The way this dude acknowledged the prejudices of Lovecraft time, while still being able to appreciate the art is the mentality that could save the world.
Right? And everyone seems to forget that Lovecraft was legitimately insane. Like literally possessing a LOT of mental health problems. And they leave out the whole “growing out of it” thing he did toward the end of his life.
Social justice warriors that condemn people for being normal in their culture have mental issues. They are the modern village idiots but somehow the king listens to the idiot as if he is a wise sage.
The key is not pretending that something was what it wasn't. Lovecraft was hilariously racist and terrified of anyone who wasn't WASP, he still wrote good stories. It's simple as that.
Quinn you have a real gift for conveying complex information in a way that hooks us to our screens, any university would be so lucky to have you as a literature lecturer teaching a sci-fi module
Regarding Lovecraft's racism - I find it interesting that one of Lovecraft's last protagonists, occult expert Étienne-Laurent De Marigny, was a mixed race New Orleans creole. I can't help but speculate that De Marigny, a friend to Randolph Carter, would have become a recurring hero had Lovecraft lived longer. Perhaps some of Lovecraft's favorite contemporary authors and friends were having an effect on him - Clark Ashton Smith, for example, had no problem writing about interracial and even interspecies romance
There was a great documentary on Amazon Prime that mentioned near his death his opinions on things started to change. So, I can only imagine that if he lived longer, he might have changed as a person.
That’s very interesting thank you! I agree and appreciate the idea that people grow and move past old ideas as they get out into the world and test ideas
people act like he was a klansman most people across the world harbor prejudices and especially back then I doubt his opinions were that far out of mainstream american thought on race relations.
@@LisatheWeirdo This is exactly the case. He married a Jewish woman, Sonia Greene, who wanted him to move to New York City. This was really the first time he was exposed to the multitude of races and ethnicities, that he didn't see in Providence to the same extent. Shortly after his arrival, he wrote The Horror at Red Hook, which some critics call his most racist story. Fair enough. Eventually, he left to return to Providence. His trip to NYC did change him, and his views started to mellow. One wonders how fully his attitudes would transform had he lived a longer life. And this is in no way handwaving his proclivities away.
Well done Quinn for keeping the theme of the separation of art from the artist. Most artists are strange and have reprehensible sides. If we enjoy their art, it does not mean we approve of their character. Lovecraft had a genius for making humans seem insignificant. His great horror derives from this and the nihilism of a realisation that human life may be without purpose. At the Mountains of Madness covers this extremely well and has had many imitations including the film Prometheus. I am so looking forward to getting Tadhya - you are doing great work Quinn.
@@snatchadams69 An excellent question and hard to answer. I think committing or being complicit in murder or child abuse would cross the line. For instance, the more knowledge I obtained of Roman Polanski's history, it built into an aversion to seeing his films. However he did make an important film about the holocaust and he is a holocaust survivor. That does not counteract his convicted crimes, but it creates a dilemma. One I have avoided by avoiding the film in question. That takes one back to the Old Ones - the fear they inspire is their indifference to humanity, which is the trademark of a human psychopath, they are an expression of humanity's own dark side in that regard. It would be interesting to research how many great artists were psychopaths or sociopaths.
I agree with you mostly. But it can be a problem with living artists because they can still cause damage. if an artist Is homophobic supporting them will help them spread homophobia on social media or through political donations even if it isn't obvious in their art. It is a lot more complicated when it comes to the living
@Gasper Vidovic possibly they are referencing JK Rowling and the fact she seems to be so transphobic, she had to write an essay explaining her transphobia, chose a homophobic/transphobic pen name for her transphobic story, and retweeting TERF talking points.
H.P. Lovecraft highly praised Robert E Howard(author of "Conan the Barbarian") for his horror writing. They corresponded through letters quite a bit. Howard wrote a decent collection of Horror, some of it set in the Cthulu Mythos. I agree with Lovecraft's assessment, Howard definitely was an undeniable talent.
Aye. He violates the ”show, don't tell“ rule throughout, but somehow he manages to pull it off, to make you fill in the blanks he only hints at. He keeps telling you something is too horrible to describe, and rather than making that sound like lazy storytelling, he somehow makes you imagine your worst nightmare and something beyond.
