The story of The Canterville Ghost takes place in an old English country house, Canterville Chase, which has all the accoutrements of a traditional haunted house. Descriptions of the wainscoting, the library paneled in black oak, and the armor in the hallway characterize the Gothic setting and help Wilde clash the Old World with the New. Typical of the style of the English Decadents, the gothic atmosphere reveals the author's fascination with the macabre. Yet he mixes the macabre with comedy, juxtaposing devices from traditional English ghost stories such as creaking floorboards, clanking chains, and ancient prophecies with symbols of modern American consumerism. Wilde's Gothic setting helps emphasize the contrast between cultures—setting modern Americans in what could arguably be a classic symbol of British history—and underscores the "modern" thinking of the house's mismatched residents, the Otises.
《坎特维尔的幽灵》围绕一座英国古堡展开，情节跌宕起伏——不是被幽灵惊吓，反而是幽灵被惊扰。全书充满节奏和悬念感，行文遣句之中善意取笑了英国贵族的势利态度。故事发生在一座历史悠久的英国城堡中，来自美国的奥蒂斯家族购得了城堡的所有权。当他们到达坎特维尔庄园时，听说坎特维尔的旧主人西蒙爵士的幽灵在庄园中游荡。故事发生在欧洲和美国文化冲突和融合的新时代背景下，小说中鬼魂出没的场面没有恐怖的效果，变得滑稽可笑但又蕴含深意。