I have long been of the opinion that Arthur Conan Doyle's real strength as a major writer was as a short story writer. He packed a wallop in the smallest number of words. When he wrote a novel he rarely kept up his vigor as a writer (THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES was a truly remarkable exception for him as far as large scale writing occurred). When sticking to his short stories and tales one rarely finds it a waste of time - he does keep the reader's interest.
He also wrote stories about the occult, and this was even before he became the spokesperson for the spiritualist movement after World War I. THE LEATHER FUNNEL is a wonderful example of his mastery of the story form on an occult subject. His hero is disturbed by a peculiar leather shaped funnel he finds in an old house, and has a nightmare regarding a woman who is tortured with it. The women and the other people in the dream are not wearing clothing from the Edwardian Era, but from France about the time of Louis XIV.
It turns out that the item (which Doyle coyly never explains the actual use of as a torture device, aside that water is poured into the woman through it) is connected with the questioning of a famous criminal of the past, and that the item's aura caused the nightmare. The story is quite simple, and only the revelation at the end of the story causes a jar on the know legible reader, similar to the kick of the endings of De Maupessant and O'Henry.
I urge you read the story. I never saw the episode of the tale on this series (though I watched several of the episodes). Therefore I won't vote on it. But anything with Christopher Lee and Jane Seymour in it has to be somewhat worthwhile to watch.
He also wrote stories about the occult, and this was even before he became the spokesperson for the spiritualist movement after World War I. THE LEATHER FUNNEL is a wonderful example of his mastery of the story form on an occult subject. His hero is disturbed by a peculiar leather shaped funnel he finds in an old house, and has a nightmare regarding a woman who is tortured with it. The women and the other people in the dream are not wearing clothing from the Edwardian Era, but from France about the time of Louis XIV.
It turns out that the item (which Doyle coyly never explains the actual use of as a torture device, aside that water is poured into the woman through it) is connected with the questioning of a famous criminal of the past, and that the item's aura caused the nightmare. The story is quite simple, and only the revelation at the end of the story causes a jar on the know legible reader, similar to the kick of the endings of De Maupessant and O'Henry.
I urge you read the story. I never saw the episode of the tale on this series (though I watched several of the episodes). Therefore I won't vote on it. But anything with Christopher Lee and Jane Seymour in it has to be somewhat worthwhile to watch.
