The Great God Pan" is a novella written by Arthur Machen. A version of the story was published in the magazine Whirlwind in 1890, and Machen revised and extended it for its book publication (together with another story, "The Inmost Light") in 1894. On publication it was widely denounced by the press as degenerate and horrific because of its decadent style and sexual content, although it has since garnered a reputation as a classic of horror. Machen's story was only one of many at the time to focus on Pan as a useful symbol for the power of nature and paganism. The title was taken from the poem "A Musical Instrument" published in 1862 by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, in which the first line of every stanza ends"… the great god Pan.
The Great God Pan" is a novella written by Arthur Machen. A version of the story was published in the magazine Whirlwind in 1890, and Machen revised and extended it for its book publication (together with another story, "The Inmost Light") in 1894. On publication it was widely denounced by the press as degenerate and horrific because of its decadent style and sexual content, although it has since garnered a reputation as a classic of horror. Machen's story was only one of many at the time to focus on Pan as a useful symbol for the power of nature and paganism. The title was taken from the poem "A Musical Instrument" published in 1862 by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, in which the first line of every stanza ends"… the great god Pan.
Empieza este libro hoy por 0 €
Disfruta de acceso completo a todos los libros de la app durante el periodo de prueba
Arthur Machen es el seudónimo de Arthur Llewelyn Jones (1863-1947) un escritor y periodista galés que tiene el incuestionable honor de ser el padre de la novela decadente de terror. Después de una juventud un tanto errática, en la que compagina la escritura con trabajos eventuales, en 1890 Machen se dedica plenamente a la escritura gracias a una herencia familiar. De esos años de trabajo pleno surgirán sus mejores obras, las que le convertirán en un escritor tremendamente popular.Influenciado por las nuevas tendencias espirituales de su época, como el paganismo, el ocultismo o el espiritismo, Machen participa en distintos grupos hasta ingresar en la Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, una secta cristiana que preconizaba la recuperación de los antiguos rituales de la iglesia.Prolífico, Machen publicó 13 novelas que gozaron de una extraordinaria acogida popular, y resultó tremendamente influyente para todos aquellos autores que, después de él, decidieron explorar los aspectos más oscuros de la ficción.
