:  9781553100362 (ISBN10: 1553100360)

Start Date: November 13, 2023

Read Date: November 15, 2023

30 (276)  pages

Genre:  Fiction, Short Stories, Book Group

Language Warning:  None

Rated Overall: 3½   out of 5



Religion: Christianity

Religious Quality: 2 out of 5

Christianity-Teaching Quality: 1 out of 5


Fiction-Tells a good story: 4 out of 5

Fiction-Character development: 3 out of 5



Synopsis (Caution: Spoiler Alert-Jump to Thoughts):

A new rector takes up residency. But in the rectory, there is a room which is off limits? Why? The rector is determined to get rid of the superstition which goes with the room. And the story takes off from there.



Cast of Characters:
  • Reverend Nigel Tylethorpe-the rector
  • Miss Roberta Pristin-housekeeper for the rectory. Came with the rectory
  • Mr Bugles-sexton, verger.
  • NICOLAS PHAYNE PINXIT-a previous rector who was seduced into the dark arts
  • Cyril Thundersley-Biship of Wintonbury
  • Dean Burnfell-80 years old, former canon of Wintonbury
  • Colonial Bishop of Kongea-on leave
  • Leslie Trueson-lay person, Fellow of St Peter's Oxbridge
  • Mr Lemmet-the Bishop’s chaplain


Place:

  • St Botolph's, Tilchington - a real place, at least the St Botolph’s part.


Expectations:
  • Recommendation: Book Group-Peter
  • When: July 2023
  • Why do I want to read this book: A short story and billed as a ghost story.

Thoughts:

Note: My book group is reading only aboutA Room in a Rectory not the other tales. Maybe when I have the time, I will read the other tales.


A Room in a Rectory

The story starts with a narrative of an almost idyllic place the Rectory was set in. A small stream running through the grounds with pools and gardens. The current rector, the Reverend Nigel Tylethorpe, … surveyed the result of his labour with something of that satisfaction which the author of Genesis ascribes to the Creator, who, looking upon his creation, saw that it was good. Isn’t that something which we all should do? Look at our labor and declare it is good? When we make, I think we get this instinct from our Creator.

The sexton’s assessment of Tylethorpe is that t'new parson be the sort of man as'll do us good without us noticing. In one way, this is good, in another way, it is a deadening of Christianity. You do want a pastor who will lead the congregation. That is lead them to a better walk with God, to be more like how God is. That does involve change and change is disruptive. Maybe not at the start, but eventually.

The housekeeper had one fixed rule: there was a locked room which the previous rector had stated should never be entered. This perturbed Tylethorpe and he would deal with that stipulation in due time.

Tylethorpe seemed more concerned with appearances than spirituality. Such as a stained glass window was resented by him because it did not match the period of the church. Even though it was St Michael vanquishing the Prince of Evil, he was more concerned about the window than the contents. Is this the cause of his downfall?

A flash of light on the stained glass window reveal the last rector who used the closed room. It also showed an inscription of YE TRIUMPH OF AUTHORITIE OVER INTELLIGENCE. But the pondering of this inscription was put out of mind with the call of a dinner bell: He had a good cook and a good cellar. This sounded like he valued contentment over discipleship.

The chamber the rector wanted to inspect was called the Sermon Chamber. It was clean, but unused-Pristin had seen that it was cleaned once a week. The rector intended to use this 4x5 room as his study. But it needed renovating. Pristin recites a history of the chamber. The previous rector told her that it be better to learn from precept than by suffering. So she has not done anything but clean in that room.

Tylethorpe explains to Pristin the rationale for disregarding her concerns. He regards her concerns and the concerns of the former rector and superstition holding him back from achieving his purpose. It took three months to do the renovation-mostly because Tylethorpe antagonized almost all the workers. In the meantime Pristin continued on with her work, giving him no opening whatever for conversation in the matter, and it became annoyingly clear to him that the effect of Mr. Hempstede’s words on her simple but strong mind had been to place the room outside her range of thought or observation. In other words, he was on his own with the room. Mr Tylethorpe felt as though he could have tolerated anything more easily than such total disinterest

He had gone on a trip and when he returned the study was ready. Everything was as he envisioned it. He sat by the fire after a well cooked meal and felt himself getting sleepy. So he formalized some notes,read something from an old book of a year’s poetry.

