The Great God Pan – Arthur Machen

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  • Paperback : 84 pages
  • ISBN-13 : 979-8561098512
  • Dimensions : 5 x 0.21 x 8 inches
  • Publisher : Notoir Books (November 8, 2020)
  • ASIN : B08N1SF8MW
  • Language: : English

“We know what happened to those who chanced to meet the Great God Pan, and those who are wise know that all symbols are symbols of something, not of nothing.”

On publication, it was widely denounced by the press as degenerate and horrific because of its implied sexual content, and the novella hurt Machen’s reputation as an author. We, at Notoir HQ, don’t care about that.

“The Great God Pan” begins with an experiment by a brain surgeon named Dr Raymond, who vows to open the brain of a woman named Mary. He has some occult interests, and performs this operation to have a glimpse into the supernatural world. So he devised a minor brain operation that would allow her to see ‘the great god Pan’. It left Mary lobotomized. Awed and terrified, she quickly becomes “a hopeless idiot”.

This is the start of this weird, at times sensual story. The language Machen uses, is purple at times.

This is the classic masterpiece by Arthur Machen. The story influenced everyone from H.P. Lovecraft (!) to Stephen King. Grab it, read it, but keep the lights on.