by Dover Publications. I’ve tracked down a number of the stories he recommended, and in general have found them quite enjoyable. At around 27,000 words the essay is lengthy for the amount of matter covered, though I of course value the opinions given (the subjectivity of the subject is one of the dominant aspects of the piece). For Lovecraft, despite the fact that “the area of the unknown has been steadily contracting for thousands of years, an infinite reservoir of mystery still engulfs most of the outer cosmos . I don’t always love his prose style and his (thankfully sparse) dialogue is abominable. Download H P Lovecraft's Supernatural Horror in Literature for your kindle, tablet, IPAD, PC or mobile Anyone interested in imaginative literature should consider this a "m. Every time I reread "Supernatural Horror in Literature," I find something new to appreciate. And highly readable, also. This is HP Lovecraft's assessment of the state of supernatural fiction from its origins in pre-history (much of his celebrated racism figures in these theories) to the 1920s, when this slim volume was written. This started as a historical essay on weird fiction that was published in 1927 in a magazine called The Recluse. (source: Nielsen Book Data) Summary 'Loathsomeness waits and dreams in the deep, and decay spreads over the tottering cities of men. Lovecraft tells us that in “The true weird tale . In “Supernatural Horror in Literature,” Lovecraft seeks to provide a comprehensive overview of the horror genre from its very beginnings to the modern masters. Really, an editor should go through the text, collect all the stories and authors Lovecraft mentions, and then make them into a shot story collection, with this essay as an introduction--hard to think of a more effective primer to the genre than that. This is a lively and opinionated historical essay on supernatural literature written during 1924 through 1927. Interesting that no one since has taken on the task of writing about writers, and that Lovecraft's thoughts have stood the test of time. "Supernatural Horror in Literature" is a 28,000 word essay by American writer H. P. Lovecraft, surveying the development and achievements of horror fiction as the field stood in the 1920s and 30s. . Although labelled ‘supernatural horror’, it mostly concerns the gothic, since this provides the most significant precursor to what we would term ‘horror’, and in Lovecraft’s time horror was not yet a recognised category (and never what he termed his own work, despite holding the provocation of fear as its consistent aims). THE public for whom Poe wrote, though grossly unappreciative of his art, was by no means accustomed to the horrors with which he dealt. There isn't another overview that great like Lovecraft's essay. Lovecraft was terribly influential for Stephen King, who in many ways exceeds Lovecraft in popular appeal and breadth of possibilities for the genre. Depending on the study guide provider (SparkNotes, Shmoop, etc. Read "Supernatural Horror in Literature" by H. P. Lovecraft available from Rakuten Kobo. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. Howard Phillips Lovecraft, of Providence, Rhode Island, was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction. In it he describes supernatural horror from its earliest manifestations up to the 1920s. With incisive power, Lovecraft here formulates the aesthetics of supernatural horror & summarises the range of … I got to geek together with a dead guy, how cool is that?! H.P. I daresay there are enough references included in the pages of this essay to keep readers busy for a couple years at least. We’d love your help. It's kind of funny, for example, to hear passing reference to. This is a must read for every horror or supernatural fan! Horror stories can also use … Altho his supernatural fiction has been enjoying an unprecedented fame, it's not widely known that he wrote a critical history of supernatural horror in literature that has yet to be superceded as the finest. . You can find almost all of his writing influences mentioned in here . And … Here Lovecraft discourses at great length on his personal favorites, proving himself to be an expert summarizer. Sometimes called 'the most important piece of literary criticism in the Horror genre', Lovecraft's essay on the history and method of supernatural horror is a great resource for readers and writers alike, as it mostly consists of a list of his favorite authors and their most notable and unusual stories. Here Lovecraft discourses at great length on his personal favorites, proving himself to be an expert summarizer. 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