The Great God Pan (1890)

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by Arthur Machen



A jigsaw of narratives gradually reveals the existence of a woman born of an evil spirit who preys upon mankind.

 


Arthur Machen’s groundbreaking story influenced generations of horror writers, including such titans as H.P. Lovecraft and Stephen King.

 

Arthur Machen


Characterization is virtually nil and there is a very heavy reliance on coincidence.

 


Also, most of the horror takes place offstage.

 


However, the picture that slowly emerges is pregnant with terror, and the reader is led to imagine horrors and perversions that the writer would perhaps be unable to match, especially one who was writing in the late 1800s.

 


Tame by today’s standards, it was highly controversial in its time and there were critics who felt that such a product of a clearly diseased mind should not be allowed to exist.

 


"The Great God Pan" (French)

"The Great God Pan" (Greek)

"The Great God Pan" (Italian)

"Supreme God Pan" (Turkish)


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