By Robert M. Price
From the Introduction
|
 |
|
I have never been a literary critic in the true sense. This no doubt has much to
do with the fact that by profession I am a Bible scholar and theologian, with literary interests
only a hobby. Few of these studies attempt to expound Lovecraft’s literary techniques. The
reader will readily see that my focus is on the underlying concepts of Lovecraft’s
fiction. In but one article have I sought to set forth Lovecraft’s philosophy of existence
and how his fiction is a parabolic, almost didactic, depiction of it. This vitally important
aspect of his thought has been thoroughly and enlighteningly covered by Dirk W. Mosig, S. T.
Joshi, and Donald R. Burleson. Rather, my concern has been, first, with currents of religious,
philosophical, and occult thought that Lovecraft used as raw material for fictional purposes. We
may better enjoy stories which employ these concepts if we better understand what Lovecraft had
in mind. Second, I have been interested in fine points of exegesis, to research specific
intriguing allusions in Lovecraft’s fiction, many of which have religious roots. Third, I
have been most fascinated with what Lovecraft called his pseudomythology of Cthulhu and
Yog-Sothoth. This is what we call the “Cthulhu Mythos” (though this terminology has
been hotly debated for some years now since some feel it has been irreparably tainted by the
association with distortions of Lovecraft’s original concepts).
HPL attacked the task of developing this mythology with all the ingenuity a
genuine hoax would require, so as to make it all truly convincing to a reader whose disbelief
the author hoped to suspend. He did such an exemplary job of it that the resulting body of
pseudomythical lore has attracted the efforts of others to explicate, systematize, and debate as
if it were a genuine sectarian theology. I am one of those. Real theology and mythology are my
business; Lovecraft’s pseudo-religion “Yog-Sothothery” is my hobby.
The present essays, then, principally attempt to trace out the contours of
Lovecraft’s thought as it underlies whole stories, large groups of stories, or very
pointed details mentioned in passing. Some attention is given to his own life, sometimes as
reflected in his fiction, sometimes not.
Contents
- Introduction
- Ideas and Influences
- Individual Stories
- Exegetical Notes
- The Cthulhu Mythos
- Forbidden Books
- Appendix
- Wilbur Whateley Waiting (Revelations from Yuggoth)
Bibliographic Information
H.P. Lovecraft and the Cthulhu Mythos. By Robert M. Price. Mercer Island, WA: Starmont
House; 1990; ISBN 1-55742-152-8; paperback; 174 pages.
Purchasing This Book
This book may be purchased in paperback from Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble.