Tylethorpe … was by no means a bad preacher. This was because he took trouble to think of what he was going to say and to give his thoughts a clear and concise expression. I think I would like this kind of sermon rather than frills and thrills without content and rigor.

But the rector seemed to veer off a bit and start talking about the devil and being damned rather than the normal more gentrified preaching. It was almost like someone else was preaching. This was followed by Even on Christmas Day the Rector focused his remarks on the astromancy of the Magi instead of on the sublime purpose of their journey.

There was a letter which noted the rector’s fascination with demonolatry. This is shown not only in his preaching, but in his mannerisms. He acts like he is constantly under surveillance and about to be ambushed.

There has been strange occurrences in the room, particularly reading the Annual Registers-this is still published and is a summary of the year’s events. When Tylethorpe is in the room and reading this, something strange happens, the Annual Registers ends up on the floor. Tylethorpe has a selection memorized, but cannot find it in the volume. These sections and references seem to come out of thin air as nobody knows its origins.

The next part continues the descent of Tylerthorpe into lunacy. It was as though his predecessor, Nicolas Phayne, resided with him in the form of Lucifer. In a dream, he saw Phayme preparing for the Admixtures for the Evil Sacrifice. This is a combination of faith and superstition. Sounds like the result is evil. Tylerthorpe felt both dread and curiosity towards the ceremony. This curiosity towards evil is what makes us depart from the faith and tend towards that which is not God.

Tylerthorpe’s world was falling apart. His sermons now were readings from other sermons. His parishioners were leaving. His servants wanted to quit. A doctor was summoned but Tylerthorpe would not submit to an examination. But the doctor left a potion to cause him to sleep. Terrifying nightmares ensue.

Caldecott says there are three forms of madmen:

  • Thinking senseless from senseless premises

  • Sensible thoughts from senseless premises

  • Senseless thoughts from sensible premises.

Interesting. Chesterton writes a story called The Poet and the Lunatics. The madman is definitely the second one.

Tylerthorpe was the second. His ratiocination was quick, clear and concise; its basis in religion, philosophy and ethics was temporarily destroyed; it was rooted only in his present terror. Rational thought does not necessarily lead to rational conclusions. If the premise is faulty, then the conclusion will be also faulty. Both Chesterton and Lewis have talked about this.

He felt that he could no longer serve in the ministry. His life was a ruin. He had heard suicides dubbed cowards by some and appraised as brave by others: but why prate of cowardice or bravery? It was just a natural process that a man should take his life when he can no longer live it. He made preparations to commit suicide. But Miss Pristin happened to observe what was going on and knocked some sense into him. He was sent to a nursing home.

The next scene is at a Bishop’s breakfast with some friends and certain men of knowledge. The Bishop remarks that he thought he was living in the 20th Century. Burnell noted that You should never … pay too much attention to almanacs. My life is nearing its close and it has been lived in many centuries. A man belongs to all the ages to which he is heir. … It is only births and deaths, not lives, that can be dated in Time's Register. True, we cannot free ourselves from the past.

The talk was about Tylethorpe and his preaching of the demonic. Trueson noted that there were manuscripts in the Bishops library which had a parallel account of the troubles Tylethorpe experienced. The manuscript in question talks about Phayne. It gives background.

The Kongea Bishop noted that exorcisms should be done. My sanctioned appendix to the Book of Common Prayer translated into Kongahili contains three occasional offices for the exorcisation of evil spirits. Apparently there is still sections about this, even though in my copy, I do not see it.

The Bishop was in a dilemma. He felt that he needed to have an exorcism take place at the rectory, but his modern mind was saying this is part of superstition. But the Kongea Bishop had no doubts about its effectiveness and would do the exorcism, unless prevented.

The exorcism was done and the chamber purified. The only mishap was that during the exorcism, a branch had broken off and destroyed a stained glass window at St Botolph’s.

Tylethorpe resigns, makes recovery and goes on an 18 month world tour before settling down at his family’s estate. The rectory is occupied by a family.



Evaluation:

 A Room in a Rectory is a short story within a collection of short stories by Andrew Caldecott. A rector is placed in an area and has his own house. But there is one room which is off limits. The rector views this as superstition and uses the room anyway. Of course, bad things happen-that is the reason why you have ghost stories.


