By Matthew
Welcome to the first of the HP Lovecraft story we’ll be looking at- The Call of Cthulhu. The story that bears the name of Lovecraft’s mythos.
To assist our discussions here are some questions to stimulate our thoughts.
- The Forbidden Forest and the New Orleans swamp. What are some of the similarities between the two and why are certain terrains more conducive to horror or fright?
- How does the use of almost unpronounceable words and mysterious “antiphonal responses” increase horror and weirdness?
- Geographical accuracy. Formerly living in Sydney, Australia I was amazed at how accurate Lovecraft’s knowledge of the city and the location of where the museum was. Rowling’s stories are also based in “real world” Britain. How does this accuracy lend credibility to a story?
- What racial issues/awareness differences do you notice in stories written in the early 20th century and the early 21st century?
- The protagonist’s serendipitous discovery of a newspaper clipping is similar to revelations for the trio in the Harry Potter stories. What are the strengths and weaknesses of this literary device? Is it overused?
- Henry Anthony Wilcox is a “sensitive” or a dreamer. Harry has a significant number of dreams during the stories. Would you call him a dreamer too? Are the dreams described in the Harry Potter stories as helpful in understanding this story?
- When a muggle finds out something they shouldn’t about the wizarding world they should expect a visit from the oblivators. When you find out something you shouldn’t in the Cthulhu mythos you generally forfeit your life or sanity. Is this distinction just a reflection on the two genres? Is knowledge dangerous?
So there’s nothing stopping you from joining the discussion. Please join in.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
“How does the use of almost unpronounceable words and mysterious “antiphonal responses” increase horror and weirdness?”
It seems to me to almost have something to do with dreams. Dreams are very vivid, but also tend to be inarticulate when it comes to focusing on particulars in them (usually, but not always), such as writing in them, etc. And we know Lovecraft definitely wrote about dreams.
I’m also reminded of David Lynch in the way that he uses these inarticulate/unpronounceable devices in his TV shows and films — especially in Twin Peaks in the red room, where things are usually spoken backwards and reality itself has a kind of preternatural feeling to it. There’s also the weirdness in Lynch’s Wild at Heart with some of the weirdo goons that taunt a man until he’s killed that reminds me a bit of this… it is like incoherent mayhem.
That’s all for now…
Peace,
Eric
Speaking of unpronounceable words and mysterious antiphonal responses:
Knights of Ni: Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni!
Arthur: Who are you?
Knight of Ni: We are the Knights who say….. “Ni”!
Arthur: (horrified) No! Not the Knights who say “Ni”!
Knight of Ni: The same.
Other Knight of Ni: Who are we?
Knight of Ni: We are the keepers of the sacred words: Ni, Ping, and Nee-womm!
Other Knight of Ni: Nee-womm!
Arthur: (to Bedevere) Those who hear them seldom live to tell the tale!
Knight of Ni: The knights who say “Ni” demand….. a sacrifice!
Arthur: Knights of Ni, we are but simple travelers who seek the enchanter who
lives beyond these woods.
Knights of Ni: Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni!
Bedevere: No! Noooo! Aaaugh! No!
Knight of Ni: We shall say “Ni” to you… if you do not appease us.
(after Arthur and his Knights bring the Knights who say Ni a nice shrubbery, not too expensive):
Knight of Ni: We are now no longer the Knights Who Say “Ni”!
Other Knights of Ni: Ni! Shh! Shh!
Knight of Ni: We are now the Knights who say “Ekky-ekky-ekky-ekky-z’Bang, zoom-Boing, z’nourrrwringmm”.
Race issues: I found it interesting (sad, of course) that the term “mixed blood” was frequently used by Lovecraft in a derogatory sense in the story. reyhan had rightfully warned us there’d be some race issues along the way.
Setting Lovecraft against Rowling does at least show us that we’ve made some helpful progress – whereas the “mixed blood” people are clearly the deranged cult-followers of “The Call of Cthulu,” Rowling employs similar blood terms to teach the opposite lesson – that blood status doesn’t (shouldn’t) matter.
Thanks, Matthew.
Like you, the geographical accuracy impressed me. A Sydneysider like you were, I knew exactly what he was talking about. That made the narrator a ‘reliable witness’ I trusted when he was describing places I hadn’t been to. I’ve never been to Kings Cross station, but I can imagine people going there just to see if they can press through to platform nine and three quarters. Accuracy in the things we know make the fantastic things more believable and make you think ‘it really could be true…’
The unpronounceable names kept me away from Lovecraft until know. I have a pet hate with fantasy writing that uses silly combinations of consonants for exotic names. Too hard to read so I don’t bother. But Cthulhu is deliberately unpronounceable and I like it for that. Weird. Unknowable. And his description of the strange angles made me dizzy just reading it. Great stuff.
And I don’t mind serendipitous discoveries to move a plot along. I know some readers thought Rowling used it a bit too much. But it happens in real life so I don’t know why it’s a problem in fiction! I’m reminded of the scene in The Goodies when Tim says ‘Perhaps we could frighten them by broadcasting messages to them in their own language. If only we had an Eskimo phrase book … ah, here’s one!’ Ah… Serendipity!