Since Le Fanu has come up in this forum lately, and Lovecraft's response to his work, I thought some of the people on this group might be interested in a brief article I just posted on that subject at the Wormwoodiana blog - [wormwoodiana.blogspot.com]

Just beneath that piece is another piece I wrote on Robert Aickman, which incorporates a review of Philip Challinor's recent book of essays on that author's strange tales.

Jim

Many thanks for alerting me to the existence of the Challinor book!

You are welcome, Jojo. Any news on your Coye project?

Jim

I am afraid you must be thinking of the guy with the Coye project. That is a different person.

Sorry about that!

Jim

Regarding "through a glass darkly..." -- you fellows seem to assume that the "glass" is a mirror, reflecting, as it were, Lewis Carroll -- alas, not so -- actual glass was well known in biblical times,though how to make it was late in arriving - natheless, it occurs naturally in the desert country west of Cairo, and as a curiosity was know from very ancient times indeed. and, looking through it, things are quite cloudy - it is after all, "through", not "into" - these phenomena were part of the discoveries made by the Napoleonic invasion of Egypt during which the Rosetta Stone was found - now whether this is in fact what you are dealing with in the writings under discussion, I cannot say - but perhaps worthy of consideration.

calonlan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Regarding "through a glass darkly..." -- you
> fellows seem to assume that the "glass" is a
> mirror, reflecting, as it were, Lewis Carroll --
> alas, not so -- actual glass was well known in
> biblical times,though how to make it was late in
> arriving - natheless, it occurs naturally in the
> desert country west of Cairo, and as a curiosity
> was know from very ancient times indeed. and,
> looking through it, things are quite cloudy - it
> is after all, "through", not "into" - these
> phenomena were part of the discoveries made by the
> Napoleonic invasion of Egypt during which the
> Rosetta Stone was found - now whether this is in
> fact what you are dealing with in the writings
> under discussion, I cannot say - but perhaps
> worthy of consideration.


Yes, glass has been around for a very long time (I forget the exact date usually quoted, but it is quite ancient). However, in the context mentioned here yes, it is "mirror". Turning to Strong's Biblical Concordance, the actual word is Εσοπτρον, translated as "a mirror (for looking into)". The words it is connected with also emphasize this: εἰς, "a primary prep.; to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (fig.) purpose (result, etc.)"; ὀπτάνομα, "to gaze (i.e., with wide-open eyes, as at something remarkable[...] appear, look, see, show self"; and κατοπτρίζομαι, "to mirror oneself, i.e., to see reflected (fig.). -- behold as in a glass."

Given the tendency for Le Fanu's tales to be full of resonances of biblical passages (not to mention his own version of Swedenborgianism), and the deliberate misquotation of the verse, it seems more than probable that he intended such associations to be drawn in the reader's mind; especially as they would but increase the impact of the terror he was seeking to evoke.

Jim: I've yet had a moment to look up the link above, but will do so at my first opportunity. At any rate, thank you very much for bringing it in....

You are welcome, JD.

Jim

Quote:

you fellows seem to assume that the "glass" is a mirror, reflecting, as it were, Lewis Carroll

I think those who assume the glass in question is a mirror are following the unsupported assertion of Robert Tracy in his dreadful, psycho/socio-politically reductive introduction to the Oxford World's Classics edition of In A Glass Darkly. I think it is at least equally likely that LeFanu could be referring to scrying glass, myself, although, unlike Tracy, I am not going to state my speculation as if it were an unequivocal fact.

Absquatch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> you fellows seem to assume that the "glass" is a
> mirror, reflecting, as it were, Lewis Carroll
>
> I think those who assume the glass in question is
> a mirror are following the unsupported assertion
> of Robert Tracy in his dreadful,
> psycho/socio-politically reductive introduction to
> the Oxford World's Classics edition of In A Glass
> Darkly. I think it is at least equally likely that
> LeFanu could be referring to scrying glass,
> myself, although, unlike Tracy, I am not going to
> state my speculation as if it were an unequivocal
> fact.

