AHuman — That Sounds... Wretched: ThePessimistic Anthropology ofWeird Fiction Cover Image

Człowiek — to brzmi… marnie. Pesymistyczna antropologia „weird fiction”
AHuman — That Sounds... Wretched: ThePessimistic Anthropology ofWeird Fiction

Author(s): Łukasz Wróbel
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies, Theory of Literature, Sociology of Literature
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Wrocławskiego
Keywords: ahuman; Howard Phillips Lovecraft; pessimism; Stefan Grabiński; Thomas Ligotti; weird fiction

Summary/Abstract: The article is focused on discussing the anthropological dimension of weird fiction. This type of literature presents the characteristic picture of a man which the author defines as homo victus. The pessimism and the vanity of existence are typical elements of weird fiction poetics. The authors often structure their writing in such a way so that the characters, when confronted with the uncanny nature of the world, can understand their insignificance and fragility. With the aim of advocating this thesis, stories of three remarkable authors who wrote in this convention will be discussed: Howard Phillips Lovecraft, Stefan Grabiński, and Thomas Ligotti.

  • Issue Year: 28/2022
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 117-132
  • Page Count: 16
  • Language: Polish