The Old Willis Place: A Ghost Story

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. Would you guess that ghost stories are told in all human cultures, or that they are specific to just a few cultures or a few time periods? Why do people enjoy ghost stories? Do people have to believe in ghosts to enjoy ghost stories?

Teaching Suggestion: The Old Willis Place focuses on the experiences of Diana and Georgie, two children who are gradually revealed to be ghosts, and Lissa, a living child who moves onto a property rumored to be haunted. This prompt stresses to students how ubiquitous the ghost story is and, whether they personally enjoy ghost stories or not, asks them to consider what the near-universal appeal of ghost stories might be. After students respond to the prompt, they might review the resources below and discuss ghost stories they have already encountered.

• This article explores the differences between Western and non-Western conceptions of ghosts and the reasons for the enduring popularity of ghost stories.
• This 12-minute video of a TED talk by researcher Coya Paz discusses the cultural and psychological meaning of ghost stories.