"Haunted House" by Virginia Woolf

Virginia Woolf's A Haunted House, is a short, one-page long story that was published in a collection of Woolf's stories entitled Monday or Tuesday. This one-page long short story focuses on the narrator, a supposed female, who is reporting on the actions of a ghostly couple who lived in the house years ago. The ghostly couple recounts their time in the house, but they are also looking for some kind of treasure. Woolf's story can be classified as fantasy, and as horror, depending on how one would look at the story.

The female narrator makes it clear that one can't see the ghost couple, but there are indicators in the story that highlight when the ghosts entered or in a room: Not that one could ever see them. The window panes reflected apples, reflected roses; all the leaves were green in the glass. If they moved in the drawing room, the apple only turned its yellow side. Yet, the moment after, if the door was opened, spread about the floor, hung upon the walls, pendant from the ceiling-what?

Yet, as the ghost couple reminiscence about their time in the house, the narrator can feel their movements, and almost know what the ghosts are saying. It is this kind of break, or idea, that the female narrator can hear the ghosts as they talk, which can make the story be seen as part of the horror genre. But this can also allude to one's senses. Because there are times when one is alone and can hear all the little sounds around their home, such as the hum of the dishwasher or washing machine, the subtle creaks in the floor that can invoke our sense of fear. Woolf's story seems to express this particular experience.

It is the use of many literary devices that made me fall in love with Woolf's one-page short story. Her story is almost lyrical in a way when she uses alliteration. Two of my favorite examples are So fine, so rare, coolly sunk beneath the surface the beam I sought always burnt behind the glass... Wandering through the house, opening the windows, whispering not to wake us, the ghostly couple seek their joy.

This story, written in prose format, uses an array of literary devices in order to achieve the beauty of prose writing. Woolf uses alliteration, hyperbole, metaphor, onomatopoeia, paradox, and anaphora to achieve perfect prose. But it is alliteration and anaphora that Woolf continues to use throughout her work.

The way that Woolf writes this story with such powerful prose and beautiful language that makes me love her writing. Through the story, her language is powerful. It is ethereal. There are many moments of her story that I love. One moment that is beautiful that I love is the end of the story:

"Safe, safe, safe," the heart of the house beats proudly. "Long years-" he sighs. "Again you found me." "Here," she murmurs, "sleeping; in the garden reading; laughing, rolling apples in the loft. Here we left our treasure-" Stooping, their light lifts the lids upon my eyes. "Safe! safe! safe!" the pulse of the house beats wildly. Waking, I cry "Oh, is this your buried treasure? The light in the heart."

This is my favorite moment because the female narrator has woken up and realized what the ghost couple was looking for. The ghosts seem to be looking at the living couple sleeping and realize that it is new love is what they were looking for, new love in their old house.

So would I recommend this short, short story to you guys? Of course, yes! The language was beautiful, the setting was lovely and Woolf is an amazing writer. I would definitely recommend this story to you. If you are looking for a short story that has beautiful language in an unorthodox setting, then this is a story for you!