The Reveries of Orientalism and the realities of fiction: an analysis of the short story “The Hashish Man” by Lord Dunsany An analysis of the short story “The Hashish Man” by Lord Dunsany

Abstract

Lord Dunsany (pseudonym of Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett) is still a relatively obscure author of fantasy literature. Nonetheless, he is recognized as a decisive influence on the work of other modern writers in literary genres such as the fantastic, science fiction, and cosmic horror. Through analysing his short story "The Hashish Man," we examine how Lord Dunsany introduces original nuances and new angles regarding the Orientalist themes and imagery common in his time. To accomplish this, we first explore how the 19th-century narratives that thematize or address drug addiction, particularly opium and hashish, reveal a certain feature of imperial anxieties and their political, cultural, and economic tensions. Then we proceed to formulate how the author, through techniques such as metatextuality and metafiction (which were not so common in his tradition and historical period), disarticulates or displaces some of the tropes and clichés of Orientalism, leading his narrative not only towards a cosmic horror avant la lettre but also towards a questioning of the very nature of reality and literature.