2025/11/01 by Milly Kate Harrison · 2 voices
Arts and Humanities · #Contemporary Literature and Criticism #Historical Studies on Reproduction, Gender, Health, and Societal Changes #Utopian, Dystopian, and Speculative Fiction
paper · doi:10.3366/gothic.2025.0242
openalex publication_date 2025/11/01 · openalex created_date 2025/11/12 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
Algernon Blackwood's fascination with the concept of the personal ‘cage’ and the potential for liberation is central to both his worldview and literary legacy. This article explores these themes in his early, often-overlooked story, ‘The Eccentricity of Simon Parnacute ’, examining its depiction of emotional repression and freedom, particularly within the context of early twentieth-century hegemonic masculinity. Blackwood employs speculative fiction to explore supernatural phenomena but also to examine the speculative possibilities of human experience and societal transformation, offering a nuanced critique of hegemonic masculinity in Edwardian England that underscores his own personal beliefs in the enduring importance of maintaining a connection to the natural world.