I actually think one of the best examples of Lovecraftian concepts adapted to film is Twin Peaks. Not in the conventional sense, but the red room is inhabited by strange beings that often send humans mad when they interact with them and you really get the feeling that what you looking at isn't what is really there, but the closest approximation that is possible for a human to perceive. Even the 'mauve zone' in The Return is part of Kenneth Grant's mythos, which is an actual occultist who writes about and interacts with The Old Ones. Really far out stuff btw, but worth looking into if you dig Lovecraft stuff. Love you Quinn, as always, keep up the good work.
Nice catch! Also the fact that people in the Black/White Lodge sometimes speak in reverse, or are represented by non-human objects do point towards cosmic horror as you note.
If anyone is interested just about every Lovecraft story can be found in audiobook form on RUclips for free. I’ve listened to all of them several times each. As far as the scariest of Lovecraft’s stories, in my opinion, it’s “Dreams in the witch house”. Love your content 🙂👍
You should check out, "Conan the Barbarian" author, Robert Howard"s Stories that he wrote within the Cthulu Mythos. Lovecraft thought very highly of Howard's ability as a Horror writer.
@@jaded9234 I actually collected Conan comics growing up long before I ever heard of Lovecraft and I think (not completely positive) I’ve read all his Cthulhu mythos stories since. Finding that connection between Howard and Lovecraft led me to Clark Ashton Smith, August Derleth, Robert Bloch and the couple others (unfortunately can’t remember their names at the moment) in the Lovecraft circle. It’s crazy the amount of material Howard created before his death at 30 years old.
I've known of conan, basically, my entire life. I heard the quote of Lovecraft's where he calls Howard a true master of horror writing. That was when I listened to a collection of Howard's horror stories(both, Cthulu mythos and non-Cthulu mythos-related). There are many and I've only disliked one short story(though, that wasn't because the story wasn't written well).
I've never been much interested in Lovecraft. Yet I find that I seem to be able to watch this video over and over, and I just love it. Can hardly look away. Sometimes I even put the sound on and listen.
2:11:59 _"Who influenced Lovecraft?"_ It's been a number of decades since I read his biography, etc. but I would say *Ambrose Bierce* and *Edgar Allan Poe.*
@@wj2429 Unfamiliar with *_Swinburne._* Was he influential because *Lovecraft* considered himself a throwback to an earlier time? Or did he actually have some particularly spooky works as well?
@@wj2429 Well, I'm really glad you made note of him. I'm looking forward to discovering his work. I just finished glancing at a family tree they had on his Wikipedia page. A great many delightfully hardcore Victorian British names! 😊
Whenever I describe lovecraft's philosophy of ignorance being merciful, I'm reminded of what Agent K said in Men in Black 1 "A person is smart, people are dumb panicking animals. There is always a alien Armada ready to wipe out earth, there is always a cosmic plague that could destroy all life on this puny planet. the only way these people go on with their happy lives, is that they do not know about it." Honestly for an action comedy buddy cop sci-fi film, the scale of Men in Black could be very Lovecraftian...only on a more tech and politics based view as opposed to magick cult text Maybe a reboot could help (in the comics they dealt with aliens, demons and cults) And insanity
I love At the Mountains Madness, It has the most “realism” to any of the stories I think. Both the old school audio tape, and horror babbles readings feel almost like someone is reading a persons journal entry.
Agreed. Mountains of madness had me on the edge of my mental seat the entire way through. The introduction itself is quite a hook, it feels very natural, the way someone would only feel compelled to retell the horrors they witnessed in order to warn and potentially save a future expedition.
Sorry to revive an old thread but you're just too right!!! Huge ranges of sci fi and horror tropes come from this story: going mad from a reveal, the dynamic of a high-tech precursor race that was wiped out by an even scarier precursor race (halo, alien, mass effect, StarCraft), found footage (paranormal activity), an inherently hostile universe (three body problem, SCP)
I mean 40k does have a good amount of lovecraftian feel from the tyranids, Necrons, and the warp. Hell 40k has the "Old Ones" in it as a precursor race who went to war with the C'tan and created the Orcs and Eldar to fight them before they mysteriously disappeared
@Josh M yes. A fellow rememberer of when the Sci-Fi channel was a thing. The serial shows, the docuseries shows, and the movies were so good then. Even the "reality" shows they had were good, im pretty sure that's the channel that had the Tracy Morgan horror prank show
@@aceundead4750 And then, they put Generic Strong Female Exec in charge, and she decided the channel needed to move away from it's "limited audience". About the time they changed from Sci-Fi channel to SuFy....which sounds a pet name for one's favorite venereal disease. Ugh.
