Rees, Victor; (2025) Beyond the door, behind the veil: Brian Catling and the Weird/Visionary tradition. Textual Practice pp. 1-19. 10.1080/0950236x.2025.2453649. (In press).

Text Rees_Beyond the Door, behind the Veil- Brian Catling and the Weird_AAM.pdf - Accepted Version Access restricted to UCL open access staff until 21 July 2026. Download (276kB)

Abstract

This article explores the intersection between the Weird and Visionary modes, taking as its starting point China Miéville’s notion that the Weird is a tradition rooted in the language of religious epiphany. Whereas Miéville most commonly associates the Weird with a ‘visionary’ urge, I intend to demonstrate that the mode’s central concern with a noumenal other falls closer to a form of literary mysticism, where that which exists beyond perceived reality is deemed beyond language. I proceed to mark a core distinction between the mysticism-tinged ineffability of the Weird and the more descriptive Visionary mode according to their differing relationships to the noumenal, while also showcasing how certain writers have exploited this dialectic opposition to great destabilising effect. To this end, I use the work of Brian Catling as a primary case study, exploring how his depiction of pioneering photographer Eadweard Muybridge in The Vorrh (2012) can be framed as a point of intersection between the Weird and Visionary traditions.

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