Original scientific paper
Mysterium tremendum. Terror and ecstasy in the works of Arthur Machen
Andrea Franzoni
Abstract
Within religious studies, terror has often been regarded as the ancillary of religion or, more generally, of the sacred. This study analyzes the relationship between terror and religious experience in the work of one of the most important representatives of fantastique literature at the threshold of the twentieth century, Arthur Machen. In particular, here we want to study the special relationship that the work of the Welsh writer weaves between ecstasy, interpreted as a withdrawal from common life, and terror, that is, the awareness of the terrifying distance that separates man from divinity.
Keywords
Terror; world of the spirit; London; Abyss; God; Panic; materialism; first world war; chaos; dream
Hrčak ID:
134463
URI
Publication date:
8.2.2015.
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