Briana's review of Tales of H. P. Lovecraft
Tales of H. P. Lovecraft (P.S.)
by Howard Phillips Lovecraft
So far, Tales of H.P. Lovecraft has been a fascinating sampling of Lovecraft's writing prowess and dark tales. I've always been a fan of horror, and this is something wonderfully deep-delving into this genre. It contains a flavor of Edgar Allen Poe's work in it's gothic style and wavering sanity of the characters. I can easily see how Lovecraft's work gained such a loyal cult following, but I also see many of the flaws that have - especially in recent years - kept his work from gaining the prestige that his genius could have achieved.
The text richly describes the setting until each place within Lovecraft's stories is almost a character in and of itself. Yet, I find nothing dull or taxing in these lengthy descriptions of the setting and feel of these places, as I had with other authors like Charles Dickens. Yet, the love of setting instead enhanced Lovecraft's tales, bringing the suspense and foreboding that marks his tales - bringing in a creepiness that is altogether his own...more
So far, Tales of H.P. Lovecraft has been a fascinating sampling of Lovecraft's writing prowess and dark tales. I've always been a fan of horror, and this is something wonderfully deep-delving into this genre. It contains a flavor of Edgar Allen Poe's work in it's gothic style and wavering sanity of the characters. I can easily see how Lovecraft's work gained such a loyal cult following, but I also see many of the flaws that have - especially in recent years - kept his work from gaining the prestige that his genius could have achieved.
The text richly describes the setting until each place within Lovecraft's stories is almost a character in and of itself. Yet, I find nothing dull or taxing in these lengthy descriptions of the setting and feel of these places, as I had with other authors like Charles Dickens. Yet, the love of setting instead enhanced Lovecraft's tales, bringing the suspense and foreboding that marks his tales - bringing in a creepiness that is altogether his own.
The trouble with reading Lovecraft's work is that one is confronted very quickly with overtly racist themes throughout the stories. Although he does not make these views the purpose of his story, these writingwill offend some people. He lived in an age where views such as his were not exactly uncommon, but this is a little above and beyond that. If this will prevent you from enjoying these stories, then this is not the book for you - especially The Rats in the Walls.
I'll try and break down what I thought of each story, as I cannot really do the entire compilation justice otherwise:
The Outsider: A good selection to start with in order to sample Lovecraft's work, but a little predictable. It's short and sweet, yet carries many of the features that Lovecraft uses throughout his stories: macabre imagery of setting, references to ancient antiquated names, religions, and mythological gods, as well as a grim and haunting ending.
The Music of Erich Zann: This tale really brings in that strangeness of unknown chaos beyond human understanding and delicate sanity that marks Lovecraft's writing. A quick read, yet stirring.
The Rats in the Walls: My enjoyment of this tale was considerably hampered by one thing. Though the writing was rich and the plot was informative and suspenseful, the language used when speaking of the black characters was overtly racist. Now, I know this was written in the early 1900's when such views were sadly common. It's a large and irritating sign of those times, but one that people cannot entirely escape from literature of this period. It's frightening how recently that the Civil Rights Movement occured and how views of different races have altered since those times. But, I digress. To have a black cat named "Nigger-Man" was just a screaming halt to the story as it made me want to slap my forehead in disappointment.
Nonetheless, I'm not entirely convinced that this is not some plot device against the main character. It is true that Lovecraft has been known as racist. However, the black cat was portrayed as a heroic creature, and the man who owned the cat was showing a marked decline into insanity. Was this, perhaps, some sort of symbolism employed? I'm not so sure, but it's food for thought anyway.
The story does not focus on its racist themes, so I continued reading. It's a fascinating story, and despite it's gaping flaw, I found myself very interested. But if this will offend you, skip it.
The Shunned House: A haunted house story with a twist. This is a classic example of Lovecraft's fascination with setting and place, as well as his typical hero - a pragmatic, educated individual in a quest of something paranormal. A quest which he would be better off avoiding. Great read. I recommend this one, for certain.
The Call of Cthulhu: Lovecraft's formula is readily apparent in this tale, yet his subject matter is rich with potential. Though I found the end to be interesting, there was an anticlimactic quality to the end. I thought the excuse for the end of the 'crisis' was a little flimsy. Perhaps it's supposed to make you doubt the end. I'm not sure. I see how that might spawn all the fan fics out there. It's definitely interesting. The descriptions of the city make me think of escher. I liked it. ...less
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