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Post by wireman on Jun 9, 2021 13:20:08 GMT
Today we will discuss The Moth by HG Wells
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Post by wireman on Jun 9, 2021 14:16:55 GMT
This one is kind of a physiological horror story with a bit of humor and comeuppance. It seems that Hapley got so much pleasure from antagonizing Pawkins, that when Pawkins died, Hapley lost his purpose in life and went insane.  It might be the first story I've ever read about entomologist rivalries.
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Post by cat on Jun 9, 2021 17:09:47 GMT
I like your interpretation, wireman. I thought the moth was Pawkins. He came back in moth form, a beautiful NEW specimen, with revenge in mind, and he drove Hapley insane. Lots of great imagery, the section where the landlady and servant watched Hapley dance around, swatting at the air, made me giggle. Could see it in my mind. Definitely a first for me too, feuding entomologists. 😄 Did Silence of the Lambs have an entomologist in it? I cannot remember for sure, but seems like they needed an expert. But there was no feuding. Haha! Cute, easy little story. |
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Post by spideyman on Jun 9, 2021 17:36:24 GMT
A delightful short story... feuding entomologist!
In Hapley's mind's eye , the new moth is the ghost of Pawkins.
Imagery was very good. One could sit back and visualize it to the max. Very enjoyable tale.
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Post by wireman on Jun 9, 2021 17:59:20 GMT
A delightful short story... feuding entomologist!
In Hapley's mind's eye , the new moth is the ghost of Pawkins.
Imagery was very good. One could sit back and visualize it to the max. Very enjoyable tale. It has been visualized (if you can find it)
I see that there was a 4 episode TV show (4 different stories including The Moth) done a few years ago called The Nightmare Worlds Of HG Wells broadcast on Sky Arts (?). I see that it's on Amazon Prime. I'll have to check that out.
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Post by wireman on Jun 9, 2021 18:01:23 GMT
I was not familiar with HG Wells' short fiction before we read the 3 stories in this group. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of them.
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Post by wolf on Jun 9, 2021 20:00:03 GMT
I like your interpretation, wireman . I thought the moth was Pawkins. He came back in moth form, a beautiful NEW specimen, with revenge in mind, and he drove Hapley insane. Lots of great imagery, the section where the landlady and servant watched Hapley dance around, swatting at the air, made me giggle. Could see it in my mind. Definitely a first for me too, feuding entomologists. 😄 Did Silence of the Lambs have an entomologist in it? I cannot remember for sure, but seems like they needed an expert. But there was no feuding. Haha! Cute, easy little story.
...In the movie "The Silence of the Lambs", there were 2 entomologists. I always liked that scene, and the actors in it. 🙂
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Post by edwardjohn on Jun 9, 2021 21:16:31 GMT
This one is kind of a physiological horror story with a bit of humor and comeuppance. It seems that Hapley got so much pleasure from antagonizing Pawkins, that when Pawkins died, Hapley lost his purpose in life and went insane. It might be the first story I've ever read about entomologist rivalries.
Its a classic rival story. One cannot co-exist if there is no other. Its a very dark ending and Wells seems to be promoting the idea of not getting engrossed in things which are well and truly done. I feel sorry for Hapley's staff, the sounds they must have heard when their master was searching for the moth. I got a lot of Poe out of this story as well, it seems like the type of story he may have done. |
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Post by wireman on Jun 10, 2021 12:17:50 GMT
Next week we will discuss Lapland, Or Film Noir by Peter Straub from the collection Interior Darkness.
Be there, aloha.
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Post by wireman on Jun 15, 2021 12:18:55 GMT
Next week we will discuss Lapland, Or Film Noir by Peter Straub from the collection Interior Darkness.
Be there, aloha.
Bump
Tomorrow we will discuss Lapland, Or Film Noir by Peter Straub.
