The beliefs of H.P. Lovecraft: an analysis of racial prejudice in "The Call of Cthulhu" and the Lovecraftian lore.

Authors

Keywords:

Weird Fiction, Lovecraft, Racism, Evil.

Abstract

When it comes to weird fiction literature, the name H.P Lovecraft is the main one that appears to mind. His genius and contributions to the field of horror fiction cannot be denied, like the creation of the subgenre “Cosmic Horror” and his influence on the works of other writers until this day. However, a deep reading of Lovecraft’s writing can reveal an author whose prejudiced opinions constructed lore that brought racialised people and beings as the enemies of his stories. The villains in Lovecraft’s stories oftentimes are described as horrific creatures, not humans; monsters that are, in the case of The Call of Cthulhu (2016), not only perceived as strange but also worshipped by people that are not of the protagonist’s race. Hence, this study contemplates traces of prejudice and racism in Lovecraft’s depiction of evil. By separating five quotes of what can be considered Lovecraft’s most famous creation — The Call of Cthulhu (2016) —, the main objective of this article consists of making documentary research analysing the possible presence of racism in the short story. The studies of ELLIS (2010) about Lovecraft’s racism and FRYE (2006) on eugenics, besides the one of JOSHI (2003) on the concept of Weird Fiction are relevant to this present article, as well as the excerpts and words of LOVECRAFT (2009; 2013; 2014; 2016) himself.

 

Keywords: Weird Fiction; Lovecraft; Racism; Evil.

Author Biographies

Ana Clara Silva de Castilho, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco - UFPE

Language Studies Department, a graduating student of English studies.

Sarah Beatriz de Andrade Bezerra, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco - UFPE

Language Studies Department, a graduating student of English studies.

References

ELLIS, P. A. The Construction of Race in the Early Poetry of H.P Lovecraft. Lovecraft Annual, n.4, p. 124-135, aug. 2010. Available on: https://www.jstor.org/stable/26868414. Accessed in: 10 oct. 2022.

FRYE, M. The Refinement of “Crude Allegory”. Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts, v. 17, n. 3, p. 237-254. 2006. Available on: https://www.jstor.org/stable/26390171. Accessed in: 10 oct. 2022.

JOSHI, S. T. Establishing the Canon of Weird Fiction. Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts, v. 14, n. 3, p. 333-341. 2003. Available on: https://www.jstor.org/stable/43308642. Accessed in: 10 oct. 2022.

LOVECRAFT, H.P; JOSHI, S. T. (org). The Ancient Track: The Complete Poetical Works of H.P. Lovecraft. 2. ed. New York, NY: Hippocampus Press, 2013. 606 p.

LOVECRAFT, H. P; SERRAVALLE de SÁ, D. (org.). The Call of Cthulhu. Santa Catarina: Repositório Institucional UFSC. 2016, 24 p. Available on: https://repositorio.ufsc.br/bitstream/handle/123456789/163732/H.%20P.%20Lovecraft%20-%20The%20Call%20of%20Cthulhu.pdf?sequence=1. Accessed in: 10 oct. 2022.

LOVECRAFT, H. P. Supernatural Horror in Literature. Freeditorial. 2014, 58 p. Available on: https://www.freeditorial.com/en/books/supernatural-horror-in-literature. Accessed in: 10 oct. 2022.

LOVECRAFT, H. P. The Shadow Over Innsmouth. In: Donovan K. Loucks. The H. P. Lovecraft Archive. 20 aug. 2009. Available on: https://www.hplovecraft.com/writings/texts/fiction/soi.aspx. Accessed in: 10 oct. 2022.

NEUHARTH, J. Weird Fiction. In: TEXAS - The University of Texas in Austin. Ransom Center Magazine. Austin: 1 apr. 2019. Available on: https://sites.utexas.edu/ransomcentermagazine/2019/04/01/weird-fiction/#:~:text=Weird%20function%20is%20a%20 subgenre,is%20often%20considered%20a%20pioneer. Accessed in: 10 out. 2022.

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Published

2023-05-14

Issue

Vol. 24 No. 1 (2022): VOLUME 24.1

Section

Artigos

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