Publisher's Synopsis
In 1907, when "The Feast of Bacchus: A Study in Dramatic Atmosphere" was originally published, its author was developing a reputation as a rural novel writer. It was less known that he had a penchant for dark, spiritual phenomenon. This is his tale of the Strath, a haunted mansion on Dartmoor, the mysterious history of its deceased inhabitants and the lives of a handful of country folk who succumb to the strange powers of the place. As Charles Conway, the new owner of the Strath, states: "the house has a soul.... because it lives and breathes, and has its moods like us..." The force behind the strange occurrences in the house is what makes the story spellbinding to the end. Ernest George Henham (1870-1948) received a classical education at St. Edward's School, Oxford where he learned Latin and Greek and developed a fondness for the literature of antiquity. He used his background in those subjects to great effect in "The Feast of Bacchus." This edition of the novel includes detailed annotations about the many classical literary and historical references in the book.
