Hieroglyphics

Machen, Arthur, 1863-1947Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.8

Word count: 253K words
Chapters: 26

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Hieroglyphics by Arthur MachenAuthor: Machen, Arthur, 1863-1947,Language: English, Class: PN: Language and Literatures: Literature: General, Criticism, Collections, Release Date: Jul 15, 2012

Editor's review

Hieroglyphics is an essayistic work by Arthur Machen that revolves around writing, symbols, and meaning, bearing his characteristic mystical temperament and interest in ancient civilizations. The book discusses not only the forms of letters themselves but also how humans use symbols to carry ideas and how they establish connections between images and language. Machen's writing tends toward contemplation and association; paragraphs are often guided by personal impressions, reading like a slow intellectual stroll rather than a systematic philological tutorial. For readers familiar with the British weird-fiction tradition, this book fills in the non-fiction side of Machen; for enthusiasts of the history of writing, it offers an imaginative angle of observation. It suits segmented reading in quiet hours, jotting down passages that move you, without needing to finish it in one sitting.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy Arthur Machen's weird fiction and want to read his essays
Enthusiasts interested in the origins of writing, symbols, and the meaning of images
Those accustomed to slow, contemplative prose who do not seek systematic knowledge

Not a good fit for

Readers needing rigorous philological textbooks or scholarly textual research
Readers who prefer tightly plotted, highly narrative works

Reading tips

First read through to sense Machen's associative line of thought, then go back and mark passages of interest.
Read with pen and paper, setting down the symbols mentioned in the book alongside your own understanding.
If the English original is difficult, learn about Machen's life and the background of British weird fiction before diving in.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book about ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs?

Not entirely. Though titled Hieroglyphics, Machen's discussion leans more toward general reflections on writing, symbols, and meaning, essayistic and contemplative in nature; it is not a specialist interpretation of ancient Egyptian script. Readers should not treat it as an introductory philology textbook.

Can I read it without a background in philology?

Yes, but adjust your expectations. The book does not advance through a system of knowledge; instead it follows the author's associations. Readers without a background can focus on experiencing the author's way of observing, and need not insist on fully grasping every unfamiliar concept.

Is it suitable for reading in one sitting?

Not really. Machen's prose is dense and his associations jump considerably; continuous reading easily becomes tiring. It is best to read a small section at a time, leaving intervals for digestion and reflection, and to note down your questions or associations afterward.

Comments

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About the author

Machen, Arthur, 1863-1947 Author

Arthur Machen (1863–1947) was a British writer known for his fantasy, horror and supernatural fiction. Ten of his works are included here, among them The Great God Pan, The Three Impostors or, The Transmutations, The Hill of Dreams, The House of Souls, The Terror: A Mystery, The Secret Glory, Far Off Things and The Angels of Mons: The Bowmen and Other Legends of the War. His writing often draws on the Welsh countryside, ancient legend and pagan survivals, quietly introducing supernatural forces into ordinary settings and creating a restrained yet lasting sense of psychological dread. He is regarded as an important forerunner of modern horror literature, and his style relies on atmosphere and suggestion rather than explicit violence. The story The Bowmen also gave rise to a widely circulated social legend. Public information is limited, so details of his life are not elaborated here.