"Mr Justice Harbottle" by J. S. Le Fanu | Last Gasp of the Gothic

A tale of debauchery, depravity, and pestiferous perukes!

E F Benson (whose "The Thing in the Hall" I recorded in May 2024) said of Le Fanu, that his “best work is of the first rank, while as a 'flesh-creeper' he is unrivalled. No one else has so sure a touch in mixing the mysterious atmosphere in which horror darkly breeds".
I think that is certainly true of tonight’s story. There are some grotesquely comical elements to it, fitting for a narrative that takes place in the 18th century. I can see almost all of these characters coming to life out of a Hogarth print.

Before I forget, I should also mention the framing device which appertains to all the stories in the collection, which is that of the posthumous papers of an occult detective. And on that note, as the wind whips around the walls of the house in which I am recording these words, and seems to fair threaten to knock them down, let us begin.

Narrated by Thomas Barker

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Watch this episode on Youtube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLU9gAlZeexHnFHASayT0nGM17V4hCSzSi

Chapters

• 0:00 Introductory Remarks
• 3:19 Mr Justice Harbottle - Prologue/Chapter One
• 17:06 Chapter Two
• 29:17 Chapter Three
• 38:18 Chapter Four
• 46:45 Chapter Five
• 52:52 Chapter Six
• 59:07 Chapter Seven
• 1:08:55 Chapter Eight
• 1:18:27 Chapter Nine
• 1:25:45 Outro