![]() ![]() ![]() Traditional horror stories and Gothic novels tend to be morality tales in which good and evil are clearly defined: evil causes lots of trauma and terror, but it is ultimately vanquished, and good prevails. He is sort of the missing link between classic and modern horror. Lovecraft’s significance to genre literature is tremendous. Consequently, I am extremely pleased to see that time has vindicated my opinion: last week, the Library of America(a non-profit publisher dedicated to “preserving the works of America’s greatest writers in handsome, enduring volumes, featuring authoritative texts”) published a hardcover edition collecting Lovecraft’s horror fiction into an 800+pages volume.Edited by Peter Straub (the author of such literary and intelligent horror fiction as GHOST STORY and SHADOWLANDS), the book provides a sort of official seal of approval for Lovecraft, who is too often dismissed as little more than a cult writer. ![]() That statement elicited an adamant rejection from my sophomore English teacher when I made it in a book report decades ago. Lovecraft was one of the most important American authors of the 20th century. It was written in response to the publication of the Library of America’s 800-plus-pages hardcover collection of Lovecraft’s fiction, edited by Peter Straub. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |