Lexington Books Arthur Machen: Critical Essays

Arthur Machen: Critical Essays offers a study of the works by Arthur Machen (1863-1947), the Welsh writer who has attracted a cult following for decades, especially among fans and scholars of weird fiction and Gothic studies. These essays take readers into different areas and address several topics in Machen's literary production: the literary, the artistic, the scientific, the religious, the socio-cultural, and the personal. The twelve chapters constituting the volume examine the representation of human beings in the writer's works and their relationship with the surrounding environment, whether it is the omnipresent London or the mysterious, menacing nature. The contributors also interpret Machen's writings through a series of disciplines and academic theories that were contemporary to the writer (such as paleontology and medicine) and demonstrate how he was influenced by the scientific discourses of his time and reproduced them in his works. The last section of the volume considers Machen's interest in the occult and mysticism and the religious themes present in many of his works. Review All Machen scholars will be delighted with this critical collection. Not only do these lively essays add to the understanding of Arthur Machen's unique literary accomplishments, they can be read, and enjoyed, and appreciated by all with interests in supernatural fiction. Best of all, their diverse critical viewpoints and conclusions show that Machen's writings remain alive and vital in the 21st century. --Richard J. Bleiler, author of The Strange Case of "The Angels of Mons" Arthur Machen's World War I Story, The Insistent Believers, and His Refutations This rich and wide-ranging collection reveals the complexity of Arthur Machen's life, his ideas, and his writing. The contributors to this volume provide significant insights into Machen's interests in archaeology and antiquarianism, materialism and medicine, spiritualism and the occult. Perhaps especially, there is much to learn here about Machen's relationship to place: how he excavated London's out-of-the-way passages and Wales's mystical hills to prise out secret histories and hidden lives. Arthur Machen: Critical Essays will appeal particularly to those interested in gothic literature, fantasy and horror, decadence, and Victorian and Edwardian culture. --Corinna Wagner, University of Exeter About the Author Antonio Sanna is a support teacher in Sassari, Italy.