Lovecraft

“Holy Monsters, Sacred Grotesques” aims to create conversations on the impact of monstrosity and examples of the grotesque in discourse related to religion and the sacred. The tendency to populate religious landscapes with non-human entities, literally demonize opponents, perceive monsters as existing in far-reaching geographical borders (e.g., “the East” in Medieval Europe), and decorate sacred sites with grotesques is a trait shared throughout innumerable traditions. Recently the term "monster studies" was coined to cover the recent works dedicated to monsters by such authors as John Block Friedman, Jeffrey Jerome Cohen, and Asa Mittman, who have helped to provide a framework for the study of such phenomena, not only in religious studies but also in literature, art history, and history. Through this framework, monsters and grotesques have been revealed as important markers of marginality, social boundaries, liminality, identity, cultural borders, and the “Other.”

"Traducteur de Lovecraft" is the title of my preface to the collection of short stories "Les Contrées du Rêve", by H.P. Lovecraft, published by Mnémos in November 2010. I talk about the way I worked, and why a new translation was needed.
This preface was included in the monograph devoted to Lovecraft: "Lovecraft, au coeur du cauchemar" (ActuSF, 2017).

"Traducteur de Lovecraft" est le titre de ma préface au recueil de nouvelles "Les Contrées du Rêve", de H.P. Lovecraft, paru chez Mnémos en novembre 2010. J'y parle de la manière dont j'ai travaillé, et des raisons pour lesquelles une nouvelle traduction s'imposait.
Cette préface fut reprise dans la monographie consacrée à Lovecraft : "Lovecraft, au coeur du cauchemar" (ActuSF, 2017)

These notes were written for the attention of Anne Besson, Professor of General and Comparative Literature at the University of Artois (Arras). They are only partial, and concern only the first translations into French of the works of H.P. Lovecraft. They are not intended to discredit any particular translator, but to indicate why new translations were necessary. I list 4 main sources of error, and give a few examples of bad translation.

Ces notes furent rédigées à l'attention d'Anne Besson, professeur en Littérature Générale et Comparée à l'Université d'Artois (Arras). Elles sont partielles, et ne portent que sur les premières traductions, en français, des oeuvres de H.P. Lovecraft. Elles n'ont pas pour but de discréditer tel ou tel traducteur, mais d'indiquer pourquoi de nouvelles traductions étaient indispensables. J'y recense 4 principales sources d'erreur, et donne quelques exemples de mauvaises traductions.

aquella famosa reunión en Villa Diodati a las afueras de Ginebra durante el verano de 1816 donde fue concebido El Prometeo Moderno (Frankenstein). Estaban su marido, el poeta P. B. Shelley, lord Byron, el médico de este último, también escritor, John William Polidori, y ella misma. Fue conocido como el año sin verano por las excepcionales condiciones atmosféricas propiciadas por una nube volcánica. Los pájaros se posaban a dormir al mediodía. Tres largos días de lluvia con noches tormentosas los recluyeron en casa ebrios de vino y láudano con la distracción de escribir cada uno un relato gótico. El texto que escribió P. B. Shelley se perdió, el de Polidori, El Vampiro, dio inicio a una traición de relatos vampíricos que culminaría en la creación del Drácula de Bram Stoker.El mejor de los relatos resultantes es de lejos el Frankenstein (1818), una narración de “verdadero terror cósmico”, según comenta H.P. Lovecraft en su fundamental El horror sobrenatural en la literatura.

Cari amici, cari colleghi, vi ricordo che il 20 aprile scade la call for papers del seminario “All’Ombra di Innsmouth. Religioni e Miti nell’Opera di Howard Phillips Lovecraft” (Ariccia, 7-9 luglio 2022). Terzo seminario sulle “Religioni Fantastiche” promosso dal Museo delle Religioni “Raffaele Pettazzoni”.
In basso, potete trovare tutte le informazioni utili in merito.
Vi sarò grato se potrete diffondere questo promemoria nei vostri canali.

