Investigate the Society for Psychical Research, founded in 1882. You may want to consult the Journal of the Society for Psychical Research; the Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research; The Founders of Psychical Research, by A. Gauld (1968); or Psychical Research: A Guide to its History, Principles and Practices, edited by I. Grattan-Guinness (1982). Who were the "ghostbusters" of the Victorian era? How widespread was the belief in ghosts? Compare real life attitudes to ghosts to the attitudes held by the characters in "The Canterville Ghost."

Research the Aesthetic Movement, also known as the Decadent Movement. You may want to consult literary anthologies as well as the following books: Elizabeth Aslin's The Aesthetic Movement: Prelude to Art Nouveau (Frederick A. Praeger, 1969); Aesthetes and Decadents of the 1890s: An Anthology of British Poetry and Prose (Vintage Books: 1966), edited by Karl Beckson; and The...