I began looking for narratives by looking at poetry. This is a place that I often start when looking for narratives to work on as I think the rhythm and imagery of poetry often translates very well into illustration. I also narrowed it down by looking at poetry based around hauntings, as I mentioned in my initial thoughts this is something I'm very interested in.
I quickly stumbled upon 'Haunted Houses' by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and knew that it was the piece that I wanted to base my Unit X work on.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 – 1882) was an American poet know for his lyrical pieces and was part of the "Fireside Poets", poets associated with New England. His poems were known for featuring topics from history and mythology.
The poem 'Haunted Houses' was published in 1858, and describes ghosts not as malevolent spirits that intend harm, but simply souls lingering in their homes. The poem creates a sense of comfort rather than fear of the ghosts. I think it is a really interesting take on the haunted house trope that is traditionally associated with fear rather than comfort.
