Arthur Machen
Around 1890 Machen began to publish in literary magazines, writing stories influenced by the works of Robert Louis Stevenson, some of which used gothic or fantastic themes. This led to his first major success, "The Great God Pan". It was published in 1894 by John Lane in the noted Keynotes Series, which was part of the growing aesthetic movement of the time. Machen's story was widely denounced for its sexual and horrific content and consequently sold well, going into a second edition.
The Great God Pan
Clark Ashton Smith was inspired by "The Great God Pan" to write his story "The Nameless Offspring" (1931), which also features a monstrous child born of a human and a supernatural entity. It has been suggested that Michael Arlen's novel "Hell! Said the Duchess" (1934) is a parody of "The Great God Pan", as Arlen was influenced by Machen's work. "The Great God Pan" influenced Peter Straub's novel "Ghost Story" (1979) in its depiction of a shapeshifting monster who terrifies those it encounters. Straub himself frequently credited "The Great God Pan" as having been a major influence on his work.