“The Statement of Randolph Carter” would be my recommendation for someone wanting to see if they vibe with Lovecraft writing. It’s only like 10 pages, and though I don’t usually find horror to be actually “scary”, its unsettling enough to cause goosebumps
I prefer „Dagon“ as one of the shorter stories I’d recommend. It isn’t that vague, and directly shows the reader what that whole Mythos thing is about.
Hmm, it's funny, I think it's one of his clumsiest and worst stories. The protagonists are extra stupid even for typical Lovecraft protagonists, the writing is not very good, and the "twist" is pretty cheesy. I definitely wouldn't recommend it for a first read. I would recommend something like the Color out of Space : medium-length, but very representative of his brand of cosmic horror and directly plunges into the unknown and the truly alien.
I just discovered this channel and I really wish I was there for streams like this. Quinn, you seem like such an awesome, genuine person. And I really enjoy listening to you talk about anything really lol you've helped me discover so many cool new worlds and authors I'm so excited to explore! And just in time for Holloween! Thank you good sir
@@pinkimietz3243 no I actually hated the racism part. And honestly, before I read any lovecraft, I didn't know about his bigoted views. So its actually important that Quill addresses this in his video. I can still enjoy the cosmic horror aspect of HP Lovevraft's work. Even if it is tainted by his appalling views.
@@pinkimietz3243 the racism is quite laughable and easy to ignore. His writing style is fantastic and his Stories are fascinating. Why do his weird race focused lines once in a while through you off so much? Ye its stupid. But its Not at all the focus of his work.
Quinn, I always appreciate your honesty and fair-minded commentary. I personally love Lovecrafts works, and even though I disagree with his ideology I do not hate the man. Honestly the more I learn about his past and life, I pitty him. I wonder if his beliefs would have been the same today? What if he had be able to find actual mental health care? But I think when you read his work, his absolute fear of everything is very evident. Thanks for the episode, really awesome!
What wonderful words you found to address the timeframe, insular exposure, historical surroundings which influenced 'narrow' thinking and just down right "Ohhhhhh Howard, just .... no. No, really, stop." He truly was the product of a very odd upbringing, his own biography is as odd as so much of his work, right down to his insistence of archaic spellings and phrasing that added an extra layer of 'unique' to his writing. But he laid down an amazing foundation for an Alternate Reality of Earth and the Heavens, he was also very generous in helping to launch the writing of classic Fantasy and Horror writers. It took me a lot of trying before I caught on to Lovecraft's mythos and pantheon, before I realized 'it's all connected', he's now one of my favorites and he led me to Machen, Blackwood, Dunsany, and Wellman. Back to when the whole genre was called 'weird fiction' when 'horror', 'fantasy', 'science or alternative fiction' had been coined as contemporary descriptions. He's a massive inspiration for Hellboy and del Toro. He lurks. He continues to lurk. He is the reason Gotham has Arkham Asylum. And you are always such a thoughtful and well spoken analyst of classic sci-fi and horror. It's always a pleasure to visit your channel (and end up spending my money on some beautiful copy of a book you own that I then have to have.) I love listening to and watching you share your collections with us all.
One of my all time favourite writers, there is literally noone else that compares to his writing and imagination of cosmic horror.... Literally every science fiction horror for the past 100 years has his DNA
Do you mean sci-fi and horror or sci-fi/horror? I think his influence is pretty heavy in both honestly and even high fantasy to an extent. He is probably the single most influential writer in general fantasy/fiction since Jules Verne and HG Wells.
Lovecraft is difficult to read and I'm actually really surprised his personal works get so much attention. I read In the Mountains of Madness recently and its got repetitive overly difficult language and all the monsters tend to be fishy tentacled monsters. I wouldn't call Lovecraft my favorite but if you've ever read Stephen King (coincidentally one of my all time favorite writers) then you will feel the overwhelming power of Lovecraft's influence within the cosmic horror of his works Modern horror owes its existent to Lovecraft but I don't love Lovecraft's books by themselves. I find his books to be like interesting fossils from another time that should be dusted off and examined occasionally so that we can appreciate the great horror authors and film makers that came after.
@@samieltheinfamous Yeah I agree with that too, but I was going for more of a first wave of the particular genres type influence. Lovecraft was definitely the first of his kind and only a single generation later than the others I mentioned. You forgot Herbert as well.
