Ask for Andrea

Ask for Andrea can be categorized as a ghost story since the three protagonists are deceased yet retain consciousness and can observe and even intervene in the world of the living. As a literary genre, ghost stories can be traced back to folklore, where supernatural beings or individuals who have passed away may reappear; spirits of the dead also appear in epic tradition, particularly when heroes visit the underworld. Ghosts became a fairly common feature in early modern English dramas; for example, a number of Shakespeare’s plays include the apparition of ghosts or spirits. The rise of Gothic literature in the 18th century led to many works of literature featuring the actual or apparent presence of supernatural elements (in many Gothic works, seemingly supernatural events turn out to have mundane explanations). Later in the 19th century, notable English and American writers wrote fiction (often short stories or novellas) featuring ghosts or ghostly presences; some examples of writers who utilized the ghost story include Charles Dickens (who famously used ghostly presences to convey moral lessons in A Christmas Carol), Henry James, Oscar Wilde (who wrote a comedic and ironic version of a ghost story titled The Canterville Ghost), Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allan Poe, and Washington Irving. Subsequent novels featuring ghosts include Beloved by Toni Morrison, The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, and Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger.

Many writers have utilized ghosts to explore relationships to the past, memory, and the repressed; ghosts can also function as plot devices for teaching moral lessons or intervening to prevent disastrous events. Whether ghosts are malevolent or not varies significantly in different works of literature, and they often work toward a specific goal, including offering protection or wisdom and seeking justice.