The eyes that visit Culwin (Wharton)

Overview

After his guests exchange ghost stories, Andrew Culwin tells two remaining friends about a pair of eyes he saw in darkness. Their first appearance follows his promise to marry Alice Nowell. At the foot of his bed, a vague glimmer resolves into eyes giving out their own light, with no visible face. He describes sunken orbits, thick red-lined lids hanging heavily over small glassy eyeballs, sparse lashes and agate-like rims around the pupils. One lid droops lower than the other. To Culwin, their expression conveys the secure cunning of someone accustomed to harming others without taking risks. His attempt to strike the unseen figure meets only emptiness; lighting the room removes the sight, but darkness brings it back.

The eyes disappear when Culwin abandons Alice and leaves for Europe. Years later, they return after he encourages Gilbert Noyes’s literary ambition despite judging his writing worthless. Culwin calls that encouragement kindness, yet also admits wanting to retain Gilbert’s company. The visitations cease after a later rupture sends Gilbert home to America. In the framing room, the young listener Phil Frenham becomes distressed, and Culwin finally confronts his own reflection with growing hatred before covering his eyes. That closing scene invites a connection between the apparition and Culwin himself, while the story leaves its mechanism unstated. His earlier speculation about an optical or digestive explanation also remains part of his account. These are not literal vampires or starfish: such comparisons describe the eyes’ effect and appearance.

First appearances & development

Edith Wharton’s authored English literary fiction, consulted in Tales of Men and Ghosts with its retained London 1910 title. This is not a collected community tradition or evidence of an actual haunting.

Canon & continuity

The complete selected narrative and ending were read with the collection title and contents. The retained title supplies London and 1910 but no publisher name; no physical copy, original magazine issue or independent print collation was consulted.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

1. 01

   Tales of Men and Ghosts — The Eyes

   Edith Wharton · 1910

   Retained title: London, 1910. Publisher not stated on this transcription’s title.

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

1. Primary historical literary fictionThe Eyes — complete original-English narrative and dated collection titleResearch access: 2026-10-18

Image credits

The eyes that visit Culwin (Wharton) — independent literary illustration with reconstructed unspecified details.