Call for papers in pdf:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eOSqhkrEWPhx0Jbzgmc3STqSeE1vODhH/view?usp=sharing

Ensayo de divulgación con un panorama sintético de la influencia de Edgar Allan Poe en la literatura universal contemporánea, concentrándose en ciertos géneros y autores: la poesía y Baudelaire, en la obra de Herman Melville, en Julio Verne, el cuento materialista de terror y H.P. Lovecraft, la novela policial y Arthur Conan Doyle, así como el Gótico Americano de William Faulkner.

ABSTRACT: Abstract: The aim of this article is to analyze the epistemological and aesthetic grounds for Lovecraft’s theory of cosmic horror. In order to make sense of the celebrated epithet applied to Lovecraft, describing him as «a literary Copernicus», what is needed is an understanding of the deep connection between his narratives and scientific images of the world, his distinctions between intellectual assent and aesthetic belief and between the mundanely gruesome and true cosmic fear, and the metaphysical assumptions that underpin his late literature.

KEY  WORDS: Aesthetic belief, cosmic horror, intellectual belief, Lovecraft, modern  thought.


RESUMEN: Las pretensiones de este artículo son desarrollar las bases estéticas y epistemológicas de la literatura de horror cósmico tal como la propuso Lovecraft, subrayando tanto su vinculación con los procedimientos de la ciencia moderna, su tesis de que lo intelectualmente concebible (y estéticamente creíble) es una variable contextual dependiente de la posición epistémica del sujeto, su distinción entre horror mórbido y horror cósmico, y su plena afiliación al género de horror metafísico.

PALABRAS  CLAVE: Asentimiento intelectual, creencia estética, horror cósmico, Lovecraft, modernidad.

How does one redefine the boundary between madness and rationality? This is the question that launches Ben Woodard on a discussion of the methods for accessing the Absolute or what he refers to as the Great Outdoors. Immanuel Kant’s theoretical framework with its “legalistic” norms is the first target of his criticism, which argues that Kant’s bulwark shielding rationality from madness is untenable. Kant had “circled his wagons” against madness in order to clearly distinguish philosophical speculation from the ravings of a madman, but that defense deprived philosophy of the capacity to describe reality as it is. Speculative realism positions itself as an alternative to Kant that holds out the promise of access to the Great Outdoors; therefore it must somehow distinguish philosophy from madness. Rather than indulging in the “mad speculation” or theoretical permissiveness of some followers of Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari in order to leave the narrow limits of reason behind, Woodard applies the thinking of Thomas Ligotti and Howard Lovecraft to make a two-pronged attack on anthropocentrism. Lovecraft represents a “shoggothic materialism” that energizes the horror of formless matter, while Ligotti represents a “ventriloquist idealism” highlighting the inherent horror of having a consciousness. Weird fiction then is no longer a literary excuse for madness that justifies pursuit of after stunning imagery at the expense of meaning, but is instead an important theoretical tool for grounding the external as such. What is ultimate is not attainable through altered states of consciousness or otherwise distorting language or bodily being. To the contrary, it is reached by rather tedious work with a text which is itself already positioned in the Outdoors with respect to the reader.

O presente artigo procura analisar a obra de H. P. Lovecraft e suas diversas investidas em outras mídias após sua morte. O autor experimentou nos últimos dez anos, uma espécie de renascença cultural, que começou a legitimá-lo como artista digno de figurar no cânon da alta literatura, além de ser considerado um dos mestres do gênero do horror. Desse modo, ao investigar as razões desse surpreendente renascimento de Lovecraft na esfera da chamada "alta cultura" (literatura, artes, filosofia), estaremos ao mesmo tempo buscando as motivações de seu interesse no âmbito da cultura popular e midiática, estudando as formas e apropriações como seus temas, ideias ou mesmo obras foram absorvidos pelos meios de comunicação contemporâneos.

Cet article vise a expliquer le lien privilegie entre la mythologie lovecraftienne et le jeu d’aventure. Au prealable, le « jeu d’aventure » est defini comme un genre videoludique permettant la reconstitution d’un recit pre-ecrit grâce a une activite du joueur concentree sur l’exploration et la resolution de problemes par le truchement d’un avatar et a un rythme independant du jeu. Ce type de jeu est distingue des jeux d’action-aventure et des jeux de role. Le lien entre ce type de jeu et Lovecraft est demontre en observant qu’environ 10% des jeux d’aventure d’horreur sont explicitement inspires de Lovecraft, et que pres de 50% des adaptations de Lovecraft sont des jeux d’aventure. Le fait que la mythologie lovecraftienne soit partiellement du domaine public pourrait expliquer son exploitation frequente. Cependant, puisque le rapport a Lovecraft et au mythe de Cthluhu n’est pas toujours mis en evidence, on doit penser qu’il ne s’agit pas d’un facteur suffisant. Des liens structurels...

