Even though the American author H.P. Lovecraft (1890-1937) has been praised as one of the most influential writers of horror literature in the 20th century, his style of writing has occasionally been criticized. Lovecraft was using a writing style based on strict scientific language, where the human condition and existence are irrelevant in the narrative. This includes less focus on character development and more on the importance of atmosphere and environments. I am presenting narratological analyzes of what is often considered to be three of Lovecraft’s “greatest works”: “The Call of Cthulhu”, At the Mountains of Madness, and “The Shadow over Innsmouth.” These analyzes are used to highlight Lovecraft’s science-oriented language and narratological techniques, with the focus of studying what methods Lovecraft was using to give his works and his readers a sense of dread, hopelessness, and an alien atmosphere. I believe that the usage of scientific language creates a sense of authenticity, while the presence of strange alien names and phrases adds to the fantastic atmosphere. My intention with this thesis is to show that these literary techniques are not the product of an amateurish or untalented author, but that it actually fills a purpose, which you got to have in mind in order to understand the dark, fantastic world that he develops in the majority of his fiction. I also believe this is crucial when attempting to understand Lovecraft’s influence and importance in the world of horror literature.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:lnu-26630 |
| Date | January 2013 |
| Creators | Pålvik, Richard |
| Publisher | Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för film och litteratur (IFL) |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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