Arthur Machen

The Great God Pan (Annotated) Arthur Machen

Differentiated book- It has a historical context with research of the time-The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen. This book contains a historical context, where past events or the study and narration of these events are examined. The historical context refers to the circumstances and incidents surrounding an event. This context is formed by everything that, in some way, influences the event when it happens. A fact is always tied to its time: that is, to its time. Therefore, when analyzing events that took place tens, hundreds or thousands of years ago, it is essential to know the historical context to understand them. Otherwise, we would be analyzing and judging what happened in a totally different era with a current perspective. When it was published in 1894, the press considered it to be a degenerate and repulsive work for its decadent style and sexual content. Despite everything, the play was considered a classic of the horror genre. Like other stories of the time, it is inspired by the Greek god Pan, a symbol of the power of nature and paganism. However, in the article "The God of Bread in the literature of centuries", this divinity appears as a reflection of "unleashed and destructive natural forces against which man must protect himself if he does not want to expose himself to mental or physical destruction (or both ) ". The title was probably inspired by the poem "A musical Instrument", published in 1862 by Elizabeth Barrett Browing. The first line of each stanza ends precisely in "the great god Pan".