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Post by wolf on Jun 27, 2021 22:57:31 GMT
I like your interpretation, wireman . I thought the moth was Pawkins. He came back in moth form, a beautiful NEW specimen, with revenge in mind, and he drove Hapley insane. Lots of great imagery, the section where the landlady and servant watched Hapley dance around, swatting at the air, made me giggle. Could see it in my mind. Definitely a first for me too, feuding entomologists. 😄 Did Silence of the Lambs have an entomologist in it? I cannot remember for sure, but seems like they needed an expert. But there was no feuding. Haha! Cute, easy little story.
...In the movie "The Silence of the Lambs", there were 2 entomologists. I always liked that scene, and the actors in it. 🙂
In the spoiler, that I am about to commit below,
are the very wild racing crazy thoughtful reasons that
it IS far far far better for me to read here in these discussions
and keep my mouth shut. Wuff 😋🐺😉.....
"Hapley got his opponent down, and meant to finish him. He followed with a simply brutal attack upon Pawkins, in the form of a paper upon the development of moths in general, a paper showing evidence of a most extraordinary amount of mental labour, and yet couched in a violently controversial tone. Violent as it was, an editorial note witnesses that it was modified. It must have covered Pawkins with shame and confusion of face. It left no loophole; it was murderous in argument, and utterly contemptuous in tone; an awful thing for the declining years of a man's career." - H.G. Wells from the short story 'The Moth'.  ..... which is the quill, is SOMEIMES kinder than the gun or toothy sword. ........Oh woe! What is a Holmes with a Moriarty!? How RUDE and cruel of Pawkins to have left "Haply, the happily quarrelsome" in SUCH a frustratingly unceremonious and dissatifying manner! AND YES, this story a bit Edgaresque and has a sort of Tell Tale-ish Heart sound and feel to it. 😊 ......"Hapley was left alone in the dark. Then in the pause he heard his landlady scuttle upstairs, lock her door, and drag something heavy across the room and put against it." -H.G. Wells from "The Moth" And how, in his 'maddened/extremely aware" state his senses (and/or imagination) became so acute, so finely tuned.... And how DARE that haunting and confounding MOTH...to NOT be drawn to the FLAME! 😱 Hmmm....maybe truly a ghost story...or merely one of madness. Could be both. ......just ask anyone who has worked in a mental institution.....SOMETIMES the two are intertwined quite comfortably. 😊😉 ....sigh....nevermind. Just too much to appreciate, speculate about and praise about this one...time for me to move forward.😊 But one last thing: "The moth, or butterfly, trailing an odd flavour of Pawkins with it, kept coming into that walk, though he did his best to keep his mind off it." "This," said Hapley, "is the reverse of mimicry. Instead of a butterfly looking like a stone, here is a stone looking like a butterfly!" - H.G. Wells "The Moth" - I loved it all. 😊 Going back to MY PROPER PLACE now, to just watch and be a good wolf. 😉 Long days and pleasant nights Ladies and Gentlemen.  |
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Post by wireman on Jun 28, 2021 12:37:05 GMT
...In the movie "The Silence of the Lambs", there were 2 entomologists. I always liked that scene, and the actors in it. 🙂
In the spoiler, that I am about to commit below,
are the very wild racing crazy thoughtful reasons that
it IS far far far better for me to read here in these discussions
and keep my mouth shut. Wuff 😋🐺😉.....
