Miskatonic Arcihves

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An encyclopedia of strange fiction, its creators, places and mythos. Follow the sources; draw your own conclusions.

Tagged: Thresholds

Themes & context

Dimensional gates

Dimensional gates in Lovecraftian fiction are conditions through which places, modes of perception or forms of identity become connected across an apparent boundary. They may involve an instrument, a geometrical relationship, an object, a dream or an ordinary-looking opening. The stories give these crossings different mechanisms and consequences; this article compares those differences rather than assuming a single universal portal system.

7 min read · 1,312 words

Literature

The Music of Erich Zann

The Music of Erich Zann concerns an impoverished student who hears extraordinary playing from an old musician’s attic and discovers that the room’s window opens onto something beyond the expected city. Written in December 1921 and first published in March 1922, the tale makes music an apparent act of resistance while withholding the explanation its frightened performer tries to write.

6 min read · 1,249 words