Reading the Classics #32: H.P. Lovecraft
Ok, I don't know why there are so many "H" authors lately. I'm not trying to do that, it's just happening. We got Henry James, then Homer, then Honore de Balzac, then Victor Hugo, and now H.P. Lovecraft. It's weird XD. Anyway, you may have heard of H.P. Lovecraft (1890-1937). He is known to be one of the greatest writers of horror fiction, along with people like Edgar Allan Poe, Algernon Blackwood, and Stephen King. And, as you doubtless know by now, I love scary books (Although I haven't watched many scary movies, I can only say that I've seen the newest Halloween, and The Silence of the Lambs). It's unfortunate for Lovecraft that during his lifetime he wasn't widely recognized, but in the years followed his death he has greatly increased in popularity. Let's talk about his books.
1. The Strange Case of Charles Dexter Ward
2. The Dunwich Horror
3. At the Mountains of Madness
As you can already tell by the titles, these stories are rather strange. The first one is about a mentally insane man named Charles Dexter Ward, who is obsessed with learning about his past. He begins studying the occult, and after several disturbing acts manages to bring back to life an ancestor of his who was also a member of the occult. The local doctor secretly investigates Ward's activities and, horrified, plans a way to stop Ward and kill the newly-resurrected ancestor. It's not too long of a story, and I found it very enjoyable.
The Dunwich Horror is about the life of Wilbur Whateley, the son of a demon and a hideous mother. He is shunned by the whole town. Wilbur, while keeping an ever-growing demon-monster in his house, hopes to find a copy of the Necronomicon, a book of evil spells. With the spells, he wants to release demons from Hell into the world. Yeah, definitely not a guy I want to have as a neighbor. The ending is quite interesting, and the demon-monster plays an important role in it. This is also a short story, and also very enjoyable. It's a quick read, but it stays in your mind for a while.
Lastly, At the Mountains of Madness, one of Lovecraft's last stories, chronicles a rather deadly expedition to Antartica. The narrator describes finding the ruins of old civilizations. Some are good, some are bad, and the explorers are able to decipher the runes to learn of their history. Suddenly, things take a turn for the worst. *Ominous Palpatine laugh*
So yeah, that's my take on H.P. Lovecraft. Or I should say, the three stories of his that I've read. I plan on reading more of him, but I don't know when that will ever happen. Maybe over the summer. I already have a bunch of stuff I want to read this summer (Like the rest of the Harry Potter series, IT, Les Miserables, etc. Anyway, thank you for reading, and I'll see you next time!
1630-1651- Of Plymouth Plantation by William Bradford
1819- Rip van Winkle by Washington Irving
1820- The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
1839- The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe
1842- The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe
1842-1843- The Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allan Poe
1843- The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe
1844-1845- The Purloined Letter by Edgar Allan Poe
1845- The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe
1849- Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe
1878- Daisy Miller by Henry James
1880- Washington Square by Henry James
1881-The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
1886- The Bostonians by Henry James
1888- The Aspern Papers by Henry James
1898- The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
1903- The Beast in the Jungle by Henry James
1908- The Jolly Corner by Henry James
1927- Men Without Women by Ernest Hemingway
1929- A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
The Dunwich Horror by H.P. Lovecraft
1936- At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft
1940- For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
1941- The Strange Case of Charles Dexter Ward by H.P. Lovecraft
1950- Pebble in the Sky by Isaac Asimov
I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
1952- The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
1957- The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