Caldecott wrote an engaging story, one which read the way I do, caused me to think about various issues, such as: are there things off limits? Does contentment inhibit growth and breed an illusion of independence and invincibility?


This is a good hour or less read. Glad I read it.


 
Notes from my book group:

Caldecott sets up the rectory being in almost a Garden of Eden place. What is the snake in this garden?


Describe Tylethorpe. Does Caldecott deal with any spiritual part of him? There is a line which says: He had a good cook and a good cellar. What does this say about him?


The stained glass had the inscription of YE TRIUMPH OF AUTHORITIE OVER INTELLIGENCE. What does this mean? Is this important to the story line? Why? Later on the housekeeper understands that it be better to learn from precept than by suffering. Is there a tie in?


What caused the rector to turn from his normal well thought out preaching to concentrating on the more sinister side of spiritualism?


Caldecott says that there are three forms of madmen:

  • Thinking senseless from senseless premises

  • Sensible thoughts from senseless premises

  • Senseless thoughts from sensible premises.

Do you agree? How come Caldecott puts Tylethorpe into the second category? Does rational thought lead to correct conclusions? Why and when do they come to proper conclusions and when not? What is the use of rational thought?

Tylerthorpe had reached the conclusion that suicide was the only option (He had heard suicides dubbed cowards by some and appraised as brave by others: but why prate of cowardice or bravery? It was just a natural process that a man should take his life when he can no longer live it.) Caldecott gives this as an example of the second way a madman thinks. Where is Tylerthorpe’s logic incorrect?

You should never … pay too much attention to almanacs. My life is nearing its close and it has been lived in many centuries. A man belongs to all the ages to which he is heir. … It is only births and deaths, not lives, that can be dated in Time's Register. How are we the sum of the ages past?


What lessons do you think Caldecott wants us to pick up from this story, if any?



How do you want your life to change because you read this book?



Many of these questions are either from or adapted from LitLovers.

Why the title of Room in a Rectory?

Does this story work as a short story?

Did the ending seem fitting? Satisfying? Predictable?

Which character was the most convincing? Least?

Which character did you identify with?

Which one did you dislike?

Every story has a world view. Were you able to identify this story’s world view? What was it? How did it affect the story?

In what context was religion talked about in this book?

Why do you think the author wrote this book?

What would you ask the author if you had a chance?

What “takeaways” did you have from this book?

What central ideas does the author present?

Are they personal, sociological, global, political, economic, spiritual, medical, or scientific

How did this book affect your view of the world?

Of how God is viewed?

What questions did you ask yourself after reading this book?

Talk about specific passages that struck you as significant—or interesting, profound, amusing, illuminating, disturbing, sad...?

What was memorable?

Reading Groups General Fiction Guide

 

New Words:
  • amour pro pre-a sense of one's own worth; self-respect.
  • felo de se-suicide
  • ratiocination-1 : the process of exact thinking : reasoning. 2 : a reasoned train of thought.
  • verisimilitude-the appearance of being true or real.
  • verger-an official in a church who acts as a caretaker and attendant.
  • antipodean-a person from Australia or New Zealand (used by inhabitants of the northern hemisphere).
  • Manichaeism:a type of gnosticism—a dualistic religion that offered salvation through special knowledge (gnosis) of spiritual truths. Like all forms of gnosticism, Manichaeism taught that life in this world is unbearably painful and radically evil.
Book References:
  • Paradise Lost by John Milton
  • Desiderata By Max Ehrmann

Good Quotes:
  • First Line: Narrow in bounds, but wide in variety, the garden of Tilchington Rectory was one of the most beautiful in the South Country.
  • Last Line: The name of his housekeeper is, as you may have guessed, Roberta Pristin.
 
Table of Contents:
  • A Room in a Rectory
  • Branch Line to Benceston
  • Sonata in D Minor
  • Autoepitaphy
  • The Pump in Thorp's Spinney
  • Whiffs of the Sea
  • In Due Course
  • Light in the Darkness
  • Decastroland
  • A Victim of Medusa
  • Fits of the Blues
  • Christmas Re-union


References:
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