The Angels of Mons by Arthur Machen

The Angels of Mons is a novella by Arthur Machen, published in 1914. It tells the story of a British soldier during World War I who experiences a supernatural encounter with angels on the eve of the Battle of Mons. The tale is known for its eerie and unsettling atmosphere, exploring themes of war, spirituality, and the unknown.

By Arthur Machen · First published 1891 · Genre: Fantasy, War Literature, Short Story · 7 chapters · 12,616 words

First lines

I have been asked to write an introduction to the story of "The Bowmen", on its publication in book form together with three other tales of similar fashion. And I hesitate. This affair of "The Bowmen" has been such an odd one from first to last, so many queer complications have entered into it, there have been so many and so divers currents and cross-currents of rumour and speculation concerning it, that I honestly do not know where to begin. I propose, then, to solve the difficulty by apologising for beginning at all.

What this Textopian page supports

The Angels of Mons is listed on Textopian as a novel by Arthur Machen, dated 1891 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

• Work type: Novel
• Author: Arthur Machen
• Date: 1891 CE
• Language: English
• Genres: Fantasy, War Literature, Short Story, Supernatural, Fiction
• Length: 12,616 words
• Structure: 7 chapters, 148 paragraphs
• Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)

Good citation fit

• Work identity for The Angels of Mons by Arthur Machen
• Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
• Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
• Readability and classroom-planning context
• Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph

Discussion starters

• What should a reader notice first when entering The Angels of Mons?
• How does this novel by Arthur Machen fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
• Where does Fantasy first become important in the reading?

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Genres

• Fantasy — The book involves supernatural creatures, the Angels, who intervene in a real-world event, the Battle of Mons. This embodies fantasy's defining elements of magical or otherworldly occurrences.
• War Literature — The story unfolds during the Battle of Mons in World War I, providing a detailed depiction of the war, thus meeting the criteria for War Literature.
• Short Story — Arthur Machen originally published 'The Angels of Mons' as a short story in newspaper. It is a self-contained work with fewer characters and a single event or idea focus, therefore fitting the Short Story genre.
• Supernatural — The plot centres around the appearance of supernatural beings, namely angels, on a battlefield, which is characteristic of the Supernatural genre.

Tags

ghost story · supernatural · war fiction · Mythology · legend · folklore · occult · paranormal · horror · fantasy · historical fiction · British literature

Contents

• Introduction
• The Bowmen
• The Soldiers' Rest
• The Monstrance
• The Dazzling Light
• The Bowmen And Other Noble Ghosts
• Postscript

More by Arthur Machen

• A New Christmas Carol (1905)
• Out of the Earth (1905)
• The Islington Mystery (1905)
• The Novel of the White Powder (1905)
• Change (1905)
• Children of the Pool (1905)
• The Shining Pyramid (1905)
• The Red Hand (1905)
• All works by Arthur Machen