Untitled - Memorial University's Digital Archives - Memorial ...

341
visited by her lover's revenant. I To its sweetheart, either ignoring or failing to realize her
loss, the revenant brings the evidence of its death, and explicitly "denounces" the danger of
her re.1clion of denial or despair. The outcome of these plots suggests the positive effect of
the revenant's intervention through the sweetheart's acknowledgment of ils admonition and
final acceptance of their earthly separation. Two types, however, step oul of line by either
adding or lacking some components of that structure, and as such present COlintcrpans (0
the nann. By a careful reversal of the standard plot, Ch 78* almost suggests:'1 parody.
The heroine, rather than being desperate for her fiance's loss, is able 10 marry only eight
months following his death. His revenant visits her on the eve of her wedding, and instead
of encouraging her 10 live on without it, declares its jealous love for her, which arouses no
joy on her part! By this undue intervention, it actually "denounces" her infidelity to its
memory, and finally claims her back. Its visit thus destroys her life and future instead of
protecting it. Such is the fate also of the heroine of eh 85; despite signs of fragmentation
in both local versions, the plot shows her running into her lover's funeral, still ignoring lhe
f;lct of his death! In her shock, she insists on being allowed to take a kiss from his lips.
There being no "revenant" to dissuade her, she pursues her own mind··;Ind madness--and
doing so, loses her own life.
Ch# OFFEI\'DED DE OUNCER
77 5 HRev (Sweet William's Ghost)
78 5tH H/5Rev (The Unquiet Grave)
78' 5 HRev (
R5 5 (Lady Alice)
24R 5 I-IRev (The Grey Cock)
The abbreviations are:
II: hero
S: heroine
IfRev, SRev : I-I's Revenant, S's Revenant
lin all but four versions of Ch 78, 0788, MUNFLA ms 85·343, p. 24 (possibly copicd from a
non-local source). 878 and P78A, where the pronouns "he/she are used inconsistcntly,
the mourner is the female partner.