Short Story Collection: Women and Ghosts

Overview
"Women and Ghosts", released in 1994, is a collection of nine supernatural narratives by American author Alison Lurie. The stories in this collection focus on women who come across ghosts, supernatural beings, and mental hauntings. Known for her satirical style and assessment of modern social problems, Lurie expertly interweaves ghostly encounters with insightful analysis of women's psychology and experience.

Themes
At its core, "Women and Ghosts" discusses feminism, gender issues, and relationship dynamics between males and females. The stories comment on ladies's societal positions and the struggles they face in their personal lives, such as relationship betrayals and suppressing functions dictated by guys.

Lurie's lead characters are frequently smart, self-aware females who discover themselves in settings or situations that threaten their joy or peace of mind. Ghosts serve as different signs in these stories, representing the past, quelched desires or fears, and manifestations of psychological pain.

Stories
1. "Ilse's House": A female discovers that her home is haunted by a ghost named Ilse, who conserved her other half from passing away throughout World War II. The lead character finds herself drawn to Ilse's existence and feels a sense of kinship with her in spite of the eerie scenarios.

2. "Another Halloween": A troubled lady is compelled to go to the grave of her ex-husband on Halloween, where she encounters a strangely familiar kid who happily recites Thomas Lovell Beddoes's tragic poem, "The Dreamer".

3. "The Highboy": At a rented beach cottage, a female ends up being consumed with an antique highboy-- a high chest of drawers-- with a chilling and sinister past. As her fascination grows, so does her sense of worry and fear.

4. "The Pool People": A woman moves into a lovely house with a large swimming pool in the backyard, only to find that the pool is house to a group of spooky, water spirits who terrify her with their malevolent objectives.

5. "Counting Sheep": A lady in rural England is haunted by mystical, ghostly sheep both in her dreams and waking life. They start to take a toll on her mental health, as her hubby dismisses her experiences as merely her creativity acting out.

6. "Waiting for Jenny Rex": A female goes to a séance in the hopes of reaching her dead fan, Jenny, only to have actually the experience manipulated by another good friend who wants Jenny's spirit all to herself.

7. "Fat People": A woman confronts her late hubby's ghost who implicates her of being obese, sparking her fight with self-image and self-acceptance.

8. "The Double Poet": A woman finds that the new lover she has been communicating with by mail is really the ghost of a popular poet who passed away under mysterious circumstances. She finds herself increasingly drawn to this supernatural figure, even as the fact threatens to unwind her life.

9. "In the Shadow": A female is haunted by the shadow of her partner's deceased wife, which appears to follow her all over she goes. The female's relationship suffers, as her insecurities and her sweetheart's unwillingness to let go of the past develop a growing rift.

Conclusion
In "Women and Ghosts", Alison Lurie skillfully blends supernatural aspects with incisive commentary on the contemporary lives and struggles of women. Through her fascinating narrative style and brilliant descriptions, Lurie efficiently conveys the stress and anxieties, desires, and fears of her characters, while exploring styles such as gender, relationships, and the human psyche.

Lurie's narratives bear a universal relevance that transcends time and place, proving that the experiences and emotions of the female protagonists portrayed in "Women and Ghosts" continue to resonate with readers today.