...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

The Spectre Bridegroom (1819)

116 statements
21 feature instances
2 referencing feature instances

The Spectre Bridegroom (1819)	type	TVTItem
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819)	label	The Spectre Bridegroom (1819)
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819)	page	TheSpectreBridegroom1819
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819)	comment	"The Spectre Bridegroom" is a horror-flavored dramedy in Short Story form. It was written by Washington Irving and included in the fourth installment of The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., which was published on November 10, 1819. Because The Sketch Book is a semi-fictitious travelogue, "The Spectre Bridegroom" is prefaced by "The Inn Kitchen", in which Crayon visits a Flemish inn and meets the Swiss man who tells him the "Lenore"-inspired tale.For his one daughter, the Odenwalder Baron Von Landshort arranges a marriage with the son of the Bavarian Count Von Altenburg. While on his way, the young count meets one of his army buddies, Herman Von Starkenfaust, in Wurtzburg and decides that the remaining journey should just be the two of them travelling together. This decision gets Von Altenburg mortally wounded when the duo is targeted by robbers. The dying Von Altenburg makes Von Starkenfaust promise to inform Von Landshort of his passing because he won't rest peacefully with the obligation of his arrival still hanging over him. Yet, Von Starkenfaust is mistaken for Von Altenburg by the impatient baron, pulled into the pre-wedding celebration before he can correct matters, and introduced to the young baroness. They fall in love at first glance and Von Starkenfaust manages the privacy to entrust her with the truth. When the baron entertains the guests with the ballad of "Lenore", Von Starkenfaust is inspired to pretend that he is the spectre of the slain Von Altenburg who, having realized his honor-bound visit, now must attend his grave. Although the baron lets him go, Von Starkenfaust stays near the castle to meet the baroness and after a week of visits disguised as hauntings elopes with her. They return the next day to explain themselves to the baron and ask for his blessing, which he gives because he's just happy his daughter is alive still and while he isn't thrilled she picked a husband from a hostile nobility, it is better than her having married an undead man.A film adaptation by the same title as the story was released in 1913.For other literary uses of the title "The Spectre Bridegroom", see the disambiguation page.
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819)	fetched	2024-02-14T01:51:24Z
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819)	parsed	2024-02-14T01:51:24Z
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819)	processingComment	Dropped link to DeathAndTheMaiden: Not a Feature - ITEM
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819)	processingComment	Dropped link to HenryIV: Not a Feature - ITEM
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819)	processingComment	Dropped link to Lenore: Not a Feature - ITEM
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819)	isPartOf	DBTropes
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_3ed23024	type	Surprisingly Realistic Outcome
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_3ed23024	comment	Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: The narrative gives the reader no reason to doubt that the cavalier that arrives at the Von Landshort castle is anyone other than Von Starkenfaust fulfilling his promise to Von Altenburg, who proclaimed he won't rest in peace without someone informing Von Landshort of his passing and thus freeing him from the goal of his journey. But the moment the cavalier declares himself to be the dead Von Altenburg with a visceral selection of words, doubt sets in. The narrative leads further weight to the possibility that Von Altenburg's spectre did visit by noting that a delegation arrived the next morning to inform the baron of Von Altenburg's passing, which can be understood at this point to be Von Starkenfaust. In the end, it turns out that the cavalier was Von Starkenfaust, that the delegation was merely the official one from the Von Altenburg family, and that there was no spectre.
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_3ed23024	featureApplicability	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_3ed23024	featureConfidence	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819)	hasFeature	The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_3ed23024
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_48958f79	type	The Performer King
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_48958f79	comment	The Performer King: One of the ways Baron Von Landshort can keep up the illusion that his estate isn't in decline is that he throws amazing parties for his family and peers and generally is the life of the party himself. He is a good, varied, and energetic storyteller; a bit of a braggard when it comes to his family history, but not offensively so.
