Chapters 18-24: 0:00 —A man of duty and principle. 9:24 —A dark, swirling tide. 11:11 —Force of words. 13:40 —The charity ball. 15:27 —A frenzied downpour. 20:33 —Strange things. 23:15 —Naturalism. 24:54 —Eva’s funk. 26:20 —Forced to believe. 28:46 —The climate of Java. 30:32 —Interlude.

Chapters 25-26: 30:47 —Impression: sunrise. 33:00 —Setting & theme & style. 34:08 —Pontianaks. 37:08 —Moans & cries & sobs. 38:52 —White and trembling. 40:25 —Leonie in the bath. 43:16 —The hidden force. 44:27 —Filthy vermillion. 47:00 —Scenes like this. 49:54 —Betel juice. 53:02 —Other forces. 54:51 —Other monsters. 56:00 —Interlude.

Chapters 27-32: 58:16 —Strange happenings continue. 59:18 —Leonie & Addy. 1:01:48 —Benevolent & hostile forces. 1:05:45 —East vs West. 1:07:23 —Leonie & Addy. 1:09:25 —Addy & Doddy. 1:10:21 —Leaving Lubawangi. 1:15:09 —Flying foxes. 1:16:37 —Eva & Van Oudijck. 1:17:59 —That strange, unnatural business. 1:21:31 —Interlude.

Chapter 32 continued: 1:21:49 —Mysticism & Islam. 1:24:24 —Stoning. 1:26:06 —Islam & the hidden force. 1:28:29 —A hollow triumph. 1:30:48 —The virgin & the dynamo. 1:33:30 —The immense natural world. 1:35:24 : A heretofore hidden force. 1:36:02 —Endangered Indonesia. 1:41:36 —Denying mystery. 1:43:12 —Closing.

Text: Louis Couperus, The Hidden Force. Translated by Alexander Texiera de Mattos; revised and edited by E.M. Beekman. Univ. of Massachusetts Press, 1985. 

Interludes: Arnold Schoenberg, “Verlarte Nacht for String Sextet, Op. 4” (1899), performed by A Far Cry Chamber Orchestra, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. 

Sound effects: Pixabay.

Illustration: Louis Couperus as King Assuérus (detail), Java, 1899 (Wikipedia).

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