I agree 200% with what you were saying around 37:40, not only as an educated opinion about the unproven unknown but as a fact already proved by science! We don't know the first thing about the universe because we don't have the capacity to perceive the reality as it is, let alone comprehend it. Without even having to leave our own planet, we have species here with the capacity of perceiving reality at different levels than us, take dogs or butterflies for a perfect example! They see the world in different ranges of colors, some less or more than us. Or dolphins! They have developed their huge brains to the point that they have mechanisms to comunicate across very long distances in the middle of the huge dark deep ocean, and although scientists have dedicated their lives to observe that and try to understand how animals can do that sort of things, the reality is, if we are not even capable of understanding the species we share a world with, we should assume that the amount of things we don’t know and won't even have the capacity to comprehend about the universe is countless.
Thrilled to see you covering Lovecraft. I love the ideas in Lovecraft but his writing style can a little intimidating, I really want that illustrated book now
Love your channel, thanks for the content. I'm always amazed with Lovecraft's ideas, especially regarding when he wrote his stories. The man was way beyond his time. Thanks again.
This was one of the best takes I have seen on Lovecraft in a while, especially how you deal with his prejudices but also contextualize it and deal with his mental health issues. It has always struck me as odd that we single him out, yet this was a time when segregation was rampant, racialist science was common, and racism was quite prevalent. I think maybe it his New England breed of racism that focuses so much on bloodlines and ethnicity that throws people off a bit. But when you consider the violent racism prevalent at the time, it feels like a mental hiccup when people make the argument that he was exceptionally racist for the period (his racism was I think very neurotic and baked into a lot of his phobias, but this is a time when the clan was marching on Washington)
Thanks for showing off these stories in a visual format, and even more for your work in general. I have ADHD and when it's bad it's very hard to jump into something in a pure text format.
@41:00 Lol! Quinn fallsminto the same hubris trap that he just described less than a minute before. There are still PLENTY of places on earth that are unexplored. Ice still covers huge areas. There are caves, both dry and water filled that have only begun to be explored. Huge complexes that just keep going and going and we really have no idea of their true size. The bottom of the ocean and eben some large lakes remains mostly unexplored. There are places in the Amazon where archaeologists are revealing large scale stone structures that no one knew about until about 10 years ago. Within our lifetime they will he describing a new civilization that was unknown until now, except maybe in a few scatteted accounts from explorers who were disregarded. And finally, there are things buried deeper than anyone cares to look. Gobekli Teppe, more new discoveries in Iran. Things are being unearthed all the time if one pays attention. To suggest that we have explored everything is laugahble.
I got to visit his grave in Rhode Island. Very minimal grave hidden behind a tree, but it was great to see all of the items left on his grave in Many different languages. There are spots around Providence Rhode island dedicated to his time there but sadly are slowly being removed. He is one of the great story tellers in American history but he sadly falls into the product of his time. I don't know how many books I have on Lovecraft through various iterations or games but it is MANY. Great Video! I had to subscribe, after watching this video today, keep up the great content!
Ok so: 1. I love your attitude, we don't have to throw the baby out with the bathwater. You're a role model for out trying times Quinn 💜 2. Dave! I knew his name wasn't Lucifer... He needs a puffer the poor bugger 😔 3. I love your passion for good stories/fantasy/sci fi, I guess it's all furniture. You've got me keen for Lovecraft now 😊
Quinn is such a smart, ellegant and adorable human being! I've loved his channel ever since the Dune movie came out. I was needi g someone to explain me what the it was all about, and his passion and patience made me stay for the rest of the content! A Hug from 🇦🇷
@Cult Mechanicus It's not deep. It's just another "god work in mysteries ways-excuse". Everything can be "explained" by that. Except, it's never can or will give any answers. Take the Problem of evil; it won't explain that. There are only three answers; either god isn't good, isn't all powerful or doesn't exist. It's really not that complicated.
@@Welther47 No, my friend, you don't understand Moore's point. The idea, the concept of the god IS the god; it doesn't have to physically or supernaturally exist. For examples, look to Neil Gaiman's American Gods, or the earlier writings of Harlan Ellison, Paingod, the god of money, etc... modern 20th and 21st century gods. Read Alan Moore's Promethea series, or at least the interview with him I linked to above. These are Models and Metaphors.
