For Extra Entertainment

by Romina Gomez T.

“Out of classes”

For people who prefer something stronger to read about, we are going to start this section recomending you to read Howard Phillips Lovecraft.

Lovecraft's writing, from 1917 to 1937, is on the limit between fantasy and horror. It's a peculiarly intellectual kind of horror, for the most part, the horror of people who learn that the universe in which they live is far less sane than they thought.

It's a world where people who seek out prohibit knowledge are broken by it, not because it's evil or corruptive, but because it was never meant for human beings. This is horror in the older tradition, in which we are less likely to see people being turned into snacks than to hear the story from the person who found the bones.

Most of Lovecraft's work, short stories, are still in print. The stories generally stand alone, although many of them share plot elements and backgrounds. The common elements and backgrounds for much of his work are known collectively as the Cthulhu mythos (Cthulhu is the subject of just one of his stories). Lovecraft is another author whose writing you owe it to yourself to try. You may not care for it, some do, some don't, but you won't know unless you try. You can't judge on the basis of other similar authors, because there are no similar authors, though there are many authors whose work reflects his influence. And There are a good number of books that say "Lovecraft" in large print, but acknowledge themselves in finer print to have been 'completed' or 'coauthored' after his death, most often by August Derleth.

The stories Collections of Lovecraft's stories are readily available, new or used, in paperback. "The Dunwich Horror", is about a mad bargain with a creature from Beyond which becomes, decades later, a matter of very public concern. This story was made into a weak movie which, among things, misdelivered the punchline. "Pickman's Model", is a story more cute than horrific, about an artist who paints unreasonably realistic-looking monsters. Or such as the eponymous "The Call of Cthulhu". Lovecraft's earlier stories contain many of the same plot elements, but are closer to fantasy. They are meant to evoke wonder, rather than horror. The best of these may be "The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath".

Lovecraft was mainly a short-story writer. He left some poetry which is of limited interest to those who are not devoted Lovecraftians. And he left two short novels. "At the Mountains of Madness" that is a longer Cthulhoid tale about an expedition which goes looking for the unknown, and is far more successful than it had wished. "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward" that is horror, about a man who discovers the secret of necromancy and uses it badly but it's not related to the bulk of his work.

If you want to seach about the works of Lovecraft here is a special website for you to read www.dagonbytes.com/thelibrary/lovecraft/index.html . Enjoy it!