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_48958f79	featureApplicability	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_48958f79	featureConfidence	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819)	hasFeature	The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_48958f79
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_4b9a8e96	type	"Scooby-Doo" Hoax
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_4b9a8e96	comment	"Scooby-Doo" Hoax: Von Starkenfaust goes to the Von Landshort castle to inform its baron that his daughter's intended groom has been killed en route. However, the baron, impatient for the groom's arrival, mistakes Von Starkenfaust for the groom and doesn't give him a chance to correct himself before drawing him into the pre-wedding celebration. The situation is even worse because the Von Starkenfausts and Von Landshorts are enemies and the only reason Von Starkenfaust even went to deliver the message is because he promised his expiring friend. Eventually, Von Starkenfaust comes up with a plan of escape when Baron Von Landshort recites "Lenore". He hurries out the door and when the baron tries to get him to stay, he exclaims that he himself is a dead man, slain on the way over, who has arrived as promised but now must make haste to the grave prepared for him. The distraught baron lets him go without further question. However, Von Starkenfaust and the baron's daughter did fall in love, so Von Starkenfaust uses the guise of being the groom's spectre to haunt the castle's premises and keep in touch with the baroness. They elope a week later and return the next day to explain the situation. Simply relieved that his daughter is safe, the baron accepts their marriage.
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_4b9a8e96	featureApplicability	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_4b9a8e96	featureConfidence	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819)	hasFeature	The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_4b9a8e96
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_6a1cbf28	type	Rebellious Princess
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_6a1cbf28	comment	Rebellious Princess: The young baroness was raised very strictly by her maiden aunts to be the epitome of noble finesse and female obedience. She is true to her lessons until she is introduced to her groom, who isn't actually her groom, but a friend of his who'd stopped by to tell the Von Landshort that the real groom had been slain during a robbery. He got mistaken for the groom and doesn't know how to set the record straight, but he is truthful with the baroness. The two fall in love and realize that without trickery and elopement, they'll never get to be together because they are from feuding families. Improper as it is, the baroness agrees to leave with him in the dead of night.
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_6a1cbf28	featureApplicability	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_6a1cbf28	featureConfidence	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819)	hasFeature	The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_6a1cbf28
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_72cc2b00	type	The Dividual
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_72cc2b00	comment	The Dividual: The two maiden aunts of the baron's daughter could've been one character without the story having to be rewritten. They are completely alike in all they do and say, with the sole difference halfway-through being that one sees the spectre and the other isn't in the room at that moment.
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_72cc2b00	featureApplicability	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_72cc2b00	featureConfidence	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819)	hasFeature	The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_72cc2b00
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_772e049b	type	Maid and Maiden
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_772e049b	comment	Maid and Maiden: The baroness has spent her entire life in the good care and under the ever-watchful eye of her two aunts. Now at the age of eighteen, the aunts, who spent their own youths at one of "the little German courts", must be in their early forties at the youngest.
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_772e049b	featureApplicability	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_772e049b	featureConfidence	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819)	hasFeature	The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_772e049b
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_7eb2bc15	type	Ambiguous Time Period
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_7eb2bc15	comment	Ambiguous Time Period: The events are set during a period of war, given that Von Altenburg is recalled from army duty to be wedded. What war isn't mentioned, but the Seven Years' War is a good candidate. For one, that's the war mentioned in "Lenore", and for two, it would set the story about 60 years in the past, which would be a decent length of time for the Von Landshort castle to fall into ruin by 1819.
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_7eb2bc15	featureApplicability	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_7eb2bc15	featureConfidence	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819)	hasFeature	The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_7eb2bc15
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_7f3e75b6	type	Look on My Works, Ye Mighty, and Despair
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_7f3e75b6	comment	Look on My Works, Ye Mighty, and Despair: To the present of "The Inn Kitchen", the ruins of the Castle of the Baron Von Landsfort, in particular the watch-tower, still but fragilely stand on the Odenwald heights. They're the final reminder of the Von Landsfort lineage, of which the baron himself was a proud member and curator.
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_7f3e75b6	featureApplicability	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_7f3e75b6	featureConfidence	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819)	hasFeature	The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_7f3e75b6
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_80360df0	type	Dark Horse Victory
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_80360df0	comment	Dark Horse Victory: While preparing the young baroness for her meeting with her husband-to-be, the two aunts can't agree on anything about her manner of dress, hair, and makeup. While they bicker, the girl puts together her own look. With it already being done when the aunts cease their bickering and given that they taught the girl tastefulness in the first place, they agree to her fine selection.
