Can Such Things Be? · Chapter
The Realm of the Unreal explained
A narrative exploring the blurred boundaries between reality and illusion, where characters confront unsettling phenomena that challenge their perceptions of the world.
What happens
A narrative exploring the blurred boundaries between reality and illusion, where characters confront unsettling phenomena that challenge their perceptions of the world.
Themes in this chapter
Madness and Perception
Characters grapple with distorted realities and question their own sanity.
The Uncanny and the Grotesque
Unsettling events and objects blur the line between the familiar and the strange.
Characters to notice
- Halpin Frayser
Central figure experiencing dream-like states and supernatural encounters.
- Julia Hetman
Victim of a mysterious murder, whose death is investigated.
- Moxon
Inventor of a chess-playing machine that exhibits eerie behavior.
Key passages
“The realm of the unreal is not that of the impossible; it is that of the improbable.”
The unreal world consists of unlikely events, not impossible ones.
Defines the story's philosophical stance on reality.
“He had a strange feeling that he was not alone.”
He sensed an unseen presence nearby.
Highlights the theme of isolation and terror.