Supernatural Horror in Literature [Hardcover]

H. P. Lovecraft (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1984

Great modern American supernaturalist brilliantly surveys history of genre to 1930s, summarizing, evaluating scores of books, including works by Poe, Bierce, M.R. James, "Monk" Lewis, many others. Praised by critics as diverse as Edmund Wilson and Vincent Starrett. New introduction by E. F. Bleiler.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This is a lively and opinionated historical essay on supernatural literature written during 1924 through 1927. Indispensable to horror fans (even for those uninterested in H. P. Lovecraft's fiction) for its superb plot summaries and subjective assessments, the book is a short history of horror from folk tales, ballads and myths of the Middle Ages, through the Gothic novel, Victorian ghost story, and American "pulp" writers. It is especially good on Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Arthur Machen, and William Hope Hodgson, and includes Lovecraft's views on what makes a good horror story. E. F. Bleiler, renowned scholar of supernatural fiction, provides the introduction. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review

This work is a historically sound overview of writing that deals with "fear for the unknown", and a convincing artistic statement about the psychology of such emotions and the deep memories they represent. And what style!

source: www.socialfiction.org --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Peter Smith Pub Inc (November 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0844647799
• ISBN-13: 978-0844647791
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,154,416 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

H. P. Lovecraft was born in 1890 in Providence, Rhode Island, where he lived most of his life. He wrote many essays and poems early in his career, but gradually focused on the writing of horror stories, after the advent in 1923 of the pulp magazine Weird Tales, to which he contributed most of his fiction. His relatively small corpus of fiction--three short novels and about sixty short stories--has nevertheless exercised a wide influence on subsequent work in the field, and he is regarded as the leading twentieth-century American author of supernatural fiction. H. P. Lovecraft died in Providence in 1937.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Too often overlooked study of literary horror, September 24, 2004

By 

J from NY (New York) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Supernatural Horror in Literature (Paperback)

Many other Lovecraft aficiandos I'm acquainted with mention this book in sort of embarrassed, humorous tones. It is, they say, H.P. Lovecraft's purely subjective enthusiasms for certain writers and nothing more. But this study is far more than a novelty, or an interesting peek into the mind of an exceedingly strange man. If anyone ever did, H.P. Lovecraft knew horror from the inside out; and the racism notwithstanding (there is a disclaimer on the back of the book, so if it really bothers you that much, DON'T BUY IT) Lovecraft's assessments of Poe, Benson, Bierce and some other greats are so hard hitting and effective BECAUSE they are indeed so subjective. And I don't think it's asking too much to simply ignore when he goes on a rant about how this or that writer had "good blood", or came from this or that race. Lovecraft's prejudice is abundantly clear in the most celebrated of his works, so one must assume the Lovecraftian has already transcended this idiosyncratic nonsense to find the all pervasive feeling of dread at the bottom of his work. If you're going to write horror, forget all the petty qualms people have with this little gem, and read it more than once.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Student becomes the Master, July 30, 2000

By 

Duane Pesice "moderan" (Tucson) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Supernatural Horror in Literature (Paperback)

HP Lovecraft was a serious student of the work done within his chosen genre, and this book is evidence. Though written long, long ago, and discussing some works that are long (and undeservedly)-forgotten, the tenets that the Old Gent sets forth in this treatise still hold true to this day. Anyone seeking to work within the horror genre MUST have it. Those who wish to further their understanding of that genre, or of the Cthulhu Mythos specifically, SHOULD have it. The book itself is well-written in HPLs inimitable florid style, slim, and easily digestible, with the chapters clearly marked off so that you can take your time chewing on the concepts discussed therein.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A must read for horror aficionados, August 13, 2001

By 

Jeffrey Leeper "kem2070" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Supernatural Horror in Literature (Paperback)

This essay was written by Lovecraft for a friend's magazine. According to the introduction, Lovecraft took three years to research his project, read numerous works, and write the paper. Also according to the introduction, Lovecraft was a very slow reader. If this is true, he must have devoted quite a bit of time to his research. It leads me to believe that all the books mentioned were all the books he read. What did he miss?

This essay is part explanation of what horror is and a reading list of the discerning horror reader. He gives a good definition and then shows you how other readers fit this definition. He arranges this piece to show you the progression of horror from its beginnings in folklore to modern times (which would have been the 1920s). He mentions quite a few, but not all get the coverage that the great ones get. For instance, Poe gets and whole chapter and Hawthorne and Bierce receive a good bit of coverage.

If you are not a reader of Lovecraft, it may take you a minute to acclimatize yourself with his style of writing. The fan of Cthulu will easily slip into the flow of words.

Lovecraft never really covers anyone he truly doesn't like. He does criticize some writers, but there is no in depth writing against someone. This work is primarily positive. I would recommend getting this for the reading list alone.