Podcast Summary: It Could Happen Here

Episode: CZM Book Club – Two Tales of Classic Horror, by Saki and Bierce

Host: Margaret Killjoy
Release Date: October 19, 2025

Overview

This Book Club episode, hosted by Margaret Killjoy, delves into two classic short stories from the horror genre: "The Open Window" by Saki (H.H. Munro) and "An Inhabitant of Carcosa" by Ambrose Bierce. Killjoy frames these tales as snapshots of shifting trends in horror fiction—from the Gothic and supernatural to the psychological and cosmic. The stories serve as a jumping-off point for broader discussions about horror's evolution, narrative devices, cultural lineage, and how tropes like madness, ghosts, and unreliable narration reflect deeper preoccupations of their respective times.

Margaret delivers full readings of both stories, intertwined with insightful commentary, literary context, and energetic asides touching on everything from the sexual politics of the authors to horror’s signature plot “twists.”

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Why Old Horror? & Episode Approach

• Margaret’s Relationship with Horror (02:24):
  She expresses a love-hate relationship with horror—drawn to the spooky and uncanny, but less interested in gore or torture-heavy subgenres.

  "I really like spooky and supernatural and the things that make you feel closer to the veil... But I also like, can't stand a lot of types of horror." (02:24)

• Focus on Contrasting Old and New Horror:
  Margaret emphasizes how older stories can illuminate the shifting cultural views of the supernatural and the evolution of narrative structure.

Story 1: "The Open Window" by Saki (H.H. Munro)

Background (03:45)

• H.H. Munro, penname "Saki," drew inspiration from Oscar Wilde and was known for his satirical take on British society.
• His work often lampoons Victorian conventions, particularly with “stuffy aristocrats.”
• Saki’s queerness and use of “Saki” (an erotic figure in Persian poetry) are briefly explored.

Story Summary & Themes (04:15 – 10:48; resumed at 14:55)

• The story follows the neurotic Frampton Nuttall, visiting a country estate for rest. He encounters Vera, a mischievous 15-year-old who tells him a tragic ghost story centered around a perpetually open window.
• The twist: Vera fabricated the ghostly events for her own amusement, causing Frampton to flee in terror—her "specialty" being “romance at short notice.”

Commentary & Literary Context (18:10)

• Margaret loves the story's playful deception and meta-commentary on genre tropes.

  "The reveal at the end of the story that the teenager just loves fucking with all the adults by making up ghost stories—I love." (18:14)

• Notes how this story lampoons contemporary horror’s obsession with hysteria, especially among women, flipping expectations by giving the girl agency.
• Connects the story’s publication (1910s) to the tail end of the Gothic revival (1880s–1890s) and notes its proximity to works like "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" and "Dracula."
• Literary insight from Hazel (episode researcher) highlights:

  "Gothic horror...is obsessed with ghosts and hysteric women...and this ever-creeping fear of the past intruding upon the present.” (21:48)

• In this story, such “madness and ghosts” are both mocked and wielded by the girl as a tool.

Notable Quotes

• On name choices:

  "Frampton Nuttall...is absolutely the perfect name for like a boring, neurotic Victorian Englishman." (19:18)

• On genre development:

  "The story’s emphasis on sanity and whose narration we’re willing to believe foreshadows where horror is going to go—psychological horror." (22:51)

Story 2: "An Inhabitant of Carcosa" by Ambrose Bierce

Background (25:10)

• Bierce hailed from Ohio, fought for the Union in the Civil War, and was known for satire, anti-Confederate views, and acerbic works like "The Devil’s Dictionary."
• His mysterious disappearance in Mexico after traveling to cover the revolution is highlighted as eerily prescient, given the story’s themes.

Story Summary & Analysis (27:50 – 36:13; resumed from 36:13)

• This story, written in 1886, follows a nameless narrator who wakes in a bleak landscape, recognizing ruins and gravestones, eventually realizing he is dead and wandering the ancient ruined city of Carcosa.
• The writing brims with Gothic, almost biblical, language and moodiness.

Commentary & Literary Context (36:13 – 46:18)

• Margaret admires the biblical quality of the prose and the influential “he was dead all along” reveal.

  "The ‘he was dead all along’ trope is a staple of gothic horror, but where it came from before it was a trope is much more interesting…"(36:33)

• Hazel’s notes provide additional context, contrasting the focus on madness and reliability in Gothic and cosmic horror:

  "Gothic horror and later cosmic [horror] are so fixated on madness, but the choice to zoom in on sanity is a really interesting contrast." (38:15)

• The city of Carcosa and certain names introduced by Bierce are picked up by later writers—especially Robert W. Chambers’ "King in Yellow," which would later inspire H.P. Lovecraft’s cosmic horror mythos.
• Margaret points out how Lovecraft’s fear-based cosmic horror (often steeped in xenophobia and reactionary anxiety) draws roots (perhaps ironically) from Bierce—a left-leaning, anti-imperialist.

Notable Quotes

• On cosmic vs. gothic themes:

  "Gothic horror stories are about fear of oneself and one’s family members—a fear of the known. Cosmic horror is often about the fear of things beyond us...the fear of the unknown." (41:45)

• On Carcosa as metaphor:

  "For Bierce, Carcosa is meant to sound like carcass...The city ends up serving as a parallel to the narrator's body—the city as body." (40:40)

• On the evolution of horror:

  "At the end of the day, this is a story about waking up to realize the world has continued without you...Time comes for us all in the end." (43:10)

• On Bierce and Lovecraft:

  "Cosmic horror, if you trace it back far enough, is someone who fought for the Union and went off to go support Pancho Villa…famously not a right-wing character in history. So whatever, take that HP Lovecraft..." (45:22)

Memorable Moments

• Margaret’s playful host persona—introducing the episode as "the only book club where you don’t have to do the reading because I do it for you," wryly calling herself "the insufferable gay person in your phone on demand." (02:24)
• Her gleeful, meta critique of horror genre conventions and affectionate ribbing of names and plot mechanics.
• The inside-joke recurring jabs at lost networks (“fuck Lost”) and Lovecraft’s personal failings as a person.
• Insightful and humorous asides—referring to the possibility of doing “Cool People” episodes on the authors, or tongue-in-cheek statements about reader engagement and social media.

Important Timestamps

• 02:24 – Margaret’s philosophy on horror
• 03:45 – Background on Saki and intro to "The Open Window"
• 04:15 – 10:48 – Full reading of "The Open Window" (with brief breaks for ads)
• 14:55 – Return from ads; conclusion of "The Open Window"
• 18:10 – 23:00 – Literary and genre analysis of "The Open Window"
• 25:10 – Bierce biography and context
• 27:50 – 32:07 – Full reading of "An Inhabitant of Carcosa" (with brief ad interruption)
• 36:13 – Return from ads; conclusion and analysis of "An Inhabitant of Carcosa"
• 38:15 – Hazel’s notes on genre evolution
• 41:45 – Discussion: Gothic vs. Cosmic horror
• 43:10 – Carcosa as metaphor and existential horror
• 45:22 – Political roots of cosmic horror vs. Lovecraft
• 46:18 – Closing remarks

Final Thoughts

Margaret wraps the episode by reaffirming the throughline between the two stories: both are about madness, credibility, point of view, and ghosts, and both mark key movements in the horror genre from the supernatural to the psychological to the cosmic. She encourages listeners to check out the stories themselves, keep up with her work, and cheekily reminds everyone that “HP” in Lovecraft “stands for Harry Potter.”

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