"Hapley got his opponent down, and meant to finish him. He followed with a simply brutal attack upon Pawkins, in the form of a paper upon the development of moths in general, a paper showing evidence of a most extraordinary amount of mental labour, and yet couched in a violently controversial tone. Violent as it was, an editorial note witnesses that it was modified. It must have covered Pawkins with shame and confusion of face. It left no loophole; it was murderous in argument, and utterly contemptuous in tone; an awful thing for the declining years of a man's career." - H.G. Wells from the short story 'The Moth'. ..... which is the quill, is SOMEIMES kinder than the gun or toothy sword. ........Oh woe! What is a Holmes with a Moriarty!? How RUDE and cruel of Pawkins to have left "Haply, the happily quarrelsome" in SUCH a frustratingly unceremonious and dissatifying manner! AND YES, this story a bit Edgaresque and has a sort of Tell Tale-ish Heart sound and feel to it. 😊 ......"Hapley was left alone in the dark. Then in the pause he heard his landlady scuttle upstairs, lock her door, and drag something heavy across the room and put against it." -H.G. Wells from "The Moth" And how, in his 'maddened/extremely aware" state his senses (and/or imagination) became so acute, so finely tuned.... And how DARE that haunting and confounding MOTH...to NOT be drawn to the FLAME! 😱 Hmmm....maybe truly a ghost story...or merely one of madness. Could be both. ......just ask anyone who has worked in a mental institution.....SOMETIMES the two are intertwined quite comfortably. 😊😉 ....sigh....nevermind. Just too much to appreciate, speculate about and praise about this one...time for me to move forward.😊 But one last thing: "The moth, or butterfly, trailing an odd flavour of Pawkins with it, kept coming into that walk, though he did his best to keep his mind off it." "This," said Hapley, "is the reverse of mimicry. Instead of a butterfly looking like a stone, here is a stone looking like a butterfly!" - H.G. Wells "The Moth" - I loved it all. 😊 Going back to MY PROPER PLACE now, to just watch and be a good wolf. 😉 Long days and pleasant nights Ladies and Gentlemen. |
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Post by wolf on Jun 28, 2021 22:54:38 GMT
I found some time to read this story my friends. And I thoroughly enjoyed it. Got a lot from it and saw a lot in it. 🙂❤
In the spoiler, that I am about to commit below,
are the very wild racing crazy thoughtful reasons that
it IS far far far better for me to read here in these discussions
and keep my mouth shut. Wuff 😋🐺😉.....
"Hapley got his opponent down, and meant to finish him. He followed with a simply brutal attack upon Pawkins, in the form of a paper upon the development of moths in general, a paper showing evidence of a most extraordinary amount of mental labour, and yet couched in a violently controversial tone. Violent as it was, an editorial note witnesses that it was modified. It must have covered Pawkins with shame and confusion of face. It left no loophole; it was murderous in argument, and utterly contemptuous in tone; an awful thing for the declining years of a man's career." - H.G. Wells from the short story 'The Moth'. ..... which is the quill, is SOMEIMES kinder than the gun or toothy sword. ........Oh woe! What is a Holmes with a Moriarty!? How RUDE and cruel of Pawkins to have left "Haply, the happily quarrelsome" in SUCH a frustratingly unceremonious and dissatifying manner! AND YES, this story a bit Edgaresque and has a sort of Tell Tale-ish Heart sound and feel to it. 😊 ......"Hapley was left alone in the dark. Then in the pause he heard his landlady scuttle upstairs, lock her door, and drag something heavy across the room and put against it." -H.G. Wells from "The Moth" And how, in his 'maddened/extremely aware" state his senses (and/or imagination) became so acute, so finely tuned.... And how DARE that haunting and confounding MOTH...to NOT be drawn to the FLAME! 😱 Hmmm....maybe truly a ghost story...or merely one of madness. Could be both. ......just ask anyone who has worked in a mental institution.....SOMETIMES the two are intertwined quite comfortably. 😊😉 ....sigh....nevermind. Just too much to appreciate, speculate about and praise about this one...time for me to move forward.😊 But one last thing: "The moth, or butterfly, trailing an odd flavour of Pawkins with it, kept coming into that walk, though he did his best to keep his mind off it." "This," said Hapley, "is the reverse of mimicry. Instead of a butterfly looking like a stone, here is a stone looking like a butterfly!" - H.G. Wells "The Moth" - I loved it all. 😊 Going back to MY PROPER PLACE now, to just watch and be a good wolf. 😉 Long days and pleasant nights Ladies and Gentlemen. |
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It might be the first story I've ever read about entomologist rivalries. 
