The Horla
Encyclopedia
"The Horla" is an 1887 short horror
story written in the style of a journal by French
writer Guy de Maupassant
.
American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft
, in his survey "Supernatural Horror in Literature
", provides an idiosyncratic, rather narrow interpretation of the story:
The story has been cited as an inspiration for Lovecraft's own "The Call of Cthulhu
", which also features an extraterrestrial being who influences minds and who is destined to conquer humanity.
. The seeming insanity and dementia of the protagonist contribute much to the fantastic
air that pervades the short story. Maupassant conveys the protagonist's psychology and analysis of fear through the entries to his diary. The Horla is a vampire-like creature that aims to bring an end to human dominance and to take control into its own hands.
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
story written in the style of a journal by French
French literature
French literature is, generally speaking, literature written in the French language, particularly by citizens of France; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional languages of France other than French. Literature written in French language, by citizens...
writer Guy de Maupassant
Guy de Maupassant
Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant was a popular 19th-century French writer, considered one of the fathers of the modern short story and one of the form's finest exponents....
.
American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
, in his survey "Supernatural Horror in Literature
Supernatural Horror in Literature
"Supernatural Horror in Literature" is a long essay by the celebrated horror writer H. P. Lovecraft surveying the field of horror fiction. It was written between November 1925 and May 1927 and revised in 1933-1934. It was first published in 1927 in the one-shot magazine The Recluse...
", provides an idiosyncratic, rather narrow interpretation of the story:
The story has been cited as an inspiration for Lovecraft's own "The Call of Cthulhu
The Call of Cthulhu
The Call of Cthulhu is a short story by American writer H. P. Lovecraft. Written in the summer of 1926, it was first published in the pulp magazine Weird Tales, in February 1928.-Inspiration:...
", which also features an extraterrestrial being who influences minds and who is destined to conquer humanity.
Synopsis
In the form of a journal, the narrator, an upper-class, unmarried, bourgeois man, conveys his troubled thoughts and feelings of anguish. This anguish occurs four days after he sees a “superb three-master” boat and impulsively waves to it, unconsciously inviting the supernatural being aboard the boat to haunt his home. All around him, he senses the presence of a being that he calls the "Horla" (taken from the French "hors" (out) "là"(there)). The torment that the Horla causes is first manifested physically—the narrator complains that he is suffering from “an atrocious fever,” and that he has trouble sleeping. He wakes up from nightmares with the chilling feeling that someone is watching him and “kneeling on [his] chest.” Throughout the novel, the main character's sanity, or rather, his feelings of alienation are put into question as the Horla progressively dominates his thoughts. Initially, the narrator, himself, questions his sanity, exclaiming “Am I going mad?” after having found his glass of water empty, despite not having drunk from it. He later decides that he is not, in fact, going mad, since he is fully “conscious” of his “state” and that he could indeed “analyze it with the most complete lucidity.” The presence of the Horla becomes more and more intolerable to the protagonist, as it is “watching…looking at…[and] dominating” him. After reading about a large number of Brazilians who fled their homes, bemoaning the fact that “they are pursued, possessed, governed like human cattle by…a species of vampire, which feeds on their life while they are asleep…[and]drinks water,” the narrator soon realizes the Horla was aboard the Brazilian three-master that he had previously greeted. He feels so “lost” and “possessed” to the point that he is ready to kill either the Horla, or himself.Analysis
The story is written in the first person in the form of a diary. One may consider the story to be semi-autobiographical, as it recreates similar elements from the author's own life, such as the final line of the narrative in which the protagonist remarks that "there is nothing left for me but to kill myself." This proves his subjectivity in the story regarding his own attempt at suicide in 1892. Many think that the author himself was insane when he wrote this story. In fact, even though he was not considered mentally ill when he wrote the story, it is known that he had been suffering from syphilis for a few years and the illness affected his mental health considerably. Some of his symptoms match sleep paralysisSleep paralysis
Sleep paralysis is paralysis associated with sleep that may occur in healthy persons or may be associated with narcolepsy, cataplexy, and hypnagogic hallucinations. The pathophysiology of this condition is closely related to the normal hypotonia that occurs during REM sleep. When considered to be a...