After the first 5 minutes I knew this was going to be a well rounded video. I appreciate you doing what so many cant/wont do anymore today, put things/people/situations in context. Great video on the Master of Horror
It's a boring universe based off toys. At first it seems cool, then you realize just how predictable it is. And how stale it is. Nothing meaningful every changes because again, it's based off toys. You can't have something like the Dune saga in 40k, you can't have something like the fall of the Hegemony (Hyperion) in 40k simply because it's a static setting by design. Oh and don't get me started on the awful books...
@@user-lp7tx1fe6t Sounds like heresy in there : not all of the lore is good right, but sounds like you dont considere humanity's situation in 40k. It's a post apocaliptic universe, where humans are just dying : this is theire last stand but they wont do it against thau and other races. Tyranids are by far the nearest representation of galactic terror I've seen in many other fantasy universes for a long time, and if you take all the time line, you have the same kind of enormous time scale that Dune can provide. I'm a BIIIIG fan of dune and true there is no comparaison, but is it a valuable reason to put down all of 40 lore ? I havent played RPG for years and still is interested in the lore.... but right you got one point for sure : 40k books are defenetly not good at all (except the fisrt book on horus heresy)
I love all of Lovecraft's works and co-works but my favorite has to be The Shadow out of Time, it captures the moments of Dagon, The Nameless City, Beyond the Wall of Sleep and At the mountains of madness all in one story. so many amazing moments combined to make one true epic. Love your channel Quinn.
Terry Pratchett has some lovecraftian old ones trying to get into Discworld all the time. It's the great danger of magic, to open the world to the creatures in the dungeon dimensions. Equal Rites explores this theme and it's a really fun read. I love Terry Pratchett's style, the satire to our own world blended with so many mythological, folkloric and literary nods and easter eggs.
Just finding your content now, but really enjoying it. I was pleased that you touched on Dreamquest of Unknown Kadath. The White Ship was the story that convinced me to keep reading him, but Kadath is my favorite. Also, I like the BBC radio adaptation of the Case of Charles Dexter Ward from a few years back. If you haven't given it a listen, it is wonderful.
Your the coolest. Glad you covered lovecraft and how he was in fear of things unfamiliar to him. I have found that his fears of different people dissipate as his interactions with others grew. In his later works he has a more accepting views and are given more favorable tones in his stories such as dagone or call of C'thulu compared to the mound. In the mound he distinguishes between two types of native Americans and allows the reader to see that any culture can have 2 sides the ones who struggle to stay in the light and those who dive into darkness.
There were some elements of Color Out of Space that completely terrified me. The mom and the son in the attic was pristine Lovecraft energy, even better than The Thing.
To the First part about "The Old One's and Cthulhu.... I HONESTLY BELIEVE HE IS THE DROWNED GOD OF PYKE AND THE IRON BORN.... " FOR WHAT IS DEAD MY NEVER DIE, BUT RISES AGAIN HARDER AND STRONGER
There's a romantic comedy manga called Haiyore! Nyaruko-san where the love interest is an Eldritch Horror wearing the skin of a cute schoolgirl. It's probably the most of out-there Lovecraft-influenced media I've seen, just for its unexpected take.
I Really enjoyed this intro to Lovecraftian lore. Also, Thank you for the The bit about Annihilation Vs Colour out of space was spot on. I remember recommending Annihilation to supposed fans of Lovecraftian themed stories and they were happy to report that they hated it and treated me like I knew nothing about movies. Incredible, really.
Quinn, you have earned a patreon. Not rich, but your videos and interest just intercept with mine so much. Dune, GoT, now Lovecraft. Cheers! Hope to be able to get you a beer someday.
Quinn, I want to thank you! In less than five minutes you managed to sum up the entire "Lovecraft Issue" better than all of the "woke" white kids and angry horror fans that have been tearing each other apart for the last couple of months. You totally get it! And that is why I love your channel so much. You analyze your subjects to the Nth degree before making your videos and you always do an awesome job presenting it! And you've never torn into me like some people do over my love of the Dune prequels and sequels! I never get tired of your content! Can't wait to read Tadhya! Keep on keeping on and being one of the best RUclipsrs....PERIOD!
