It occurs to me that, in the context of the play at least, the sky contains an unnatural number of satellites (including, for simplicity, the suns as satellites) - which obviously doesn't tally with an Earthly setting. Indeed, the nature of the satellites to appear in front of the towers of Carcosa when viewed from a distance, and the black stars in the grey sky, suggest to me it exists in a fantastic setting not unlike the Dreamlands. The fact that certain plays speak of the members of the court of Camilla as being thousands of years old reminds me of Dreamers. I wonder if Carcosa (and the other set pieces such as the Lake of Hali and alternative cities) might exist in some sort of dream bubble, around a powerful Dreamer, trapped in his or her own nightmare. Is it possible such a dreamer might have originated on earth, dragging the city (or cities) too, much as many Dreamlands stories are often set in places hinted as having been on Earth?
This does (perhaps unnecessarilly) tie in Chamber's version of Carcosa in with Lovecraft's Dreamlands, but it's a nice idea. I can certainly imagine Queen Camilla trapped in a dream that constantly repeats itself, perhaps with a little deviation each time (which might account for the countless versions of the play), being courted by demons beyond control, constantly destined to tragedy again and again.
As a footnote in 'Inhabitant of Carcosa' both the narrator and the prophet Hali, whom he quotes, refer to 'God'. Whether this ties them into an Earthly existence or merely suggests a common title for a singular god amongst various cultures, can only be guessed. More importantly the constellations in which Carcosa supposedly resides are seen by the narrator through a gap in the clouds - suggesting this IS on Earth.
Karmagraphik 16:24, February 15, 2012 (UTC)
I just wanted to thank DJ Tyrer for expanding the article in a very articulate manner. It was definitely needed, I think! Shout out to The Yellow House, which I reread very often.Webspidrman (talk) 07:11, September 5, 2019 (UTC)
Thanks. DJ Tyrer (talk) 12:50, September 5, 2019 (UTC)
You're welcome. :) Webspidrman (talk) 21:01, September 5, 2019 (UTC)