Autor: Thomas Ingoldsby

Thomas Ingoldsby is a pseudonym for the English clergyman and novelist Richard Harris Barham (1788 – 1845). He is best known for his collection of myths, legends, ghost stories, and poetry called “The Ingoldsby Legends; or, Mirth and Marvels, ” first published in 1840. Barham”s work under the Ingoldsby pen name found a significant readership and continues to be appreciated for its delightful blend of the supernatural with satirical wit. A master of meter and rhyme, Ingoldsby exhibited a unique literary style that was both whimsical and macabre, often using humor to soften the more grotesque or serious subject matter of his tales. The Ingoldsby Legends were originally serialized in “Bentley”s Miscellany” and later in “The New Monthly Magazine.” Their popularity ensued not only from their entertaining narratives but also from the charming illustrations by John Leech, George Cruikshank, and others that accompanied them. Barham”s Ingoldsby embraced an ecclesiastical in-joke, riffing on his own experiences as a cleric through his prose, which has been cited as having a significant influence on the development of comedic horror and has been acknowledged for its contribution to English literature.