Setting

"The Canterville Ghost" is set in the English countryside in the late nineteenth century. The story takes place in an old English country house called Canterville Chase, which is described in Gothic terms. It is an old mansion with secret rooms and passageways, long corridors, carved gargoyles, stained glass windows, and oak paneling. Portraits of long-dead Canterville ancestors, ancient tapestries, and a suit of armor add to the medieval-like setting. Typical of the style of the English Decadents, the gothic atmosphere reveals the author’s fascination with the macabre. Yet he mixes the macabre with comedy, juxtaposing traditional English ghost stories such as creaking floorboards, clanking chains, and ancient prophecies with modern American consumerism. Frequent thunder and lightning storms also contribute to the gloomy atmosphere. In short, Canterville Chase seems to fit the stereotype of a haunted house.