The Jolly Corner

"The Jolly Corner" is a short story by Henry James. One of James' most noted ghost stories. Brydon begins to believe that his alter ego, the ghost of the man he might have been, is haunting the "jolly corner," his nickname for the old family house. After a harrowing night of pursuit in the house, Brydon finally confronts the ghost, who advances on him and overpowers him with "a rage of personality before which his own collapsed." Brydon eventually awakens with his head pillowed on Alice Staverton's lap.