The Reminiscence of Dr Samuel Johnson, the Original Short Story:

by H.P. Lovecraft

The Privilege of Reminiscence, however rambling or tiresome, is one generally allow'd to the very aged; indeed, 'tis frequently by means of such Recollections that the obscure occurrences of History, and the lesser Anecdotes of the Great, are transmitted to Posterity.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Lovecraftian, Fiction, Classics, Historical Fiction, Fantasy

26 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1917

About the author

Howard Phillips Lovecraft, of Providence, Rhode Island, was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction.

Lovecraft's major inspiration and invention was cosmic horror: life is incomprehensible to human minds and the universe is fundamentally alien. Those who genuinely reason, like his protagonists, gamble with sanity. Lovecraft has developed a cult following for his Cthulhu Mythos, a series of loosely interconnected fictions featuring a pantheon of human-nullifying entities, as well as the Necronomicon, a fictional grimoire of magical rites and forbidden lore. His works were deeply pessimistic and cynical, challenging the values of the Enlightenment, Romanticism and Christianity. Lovecraft's protagonists usually achieve the mirror-opposite of traditional gnosis and mysticism by momentarily glimpsing the horror of ultimate reality.

Although Lovecraft's readership was limited during his life, his reputation has grown over the decades. He is now commonly regarded as one of the most influential horror writers of the 20th Century, exerting widespread and indirect influence, and frequently compared to Edgar Allan Poe.
See also Howard Phillips Lovecraft.

— Wikipedia

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this satirical piece of fiction we see a timeless Lovecraft meet up with Dr Johnson in London. I especially enjoyed all the major names in poetry having a pint in some illustrious pubs and taverns as I know most of the watering holes from passing by. You can still go to The Mitre for a pint! Recommended rather to those who are familiar with literary pubs in London.

[José Monico · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I am old, very old, and it's time for my afternoon nap."

Ah, a man after my own heart.


I am very surprised at the low ratings for this story. I found it to be endearing, and quite comical. The story is a parody in every facet of its composition. I kept that in mind, and made sure to not take it seriously. I found myself entertained at what is supposed to be a dull set of anecdotes about intellectuals jabbering the day away.
I can't say such a narrative would have made for interesting book-material. But this was perfect for such a short medium.
Again, I was absolutely surprised that such a story-topic would actually entertain. And for that, I give it my positive rating.

[Valerie Book Valkyrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Satirical stars
Oh, this super shortie was only a 10min listen! Another audible audio performed by Joey Clark, well done.
The nameless narrator, a social aquaintance and literary associate of Dr. Samuel Johnson, lets us in on a little secret: he was born in Devonshire august 10, 1690 and is actually 228 years old.
"The priviledge of reminiscence is one generally allowed to the very aged..."
and so the 10min satirical tale commences.
Not the usual Lovecraftian tale, but appreciated for the prose and style characteristic of this beloved author 🧚‍♀️🙋🏼.
(yes, still knitting The Hats 👍🏽)

[ᴥ Irena ᴥ · Rating 2 out of 5]

A parody of a biography. (just a reminder for myself)

[Ands · Rating 1 out of 5]

Meh...

[Rissa (rissasreading) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 - Not for me unfortunately. Need Lovecraft to be weirder lol

[Анастасія ꒰⁠⑅⁠ᵕ⁠༚⁠ᵕ⁠꒱⁠˖⁠♡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Прочитала цю повість українською мовою в збірці, і я не знаю як там в оригіналі, але переклад дуже важко читається для мене.

[Montserrat♨️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pues, me gustó, y ya.

[Eye of Sauron · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light and funny little story written in the pompous and antiquated style of Dr. Samuel Johnson (an 18th century English critic) in a fit of comedic self-deprecation. Lovecraft was criticized as sounding like an arrogant old man in his writing, and he himself said he was born two hundred years too late, and this short story takes a slightly more literal approach to the humorous analogy.

The narrator relates how he conversed with famous intellectuals of the 18th century (in the first part of his inexplicably long life), poking fun at the eccentricities of all of them. Many of them I understood, but many went over my head, as I am not overly familiar with 18th century British personages.

Not what one thinks of when thinking of Lovecraft, and not a literary masterpiece, but an enjoyably silly diversion.

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the bits where Lovecraft openly poked fun at his own archaic and vintage style of writing, but the story itself was pretty boring.

[Saul the Heir of Isauldur · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not Lovecraft at his best, or at his typical, but it's interesting to see him stick to a style so clearly unlike his own. This is more Dickens than Dunsany, and while it falls a little flat, it shows that Lovecraft wasn't all horror and dread.

[Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure what to think of it. Was ok I guess.
What captured me was that last line.

"I am old, very old, and it's time for my afternoon nap."

Book #46 of 2024..
Lovecraft #02

[Baal Of · Rating 3 out of 5]

An odd little parody, written in deliberately (I think) stilted language. The references I caught were amusing enough, but a lot of them went over my head, and since I was reading it in the middle of the night, I didn't get out of bed to go look them up.

[Morcys · Rating 1 out of 5]

There's not much to say about this. It was silly.

[Jost · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was able to finish it fairly easily so I can’t really give it one star, but I also can’t say I got anything out of reading it.

[Karla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovecraft explains that very old people are usually forgiven for telling long, wandering stories. In fact, it’s often through these personal memories that small historical events and little-known stories about important figures get passed down to future generations.
I’m honestly not sure what to make of this piece. The atmosphere is solid—there’s a hazy, almost nostalgic quality that works well—but beyond that, the story doesn’t stand out much. Some of the places and people mentioned felt oddly familiar, like I should recognize them, yet nothing ever fully connected in a memorable way. The narrative has potential, but it ended up feeling more like a drifting recollection than a fully formed story. Interesting in tone, but not something that will stay with me for long.

[Josh · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lunch Lady Dorris: "There's very little eldritch horror in these gym mats!"

I can appreciate Lovecraft having a bit of fun and mocking his own penchant for archaic writing, but when that requires still reading his purple prose only without any of the fascinating cosmic horror, poe-esque ghouls, or oceanic imagery - its quite the bore. Not much to really enjoy here. Herbert West Reanimator is a much better example of Lovecraft being a bit funny with his writing.

0.5 Archaic Prose out of 5

1/2⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛

[Mika · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a memoir parody where H.P. Lovecraft makes fun of himself. Compared to his other works which are usually characterised by a darker tone, it was quite a shock to see that he also wrote parodies. Since I hate memoirs and usually also stay away from written parodies I must say that I disliked this a lot.

[Luiz Santiago · Rating 1 out of 5]

1,0
http://www.planocritico.com/critica-a...

[Patrick Soares · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light Parody with some funny Bits but overall Unremarkable.

[Angie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I simply don’t know enough about this man or anyone involved to give a damn about this one.

[Nathan Nobles · Rating 3 out of 5]

fun little story I guess

Spoilers:
I love the fact that the narrator establishes that he is over 200 years old but refuses to elaborate.

[Stephanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Por el titulo este cuento me llamaba mucho la atención pero la verdad es que me decepcionó bastante, no me gustó nada.

[Tony Ciak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Weird, short story by a master,with Great Narration!!

[Mack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful idea with no hint of horror- the great literary and scholarly figures of London meet and converse twice a week. Many famous names are given. It’s like Paris after WWI.

[Liam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silly and intentionally a bit over the top, I quite liked it.

[JM · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd never read this one until now and I'm a bit surprised to see it's a very different kind of story from the ones old HP usually wrote.

The only supernatural element is the fact that the narrator confesses to be over 200 years old, which is never explained after that and is only important insofar as it enables him to discuss several famous intellectuals he met in his "youth" and are by the time of this narrations historical figures, especially his friendship with the famous intellectual Dr. Samuel Johnson.

Other than that, the story is amusing and pokes fun at the figures it discusses as well as, I suppose, the fact that HP was criticized for writing like an old man, which he does deliberately here in the voice of the ancient narrator.

I've already reviewed "Memory" in its own entry, so I will not discuss it again here. His famous essay deserves its own review as well, I think.

[Alyssa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lovecraft considered himself a man who was born two hundred years too late. So, the existence of this story shouldn't be a surprise. While it is normal for Lovecraft to write a story based in the 18th century, have a character from that century, or draw influence from the past, this story is clearly an indulgence. It is like a daydream of Lovecraft's written down and published to the public. And, very much like a daydream, it interests the dreamer, but bores the large majority of waking minds.

[Maggie Gravelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admit, at first I was very confused. But then I did some research and realized this piece is supposed to be a parody and make fun of people like Lovecraft himself ( and Samuel Johnson). It’s a cute tangent that I imagine Lovecraft had a lot of fun making- especially remembering that he was very fond of the 1800s. Not my favourite work of his, but I appreciate it now that I understand the point of it.

[JL Shioshita · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is another strange one, outside the box of Lovecraft's normal output. It's about an immortal, and is slightly comedic, if that's your thing, but you'll be disappointed if your looking for something scary.