WHEN HOSPITALITY BECOMES DEADLY. Host-Guest Relations in T. Kingfisher’s „What Moves the Dead”
WHEN HOSPITALITY BECOMES DEADLY. Host-Guest Relations in T. Kingfisher’s „What Moves the Dead”

Summary/Abstract: In What Moves the Dead, an American author, T. Kingfisher (a pen name of Ursula Vernon), reimagines Edgar Allan Poe’s well-known short story “The Fall of the House of Usher.” The novella introduces a parasitic fungus inhabiting a mountain lake that infects both animals and humans, transforming hosts into hostages, rendering the Usher manor, which stands near the infected tarn, a perilous space for its guests. This article explores the intricate dimensions of hospitality, ranging from the invitation and act of welcoming to the risks associated with overstaying one’s welcome. The concepts of “environment” and “host” are examined in their dual interpretations. “Environment” is understood both as the natural world and as the immediate surroundings of an individual. At the same time “host,” a gender-neutral alternative to “hostess,” is perceived as an individual who receives guests and as a reference to an organism on or within which a parasite resides. The brief overview of such concepts as ecoGothic, ecohorror, and ecophobia allows for the subsequent analysis to situate the examination of the host-guest relations in the ecological framework. The hospitality presented in the story mirrors human interaction with nature, illustrating that both hosts and guests may suffer dire consequences when hospitality is distorted. The article highlights the complexity of host-guest dynamics, emphasizing that the principles of hospitality are fluid and context-dependent, with potentially dangerous ramifications for both human and non-human beings.

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