The Darkness is Undying. British Perichoretic Fiction from the 1890s to the Present Day

The dissertation examines the way so-called weird fiction addresses and transmits perichoresis, the experience of interpenetration of worlds. The focus is on three writers from the British Isles. It is possible to demonstrate how weird fiction has functioned and increasingly continues to function as an independent forum for contemplation of fundamental worldview-related questions. These worldviews contain a wide panorama of magical and esoteric concepts, connections to alternative spirituality, and interpretations of scientific theories emerging around the turn of the century. They are explored through biographical and autobiographical information, and through them, new links emerge between writers often discussed separately. Weird fiction is treated as a literary mode, and its relations with established genres, especially that of horror, is explored extensively. In this sense the dissertation participates in discourses concerning the definition of weird fiction, which is now enjoying a renaissance. The sometimes-hidden influence of the weird in other media, including movies and popular television series is brought to spotlight.