The Return

EAN : 9791041806348

DE LA MARE WALTER

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Édition papier

EAN : 9791041806348

Paru le : 17 juil. 2023

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Détails

EAN13 : 9791041806348
Réf. éditeur : 291928
Date Parution : 17 juil. 2023
Disponibilite : Disponible
Barème de remise : NS
Nombre de pages : 288
Format : H:210 mm L:148 mm E:16 mm
Poids : 376gr

Résumé

Résumé : Published in 1910, Walter de la Mare's "The Return" stands as a cornerstone of psychological horror, where the supernatural serves as a scalpel to dissect Victorian and Edwardian notions of identity. Arthur Lawford, an unremarkable man of the middle class, seeks rest in the Widderstone churchyard while recovering from a bout of influenza. By falling asleep near the grave of Nicholas Sabathier—a Huguenot who committed suicide in 1739—he inadvertently opens a door to a parasitic entity. When Lawford wakes, he is physically transformed. The mirror reveals a face that is lean, sardonic, and predatory—the face of Sabathier. This physical metamorphosis is the catalyst for a profound ontological crisis: if the body changes, does the soul remain intact? The Dissolution of the Self and Social Alienation The immediate conflict is not with the ghost of Sabathier, but with the living. Lawford's wife, Sheila, represents the rigid societal structures of the era. Her reaction is one of visceral repulsion mixed with social anxiety. To Sheila, Lawford's transformation is a scandal to be hidden rather than a tragedy to be understood. Her inability to recognize the "true" Arthur beneath the foreign features suggests that, in her world, identity is merely a surface-level contract. If the "mask" changes, the person is effectively dead. The Vicar, Mr. Bethany, provides a counterpoint. He represents the struggle of faith against the inexplicable. While he is deeply disturbed by Lawford's new appearance, he remains the only character from Lawford's "old life" who attempts to see through the mask. His presence highlights the tension between a materialistic worldview—where a change in features equals a change in personhood—and a spiritual one that seeks the permanence of the soul.
Biographie : Walter John de la Mare OM CH (25 April 1873 - 22 June 1956) was an English poet, short story writer and novelist. He is probably best remembered for his works for children, for his poem The Listeners, and for his psychological horror short fiction, including Seaton's Aunt and All Hallows. In 1921, his novel Memoirs of a Midget won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction, and his post-war Collected Stories for Children won the 1947 Carnegie Medal for British children's books.