Trouble With Lichen

[joysilence]

Fans of Robert Aickman might be interested in this essay by Christopher Barker on one of Aickman's more obtuse and melancholy works, The Stains. The story is about Stephen, an ageing but well-preserved bureaucrat who, following the protracted death of his wife, goes to visit his brother Harewood (with whom he shares an interest in lichens) at his remote moorland rectory. However, the usual routine of his holidays is shattered when Stephen comes across a young woman collecting lichens herself on the moor. The apparently ill-matched pair embark on a love affair, under the shadow of the girl Nell's mysterious, blind and malevolent father, who must not find out about it...

Although I can't really recommend much of the criticism on the Haunted River website, this essay has some interesting ideas about the nature of the brother Harewood, and the ways in which Aickman's miserable, lonely last days may have influenced the story. At times I believe Barker reads too much into things (an occupational hazard where this type of criticism is concerned) and his statement that the lichen manifestations are an expression of Stephen's inner 'malaise' is so vague it is in fact completely pointless - we know it's all about the malaise, this is an Aickman story! We want to know what kind of malaise! (To be fair, Barker does go on to expound on Aickman's alcohol troubles a bit later on.)

Are any of you fans of this story? I think it's terrifying, and very sad as well - and of course its mystery is part of its charm.