His Unquiet Ghost 1911

"His Unquiet Ghost" by Charles Egbert Craddock is a fictional novella penned in the early 20th century, specifically in 1911. This work combines elements of humor, drama, and social commentary set against the backdrop of the Appalachian mountains, exploring themes of life, death, and the human condition through the idiosyncratic lens of mountain culture. The story centers around Walter Wyatt, a young mountaineer caught up in a humorous yet perilous situation involving moonshining and mistaken identity. After being humorously declared dead by his friends as a ruse to avoid detection from revenue agents, Wyatt finds himself at a crossroads between life and the absurdity of his situation. As he navigates this confusing landscape, he discovers that his supposed death has evoked unexpected emotions in Minta Elladine Biggs, the woman he loves. The narrative unfolds with comic tension as Wyatt attempts to clear up the misconception while encountering the dynamics of friendship, love, and self-discovery amidst a backdrop of lively Appalachian customs and the haunting silence of the mountains. (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.