Short Fiction · Character

Mr. Clarke

A cautious bachelor who witnessed Dr. Raymond's experiment with the god Pan, and who now hoards morbid documents in a Japanese bureau like a boy before a jam-closet.

major

Also known as Clarke

First appearance: The Great God Pan

As a major figure in Short Fiction, Mr. Clarke is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Compiles the memoirs of the events and assists Villiers in the investigation.

In the storyThe Great God PanOpen this moment free

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Clarke's character is an odd mingling of caution and curiosity: he repudiates the occult in his sober hours, yet pines for the unseen and secretly compiles his Memoirs to Prove the Existence of the Devil. The horrors of Raymond's laboratory left him clinging to the commonplace for years, but the old passion reasserts itself, and on a foggy December night he cannot resist the bureau. His letter of warning to Villiers reveals a man who has peered over an abyss and drawn back in terror.

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See Mr. Clarke in The Great God Pan

Character Web

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Character groups

Supernatural and Terror Investigators
Protagonist
Great Return and Brain Experiment
White People Narratives

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Story tension across the book.

Setup
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

The emotional peak occurs when the soldier awakens to a profound sense of "delicious ease," "assurance of comf…

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In the story

Mr. Clarke appears across 7 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

The Great God Pan
Compiles the memoirs of the events and assists Villiers in the investigation.
The Experiment
Witness to the experiment; troubled by Mary's fate.
II: Mr. Clarke's Memoirs
The compiler of the memoirs, who witnesses Raymond's experiment and now indulges his secret fascination with the occult by recording tales of the devil.
IV: The Discovery in Paul Street
Clarke is visited by Villiers and hears the story of Herbert and Helen Vaughan. He is deeply disturbed upon recognizing the sketch of Helen as resembling Mary from his past.
The Letter of Advice
Clarke wrote a letter to Villiers advising him to forget the matter, hinting at hidden horrors.
VII: The Encounter in Soho
Villiers intends to involve him in confronting Mrs. Beaumont, believing Clarke possesses key facts about her.
The Fragments
Narrates the final revelations and describes his journey to Caermaen to uncover the truth.

Chapter companion notes

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See Mr. Clarke in The Great God Pan