The Treasure of Abbot Thomas
| "The Treasure of Abbot Thomas" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by M.R. James | |
 | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Horror |
| Publication | |
| Publication date | 1904 |
"The Treasure of Abbot Thomas" is a ghost story by British writer M. R. James. It was published in his book Ghost Stories of an Antiquary (1904).
Plot summary
[edit]The tale tells the story of Somerton, a scholar of medieval history, who tells a rector the frightening tale of how, while searching an abbey library, he found clues leading him to the hidden treasure of a disgraced abbot.
Adaptations
[edit]In 1974, the story was adapted as part of the BBC's A Ghost Story for Christmas strand by John Bowen as The Treasure of Abbot Thomas.[1] It was first broadcast on 23 December 1974 at 11.35.[2] The adaptation stars Michael Bryant as Somerton, and it was directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark.
In creating his adaptation, Bowen changed a number of elements of M. R. James's story, such as including another character – Peter, Lord Dattering (Paul Lavers)[3] – as Somerton's protégé, with whom he shares his investigation. The story is not told in flashback, and also includes a scene in which Somerton exposes two fraudulent mediums, which acts as a demonstration of Somerton's rational approach to the supernatural.[4]
A parody, written by Stephen Sheridan and named The Teeth of Abbot Thomas, was made for radio broadcast.
References
[edit]- ^ The Treasure of Abbot Thomas at IMDb
- ^ "The Treasure of Abbot Thomas". British Film Institute Database. Archived from the original on 1 June 2009. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
- ^ Listed as such in the film credits and addressed as "Lord Dattering" in the film; he is incorrectly listed as "Lord Peter Dattering" on IMDb, which would be a courtesy title borne by a younger son, who would be addressed as "Lord Peter"
- ^ Brockhurst, Colin. "A Ghost Story for Christmas". phantomframe.co.uk. Archived from the original on 13 October 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
External links
[edit]
The full text of The Treasure of Abbot Thomas at Wikisource- An omnibus collection of James's short fiction at Standard Ebooks
- The Treasure of Abbot Thomas at IMDb
