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A review by biiancaco
The Call of Cthulhu by H.P. Lovecraft
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
There is overt racism. HP Lovecraft uses many pejorative slurs. He seems to hate biracial people the most. His prejudice is clear in how he divides his protagonists and antagonists.
It is the white intelligent man vs the swarthy mentally aberrant savage. Whether it is a mestizo, a black man, or an Indian, he despises all.
Besides that, this short-story was incredibly well-written. The language is reticent of Gothic Horror, I would liken it to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein or Modern Day Prometheus and Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights.
The prose is luscious, full of fun alliteration, the verbs are buoyant and evoke action and pace!
To quote a few, "shivering squatter" "mirror in marble" "yellow hair turned white" "pursuing jelly which rose above the unclean froth like the stern of a daemon galleon"
A touch of Realism lays a great foundation to this Weird Fiction, all thanks to HP Lovecraft's technical nautical knowledge as well as his placing of a scientist in the forefront of the story. Strange occurrences told in a straight and plain manner, feel more real.
Cthulhu is not the only "monstrous menace". The fact that the author has given him a face makes him less threatening. To HP Lovecraft, the more frightening monsters are ones unknown, they lie in wait beyond our own universe. Because really, is it logical to believe that humans are the ONLY conscious beings?
What is it that we do not know? This is the horror the character faces. He is confronted with the truth that we are not alone. And in the end of his discovery he muses that, "Death would be a boon if only it could blot out the memories" </spoilers>
The beginning of the short story already informs us how we can avoid this futile stress.
It is the white intelligent man vs the swarthy mentally aberrant savage. Whether it is a mestizo, a black man, or an Indian, he despises all.
Besides that, this short-story was incredibly well-written. The language is reticent of Gothic Horror, I would liken it to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein or Modern Day Prometheus and Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights.
The prose is luscious, full of fun alliteration, the verbs are buoyant and evoke action and pace!
To quote a few, "shivering squatter" "mirror in marble" "yellow hair turned white" "pursuing jelly which rose above the unclean froth like the stern of a daemon galleon"
A touch of Realism lays a great foundation to this Weird Fiction, all thanks to HP Lovecraft's technical nautical knowledge as well as his placing of a scientist in the forefront of the story. Strange occurrences told in a straight and plain manner, feel more real.
Cthulhu is not the only "monstrous menace". The fact that the author has given him a face makes him less threatening. To HP Lovecraft, the more frightening monsters are ones unknown, they lie in wait beyond our own universe. Because really, is it logical to believe that humans are the ONLY conscious beings?
What is it that we do not know? This is the horror the character faces. He is confronted with the truth that we are not alone. And in the end of his discovery he muses that,
The beginning of the short story already informs us how we can avoid this futile stress.
"We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far "
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Xenophobia, and Racial slurs
The racism and xenophobia is straightforward and only limited to slurs and metaphors. There is no graphic violence described.