My Thoughts

[Dark Muse]

I rather enjoyed the sense of mystery within this story, I found it a quite enjoyable tale in which I kept finding myself going back and forth on the issue.

In the beginning of the story, I was rooting for him to outsmart the old woman and claim possession of the papers, but than as the story went on, I began to take side with the old woman and found what he was doing to be wrong. Yet a part of me was still rooting for the journalist in someway.

Ultimately I really liked the ending, though a part of me was sad to see the papers destroyed, a part of me was actually hoping that they had been buried with the old woman.

[Gladys]

Ultimately I really liked the ending, though a part of me was sad to see the papers destroyed, a part of me was actually hoping that they had been buried with the old woman.

An excellent short story! Having struggled with the later novella, The Turn of the Screw, I loved the paradoxical ending of The Aspern Papers. Rarely has a story held me so completely.

The ancient Miss Juliana Bordereau engineers subtle vengeance against the intrusive literary journalist, who narrates the story. Little did I, or he, suspect that the many papers of the great poet would be used by the fiery, but infirmed, aunt to punish our prying journalist. And how exquisite a punishment! The timid niece's final cremation of Aspern's legacy was utterly unexpected...except, perhaps, by her late aunt: "Ah, you publishing scoundrel!"

I also adored Washington Square and The Golden Bowl, although The Other House disappointed.