. The seeming insanity and dementia of the protagonist contribute much to the fantastic
Fantastic
The Fantastic is a literary term that describes a quality of other literary genres, and, in some cases, is used as a genre in and of itself, although in this case it is often conflated with the Supernatural. The term was originated in the structuralist theory of critic Tzvetan Todorov in his work...
air that pervades the short story. Maupassant conveys the protagonist's psychology and analysis of fear through the entries to his diary. The Horla is a vampire-like creature that aims to bring an end to human dominance and to take control into its own hands.
Influence
- The movie Diary of a MadmanDiary of a Madman (film)Diary of a Madman is a 1963 horror film directed by Reginald Le Borg and starring Vincent Price, Nancy Kovack, and Chris Warfield.The screenplay, written by producer Robert Kent, is an adaptation of Guy de Maupassant's short story "Le Horla" , written in 1887...
is loosely based on "The Horla". - The Star TrekStar Trek: The Original SeriesStar Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
episode "Wolf in the FoldWolf in the Fold (TOS episode)"Wolf in the Fold" is a second-season episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. It is episode #43, production #36, and was broadcast on December 22, 1967. It was written by Robert Bloch, and directed by Joseph Pevney....
" features a Horla-like entity. - The Bartimaeus TrilogyBartimaeus TrilogyBartimaeus is a fantasy series by Jonathan Stroud consisting of a trilogy published from 2003 to 2005 and a prequel novel published in 2010. The titular character, Bartimaeus, is a five-thousand-year-old djinni, a spirit of approximately mid-level power...
features Horlas as powerful spirits. - "The Horla" is used as an extension of the plot in the short story "The Theater Upstairs" by Manly Wade WellmanManly Wade WellmanManly Wade Wellman was an American writer. He is best known for his fantasy and horror stories set in the Appalachian Mountains and for drawing on the native folklore of that region, but he wrote in a wide variety of genres, including science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, detective...
. In Wade's novel Sherlock Holmes' War of the WorldsSherlock Holmes' War of the WorldsSherlock Holmes's War of the Worlds is a sequel to H. G. Wells' science fiction novel The War of the Worlds, written by Manly Wade Wellman and his son Wade Wellman, and published in 1975...
, Sherlock HolmesSherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
suggests to Professor ChallengerProfessor ChallengerGeorge Edward Challenger, better known as Professor Challenger, is a fictional character in a series of science fiction stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle...
that the events of "The Horla" might actually be true. - The CBS Radio Mystery TheaterCBS Radio Mystery TheaterCBS Radio Mystery Theater was a radio drama series created by Himan Brown that was broadcast on CBS affiliates from 1974 to 1982....
featured an adaptation from this classic in episode 044, aired on February 22, 1974. - "The Horla" is episode 8 of Peter LorrePeter LorrePeter Lorre was an Austrian-American actor frequently typecast as a sinister foreigner.He caused an international sensation in 1931 with his portrayal of a serial killer who preys on little girls in the German film M...
's radio serial Mystery in the Air. - "The Horla" was adapted to the syndicated radio program The Weird Circle.
- Horlas are mentioned or featured in several stories from the Tales of the ShadowmenTales of the ShadowmenTales of the Shadowmen is an annual anthology of short stories edited by Jean-Marc Lofficier and Randy Lofficier, published by . As of 2010, seven volumes have been released, with a eighth slated for late 2011...
series, including one story where a Horla is encountered by Solomon KaneSolomon KaneSolomon Kane is a fictional character created by the pulp-era writer Robert E. Howard. A late 16th / early 17th century Puritan, Solomon Kane is a sombre-looking man who wanders the world with no apparent goal other than to vanquish evil in all its forms...
. - "The Horla" is also an influence on Mario Bava's story "Telephone", featured in his film Black SabbathBlack Sabbath (film)The motion picture Black Sabbath, whose Italian title, I Tre volti della paura, translates as The Three Faces of Fear, is a 1963 Italian horror film directed by Mario Bava. Boris Karloff, in addition to appearing in the linking passages, has a role in "The Wurdalak" segment...
.
External links
- Full English text of "The Horla" second's version (University of Virginia Electronic Text Center)
- Full French text of "Le Horla" (University of Virginia Electronic Text Center)
- Free audiobook : Le Horla (in French)
- The Horla starring Peter LorrePeter LorrePeter Lorre was an Austrian-American actor frequently typecast as a sinister foreigner.He caused an international sensation in 1931 with his portrayal of a serial killer who preys on little girls in the German film M...
, Mystery in the Air, NBC radio, Aug 21, 1947