Check out Clarke Ashton Smith, I love Love craft but then I discovered CAS, I kinda like his stories a tiny bit more. Stephen King, particularly Crouch End/ The Jaunt but all SK is great. Algenon Blackwood, The Wendigo/ The Willows Some other short stories, Black Letter Day, The Battle of Arkham, Prologue to the Weird Company, The Curse of YIG Another very freaky story called This World is Full of Monsters by Jeff Vandermeer That's all I can think of off the top of my head, thanks so much for this content
CAS was an incredibly prolific writer. Do a RUclips search for CAS audiobooks. You could listen for weeks without stopping. a RUclips channel call “swollengoats audiobooks” has a huge number of them for free listening. ✌️🙂👍
@@erictko85 two symbols for gods and people that carried on for the longest of times. Cybele and the Staff God of the Andes. Cybele was depicted before agriculture even became a thing and she used to be presented very differently. Originally she was morbidly obese and her back was flayed to the bone. Then of course there's various settlements that we know nothing about that seemed to just be eaten by the jungles in Indonesia.
NotLess Grossman You mean like Göbekli Tepe? As far as the pyramids are concerned. It’s not a matter of their construction being impossible for us in the modern era (it’s just a pile of blocks), but rather how did they going about building them with the level of technology and the resources that they had, and why did they even bother to invest so much man hours and resources into doing it, and (as with lesser known mega/monoliths) what purpose did the project or end structure serve?
I have a serious uni directional bff thing going on with Quinn.His ability to articulate the subtleties of literature is a grace upon this earth. When he voices the God Emperor Worm, his inflection I think is my new favourite thing. Much obliged, Quinn. ps intelligent malevolence and Necronomacon for Dummies, pure gold lol
Quinn got me reading Lovecraft after the video about Lovecraft in ASOAIF. bought his complete works. the books is huge. i cant remember how many stories I read but id say they added up to 300-400 pages (read out of order). I've paused to start reading the Dune series also because of Quinn. about 100 pages left of Children of Dune. I support via Patreon. Thanks Quinn!
LOVING YOUR CHANNEL! WHOOO! Sorry, I am just so hyped. Came for the Dune discourse, stayed for your personality and candor. Subbed and telling friends.
HP also deserves to be recognized as a virulent racist; one for whom even his own times cannot possibly excuse some of the shit he said and wrote about some human beings. he was a full-on White Supremacist . "So long as modern stories of white genocide, superpredators, and the alleged master race find fertile ground on American soil, the contemporary relevance of Lovecraft will extend beyond what some fans care to admit. His bigotry and race-inflected narratives can’t be wished away, cherry-picked, or swept under the rug in favor of his more widely known literary techniques and accomplishments-especially as hell-bent right-wing insurgents proudly claim him as a true elaborator of reactionary horrors. His stories and politics are still breathing, even the most defiled and rotten among them."
@@rdecredico It was no white supremacist at all. That's so unfounded. This allegations have to stop. Even Joshi, the main HLP living researcher, at the end of his bio says it is overblown. And by the way.... if you see all that racism in lovecraft stories then you can see everywhere.
@@Shinji72 It is NOT unfounded. It is in his writing. You have clearly not read his entire catalog of works. Thus, you are ignorant. And wrong. And this is not really even open for debate. And I say this as a huge fan of his work. Modern Sci fi and fantasy owe him a large debt of gratitude but the man was a piece of fucking shit as a human being., a virulent racist and a white supremacist. So stop with your fucking revisionism.
