| Title | : | The Mummy's Foot |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1425472044 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781425472047 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 48 |
| Publication | : | First published September 1, 1840 |
THIS 18 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE BOOK: The Omnibus of Adventure Volume Two, by Theophile Gautier. To purchase the entire book, please order ISBN 1419181335.
The Mummy's Foot Reviews
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I encountered this in a
horror anthology. That was misleading.
This was so lacking in horror that it was actually... cute. -
Lovely little ghost story written in that feverish fin de siecle style which is so fitting for a ghost story. You can find this short story for free on Gutenberg Project.
Recommended to me by Glenn Russell. Thanks, Glenn, that was very nice! -
This feels like a romantic comedy with horror undertones rather than a pure horror story, which honestly isn’t such a bad thing as I felt that to be the most unique aspect of the tale. The prose is pretty bad and long-winded, most of the story reminded me of that one chapter from Dorian Gray where he spends like 40 pages describing random objects and decorations in his house. It’s dull, predictable and monotonous, the only thing I liked about it was the surprisingly comical and sweet finale.
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Another of Gautier's gothic short stories. In this one a man buys a foot of a mummy, belonging to an Egyptian princess, as a paperweight. This is similar to the theme figuring in other stories by the author. Is the happening reality of just a vision?
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An old fashioned ghost story that made me smile at the end.
👻👻👻👻👻 -
Translated By Lafcadio Hearn
1908
Opening: I had entered, in an idle mood, the shop of one of those curiosity venders who are called marchands de bric-à-brac in that Parisian argot which is so perfectly unintelligible elsewhere in France.
You have doubtless glanced occasionally through the windows of some of these shops, which have become so numerous now that it is fashionable to buy antiquated furniture, and that every petty stockbroker thinks he must have his chambre au moyen âge.
Very short and extremely weird.
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22662 -
This story felt familiar, but I don't know where I heard or know of it prior to reading it. It was a lovely story, not at all scary, in fact it was quite endearing. Shame it was short as I would have liked to have read more about what lead the market tradesman to steal the princesses foot and how he did it.
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This short story proves conclusively that just because something is old that doesn't mean it isn't crap.
Second-rate wit, anti-Semitic caricature, description (oh, how I loathe thee), trippy nonsense, and gooftastically obvious twist ending... Tada!
Dude should be eternally mocked for this. -
'The Mummy's Foot' is a Gothic type short story with a touch of humor. A Frenchman buys the mummified foot of Princess Hermonthis to use as a paperweight. Later he has dinner and a few drinks with friends. He returns home and retires to his bed chamber and goes on a long nocturnal journey.
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A man buys a mummified Egyptian princesses foot as a paper weight. Goes home then out with friends, home again and then the fun begins! It was a good story!loved the ending!
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Simple y simpatica historia de un pie
devuelto a su momia. -
¿quién compra un pie? D:
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Not too much horror here, more slightly humorous macabre. I read this story because I noticed it was translated by Lafcadio Hearn, a writer whom I respect deeply. A fun read in about 12 pages.
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Ha ha ha !!!
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A mummy's foot was the centerpiece of an 1840 charming and somewhat humorous gothic short story written by Théophile Gautier simply titled, The Mummy’s Foot. The story focuses on a collector obtaining a mummy’s foot from a curiosity shop with plans to use it as a paperweight. The man takes the foot home but is beset by dreams that take him across the continent to Egypt where he meets the owner of the foot, Princess Hermonthis, the daughter of a Pharaoh, who is none too happy that her foot has been stolen and used as a paperweight.
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I'm not entirely sure if this was meant to be as satirical and funny as it was. The entire story was highly amusing.
Our main character, searching for a paperweight in an antiques store, falls in love with the mummified foot of the Princess Hermonthis from ancient Egypt.
After describing the foot, with all the rapture of the most avid of foot fetishists, he takes the foot home and puts it to immediate use on his desk before spending the day in town.
'I looked upon all who did not possess, like myself, a paper-weight so authentically Egyptian as very ridiculous people, and it seemed to me that the proper occupation of every sensible man should consist in the mere fact of having a mummy's foot upon his desk.'
Needless to say he was rather chuffed with himself.
