Science Fiction Horror Novels Codexery

The Great God Pan

A horror novella about an experiment opening a mind to the supernatural.

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Arthur Machen's novella "The Great God Pan" was first published in 1894 and is considered a horror masterpiece.[1][2] Upon its first publication, the narrative's implicit sexual content provoked a significant public outcry.[3][4]

Making and release

The novella was inspired by Machen's boyhood visits to the Welsh river Usk and the towns of Caerleon and Caerwent.[5] What is now the third chapter appeared in the same magazine the following year as a standalone story called "The City of Resurrections".[1] The material that currently forms the opening chapter initially appeared in 1890 within the periodical The Whirlwind.[1][3] Machen did not perceive the two separate published pieces as a single work until after their respective completions.[1]

After recognizing their connection, Machen composed the remainder of the novella in one night, with the sole exception of its concluding chapter.[1] For several months, Machen could not conceive a conclusion and was convinced the story would never be finished.[1] Aubrey Beardsley created the artwork for the book's exterior.[1][2]

What the cited sources add

Surridge also said that The Great God Pan influenced Bram Stoker's Dracula, as both works feature an introductory sequence with a horrified Englishman in a non-English setting.[6] According to Matthew David Surridge of Black Gate, Machen's depiction of Dr. Raymond as a mad scientist may have been influenced by Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.[7]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "The Great God Pan" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Machen 2006; Stableford, Brian, (1998). "Machen, Arthur (Llewellyn)". St. James Guide to Horror, Ghost and Gothic Writers, ed. David Pringle. London: St. James Press. .; Machen 2018; Sommerlad, "St. David's Day: Celebrating Arthur Machen, the forgotten Welsh horror writer admired by Stephen King", The Independent, March 2, 2018 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Sommerlad, "St. David's Day: Celebrating Arthur Machen, the forgotten Welsh horror writer admired by Stephen King", The Independent, March 2, 2018. facts only, no text reused. independent.co.uk
  3. Surridge, "Arthur Machen and 'The Great God Pan", October 30, 2012. facts only, no text reused. blackgate.com
  4. Wikipedia, "The Great God Pan" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Surridge, "Arthur Machen and 'The Great God Pan", October 30, 2012; Richard Henry Stoddard, "Review of 'The Great God Pan ", in Colavito, Jason, ed. A Hideous Bit of Morbidity: An Anthology of Horror Criticism from the Enlighten; Machin 2018; Harry Quilter, "The Gospel of Intensity", in Colavito, ed. A Hideous Bit of Morbidity: An Anthology of Horror Criticism from the Enlightenment to World War I. J; Machin 2018; Machin 2018; Harry Quilter, "The Gospel of Intensity", in Colavito, ed. A Hideous Bit of Morbidity: An Anthology of Horror en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "The Great God Pan" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Surridge, "Arthur Machen and 'The Great God Pan", October 30, 2012; Sommerlad, "St. David's Day: Celebrating Arthur Machen, the forgotten Welsh horror writer admired by Stephen King", The Independent, March 2, 2018; Machen 1922; Machen 1922 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "The Great God Pan" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Surridge, "Arthur Machen and 'The Great God Pan", October 30, 2012; Tibbetts 2016; Myman, "Theodora Goss: Monstrous Voices", June 18, 2018; Tibbetts 2016 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "The Great God Pan" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Surridge, "Arthur Machen and 'The Great God Pan", October 30, 2012; Sommerlad, "St. David's Day: Celebrating Arthur Machen, the forgotten Welsh horror writer admired by Stephen King", The Independent, March 2, 2018; Luckhurst 2005; Machen 2018; Machen 2018; Machin 2018; Tibbetts 2016 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article The Great God Pan (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Test yourself

Three questions drawn from this entry’s sources. Pick an answer to check it.

1. Which company published "The Great God Pan"?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is John Lane.

2. In what year was "The Great God Pan" first published?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is 1894.

3. Who wrote "The Great God Pan"?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Arthur Machen.

Answers checked against the source article

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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