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Fantasy Commentator, v. 1, issue 6, Spring 1945
Page 111
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FANTASY COMMENTATOR 111 in our conception of the universe; they opened up endless vistas for the human mind to explore, and they could not help giving Lovecraft material to draw upon of which Poe could never have dreamt. Lovecraft's works can be characterized by saying that they are a blend of Poesque style, Dunsanian fantasy and contain a dash of Wellsian scientific realism---but this conveys nothing without a consideration of the catalyst: the genius of Lovecraft's total cosmic viewpoint. This causes all the elements to combine into that superb compound: the Lovecraftian story. This compound gives off the characteristic, peculiar aura that we all recognize: that creeping horror of the menace from Outside. The Lovecraftian influence is most noticeable in the mood reflected in the reader's mind. That is why his stories can be reread countless times and still appear fresh and interesting. Characterization is negligible; devices and mechanics of plot are far from unique; yet again and again we are drawn back by the description and the atmosphere. Obviously, those who reread him must enjoy the moods engendered: upon each new perusal the old mood is recreated, yet each time it is never quite the same. Sometimes one aspect seems highlighted; sometimes it seems foreshortened and another facet is emphasized. The stories are thus a teeming source of countless, varied moods and never seem stale, lifeless, or too familiar. What of Lovecraft's influence on the future of the weird tale? We know that so far his work has had a very definite bearing on some of the writings of August Derleth, Donald Wandrei, Clark Ashton Smith, Frank Belknap Long, Robert E. Howard, Hazel Heald, Henry Kuttner, Robert Bloch, Zealia Bishop and others. Certainly we can trace an apparent Lovecraftian influence in the two fine novels of William Sloane, To Walk the Night and The Edge of Running Water; both of which deal with menace from the Outside: the first, of an alien intelligence possessing a human body, and the second, the tremendous, dark forces lurking beyond the barriers of our familiar dimensions. Lovecraft's brilliant and revolutionary idea of integrating the most worthwhile elements of a decadent science-fiction with the best concepts of the supernatural and the weird would seem to be enough to guarantee an indelible impression being made on the minds of all future writers in the genre. In addition, however, he left the superb concept of the mythos to which several writers have already made additional contributions. When Lovecraft died, the mythos was admittedly incomplete: unquestionably had he lived only a decade longer he would have deepened and widened its scope to a tremendous extent. Certainly no future writer in this domain of literature can afford to be ignorant of the mythos with its pantheon of supernormal gods who are more acceptable to a generation with a modern scientific background than the older, Gothic, purely supernatural deities and powers of darkness and light. Filling in the gaps and extending the sweep of the mythos should provide an inspiration for at least those select few who are capable of carrying it forward. Finally, as if this were not enough, he left a considerable reservoir of basic plot-material for future writers in the associated lore of the mythos and in the dark portents hinted at in "The Ancient Track" and "Fungi from Yugoth," which should be limited in development only by the imagination and ingenuity of a generation yet to come. Think of the stories that yet remain to be written about witch-cursed Arkham, and degenerate Innsmouth! And since R'yleh presumably will not rise again from the ocean floor until eons have passed and the stars are right once more, what is to prevent us from making a submarine expedition to its cyclopean, slimy-green ramparts in the Pacific deep? Inspiration for mythos tales lies all around us: even the writer of this article has a fairly complete mental synopsis of a gripping story based on an unusual local character and his very mysterious (concluded on page 114)
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FANTASY COMMENTATOR 111 in our conception of the universe; they opened up endless vistas for the human mind to explore, and they could not help giving Lovecraft material to draw upon of which Poe could never have dreamt. Lovecraft's works can be characterized by saying that they are a blend of Poesque style, Dunsanian fantasy and contain a dash of Wellsian scientific realism---but this conveys nothing without a consideration of the catalyst: the genius of Lovecraft's total cosmic viewpoint. This causes all the elements to combine into that superb compound: the Lovecraftian story. This compound gives off the characteristic, peculiar aura that we all recognize: that creeping horror of the menace from Outside. The Lovecraftian influence is most noticeable in the mood reflected in the reader's mind. That is why his stories can be reread countless times and still appear fresh and interesting. Characterization is negligible; devices and mechanics of plot are far from unique; yet again and again we are drawn back by the description and the atmosphere. Obviously, those who reread him must enjoy the moods engendered: upon each new perusal the old mood is recreated, yet each time it is never quite the same. Sometimes one aspect seems highlighted; sometimes it seems foreshortened and another facet is emphasized. The stories are thus a teeming source of countless, varied moods and never seem stale, lifeless, or too familiar. What of Lovecraft's influence on the future of the weird tale? We know that so far his work has had a very definite bearing on some of the writings of August Derleth, Donald Wandrei, Clark Ashton Smith, Frank Belknap Long, Robert E. Howard, Hazel Heald, Henry Kuttner, Robert Bloch, Zealia Bishop and others. Certainly we can trace an apparent Lovecraftian influence in the two fine novels of William Sloane, To Walk the Night and The Edge of Running Water; both of which deal with menace from the Outside: the first, of an alien intelligence possessing a human body, and the second, the tremendous, dark forces lurking beyond the barriers of our familiar dimensions. Lovecraft's brilliant and revolutionary idea of integrating the most worthwhile elements of a decadent science-fiction with the best concepts of the supernatural and the weird would seem to be enough to guarantee an indelible impression being made on the minds of all future writers in the genre. In addition, however, he left the superb concept of the mythos to which several writers have already made additional contributions. When Lovecraft died, the mythos was admittedly incomplete: unquestionably had he lived only a decade longer he would have deepened and widened its scope to a tremendous extent. Certainly no future writer in this domain of literature can afford to be ignorant of the mythos with its pantheon of supernormal gods who are more acceptable to a generation with a modern scientific background than the older, Gothic, purely supernatural deities and powers of darkness and light. Filling in the gaps and extending the sweep of the mythos should provide an inspiration for at least those select few who are capable of carrying it forward. Finally, as if this were not enough, he left a considerable reservoir of basic plot-material for future writers in the associated lore of the mythos and in the dark portents hinted at in "The Ancient Track" and "Fungi from Yugoth," which should be limited in development only by the imagination and ingenuity of a generation yet to come. Think of the stories that yet remain to be written about witch-cursed Arkham, and degenerate Innsmouth! And since R'yleh presumably will not rise again from the ocean floor until eons have passed and the stars are right once more, what is to prevent us from making a submarine expedition to its cyclopean, slimy-green ramparts in the Pacific deep? Inspiration for mythos tales lies all around us: even the writer of this article has a fairly complete mental synopsis of a gripping story based on an unusual local character and his very mysterious (concluded on page 114)
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