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Sun Spots, v. 7, issue 1, whole no. 27, Spring 1946
Page 10
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Spring, 1946 SUN SPOTS Page 10 most effective manner possible, since any more specific reference might well have diminished the horror. Other of Machen's works, however, do not always maintain this constant level of perfection. In "The Three Impostors", the "Novel of the Black Seal", on the other hand, lets us down terribly after just opening up tremendous possibilities to anyone familiar with the theories of Margaret Murray; while the "Novel of the White Powder" sounds in many places like nothing more than a burlesque of the Gothic tale, which it may in part have been intended to be, in view of the purpose of these novels within the main work. Be that as it may, Machen's work as a whole verged toward a point of tenuousness which it is dangerous for a less capable artist to approach. Somewhat nearer the middle of the road is the antiquarian Montague James, who sticks in his most successful stories to quite concrete monsters. His presentation is, however, decidedly impressionistic, sketching in roughly the aspects of the monster, and emphasizing just a few chilling details. Two of his best pieces concern spider-like creatures. One might, in fact, be tempted to theorize about an inborn antipathy of mankind toward insect life (perhaps because of a consciousness of inferiority?), which makes monsters of this sort most terrifying for such use. On the other hand, to return to Mr. James, his "Oh Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad", in its earliest parts surpassing almost anything he did, degenerates into absurdity when the monster is revealed as an animated sheet. No matter what the motivation behind it, the entrance of the sheet itself is too unfortunate to sustain any mood at all. Turning to an American writer also hewing to this middle line, we may also find some confirmation of our second theorem. H. P. Lovecraft has been in many respects unfortunate n his recent resurrection, since in addition to his superior work, a good many stories he might have preferred orgotten were presented to the public under the same aura of sanctity said to prevail about the more fortunate remainder. For Lovecraft's benefit, we might restate our proposition negatively: A complete abstraction cannot arouse any emotion. For this reason Lovecraft's complex mythology cannot be more than intellectually amusing, and such standbys as "the infamous Necronomicon of the mad Arab, Abdul Alhazred" are little more than jokes. Lovecraft's work is, then, at its most effective in his Arkham stories, and his work about New England generally. Where he can tie his horror down to those matter-of-fact gambrel roofs familiar to us all, he achieves some true masterpieces of horror. But in his other work, and particularly in the dream-journeys, he loses all chance of any effect but boredom or, at the most, nausea, and does not even make respectable prose, as he apparently flattered himself he was doing. finis
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Spring, 1946 SUN SPOTS Page 10 most effective manner possible, since any more specific reference might well have diminished the horror. Other of Machen's works, however, do not always maintain this constant level of perfection. In "The Three Impostors", the "Novel of the Black Seal", on the other hand, lets us down terribly after just opening up tremendous possibilities to anyone familiar with the theories of Margaret Murray; while the "Novel of the White Powder" sounds in many places like nothing more than a burlesque of the Gothic tale, which it may in part have been intended to be, in view of the purpose of these novels within the main work. Be that as it may, Machen's work as a whole verged toward a point of tenuousness which it is dangerous for a less capable artist to approach. Somewhat nearer the middle of the road is the antiquarian Montague James, who sticks in his most successful stories to quite concrete monsters. His presentation is, however, decidedly impressionistic, sketching in roughly the aspects of the monster, and emphasizing just a few chilling details. Two of his best pieces concern spider-like creatures. One might, in fact, be tempted to theorize about an inborn antipathy of mankind toward insect life (perhaps because of a consciousness of inferiority?), which makes monsters of this sort most terrifying for such use. On the other hand, to return to Mr. James, his "Oh Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad", in its earliest parts surpassing almost anything he did, degenerates into absurdity when the monster is revealed as an animated sheet. No matter what the motivation behind it, the entrance of the sheet itself is too unfortunate to sustain any mood at all. Turning to an American writer also hewing to this middle line, we may also find some confirmation of our second theorem. H. P. Lovecraft has been in many respects unfortunate n his recent resurrection, since in addition to his superior work, a good many stories he might have preferred orgotten were presented to the public under the same aura of sanctity said to prevail about the more fortunate remainder. For Lovecraft's benefit, we might restate our proposition negatively: A complete abstraction cannot arouse any emotion. For this reason Lovecraft's complex mythology cannot be more than intellectually amusing, and such standbys as "the infamous Necronomicon of the mad Arab, Abdul Alhazred" are little more than jokes. Lovecraft's work is, then, at its most effective in his Arkham stories, and his work about New England generally. Where he can tie his horror down to those matter-of-fact gambrel roofs familiar to us all, he achieves some true masterpieces of horror. But in his other work, and particularly in the dream-journeys, he loses all chance of any effect but boredom or, at the most, nausea, and does not even make respectable prose, as he apparently flattered himself he was doing. finis
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