The Great God Pan

By Arthur Machen

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. In Supernatural Horror in Literature, H. P. Lovecraft praised the story, saying: "No one could begin to describe the cumulative suspense and ultimate horror with which every paragraph abounds"; he added that "the sensitive reader" reaches the end with "an appreciative shudder." Lovecraft also noted, however, that "melodrama is undeniably present, and coincidence is stretched to a length which appears absurd upon analysis." Bennett Cerf described the story as a "masterpiece". Arthur Machen (1863-1947) was a Welsh author and mystic of the 1890s and early 20th century. He is best known for his influential supernatural, fantasy, and horror fiction. His book The Great God Pan has garnered a reputation as a classic of horror (Stephen King has called it "Maybe the best [horror story] in the English language").

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sharp Ink
• Release date: May 11, 2016
• ISBN: 9788028225254

Arthur Machen

Arthur Machen (1863-1947) was a Welsh mystic and author. Born Arthur Llewellyn Jones, he was raised in Monmouthshire in a prominent family of clergymen. He developed an early interest in alchemy and other occult matters, and obtained a classical education at Hereford Cathedral School. He moved to London, where he failed to gain admittance to medical school and soon focused on his literary interests. Working as a tutor, he wrote in the evening and published his first poem, “Eleusinia,” in 1881. A novel, The Anatomy of Tobacco (1884), soon followed, launching his career as a professional writer. Machen made a name for himself as a frequent contributor to London literary magazines and achieved his first major success with the 1894 novella The Great God Pan. Following his wife’s death from cancer in 1899, he briefly joined the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and began conducting research on Celtic Christianity, the legend of the Holy Grail, and the stories of King Arthur. In 1922, after a decade of working as a journalist for the Evening News, he published The Secret Glory—a story of the Grail—to popular and critical acclaim. This marked the highpoint of his career as a pioneering author of fantasy, horror, and supernatural fiction whose work has been admired and praised by William Butler Yeats, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Stephen King.

Book preview

��;�cbook_preview_excerpt.htmlmX�n���� ���[lx1��E� ��}dKT�k�Ԑ��z�G��%9��R�
w�D�z�_�?����'|���})5�x}}q�돣3�uv�O.V����O��O\=��\^���L�w)V�,Xz������N�lo����N�d�6��g����|���٬����)Kv�%-�7e��]�R�:O�&�;D���dߜ�9�xu��2�l��jz��g��� ��cD���]��/K�x�>�o�jF�� D����߹�d�i�)��s.�W�\RX*�;�o�辺b��fu8���b�l;RS4��7�Z�����~�C1cZ�{2�U�hJ�!�q�~{I����fJK�����#�|� Я�)b��#��/؞]���mED�h��}Za����XF��gq�Ż�
eu��Kv�L*>��+�5�ޤ(OF([|�TW�,������m��\^�Pʹd��A��C�D��!� 6���3� HF���ATp� �)t�K�\rt�C.�‚c+w������!����w}%!�v���W�wez��̌]G_�|w�� �}�����7�pcS�!��3����#k�w��g���Z���!C"�!�񭸠^J�U[=� �����������97���a��V� 䮢>S���Y��Sf��7��^�r��o*�V�7�[��.`E�98��*G5iqM��a������aE���}�#ũ=}���7�)��W5��!�ڻ�T��iS� Z�����@�2�ޣ����d
�I�f6gs9d��uHb6B��vo�l��[pp�&Zv{� ��3��(P����:V@A���m�5a �c�IU%�r���|4NPxEr ��쀑Gw#O�YPA��1��� x`�&�yq�C��ڑ­�� ���)�9��r�fc�ܥ��y�ܰ�.%Q,����Bb��j�U�5Z�LpM�����@�{���֞L�2�/l���2Է����-]��Q�g)m�k�A���.�̟�6{����GrX�~��]݃�r"fAm�@����WQU��#�cYa�k)`@7��tj�Ga)#S�"5�� ��`�0���z*N;��4^�2,�5}$��t�c��Y�����k��;[�)oۮ4� Yw��U..Jd�芐�r���gԨ]L��k��B�GS�6�V@FԦ��S��������%e�n���Y�nK���,k��?�k�XD]_��"�����jz���|z����n�$���@V�q��*�^G'��Md\P9X.��F0h��z���=�B
�f���snǤ�ه�H��S^p��&=�Jʔ�$n>���aw��"a@,��u���w6q��6v^�@�@15ۉ�ciD�綷�5��UWP��x��e��M��&S�P  �v��{d�(��gQ{E��Kh��@l*����= �5�K���v'��;��j����v1'�2�Wj���B3�\)6ow��gW�} fp�>�;7ĥV2I �\�P�5G߆��Z>����]N�K�P�ΥD�*]ҕ�Ϊ9ϋ��"E��
�Pl�]�m@P�`�8���ka�HEk������~�2�Zg��t�����N�����1*�r�*0'��)]�������k�w���:��a�·�[�d�Lt�_ K�goL|� /���ix�M�`m�\E������ibm1��|EE ��lO�`n�-�B)SH�m��ݒVv����5�yTB,n%O����^���8�z�[��{H�=r�� j��»7�1? W�� �:�T�vbL9�ݩ!VD� 0~�W�w����c���A6쯜���Ŵ\GV�];���^J�͒&�ysf�,=t\�6�*�ꃯ��,,BO@h� ۏ�k�R�t����-�=�|_�I]�x�N�i�y���������2@߻2cZ��ۭ��L7�;*G���˂��Yhc���#�W�Z��h�s1���*D�7*�3�e�e�v[J��$�IPC=��Kbp������g���c��%��n�i�����Mφ2�k�c$]��� �C����k�-H�7���7ەB�2�ㄝ7�[5pt)���9gu�3�m*�;tx��A�����v��O�Ma䍃��)����)-�〄g�d �
0G�2����6���c뽥�\�Y�r���-/�6���ߵ�˚������h�E$dr�ō`��-�i�#���\�]��R)���W�d�nA2-��n���EH�u���ld,P���������v�Qx�� E#$ӂ:�is��JeD����� ���G����2X��k��)�b�^ |W��V���s�)��>7�v�ݓ��Vb�Z�_F ��Tl|}&�J{h��#譒@DE�d�|�]m�b�"�Fćt@����}��SΕ^��$�u�V�
n�h�Q!� Ho������9������f��Ok�dæ�n4W��݅N�]�~�������p�rܣ1�w��t�p�(=t!��'��w��^,ŝ=SL����iD�����)�д�V�� ������J�����N�6|�[�#����0����@c�=�Q]h|1z� y���,�[:�������m�a�][��K/�#��Y�vZ�k�ipAF�� Hq�İ�x�yB�����������:�~