Episode 87: Glyphs, Rifts, and Ecstasy: On Arthur Machen's Vision of Art

Phil Ford and J. F. Martel — Wed, 25 Nov 2020 10:30:00 -0500

It would be wrong to describe Arthur Machen's Hieroglyphics: A Note Upon Ecstasy in Literature (1902) as a work of nonfiction, since the book features a narrative frame that is as moody and irreal as the best tales penned by this luminary of weird fiction. But if the eccentric recluse at the centre Hieroglyphics is a fictional philosopher, he is one who, in Phil and JF's opinion, rivals most aesthetic thinkers in the history of philosophy. The significance of this text lies in its willingness to disclose a function of art that few before Machen had dared to touch, namely its capacity to generate ecstasy by confronting us with the mystery that beats the heart of existence. In this episode, your hosts discuss a work which, in their opinion, comes as close to scripture as the nonexistent field of Weird Studies is likely to get.

REFERENCES

Arthur Machen, Hieroglyphics: A Note Upon Ecstasy in Literature

Thomas Ligotti, Songs of a Dead Dreamer
Weird Studies, Episode 3 on the White People
J.F. Martel, Reclaiming Art in the Age of Artifice
Weird Studies, Episode 63 on Colin Wilson’s 'The Occult'
William Shakespeare, Hamlet
Indra’s Net, philosophical concept
James Machin, Weird Fiction in Britain, 1880 – 1939
Weird Studies, Episode 5 on Lisa Ruddick's 'When Nothing is Cool'
Oscar Wilde, The Soul of Man Under Socialism
Rudolph Otto, German theologian

Episode 3: Ecstasy, Sin, and "The White People"

Phil Ford and J. F. Martel — Wed, 21 Feb 2018 10:00:00 -0500

JF and Phil delve deep into Arthur Machen's fin-de-siècle masterpiece, "The White People," for insight into the nature of ecstasy, the psychology of fairies, the meaning of sin, and the challenge of living without a moral horizon.

WORKS CITED OR DISCUSSED

Arthur Machen, "The White People" - full text or Weird Stories audiobook read by Phil Ford

Arthur Machen, Hieroglyphics: A Note Upon Ecstasy

H. P. Lovecraft, "Supernatural Horror in Literature"

J.F. Martel, Reclaiming Art in the Age of Artifice

Susanna Clarke, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell

Jack Sullivan (ed)., The Penguin Encyclopedia of Horror and the Supernatural

John Keel, The Mothman Prophecies: A True Story

Patrick Harpur, Daimonic Reality

Jacques Vallee, Passport to Magonia: From Folklore to Flying Saucers

Louis Pauwels and Jacques Bergier, The Morning of the Magicians

Michael Foucault, Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison

J.K. Huysmans, Against Nature (À rebours)

Weird Studies - Episodes Tagged with “Ecstasy”

Episode 87: Glyphs, Rifts, and Ecstasy: On Arthur Machen's Vision of Art

Episode 3: Ecstasy, Sin, and "The White People"