H. P. Lovecraft: Against the World, Against Life

jute gyte · Post by **jute gyte** » Sat Dec 24, 2005 6:35 pm

Just read this book and wrote a short review/blurb on another board. I figured it would do the Books Forum some good to post it here as well. Maybe there are some Lovecraft and/or Houellebecq fans around here.

H. P. Lovecraft: Against the World, Against Life by Michel Houellebecq

Basically a long essay extended to book length by the addition of an introduction by Stephen King and two of Lovecraft's finest works, Against the World, Against Life is a wonderfully lucid take on a man whose life and work are notoriously difficult to pin down. Houellebecq shares Lovecraft's dim view of existence, and in fact the book begins with the observation that "life is painful and disappointing". Lovecraft's unique literary methods are analyzed, but more important is the analysis of Lovecraft's motivations: as the title indicates, he was truly against life in general, and modern society in specific. Houellebecq's arguments are mostly insightful, and his championing of Lovecraft is refreshing. It's taken far too long for Lovecraft's work to gain the accolades it deserves (I personally rank it above Poe's). I would recommend it to Lovecraft fans, people who aren't fans but have had their interested piqued by the million references to his work in popular culture, and to fans of Michel Houellebecq's other work (I have read and enjoyed The Elementary Particles and Platform and am eager to read more).

Märk · Post by **Märk** » Mon Dec 26, 2005 10:38 pm

Cool, I'll have to check that out. Lovecraft is probably my favorite writer overall, along with Algernon Blackwood, C.M. Eddy, and, of course, that creepy looking guy in my avatar.

the Jazz · Post by **the Jazz** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 5:20 pm

I don't know if I'd put Lovecraft above Poe, but I wouldn't do the opposite either. They are both great in very different ways, to my mind. Sounds like an interesting read, I'll see if I can find it at the library.

jute gyte · Post by **jute gyte** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 10:35 pm

Yeah, I certainly don't mean to imply that I dislike Poe. I just find myself reading Lovecraft far more often and am generally more impressed by his work than Poe's. Lovecraft has the Elder Gods, the non-Euclidean geometries, and the amazing sentences, and that's hard to beat.
There's a nice article on the book and Houellebecq here: http://www.readysteadybook.com/Article. ... plovecraft

Märk · Post by **Märk** » Wed Dec 28, 2005 6:53 pm

Yeah, but Poe died in a way cooler way (probably rabies). Although malnutrition and intestinal cancer is a close second.

jute gyte · Post by **jute gyte** » Thu Dec 29, 2005 9:07 am

I'll have to agree. In general Poe had a cooler life, probably. And he looked cooler too.

Niveous · Post by **Niveous** » Thu Dec 29, 2005 10:01 am

jute gyte wrote:I'll have to agree. In general Poe had a cooler life, probably. And he looked cooler too.

Poe looked far cooler. H.P. was.....well.....bland as melbatoast when it came to the looks.

the Jazz · Post by **the Jazz** » Fri Dec 30, 2005 11:08 am

He looks like the odd man at the accounting agency who's always mumbling under his breath and staring at people.

NeilThrun · Post by **NeilThrun** » Sun Jan 01, 2006 6:44 pm

Lovecraft is deffinately one of my favorite authors, and one of the few I've gone out of my way to read as much of his work as I can. I'm not sure that I agree with the ideas you outlined from the essay. I never saw Lovecraft as against life. His ideas and monsters were never evil by any means. Lovecrafts alien gods were completely indifferent to humanity. I always saw it as a greater analogy to atheism and the universe. That there is no evil or good, and that the universe, much like the alien creatures, crush humanity with out the least bit of hatred, malice or anger. Quite contrary, it was pure indifference.

jute gyte · Post by **jute gyte** » Sun Jan 01, 2006 7:11 pm

I can't argue with your description of the Elder Gods, but there's quite a lot to suggest that Lovecraft had a dim view of existence, and certainly that he prefered dreams to reality.

"Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family" begins with: "Life is a hideous thing, and from the background behind what we know of it peer daemoniacal hints of truth which make it sometimes a thousandfold more hideous. Science, already oppressive with its shocking revelations, will perhaps be the ultimate exterminator of our human species -- if separate species we be -- for its reserve of unguessed horrors could never be borne by mortal brains if loosed upon the world."

From "Ex Oblivione": "When the last days were upon me, and the ugly trifles of existence began to drive me to madness like the small drops of water torturers let fall ceaselessly upon one spot of their victim's body, I loved the irradiate refuge of sleep."

Outside of his fiction work, here are some quotes from letters he wrote:

"I am so beastly tired of mankind and the world that nothing can interest me unless it contains a couple of murders on each page or deals with or deals with the horrors unnameable and unaccountable that leer down from the external universes."

and

"All rationalism tends to minimize the value and the importance of life, and to decrease the sum total of human happiness. In some cases the truth may cause suicidal or nearly suicidal depression."