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Lovecraftian horror, also called cosmic horror or eldritch horror, is a subgenre of horror fiction and weird fiction that emphasizes the horror of the unknowable and incomprehensible more than gore or other elements of shock. It is named after American author H. P. Lovecraft (1890–1937).
- Overview
- Origin
- Themes and elements of Lovecraftian Horror
The term Lovecraftian Horror is a sub-genre of horror created by the American writer H. P. Lovecraft in his stories. Lovecraftian horror has been used in literature, art, comics, movies, television, and video games long after the author's death.
Lovecraft refined this style to tell stories about his own "Cthulhu Mythos", as it came to be called by his successors, which comprised a set of supernatural, mythological, human, and extraterrestrial elements informed by the author's atheism and cosmicism. His work was deeply inspired by previous authors that Lovecraft constantly read and admired, some of them being Edgar Allan Poe, Algernon Blackwood, and Lord Dunsany. The basis of Lovecraft's work was cosmicism: the philosophy that ordinary human life is tiny and insignificant compared to the vastness and mysteries of the Universe.
In the search for wisdom or understanding the secrets of the vast universe in which we live, the discoveries that are made can end up damaging the sanity of a person, since our mind is not prepared to assimilate them. Lovecraft's stories usually take place in rural New England, that is, in the section of the United States in which the author himself grew up; however, Lovecraftian horror is not restricted to any particular setting, as some of the scenes in Lovecraft's tales do not take place in New England.
Certain themes and elements are considered basic or essential to compose pieces within the genre of cosmic horror. Said aspects are also commonly found in Lovecraftian works by other authors.
•Anti-anthropocentrism, misanthropy in general. The Lovecraftian genre tends not to focus on the characterization of characters as individuals but rather on the point of view of humanity in general and their insignificant place in the universe (see: cosmicism).
•Preoccupation with strange and unknown substances and textures. The Lovecraftian genre tends to include gelatinous substances unknown to human science rather than elements of classic horror such as blood, bones, or bodies.
•Abominations. Biological in nature, they are detached from specific mysterious events and incomprehensible horrors. They are not explained in any other way or attributed to a specific event.
•Old-fashioned (Victorian) writing style. Even with the technology of his time, Lovecraft tended to use anachronisms and medieval words in his stories. For example, Lovecraft used the term 'man of science' instead of the word 'scientist' and usually spelled 'show' as 'shew' and 'lantern' as 'lanthorne'.
•Detachment. Lovecraftian heroes and protagonists are usually isolated individuals from society with some academic interest (science, astronomy, literature, or any other). Usually these interests are what lead them to discoveries of the universe and the earth. However, although the protagonists can stop the evil forces, their victories tend not to be complete and they usually pay a cost for them. If this is not the case, the protagonists find themselves totally unable to escape the consequences of the secret that they have discovered themselves, and end up losing their sanity or suffering some other terrible end.
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The Cthulhu Mythos is a mythopoeia and a shared fictional universe, originating in the works of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. The term was coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent and protégé of Lovecraft, to identify the settings, tropes, and lore that were employed by Lovecraft and his literary successors.
Lovecraftian horror, often known as cosmic horror, is a genre of fiction that emphasizes the cosmic fear of the unknown and the insignificance of humans within the greater cosmos. It’s characterized by its focus on creating a sense of dread and awe-inspiring terror rather than relying on traditional shocks and gore.
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