#5 The Man Whom the Trees Loved by Algernon Blackwood

In this episode, we look at Algernon Blackwood's story, 'The Man Whom the Trees Loved', which was published in his collection 'Pan's Garden' (1912). The story concerns David and Sophia Bittacy, a married couple living on the edge of the New Forest. Under the influence of the bohemian painter, Sanderson, David becomes increasingly obsessed with the inner life of the trees in the neighbouring forest. Over the course of our discussion, we consider Algernon Blackwood's place in the Gothic tradition, the symbolism of cedars, and explore the dual possibilities of supernatural and psychological readings of the story.