Weird and The New Weird

from Elemental Forums

Recently I have fallen in love with postmodernist literature, and then that led me into some of the stories by H.P. Lovecraft (not postmodern, but I had been curious and read a couple of stories of his a year or so back) through some convoluted avenues of Wikipedia. Lovecraft is the father of the Weird story and is probably one of the, if not the most influential figures in modern horror literature. A piece of Weird fiction generally involves the merging of science, mythology, and the paranormal to create a deeply unsettling - but entirely relate-able tale of horror, insanity, and cosmic indifference. (Certain stories are referred to as Cosmic Horror) Then in the last decade Lovecraft's slimy tentacles have slithered into modern horror literature through what is called the New Weird. These are tales that take Weird fiction and usually drop them in an urban scene or a much more modern setting as opposed to the antiquated settings of the original Weird fiction. With this short and entirely uncomprehensive introduction finished, I was wondering if anyone has read in either of these two? or if anyone wishes to discuss it. 

 

Also if you are interested in reading suggestions in these genres I have mentioned feel free to PM me or post here.  

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Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

You might want to give Algernon Blackwood a go.  Lovecraft referred to his The Willows as "the finest weird story I've ever read," and Blackwood preceded Lovecraft by a couple of generations.  Most of Blackwood's short stories are in the genre.

Reply #2 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Glazunov1, reply 1
You might want to give Algernon Blackwood a go.  Lovecraft referred to his The Willows as "the finest weird story I've ever read," and Blackwood preceded Lovecraft by a couple of generations.  Most of Blackwood's short stories are in the genre.
End of Glazunov1's quote

 

I've read a lot of Mr. Blackwood as well as a lot of Dunsany, another huge Lovecraft influence. I've studied Lovecraft's work, and the work of his predecessors and the 'Lovecraft Circle' intently over the last several months. 

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Reply #3 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Emperor_Nero, reply 2

Quoting Glazunov1, reply 1You might want to give Algernon Blackwood a go.  Lovecraft referred to his The Willows as "the finest weird story I've ever read," and Blackwood preceded Lovecraft by a couple of generations.  Most of Blackwood's short stories are in the genre.

 

I've read a lot of Mr. Blackwood as well as a lot of Dunsany, another huge Lovecraft influence. I've studied Lovecraft's work, and the work of his predecessors and the 'Lovecraft Circle' intently over the last several months. 
End of Emperor_Nero's quote

 

Good to hear.  I've never been a great Lovecraft fan, but his sheer technical skill in manipulating emotions one way through his craft is very, very impressive.  Of the group, I'd say Dunsany and Clark Ashton Smith are my faves.  Each to their own.

Reply #4 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Glazunov1, reply 3

Quoting Emperor_Nero, reply 2
Quoting Glazunov1, reply 1You might want to give Algernon Blackwood a go.  Lovecraft referred to his The Willows as "the finest weird story I've ever read," and Blackwood preceded Lovecraft by a couple of generations.  Most of Blackwood's short stories are in the genre.

 

I've read a lot of Mr. Blackwood as well as a lot of Dunsany, another huge Lovecraft influence. I've studied Lovecraft's work, and the work of his predecessors and the 'Lovecraft Circle' intently over the last several months. 

 

Good to hear.  I've never been a great Lovecraft fan, but his sheer technical skill in manipulating emotions one way through his craft is very, very impressive.  Of the group, I'd say Dunsany and Clark Ashton Smith are my faves.  Each to their own.
End of Glazunov1's quote

I am not the biggest fan of the Hyborean Cycle, it feels kind of like Cthulhu vs. Sauron at times in the way that Smith forms the stories around his iron age kingdom. I just enjoy how Lovecraft can craft a tale that can deeply effect a person and can build and hold tension from the first sentence. No other writer I have read can build such a tense feeling while simultaneously building an atmosphere. Most horror writers it is a trade off between details and tension, much like Stephen King. He can write a very detailed story, but he only builds tension in pieces and not a steady rising horror. Derleth wrote some great stories even. People love to attack him, but without him Lovecraft would just be a name in an old print of Weird Tales and while he did kind of mess up the mythos to ply it to his views he did encourage so many great writers that would writer everything from horror to science fiction. 

Reply #5 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Emperor_Nero, reply 5

I am not the biggest fan of the Hyborean Cycle, it feels kind of like Cthulhu vs. Sauron at times in the way that Smith forms the stories around his iron age kingdom.
End of Emperor_Nero's quote

 

I tend to prefer his more ironic tales set in the same universe, and others like it.  At such times he reads a lot like a proto-Leiber, if you know what I mean.  And I suspect you do.

 

I just enjoy how Lovecraft can craft a tale that can deeply effect a person and can build and hold tension from the first sentence. No other writer I have read can build such a tense feeling while simultaneously building an atmosphere. Most horror writers it is a trade off between details and tension, much like Stephen King. He can write a very detailed story, but he only builds tension in pieces and not a steady rising horror. Derleth wrote some great stories even. People love to attack him, but without him Lovecraft would just be a name in an old print of Weird Tales and while he did kind of mess up the mythos to ply it to his views he did encourage so many great writers that would writer everything from horror to science fiction. 
End of quote

 

Lovecraft's better than King, in my opinion.  Lovecraft could draw from a number of influences, and his creative gifts were just as appealing as his ability to generate tension with nearly infinite nuance.  I'm not a horror fan, but Lovecraft was a niche author with a real gift.  As much could be said for Derleth, you're right--and Blackwood; but there's something very near real hysteria in Lovecraft's writing that is all the more effective for being so logical and normal in context.  I don't think anybody ever matched his sensitivity in this respect.

Reply #6 from Elemental Forums Top

I think it is astounding how a small group of individuals who wrote cheap pulp fiction would go on to become some of the greatest influences in writing in general. Lovecraft's influences alone are incredibly far reaching through most genres of literature. 

And I agree about King. Lovecraft is a much better writer than he. Don't get me wrong, King has some good stories but he is no match for Lovecraft. 

 

(I had an incredibly long post wrote, but sadly it didn't post for some reason.)

Reply #7 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Glazunov1, reply 6
Lovecraft's better than King
End of Glazunov1's quote

There is no comparison. After King wrote and published "The Stand" I became totally bored by that and subsequent works of his.

In later years, I suspected S.K. had written a computer program that generated his books randomly after inputting some factors or key words....

Don't get me wrong "The Shining" is awesome. Still, it does not have the longevity that H.P.L.'s work has, imho, based on his ability as a word-smith.

Unfortunately, most movies based on H.P.L's work are B movies at best. Thats another subject I guess.

I read a lot, if not all, of H.P.L. stories that I could get access too. My most treasured book is a collection of his stories, though it languishes somewhere in US currently. Some of my favorite reads...