Ghosts in Literature

If you think of Ghosts in Literature, you may think of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens or Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. We have always had a fascination with ghosts and over the years there has been many books written about them, The ghosts featured have had different roles to play in the narrative.
In A Christmas Carol, Ebeneezer Scrooge was haunted by ghosts of his past and the ghosts of past, present and future, with the aim of making him rethink his choices and become a better man.
In Rebecca, there is the 'ghost' of the former Mrs De Winter, in that the new Mrs De Winter feels haunted by this seemingly perfect woman. 
A ghost can be a warning to the main character (mend your ways) a curse, or it can be malevolent, eager to hurt the living.
In Stephen King's novel, The Shinning, the Overlook hotel is haunted by the former caretaker and his family. This ghost attempts to drive Jack Torrance mad, so that he will kill his family. Which he nearly succeeds in doing.
Most recently, there was a TV adaption of the classic Shirley Jackson novel, The Haunting of Hill House. More on that later in the month.
Ghosts remain popular because there is so much speculation about them and no one knows for sure whether they really exist. Many would argue not, while others have had experiences of their own that has led them to believe that there is indeed life after death.
​What do you think?