The Mystery of Witch-Face Mountain, and Other Stories

"The Mystery of Witch-Face Mountain" by Charles Egbert Craddock is a collection of short stories written in the late 19th century. The stories are set against the backdrop of the Appalachian Mountains and often explore themes of folklore, local superstition, and the interplay between nature and humanity. The opening story introduces the enigmatic "Witch-Face," a mountain that takes on the visage of a witch under certain lighting, affecting the perceptions and superstitions of the local inhabitants. The beginning of the story draws readers into the rugged landscape where a mountaineer named Constant Hite shares tales of the Witch-Face with an educated stranger visiting the area. As they discuss the supernatural implications of the mountain's peculiar shape and the unsettling lights seen at night, they display contrasting attitudes; Hite embraces local folklore, while the stranger seeks a rational explanation. Their dialogue suggests a deeper mystery about human curiosity and fear of the unknown, reflected in Hite's pride and the stranger's skepticism. As they engage, an underlying tension escalates, hinting at the book's exploration of fate, superstition, and the connection between the people and their environment. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Mary Noailles Murfree was an American author of novels and short stories who wrote under the pen name Charles Egbert Craddock. She is considered by many to be Appalachia's first significant female writer and her work a necessity for the study of Appalachian literature, although a number of characters in her work reinforce negative stereotypes about the region. She has been favorably compared to Bret Harte and Sarah Orne Jewett, creating post-Civil War American local-color literature.