FunkyTown Posted August 1, 2011 Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 Saturday, I was really excited. I came upon a handsome leather tome resting precariously atop a bookstore's shelf like the last few hairs clinging to an old man's head. It's title was an embossed gold, and the image of C'thulhu in relief made my heart glad. Lovecraft: The man who invented the modern horror. This writer crafted such authors as Stephen King and Ray Bradbury. This is a writer whose lovingly forged words have echoed through time. And I have been completely bored with it. It's formulaic. It's predictable. It inevitably involves the masses ignoring the massive threat that only a single, crazy being is aware of. Don't get me wrong: I get it. When you want someone scared, you let their imagination take control. However, his almost non-existent characterization(Which is tricky in short stories, admittedly) leaves me utterly uncaring as to their fate. I don't find myself placed in their situation, nor do I feel transported by the worlds he creates. Am I doing something wrong? Is Lovecraft really an overblown author who nobody really reads but everyone talks about it, or am I missing something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirkwood Posted August 1, 2011 Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 It depends on the story. Which ones have you read? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delanie Posted August 1, 2011 Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 I really enjoy some of his stories, but I think in many ways Lovecraft has become this icon who is more famous than his stories. He was scary and racist and genre-defining. He's what you read if you're a literature snob wanting to look like a literature snob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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