However, that night the spirit of a footless Princess Hermonthis hops around his apartment in anguish and as the gallant gentleman he is our main character immediately offers to return her foot.
' "Princess!" I then exclaimed,"I never retained anybody's foot unjustly. Even though you have not the five louis which it cost me, I present it to you gladly. I should feel unutterably wretched to think that I were the cause of so amiable a person as the Princess Hermonthis being lame." '
Upon re-fixing her foot, the Princess is so full of gratitude that she takes him into the spirit world to visit her father, an ancient Pharoah.
When asked by her father what he would like as payment, he asks for the Princess's hand in marriage.
However, alas, it will never be as the age gap is too great and her father would not condemn his daughter to a husband whose corpse will go un-mummified and rot away in no time upon his death.
The Princess Hermonthis being over 7 centuries old and our main character a mere 27.
And then he wakes up! An amusing little story. -
🔻 Genre: Mystical horror; short story; Egyptian theme.
✔️Published in 1908; translated from French.
👁 Point of view: First person.
🔺My review: A man buys a mummy’s foot – and that is when the adventure starts, and the never-ending surprises!
What a fun short story.
🔲 Extracts:I had entered, in an idle mood, the shop of one of those curiosity venders who are called marchands de bric-à-brac in that Parisian argot which is so perfectly unintelligible elsewhere in France.
'Ha, ha, you want the foot of the Princess Hermonthis!' exclaimed the merchant, with a strange giggle, fixing his owlish eyes upon me. . . . the daughter of a Pharaoh!
Her arms, slender and spindle-shaped like those of very young girls, were encircled by a peculiar kind of metal bands and bracelets of glass beads; her hair was all twisted into little cords, and she wore upon her bosom a little idol-figure of green paste . . .
🔥 Dénouement: Well-formed and surprising.
🖋 The writing style: The writing is wildly descriptive, full, and sumptuous, with a plot that moves at an even pace. Clever all around. What a fun short story.
🗝 What I learned: The author corrects places ancient Egyptian burials in places other than the pyramids.
💫 What I like best: The theme.
📌 Would I read this again? Yes.
🤔 My rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
◼️ Fun fact: I enjoy Egyptian-themed stories.
🟣 Media form: Kindle version. -
I suppose people should just read it for what it is a romantic, strange, ghostly tale. Unsure of whether to give this a three or two. This is a slightly amusing gothic tale in parts, less so in others, about a man who buys an ancient relic, a mummified foot of an Egyptian princess.
The usual gothic atmosphere is set, however, the stereotyped description of the seller felt quite uncomfortable and will make eyes certainly roll.
With indigenous peoples around the world demanding back revered objects/relics stolen or of dubious appropriation in European museums, there is perhaps, a hint of...tastelessness?
You decide! -
Eh. It was okay.
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Read online. For anyone interested the link is below.
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Short and strange...
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https://archive.org/details/WeirdTale...
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22662
Weird Tales reprint of a French short story, published in the September 1840 issue of Le Musée des familles. A dreamy ghost like time travel tale of ancient Egypt.
The story was adapted for television as part of the NBC Television anthology series Your Show Time, airing February 11, 1949:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JyKB...
The Lovecraft ReRead has covered this as well:
https://www.tor.com/2017/11/15/luckil... -
Una historia del siglo xix que se aprovecha de la fascinación/mitificación con la que occidente observa a Egipto (y a todo lo que considera "oriental" en general) y teje una trama fantástica de apariciones, momias y una dosis de humor tierno que no esperaba. Es una lectura rápida que, aunque no consigue generar miedo, sí que resulta muy divertida.
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Gautier fantasy tale on an Egyptian theme. Some interesting elements to set it apart such as the copious symbolism throughout as well as the more comic tone of some of the proceedings - the antique shop description is the most worked through passage and the most evocative whereas the later revelations feel a bit flat compared to other similar yarns by the writer.
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First published in 1840. The depiction of shop keepers as Jewish caricatures wasn't uncommon, but was certainly uncalled for and was just lazy writing. This story was uninspired.
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Aka The foot of the Mummy
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Discover more forgotten books via my website:
https://adblankestijn.blogspot.com/p/... -
Mummy waifu comes to get back her foot. Good story. Love shy dommy mommy mummies seeking their lost foot.
