"Art in Its Most Essential Sense": H.P. Lovecraft and the Imaginative Tale

[eldritchhobbit]

Some time ago I was invited to write the introduction for a collection of Lovecraft's favorite tales. The project eventually died before it could be born, leaving me with this essay. I wanted to put it up somewhere in its original form, so here it is.

Comments

[gilda_elise]

It's to bad the book was never published because you wrote a great introduction for it. I especially love your inclusion of his "Notes on Writing Weird Fiction." It sums up perfectly the science fiction/horror reader.

[eldritchhobbit]

Oh, thank you so much! I really appreciate it.

Isn't his description of that "certain small percentage" wonderful? I'm tickled that you like it, too. (I think he means us! *wink*)

[ankh_hpl]

Excellent essay! It really deserves a much wider audience -- are you familiar with Mike Davis & his Lovecraft eZine? That readership would love this.

[eldritchhobbit]

Thank you! I really appreciate it. Revolution Science Fiction ran a variation of it, but the site's been overhauled since then, and now the text has gone to gibberish.

I love the Lovecraft eZine. (I just revisited the A Night in the Lonesome October-themed issue recently, in preparation for teaching the novel.) I'll share this link with Mike Davis, in case he's interested. Thanks so much for your suggestion and encouragement!

[ankh_hpl]

Tell Mike I sent you, if you like. He'll be delighted with this piece!