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_80360df0	featureApplicability	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_80360df0	featureConfidence	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819)	hasFeature	The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_80360df0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_80621707	type	Arranged Marriage
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_80621707	comment	Arranged Marriage: Baron Von Landshort arranges for his daughter to be married to the son of Count Von Altenburg. Living a multi-day journey apart, the two families do not know what the other looks like. Conversely, the Von Landshorts live close to the Von Starkenfausts, but because that is a house they have a feud with no one knows what the other looks like either. This becomes important when the dying young count sends his army buddy, a Von Starkenfaust, to Baron Von Landshort to inform him that he can't marry his daughter anymore. The baron impatiently mistakes Von Starkenfaust for the groom and doesn't give the man a chance to set the record straight before introducing him to his daughter. Von Starkenfaust has to use trickery to get out of the dishonest engagement.
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_80621707	featureApplicability	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_80621707	featureConfidence	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819)	hasFeature	The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_80621707
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_9369b9d6	type	Bride and Switch
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_9369b9d6	comment	Bride and Switch: The man who arrives at Von Landshort's castle doesn't get a chance to identify himself and is mistaken for the baron's daughter's intended. While looking for a way to break the message, he is introduced to the young baroness as her groom. The two are instantly smitten with each other. While they get privacy to become acquainted, the fake groom does tell the bride the truth and that under current circumstances they can't marry and he needs to find a way out of the castle. Eventually, he pretends to be the spectre of the true groom who has to return to his grave and the frightful baron lets him go without further question.
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_9369b9d6	featureApplicability	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_9369b9d6	featureConfidence	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819)	hasFeature	The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_9369b9d6
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_958f1f57	type	Maiden Aunt
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_958f1f57	comment	Maiden Aunt: The baron's daughter was raised and educated into a fine lady by her two maiden aunts, who themselves had acquired that knowledge by spending their youths at one of "the little German courts". They themselves had been "great flirts and coquettes" in their younger years, which is hinted to have left them somewhat bitter past their prime and overly vigilant about their charge's interactions with men.
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_958f1f57	featureApplicability	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_958f1f57	featureConfidence	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819)	hasFeature	The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_958f1f57
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_9ed90b36	type	Elopement
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_9ed90b36	comment	Elopement: Pretending to be a spectre haunting his bride, Von Starkenfaust stays near the castle and visits the baroness for the duration of a week. There is no chance her father will agree to a marriage between the two because they are of feuding houses, so they elope one evening. Everyone believes that the spectre bridegroom has claimed his bride and that either she's dead or now wedded to an undead man. The young couple returns soon after to admit to the deception and receive Baron Von Landshort's forgiveness and blessing. He gives it because precious as the feud is to the baron, his daughter isn't dead, her husband isn't dead, and the Von Starkenfausts are rich.
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_9ed90b36	featureApplicability	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_9ed90b36	featureConfidence	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819)	hasFeature	The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_9ed90b36
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_9f970427	type	Secret-Keeper
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_9f970427	comment	Secret-Keeper: One of the young baroness's aunts also sees the spectre from her charge's bedroom's window and from then on refuses to enter that room again. The baroness refuses to take any other bedroom and makes her aunt swear she'll tell no one what she saw. Despite being very eager to tell everyone about a genuine ghost encounter, the aunt keeps quiet until a week later the baroness disappears from her room and her father's despair necessitates openness.
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_9f970427	featureApplicability	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_9f970427	featureConfidence	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819)	hasFeature	The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_9f970427
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_a8dcb1d7	type	Love at First Sight
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_a8dcb1d7	comment	Love at First Sight: The young baroness and Herman Von Starkenfaust are smitten with each other the moment they are introduced. They have to resort to trickery and elopement to be together, but it works out for them.
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_a8dcb1d7	featureApplicability	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_a8dcb1d7	featureConfidence	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819)	hasFeature	The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_a8dcb1d7
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_b42325cf	type	Matron Chaperone
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_b42325cf	comment	Matron Chaperone: The young baroness was raised under the constant care and supervision of her two maiden aunts who instilled in her proper etiquette aplenty. Part of their teachings is for the girl to distrust men unless instructed otherwise, so that she doesn't risk her social status. One comparison defines the baroness as the rose and her aunts as the thorns. Ultimately, they don't pose a problem to her and Von Starkenfaust becomes first they mistake him for her intended groom and later for a spectre they don't want to tangle with.