@@rdecredico have u read the letter that he wrote in his last year of life when he addresses that he was wrong and a reactionary and becomes a socialist sympathizer?? is not like that clean all his work simbolic meaning but is to this point boring and sad seeing the same moralist critique without pointing his change of views and only helps the supremacists that try to ingore that to be able to apropiate his work for them, like in the same way how Freud telling in his last years that homosexuality is normal and that he was wrong was ignored for all his critics making only that homophobes could apropiate psychoanalysis to create conversion therapy
Lovecraft was always a contradiction. He married a jewish woman, he had friends who were gay, he helped female writers get exposure in a mostly male dominated genre, he was a friend of Houdhini, he expressed regret in later life of some of his attitudes before he died. Essentially he died as he was beginning to grow... Common misconceptions. 1 He was a friendless loner. That's not true, he suffered from bouts of depression growing up, but when he got into amateur press he amassed loyal friends, friends who were known as "The Lovecraft Circle." he was by all accounts amiable and loved by his friends. 2. All his literature is based upon fear of race. Yeah that's the most low brow interpretation of his works. As an early teen he became interested in astronomy, it was after studying the universe he realised how indifferent the universe is, he became an atheist, he then started to have crazy dreams of been flown into out of space and dropped upon a huge spike , He bled his nightmares into reality and his fiction was born. Lovecraft's God's are utterly indifferent to all of mankind, there is no good and evil, which is horrifying. Lovecraft spent as much of his meagre income on travelling, Often looking for historical sites, you will find a lot of them in his fiction. 3. Racism, Lovecraft had a genuine phobia, potentially agoraphobia, this agoraphobia attached itself to essentially everyone outside of his house during his early twenties, he and his mother lived a reclusive life for a few years, with Lovecraft not leaving the house until the night to avoid people. A lot of people cherry pick small elements of Lovecraft's fiction to virtue signal, had they of actually read his fiction (a lot of them haven't) Lovecraft's fiction took pot shots at humanity as a whole, which within the context of the cold indifferent universe makes sense. Why would he want nice people in his work if he is trying to world build a universe of indifference? A lot of people don't get that, or it flies over their heads. My advice to anyone is to read S.T. Joshi's fantastic biography "I am Providence" Lovecraft was never a member of the KKK, never hurt children, never hurt women, his only crime is that People are stupidly trying to put their modern political ideology onto his life. Cancel culture doesn't care about art, they Don't care about context, they only care about themselves.
Lovecraft was a blatant racist so much so that he wrote poetry to describe his hatred of black people. His defenders love to blow off his racism as a sign of the times. How convenient that you don't actually have to be black and experience these people's hatred being directed at you. To have people disregarding your very right to live... Also it's intellectually lazy and heavy handed to use a term like "cancel culture" to describe a set of situations that each deserve their own separate analysis.
@@kalebgoldbeck1250 yes, none of what he said should be forgotten. But his defenders who act as though his racism wasn't there or who try to play it down are lying to only themselves. Any literate person who actually has looked into his work can see how racist he actually was, regardless of how much you want to hide it behind his "Jewish wife and gay friends". As if that magically somehow makes him not a racist. Give me a break...
@@kalebgoldbeck1250 It really is bizarre that Lovecraft had a gay friend called Loveman. If anyone gave characters in a novel names like this their editor would say to cut it out and that The Pilgrim's Progress should not be imitated by modern writers.
And your aside on acknowledging and considering an artist who is a product of his time regarding controversial opinions. Everyone holds historical figures to modern standards.
This may be a bit silly, but I've always thought nuclear fission is pretty much the real world manifestation of the fears Lovecraft expressed through his stories. Knowledge about the nature of the universe so deep it can destroy us in the glimpse of an eye. The idea got cemented in my mind when I watched the Chernobyl miniseries, in which the radiation contamination pretty much felt like this alien yet natural thing without even the ability to care about humans or its effect on them, haunting this particular location due to people messing with knowledge they did not, and perhaps should not, fully grasp. And lets not even go into nuclear bombs.
Yes, I also had this impression that nuclear radiation has the flair of a cosmic horror entity. You cannot see it or hear it or run away from it. And it can harm you in a way that you are basically dead before you know it. That said, the depiction of the effects of radiation on the human body in "Chernobyl" was a bit wrong and exaggerated. I understand why they did it, though. The pacing of real radiation sickness isn't good for dramatic effect.
ok so i dont want to drag the conversation down, and im not really sure how to word this... but i've seen a lot of articles recently about how lovecraft isnt fit for modern book shops and saying how toxic it is, and i just despair.. but as a man of colour, i think it's great that you can focus on the incredible writing and world building he did.... and not get bogged down in just calling him a racist, like a lot of people do... i wouldnt be watching if i wasnt a fan of both you and lovecraft... i love how passionate you are... this is easily one of my favourate youtube channels..
Yeah, I've avoiding Lovecraft Country like the plaque since I found out JJ Abrams is involved. Anyway, if anyone's looking for some great Lovecraft-inspired music you should look up Cryochamber. They've got an album for each deity.
I really love Lovecraft, but honestly, I'm waiting on the person that comes up with something just as unique. I feel people always lean on their inspirations too much when they create and so even when they succeed in giving us a different style or angle, it feels like more of the same. If you're old enough you might remember the days when anime was super rare, but the little you did see (Vampire Hunter D, Demon City Shinjuku, Cashan, Record of Lodoss War, Ninja Scroll) was so far beyond what you get in America you were instantly hooked. Patiently waiting on the person that brings something fresh like that to the table.