O presente artigo procura analisar a obra de H. P. Lovecraft e suas diversas investidas em outras mídias após sua morte. O autor experimentou nos últimos dez anos, uma espécie de renascença cultural, que começou a legitimá-lo como artista digno de figurar no cânon da alta literatura, além de ser considerado um dos mestres do gênero do horror. Desse modo, ao investigar as razões desse surpreendente renascimento de Lovecraft na esfera da chamada “alta cultura” (literatura, artes, filosofia), estaremos ao mesmo tempo buscando as motivações de seu interesse no âmbito da cultura popular e midiática, estudando as formas e apropriações como seus temas, ideias ou mesmo obras foram absorvidos pelos meios de comunicação contemporâneos. Palavras-chave: Lovecraft. Cultura midiática. Cultura popular.

O presente trabalho tem como proposta correlacionar a geomitologia de Atlantis e o desaparecimento de civilizações com a literatura de horror lovecraftiana, em específico os Mitos de Cthulhu e sua teoria do fim do mundo. A metodologia da pesquisa será de cunho bibliográfico, a partir da leitura, interpretação e comparação de textos e livros literários e acadêmicos. A partir da compreensão do que se trata a geomitologia, através do significado cunhado por Dorothy Vitaliano e sua produção bibliográfica, se dará a base para a comparação das semelhanças entre a mitologia de Atlantis - e seus estudos mais atuais sobre a cidade submersa – com os Mitos de Cthulhu, de Lovecraft. Analisar e descrever, a partir deste recorte, como um mito criado a partir da observação de materiais paleontológicos, serviu de influência para a criação de um novo universo literário – o “Horror Cósmico” – que perdura e ainda conquista seguidores e crentes nas palavras descritas pelo autor.

In taking Lovecraft’s biography as a starting point to an analysis of his notion of ideal masculinity, Ralickas offers a seminal analysis of a critical aspect of the abjection of self that undercuts any form of idealism in his fiction: the clean and proper body of the gentleman writer. To be specific, the strength of Lovecraft’s affinity towards Dandyism as a specific mode of masculinity extends beyond his personal aspirations to include his critical and aesthetic perspectives, manifest in his fiction, correspondence, and literary essays, particularly Supernatural Horror in Literature, wherein he reveals his fascination with leading Dandy authors of the nineteenth century. Through an examination of literary Dandyism’s ideological biases and the specific form of irony inherent in the Dandiacal works known to Lovecraft, Ralickas builds on scholarship linking Lovecraft to the Decadents by uncovering their influence on his deportment, political views, and fiction.

In Lovecraft’s later work (particularly ‘The Shadow Out of Time’ and ‘The Dreams in the Witch House’) the comfort of human space and environment is overwhelmed by a ‘realer’ weird landscape. This follows its own spatial and sensory schema, ones which shift the parameters and validity of human expression and comprehension. There is a horrible actuality to these weird intrusions that extends beyond materiality into mirages, dreams, and even memories, deranging the human perception of reality and transforming the individual.

This process wherein landscape produces authorial propositions on reality resonates strikingly with the model of speculative writing delineated by Samuel Delany. The points of conflict between the two reveal wider insights into Lovecraft’s work: whereas Delany sees speculative landscapes as a route to expanding the range of language and expression, in Lovecraft the weird performs the opposite, contracting the comprehensible into ‘the unnameable’. This allows us to cast aside criticisms of Lovecraft’s supposedly repetitive style, and illuminates the cohesive antirational system spanning his later writings.

Although he is acknowledged as an influence on science fiction, contemporary Lovecraft study favours reading connections between his work and a wider weird tradition, and to a lesser extent exploring its tensions and affinities with Modernism. The thesis encourages an understanding of Lovecraft’s weird beyond current study, as resonating with concerns of literature beyond Modernism, and even exceeding some of them. This study could also be extended within the weird tradition (Algernon Blackwood’s ‘The Willows’) as well as to speculative writers outside of it (Philip Dick, J.G. Ballard, and William Burroughs).

