Episode 150: Sacramental Reality: On Arthur Machen's "A Fragment of Life"
b'
"A Fragement of Life" opens with Mr. Darnell waking up from a dream and going down to breakfast, where it is described that "before he sat down to his fried bacon he kissed his wife seriously and dutifully." He then proceeds to take the tram to visit a friend, with whom he has a long and tedious conversation about plants, clothes, kids, and how best to spend ten pounds. The story continues on in this mundane manner for quite some time, which is probably not what we would expect from Arthur Machen, virtuoso of the weird. But, as Phil and JF discuss, this writing style intentionally draws attention to the absurdity of modern, materialist life, creating a striking contrast with the mysterious other world that Mr. and Mrs. Darnell eventually begin to pursue.
\\n\\nSupport us on Patreon and gain access to Phil\'s podcast on Wagner\'s Ring Cycle.
\\nListen to Meredith Michael and Gabriel Lubell\'s podcast, Cosmophonia.
\\nDownload Pierre-Yves Martel\'s new album, Mer Bleue.
\\nVisit the Weird Studies Bookshop
\\nFind us on Discord
\\nGet the T-shirt design from Cotton Bureau!
REFERENCES
\\nArthur Machen, A Fragment of Life
\\nWeird Studies, Episode 3 on \\u201cThe White People and Episode 87 on \\u201cHeiroglyphics\\u201d
\\nKarl Marx, Capital
\\nJames Machin, Weird Fiction in Britain
\\nThomas Ligotti, \\u201cThe Order of Illusion\\u201d in Noctuary
\\nWeird Studies, Episode 20 on the Trash Stratum
\\nArtur Schnitzler, Traumnovelle
\\nWeird Studies, Episode 59 on Walking
\\nCarl Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections