The Legacy of H. P. Lovecraft

Back when I was considering getting a masters degree in English literature, I wanted to specialize in science fiction and fantasy. That idea was not popular with my professors, so I dropped it. The only fantasy author that one of them even considered close to "literature" was H. P. Lovecraft. 

Lovecraft, as it turned out, became quite popular in the 1970s and 80s, and has remained influential, although his literary reputation has been tarnished by the racism and sexism in his writing. The New York Times has published an article about him that lists both his most essential stories and some recent adaptations of his work.  

Broadly — and with plenty of exceptions — Lovecraft’s stories suggest huge and unfathomable horrors lurking just beneath the surface of the mundane world. Filled with miscegenation, tentacles and unspeakable dread, his works often begin with ordinary or ordinary-seeming men drawn into extraordinary and otherworldly situations. Almost no one gets out alive or sane. His brand of weird is gooey and misanthropic, with an insistence that the universe is at best indifferent to human life and at worst antagonistic.

To adapt a Lovecraft work is to reckon with a troubled and troubling legacy — blatant racism and sexual phobias blight much of his work. Still, he remains influential, with his sinister, squishy qualities still felt across media — television, film, fiction, comics, video games, role-playing games, visual art, plushies — and multiple genres. The stomach monster from “Alien”? Extremely Lovecraft. That giant squid from “Watchmen”? Lovecraft again. The devouring Shoggoths from the “Lovecraft Country” pilot? A squelching tip of the hat.

Lovecraft influenced many modern SF and fantasy authors who have written stories in what's become known as the Cthulu Mythos. If you want a sampling, try the Cthulu Mythos Megapack ebooks on Amazon. They're cheap and contain dozens of stories by both Lovecraft and many authors from the mid-20th century. For a more modern take on him, check out Charlie Stross' Laundry Files series.