H.P. Lovecraft thread

captainbrass · 2011-09-30 16:05:27

Started because we don't really seem to have many literature threads and I've just read a collection of his stories (having meant to do so for a while after reading about him on TV Tropes).

For those who don't know him, he was an American writer who lived from 1891 to 1937 and is generally regarded as the godfather of cosmic horror - stories which have traditional horror-type plots (monsters lurking in wild places, evil sorcerors summoning the spirits of the dead, explorers stumbling on long-ruined cities where something evil lurks) but the antagonists aren't supernatural, but immensely powerful alien races with powers beyond human comprehension, who colonised earth long-before mankind. Meddling with such beings may well be enough to destroy the sanity of mere humans, and in fact a lot of his heroes do tend to end up mad,dead or at least haunted keepers of secrets no-one else will believe.

I really enjoyed the stories, although I first thought I wouldn't. The first couple, "Dagon" and "The Nameless City" are a bit silly, with the narrator of the second managing to describe his own death. However, it gets better. He makes you believe in all these scary things even while insisting that there are no words to properly describe them (which risks sounding lazy) and that even the fact that they use weird angles in their buildings makes mere mortals wish to void their bowels (which risks making the heroes sound wimpy). A whole genre of films (Alien(s), Predator, Event Horizon) and many horror writers (Stephen King) have borrowed ideas from him since, even down to his favourite setting of New England.

Anyone else got any thoughts on this?

SotiCoto · 2011-09-30 16:08:14

Thoughts on it?

Besides approval?
Not really.

Lovecraft rocks. Thas all.
I'm still partway through reading the Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath though... which if I recall is his longest story... and it hella rambles. He is better at keeping things short.

DarkDecapodian · 2011-09-30 16:19:52

On the one hand, H.P. was overfond of tangled verbiage, relied on a few of his narrative tricks too often, and of course there was the awful racism. But he's still really, really important to the horror genre, so I guess I'm still a fan. In particular, I find the short stories that he wrote between his Dunsany era and the Cthulhu Mythos to be underrated - plenty of otherworldly creepiness with no pantheon of Elder Gods to explain them.

captainbrass · 2011-09-30 16:30:41

^ I have heard the racism mentioned, although open racism isn't really evident in the stories in my book. Of course, the whole idea of powerful outsiders threatening the world could be seen as having this as a subtext.

DarkDecapodian · 2011-09-30 16:38:05

^ The racism mostly appears in his short stories, but it's definitely there. Between the apelike portrayal of the black boxer in 'Reanimator' to calling the protagonist's cat Niggerman in 'The Rats in the Walls', among other things...well, great writer ol' Howie may have been, but forward thinking progressive he wasn't (though I think he lightened up on the anti-semitism after his marriage and stay in New York).

Malkavian · 2011-09-30 16:53:06

I've heard that near the end of his life he restructured his thoughts to a more progressive stance on racial issues but there's a high chance it was just fan apologism.

Honestly, I think Lovecraft being racist while it shouldn't be ignored, shouldn't be used as a weapon against his literary value. Instead of dismissing his work, when you read it be aware of what it is.

ClockworkUniverse · 2011-09-30 17:33:09

^^^Reread A Shadow over Innsmouth.

It's a great story, until you realize that it's about why Lovecraft thinks interracial marriage is bad, at which point it becomes...actually, it's still a great story. Just one with a flaw.

DarkDecapodian · 2011-09-30 17:35:37

To be fair (and literal), fishpeople are a few steps removed from standard biraciality...

Malkavian · 2011-09-30 17:37:18

The metaphor is still there though.

DarkDecapodian · 2011-09-30 17:51:07

Undoubtedly. There's a more explicit form of the same theme in 'Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family' as well.

ClockworkUniverse · 2011-09-30 18:04:42

Never got around to reading that one.

I've been meaning to, but there are a lot of things I've been meaning to do.

SotiCoto · 2011-09-30 18:16:57

Lovecraft's racism is awesome.
It makes the stories all the more entertaining in this day and age where "racist" is like the biggest insult on the planet. It comes from a simpler time where it was perfectly alright to discriminate based on race... or whatever else for that matter.

This is of course not in any way implying that I share his views... but it is ridiculously novel to read it... ^_^

... (Pun not intended)

DarkDecapodian · 2011-09-30 18:34:32

Pun most definitely intended, mister >.

Anyway, shall we try and rerail or do we still have mileage out of this, uh, entertaining facet of Lovecraft's psyche?

Malkavian · 2011-09-30 18:39:20

We can rerail, but I have to say I love Lovecraft-based music.

SotiCoto · 2011-09-30 18:53:43

DarkDecapodian · 2011-09-30 19:00:28

Metal and Lovecraft have had a long and bro0tal partnership.

Icalasari · 2011-09-30 19:52:16

I like the idea behind Lovecraftian horrors, but I tried reading a few of Lovecraft's stories and only one out of... I think it was four of them I liked (I can't remember the one I liked, but one of the ones that bored me to the point where I couldn't finish it was Call of Cthulhu)

SotiCoto · 2011-09-30 19:55:40

Some of them do get a bit silly.

And then there are awesome, cheesy, ridiculous gems like HERBERT WEST : REANIMATOR ... <3

IanExMachina · 2011-09-30 19:56:10

A short film from Sundance about sex education in the style of HP Lovecraft.

SotiCoto · 2011-09-30 19:57:00

^ I remember the last time that was posted. Pure hilarity. ^_^

Chagen · 2011-09-30 22:15:15

I have never read a Lovecraft story, but I admire him for introducing Cosmic Horror into the world.

Even if he did believe that I have no right to exist.

Malkavian · 2011-10-01 02:02:08

Del Toro loves him despite that too.

It also looks like At The Mountains of Madness isn't going to get made. T_T

MadassAlex · 2011-10-01 02:14:54

T___________________T

Forzare · 2011-10-01 02:15:55

brb setting self alight in protest

Malkavian · 2011-10-01 02:21:08

Universal dropped it and Del Toro has been refusing to drop it to PG-13 like other studios have demanded before picking it up.

I figured Cameron involving himself would save it, but...

MoeDantes · 2011-10-01 02:51:11

I was into Lovecraft a couple of years ago.

The other day I tried to read some of his stories though and... well... I think I've grown out of him. Sadly, the same thing has also happened to Robert E. Howard.

captainbrass · 2011-10-01 04:51:25

Interesting to hear about At The Mountains of Madness - The Movie, which apparently isn't happening. A lot of the scarier parts of that story aren't shown (the massacre at the camp) or are said to be indescribable (Danforth's final vision). A film would probably lose some of the power by showing them.

They'd also have to work out a better climax than "Then we were chased by a monster! But we kept on running and got away from it..."

Malkavian · 2011-10-01 04:59:34

I have faith in Del Toro, though and his directorial vision seems suited to Lovecraft.

Icalasari · 2011-10-01 12:31:43

Why would studios refuse to carry an R Rated movie based on Lovecraft?

captainbrass · 2011-10-01 12:37:53

They don't like R-rated films generally because it means they won't get the family audience, especially in more conservative places where sex, violence and swearing are disapproved of by parents. It's purely economics, for them.

All Nines · 2011-10-01 12:38:27

This disappoints me. That was probably the only movie I'd heard of that I would actually go to a theater for. Except John Dies at the End, which I only heard about a few days ago.

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