Providing a new perspective on Lovecraft's life and work, Horror as Racism in H.P. Lovecraft focuses on the overlap between the writer’s personal beliefs and the racist images and narratives in his speculative fiction.
Building on recent debates about Lovecraft and drawing on the concept of ""white fragility,"" John Steadman argues that the writer's fiction reflects his feelings of resentment and anger towards non-white persons and was used to advocate for his racist, xenophobic political beliefs – that western civilization was in decline and slavery was justifiable among ""superior"" civilizations. In making these claims, Lovecraft's tales pit humans against extra-terrestrial aliens, developing a terrifying, futuristic vision of the Earth as a plantation planet.
The familiar image of Lovecraft as a reclusive, creative genius and mentor to young writer-friends is dismantled through close readings of his fiction and nonfiction – including correspondence, essays, and poetry – and examination of his early biography. This image is replaced by that of a cruel, callous, and, at times, psychotic man, a violently vitriolic racist and white supremacist who hated most of the non-white races.
While some will dismiss the author outright and others will read his fiction but ignore the racism, Horror as Racism in H.P. Lovecraft takes a middle ground: acknowledging Lovecraft's personal history and heinous intentions, it helps readers navigate the author’s disturbing biography while also getting a better sense of the stories, which remain significant within American science fiction.
By:
Dr. or Prof. John L. Steadman (Independent Scholar)
Imprint: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 229mm,
Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9798765107690
Pages: 264
Publication Date: 11 January 2024
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
College/higher education
,
Undergraduate
,
Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Introduction Part I: Beginnings 1. Privilege Lost 2. The Pattern of Loss and Failure 3. Racist Influences 4. Racist Writings Part II: Humankind against Hybrid, Degenerative Monsters 5. Lovecraft’s Early Weird Tales 6. Arthur Jermyn (1920) 7. Herbert West – Reanimator (1922) 8. The Lurking Fear (1923) 9. The Rats in the Walls (1924) 10. The Horror at Red Hook (1925) 11. Critical Commentaries Part III: Humankind against the Cosmic Slave Masters 12. Lovecraft’s Later Weird Tales 13. The Case of Charles Dexter Ward (1927) 14. The Whisperer in Darkness (1930) 15. The Shadow Over Innsmouth (1931) 16. At the Mountains of Madness (1931) 17. The Shadow Out of Time (1934) 18. Critical Commentaries (II) 19. Conclusion Appendix – Lovecraft, Lovecraft Country and Afrofuturism Notes Bibliography Index
John L. Steadman is an independent scholar of science fiction and fantasy literature, and author of Aliens, Robots & Virtual Reality Idols in the Science fiction of H. P. Lovecraft, Isaac Asimov and William Gibson (2020) and H. P. Lovecraft & the Black Magickal Tradition (2015). He was previously Professor of English at Lansing Community College, USA.
Reviews for Horror as Racism in H. P. Lovecraft: White Fragility in the Weird Tales
Steadman's insightful and ambitious study invites readers to look again at the subject of Lovecraft and racism in ways that are blunt, challenging, and helpful. Steadman is a clear and careful writer and he handles even the most challenging aspects of his book with skill and grace. * Carl H. Sederholm, Professor of Comparative Arts and Letters, Brigham Young University, USA *
