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Martin's Close

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Martin's Close"
Short story by M. R. James
CountryEngland
LanguageEnglish
Genre(s)Horror
Publication
Publication date1911

"Martin's Close" is a ghost story by British writer M. R. James, included in his 1911 collection More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary.

Plot summary

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The story is presented as a report of a trial in the year 1684, before Judge Jeffreys. Squire George Martin has been accused of murdering a young girl named Ann Clark, with whom he had a one-sided romance. The prosecution presents the case that Martin murdered Ann Clark, because she ruined a good marriage proposal for him. During the trial, an event is described in which Martin acted in a guilty manner when confronted with a possible apparition of the girl. In the end, Martin is found guilty of the crime, despite his attempt to have the case dismissed on a legal technicality, and is sentenced to death.[1]

Adaptations

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A version of the story, Martin's Close, adapted by Mark Gatiss, was broadcast on 24 December 2019 on BBC Four as part of the long-running A Ghost Story for Christmas series. It stars Peter Capaldi, Elliot Levey, Wilf Scolding, Sara Crowe, James Holmes, Jessica Temple, Simon Williams, Fisayo Akinade, and Ian Hallard.[2]

References

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  1. ^ James, M. R. (1993). Collected Ghost Stories (Repr. ed.). Ware, Hertfordshire: Wordsworth. pp. 160–175. ISBN 1853260533.
  2. ^ "Peter Capaldi (Doctor Who, The Thick Of It, Paddington) will star in Martin's Close, airing this Christmas on BBC Four". BBC Media Centre. 21 August 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
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