The Entail

Reproduction of the original: The Entail by John Galt

‘The Entail’ (1885) is a ‘weird tale’ written by the German Romantic author E. T. A. Hoffmann, most famous for his novella ‘The Nutcracker and the Mouse King’ (1816) which inspired Tchaikovsky’s opera ‘The Nutcracker’. This classic short horror story tells of a castle haunted by the ghost of a murderer. It is perfect for fans of horror and fantasy fiction and the authors H. P. Lovecraft and Neil Gaiman. Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann (1776-1822), better known as E. T. A. Hoffmann, was a German Romantic author of fantasy and gothic horror. He was also a composer, music critic, draftsman and caricaturist. Hoffmann's stories inspired several famous operatic composers, including Richard Wagner, Jacques Offenbach and Léo Delibes. He is also the author of the novella ‘The Nutcracker and the Mouse King’, on which Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet, ‘The Nutcracker’ is based. The story also inspired the film ‘The Nutcracker and the Four Realms’ (2018), starring Keira Knightley, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren.

First published in 1822, The Entail is Galt's most ambitious novel. It is a horrifying study of obsession in which a Glasgow merchant victimizes his family members one by one. "No doubt, Laird", replied Claud, "but it's a comfort to hae a frugal woman for a helpmate; but ye ken now-a-days it's no the fashion for bare legs to come thegither. The wife maun hae something to put in the pot as well as the man. And, although Miss Girzy may na be a'thegither objectionable, yet it would still be a pleasant thing baith to hersel and the man that gets her, an ye would just gie a bit inkling o what she'll hae."