The Lovecraft Thread

[KiramidHead]

I've been reading The Case of Charles Dexter Ward again lately. I like this story a lot, but it takes its sweet damn time getting to the point. There's far too much of "Dr. Lyman and his followers think Ward went mad here, but this other group of shrinks think it happened here, but Dr. Willet thinks they're all full of shit and that it actually happened here." That being said, it has some of the scariest shit Lovecraft ever put to paper.

[RagingDragon]

I've been reading The Case of Charles Dexter Ward again lately. I like this story a lot, but it takes its sweet damn time getting to the point. There's far too much of "Dr. Lyman and his followers think Ward went mad here, but this other group of shrinks think it happened here, but Dr. Willet thinks they're all full of shit and that it actually happened here." That being said, it has some of the scariest shit Lovecraft ever put to paper.

Yes that one's lengthy, and a lot of narrative about going here and there and talking to these people and those people. I love it just the same, though. It's fun reading something from such a different time. Almost like eating food from another country.

I don't think Lovecraft would be very popular with a lot of readers today, but I wonder what his tales would be like if they were written in our modern era.

[Gilfryd]

It's not like he was big in his time either. The guy was as weird as his stories.

[OmegaZilla]

I don't think Lovecraft would be very popular with a lot of readers today, but I wonder what his tales would be like if they were written in our modern era.

Though capillarily influential in fiction, literary or not, he was never on everyone's mouth so to speak.

Regarding his stories, it depends on whether they would still be set in a relatively contemporary context or not.

[RagingDragon]

It's not like he was big in his time either. The guy was as weird as his stories.

He wrote a lot of his stories from his own nightmares, and yeah he was a pretty introverted guy. I think he's a literary genius though, and I've never seen the English language so artfully and effectively employed. I mean it is incredibly wordy especially in today's literary world, but he can create images in your mind that are incredibly unique and terrifying. And that sort of gothic 1920's American horror kickstarted an entire genre. The detectives even created a kind of noir environment...

I wish more writers could use such a vocabulary, but a lot of them stick to the basics in fear of seeming pretentious or scaring away casual readers, I think. Lovecraft never really saw much come from his writing, iirc. He wasn't famous until after his death, so hopefully his estate gets the money now lol.

[DoomRulz]

Remember too that during his time, TV didn't exist so I imagine the general masses were likely a little more intelligent than they are today.

[TheMonolith]

Last story I read from Lovecraft was Dagon, which was very good. You could see a lot of what would eventually become Call of Cthulhu in it. Genuinely unsettling stuff.
First work of his that I read was The Statement of Randolph Carter, which just freaked my shit out.

[OmegaZilla]

First work of his that I read was The Statement of Randolph Carter, which just freaked my shit out.

Spoiler

You fool, Warren is dead!

[close]

Someone posted this over at the HPLHS FB group:

Why did Dagon go to the hospital after getting a paper-cut?

Spoiler

Because it was a Deep One

[close]

[TheMonolith]

Someone posted this over at the HPLHS FB group:

Why did Dagon go to the hospital after getting a paper-cut?

Spoiler

Because it was a Deep One

[close]

(falls on the floor)
Brilliant!

[[cancerblack]]

First work of his that I read was The Statement of Randolph Carter, which just freaked my shit out.

Spoiler

You fool, Warren is dead!

[close]

Someone posted this over at the HPLHS FB group:

Why did Dagon go to the hospital after getting a paper-cut?

Spoiler

Because it was a Deep One

[close]

Spoiler

[close]

[KiramidHead]

Finished The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. That last third or so is some of Lovecraft's best writing, and well worth the slightly repetitive buildup. Now I'm working on The Colour Out of Space. Is it wrong that I keep picturing Stephen King playing a hillbilly shouting "METEOR SHIT!"?

[RagingDragon]

Aw man The Colour Out of Space! Legendary!

[Nightmare Asylum]

Of what little Lovecraft I've read, TCooS is definitely my favorite.

Still gotta read some of his bigger stories, though.

[[cancerblack]]

Going to this gig tonight, should be cool.

[KiramidHead]

Of what little Lovecraft I've read, TCooS is definitely my favorite.

Yeah, Colour is definitely a great one. It's interesting in how it feels like a precursor to all those 50s radioactive mutation movies.

Still gotta read some of his bigger stories, though.

The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. That is all.