Hermitix Weird Fiction, Lovecraft, Ligotti, and Magic with Aaron French
35 snips
Dec 27, 2023 Post-doctoral researcher Aaron French discusses weird fiction, Lovecraft, Ligotti, and magic. They explore the genre-defying nature of weird fiction and its relationship with other genres. They delve into revolutions in thought and the unconscious, as well as the connection between psychoanalysis, occultism, and weird fiction. They also discuss standout stories, the unique qualities of weird fiction, films in the genre, and Lovecraftian fiction.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Weird Fiction’s Genre Challenges
- Weird fiction is often a secondary genre intertwined with horror, difficult to define strictly.
- It is characterized more by atmosphere and unsettling effects than typical horror tropes.
Weird Fiction and the Uncanny
- Weird fiction and psychoanalysis share an affinity for the uncanny, focusing on unsettling psychological or supernatural phenomena.
- Unlike psychoanalysis, weird fiction often refuses to provide interpretive answers, aiming instead to open unsettling experiential spaces.
Psychoanalytic Foundations and Beyond
- Freud's three modern illnesses are dethroning humans as center of universe, denying a creator, and exposing the unconscious.
- Jung expands this by emphasizing the collective unconscious and archetypes, validating strange internal experiences beyond mere psychology.