"Phantoms" (1885) is a classic study of a haunting, in which the narrator refuses to admit that the apparitions from which he suffers can be anything but hallucinations, but then ties himself in knots trying to explain them in terms of his own psychology, which he claims unconvincingly to be free from guilt. The story is one of the most interesting and elaborate 19th century developments of the theme of an ambiguous haunting, notable for its acidic artistry.

Also included in this collection are several darkly ironic contes cruels, remarkable for their relentless quest for...