Having not read the item in question, I for one am certainly not referring to that; rather to, as I noted, the various echoes and resonances connected to the King James Bible. A scrying glass may well be intended as well -- certainly that would seem like something to appeal to Le Fanu's sense of humor, given some of his tales -- but I maintain that the biblical reference, which does refer to a mirror in nearly all readings, is the most likely. This would also fit with the "mirroring" Le Fanu seems to play with at various times, especially when it comes to dreams and blurring the boundaries between life and death, reality and illusion, as counterparts, etc.

jdworth:

You certainly supply more evidence for your view than Tracy does, but, for me, the matter remains an open question. Alas, unless there's a "smoking gun" somewhere, only Le Fanu knows, for certain.

Very nice to see such a prolonged discussion of le Fanu here. I don't have anything to add as most of what I admire has already been mentioned. I can only echo those that wrote of how appreciation grows with each revisit. And the Dover "Best of" is a wonderful collection.

I think le Fanu is more important to the history of the Ghost Story than MR James (although I do think highly of MRJ). Both MRJ's appraoch and the more ambiguous style of Henry James et al can be traced back to le Fanu. Despite being an early Victorian, Le Fanu work is remarkable fresh and rich today when in comparisson many other Victorian ghost stories can feel regimented, stilted and over-worthy.

- chris

let's not forget Munby, whose ALABASTER HAND is a fine collection of tales. Munby himself is an interesting character.

JBP

Just a quick heads up about about the new Robert Aickman editions Tartarus Press. Fist off is Sub Rosa to be followed by each of the rest (apparently). The editions are of course expensive, but then they're also rare as hens teeth, so needs must I suppose until someone produces cheaper quality editions at least. Anyway, I'm not holding my breath.

[www.tartaruspress.com]

Dexterward Wrote in the "Enneagram" thread:
-------------------------------------------------------
> As far as this site is concerned, I do get the
> sense that there are a large number of "fives"
> here, though I wouldn't be surprised to find a
> good number of "fours" as well. As far as the
> former are concerned, "fives" tend to have an
> affinity for such things as scholarship,
> "specialized knowledge" (particularly in esoteric
> and arcane subjects, i.e., obscure Athur Machen
> essays for instance), etymology, linguistic nuance
> and "word play", etc. Fives are also the
> quintessential "completists" ("How long is it
> going to take before I get volume five of Smith's
> collected stories?!" How annoying that my version
> of Le Fanu's "collected stories" should be missing
> one tale", etc., etc.)

;) Is it really correct to categorize people like this?? Aren't we free to be whatever we want?? ;D



Äi! *eeuurghh* AAARRGHHH!!! I just CAN'T draw a definite line! And limit my book collection! But I MUST! Because I am swamped! I will stop searching out more about authors, because I get hooked on certain items just by seeing the title, and then they haunt me and it's impossible to let go.

Well, I had to add three more stories to the Complete Ghost Stories of Le Fanu. Which I printed into a little booklet, with corpse green wrapper. "Wicked Captain Walshawe, of Wauling", "The Child that Went with the Fairies". And also "Laura Silver Bell" that drew me for some reason, being related to "The Child...", and having a nice descriptive first paragraph.

I also printed a small collection of E. F. Benson, carefully selected to be representative of his best. As tight as possible:

"The Room in the Tower"
"The Man Who Went Too Far"
"The House with the Brick-Kiln"
"Negotium Perambulans"
"The Face"
"'And No Bird Sings'"

My main thing for Benson was really limited to "The Man Who Went Too Far", since I have special interest in panistic stories.



Yeah, so I guess I am a "five", or a four with a "five wing" or whatever, in the enneagram. I am personally more acquainted with astrology and numerology. But such ancient wisdom is never accepted or understood in a purely materialistically empirical age.