O presente artigo procura analisar a relação entre horror e religião na obra de H. P. Lovecraft e suas articulações por meio de outras mídias e no campo da cibercultura. O autor, que não gozava de muito prestígio no passado, tem penetrado cada vez mais no atual cenário tanto em âmbitos considerados eruditos quanto em âmbitos considerados massivos ou populares. Desse modo, ao investigar as razões desse surpreendente renascimento de Lovecraft na esfera da chamada alta cultura (literatura, artes, filosofia), buscaremos ao mesmo tempo as
motivações de seu interesse no âmbito da cultura popular e midiática e estudando as formas e apropriações como seus temas, ideias ou mesmo obras foram absorvidos pelos meios de comunicação contemporâneos.

Legacy of the Weird: The Enduring Impact of HP Lovecraft
This research paper discusses the wide-ranging cultural influence which HP Lovecraft and his literary creations have enjoyed in the public realm over the last century, referencing episodes from his upbringing, influences on his life, his controversial viewpoints regarding race, and other points, to build a broad picture of how his distinct presence has become inescapably entwined in the public milieu, with theories as to how this can be used to benefit the public dialogue in the interests of racial harmony.

... Thomas Ligotti's weird fiction which he has designated as a kind of “confrontational escapism” might be best described in the following quote ... In his tale “The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadatth” Lovecraft describes Azathoth (an Outer god like Nyarlathotep) as, “that shocking final ...

Cari amici, cari colleghi, sono lieto di invitarvi alla terza edizione del seminario sulle religioni nella fantascienza e nel fantasy: “All’Ombra di Innsmouth. Religioni e Miti nell’Opera di Howard Phillips Lovecraft” (Ariccia, 7-9 luglio 2022).
L’incontro si terrà presso il Palazzo Chigi di Ariccia, sede del Museo del Barocco Romano: https://www.palazzochigiariccia.it/
L’ingresso è libero e gratuito, ma è comunque necessario registrarsi come “uditori” entro lunedì 4 luglio, scrivendo al seguente indirizzo di posta elettronica (igorbaglioni79@gmail.com) e riportando contestualmente i propri dati essenziali. Per dati essenziali si intendono nome, cognome, telefono, indirizzo di posta elettronica, giorno di possibile presenza. La registrazione vi darà la possibilità di ricevere via mail in pdf le dispense relative agli interventi in programma.
Quanti tra voi avessero la necessità di soggiornare ad Ariccia nei giorni del convegno, possono usufruire delle strutture convenzionate a prezzo ridotto scrivendo alla presidente dell’Associazione Calliope, la dott. Maria Paola De Marchis: mariapaolademarchis@gmail.com
Qui di seguito trovate il programma e link utili per avere ulteriori informazioni.

Info
Mail: igorbaglioni79@gmail.com
Locandina:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eVT32-tpbMV7vyXh-Y1jJZMKMyUiT4V2/view?usp=sharing
Programma:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/17_omFkdQXVeXi7HHA2Jwnyh9bM7lP0Ts/view?usp=sharing

Howard Philips Lovecraft is now considered to be an iconic American writer of horror and science fiction; however, he did not believe that his fiction would leave such a monumental mark
on literature as it did. Lovecraft did not write for money or commercial success, and his references to Greek and Roman mythology, use of Latin quotes, eighteenth-century New England
world view, racism and paranoia make him a writer whose works hardly seem accessible, even for his time. But this is exactly what makes his works unique and interesting. What Lovecraft did
in his writing was to search the depths of human imagination. His stories explore everything which is strange or unknown to us and everything incomprehensible. Therefore, the fear of the unknown that surrounds his stories is one of the major themes that make Lovecraft rightfully a master storyteller and great writer. This paper will examine what the unknown in Lovecraft’s stories is, how it appears and what it says about the human condition and our understanding of the universe we live in, and it will do so by analysing the following stories: “The Call of Cthulhu”, “The Dreams in the Witch House”, “The Outsider” and “The Shadow over Innsmouth”.