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_b42325cf	featureApplicability	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_b42325cf	featureConfidence	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819)	hasFeature	The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_b42325cf
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_b53c57d5	type	Epigraph
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_b53c57d5	comment	Epigraph: "The Inn Kitchen" opens with a quote by John Falstaff from Henry IV: "Shall I not take mine ease in mine inn?" a line which champions the notion that a stay at an inn is to be enjoyed even if it gets vulgar. "The Spectre Bridegroom" opens with a lamentation by Lady Lillias in [The History of] Sir Eger, Sir Grahame, and Sir Gray-Steel: "He that supper for is dight, He lies full cold, I trow, this night! Yestreen to chamber I him led, This night Gray-steel has made his bed!" A key commonality between the two stories is that one character pretends to be another; much like Sir Grahame presents himself as Sir Eger for the sake of an undertaking, so too does Von Starkenfaust let himself be mistaken for Von Altenburg. The specific lamentation also contrasts the scenery of a banquet set up for a dead person by a love interest. While Lillias sets up food to welcome Sir Grahame despite her strong fear that he's fallen in battle, the Von Landshort court sets up food and festivities for Von Altenburg, unaware that he's been slain in a robbery.
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_b53c57d5	featureApplicability	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_b53c57d5	featureConfidence	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819)	hasFeature	The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_b53c57d5
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_c75df49a	type	Shout-Out
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_c75df49a	comment	Shout-Out: "The Spectre Bridegroom" is inspired by "Lenore" and that tale's existence even is a plot point. While entertaining the guests at the pre-wedding banquet, the baron recites "Lenore". The fake groom is inspired by it to get out of the castle by pretending to be the spectre of the real groom who has to return to his grave now that his promised visit has taken place. The baron believes him and lets him go. Irving has included a footnote to the story's opening lines that its origins are French; Parisian to be exact. He hints at the existence of another story the reader may be familiar with, but does not give any identification. For what it's worth, it's curious that a tale based on a German work, set in Germany, and relayed by a Swiss traveler would have a connection to Paris.
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_c75df49a	featureApplicability	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_c75df49a	featureConfidence	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819)	hasFeature	The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_c75df49a
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_d4d8d831	type	Feuding Families
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_d4d8d831	comment	Feuding Families: Baron Von Landshort is a traditionalist who takes great pride in his ancestry. No matter how it'd benefit him, he shuns any change that would take away from the emphasis on his grand lineage. As such, he personally keeps up feuds with other regional noble houses that stem from disputes generations ago and which the other houses couldn't care less about. The dispute with the Von Starkenfaust nobility causes a problem for his daughter when she falls in love with a Von Starkenfaust. The two elope, returning when the baron can't separate them anymore. Although he's not thrilled about it, the baron and his court thought that his daughter had been abducted by a spectre, so her having married a living (and wealthy) member of a hostile house is a relief in comparison. The feud ends there, naturally.
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_d4d8d831	featureApplicability	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_d4d8d831	featureConfidence	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819)	hasFeature	The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_d4d8d831
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_eec329f5	type	Lesser of Two Evils
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_eec329f5	comment	Lesser of Two Evils: When his daughter is thought to have been abducted by a spectre, the baron's worst fear is that she's been taken to the grave. The alternative is that she's still alive, but he'll have a wood-demon as his son-in-law and goblins as his grandchildren.
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_eec329f5	featureApplicability	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_eec329f5	featureConfidence	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819)	hasFeature	The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_eec329f5
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_name	type	ItemName
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_name	comment
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_name	featureApplicability	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_name	featureConfidence	1.0
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819)	hasFeature	The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_name
The Spectre Bridegroom (1819) / int_name	itemName	The Spectre Bridegroom (1819)

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

	The Spectre Bridegroom (1819)	hasFeature	American Literature (N to S) / int_eb20a27f
	The Spectre Bridegroom (1819)	hasFeature	Short Story / int_eb20a27f

Copyright of DBTropes.org wrapper 2009-2013 DFKI Knowledge Management. Imprint. - Thanks to Bakken&Baeck for hosting. Contact.
Copyright of data TVTropes.org contributors under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.