@OME ACER Having watched anime since the 70's,I can just remember seeing black and white Kimba The White Lion on TV as well as Space Battleship Yamato and Macross back in the day, I agree that the golden age of anime was from around 81' or so to around 96'. There was a unique quality to it and many things were fairly distinct. Akira is good and was important, probably the best thing about it is the soundtrack,but hardly unmatched. The Royal Space Force from 87' is more impressive and Nausicca does a better job at condensing a long story. Grave Of The Fireflies and Only Yesterday are some of the most adult anime and Otaku No Video had far more moxie than Ninja Scroll could ever hope to have. Ninja Scroll has style but little substance as with most of Kawajiri's films. It's a fun ride but it was nothing really new Even in 93'. While no one is going to outdo the biting commentary of Otaku No Video. I l do like Ninja Scroll and Kawajiri's works,have them all on disc. Evangelion is probably the pinnacle of anime being,much like Gunbuster,a summation of anime history up to that point. But it's not surprising since Anno and the rest of Gainax are insanely well versed in obscure anime and filled all their stuff with references while somehow keeping it fresh and interesting. I like the Ghost In The Shell TV show but it doesn't compare to the movies. That's due in large part to director Mamoru Oshii's style. Ever since Beautiful Dreamer and Angel's Egg he has been one of the most interesting and different anime creators. The 95' GITS has a lot in common with Angel's Egg in terms of tone and images. The entire film has a Zen like quality and a focus on spiritually and philosophy that the TV show doesn't have,even though the director of the show was a student of Oshii's. The show is easier to digest and is good for sure but I find myself going back to the film far more. Can't wait for the 4K disc next month. The only film that outdoes it for Oshii is Patlabor 2 which is one of the best anime ever made and something that would never be made here.
There are a lot of authors bringing new and unique things out but many just are overlooked and are ahead of their time. Like Lovecraft. He wasn’t widely regarded and praised for his work until after his death.
Motley Motley True, but modern media has become too dependent and derivative of IPs from the past. The lack of creativity by modern creatives is shocking. I thought art forms were supposed to progress with time, not stagnate.
I saw Lovecraft Country. It has noting to do with HPL or his fiction. Also only a very small portion of his fiction was what came to be called Cthulhu Mythos, HE didn't even call it that.
Thanks for this Livestream. I hope you do more of these. I always enjoy your Lovecraftian breakdowns. I always saw the old ones of inter-dimensional beings. Beyond advance. To loosely quote Arthur C. Clarke, anything which is eons ahead of us and in possession of extremely advance technologies, those beings will look as gods to primitive cultures and their tech as nothing short of magic.
It’s a pleasure to listen to a video on Lovecraft by someone who obviously did their homework, exercised some thought and reflection, and took the time to organize their presentation in a logical and literate manner. A welcome relief from the obligatory public shaming and/or rambling that’s more the norm when most speak of HPL on YT. Greatly appreciated. Bravo! Well done Mr. Quinn.
If you get the chance Quinn, check out Alan Moore's recent Lovecraftian graphic novel Providence. It's brilliantly written. With some very creepy interpretations of HPL's mythos.
Wish I had time to finish this whole video now. I'll definitely be back later to do so! I just stumbled upon your channel, but I have already subscribed and I shall be sticking around for a while! 😁 Cool man! ✌Keep up the good work! 🤘
Thank you for the rational and logical view...wonderful breath of fresh air....yes he had some wrong views, but we can appreciate his art...Thank you Quinn, please keep up the good work!
I'm so glad you chose to discuss Lovecraft. I love his work, and can't wait to hear your thoughts. And, I agree that the recent criticism of his 'racism' is misplaced and disingenuous. PS: Please consider doing a reading of a Lovecraft story. I think your voice would be a great fit for the subject.
Omry Goldwasser I disagree with your assertion that Lovecraft was racist. That’s like claiming he was xenophobic because he suggested that aliens could be evil. The ethnic characters in his stories are represented exactly as they were perceived by society (Africa was the dark continent, voodoo was evil, native religions were pagan). Even when he talks about the Cthulhu cult, he only states what they believe. He does not pass judgment on them. Any derogatory comments in the stories were made by characters who represented the normal public at that time.
Lovecraft's xenophobia and prejudices contributed to his world building. In fantasy the fictional world is the same as the real world until explained otherwise, and that's what Lovecraft did. He fashioned a darker, stranger world than the one he lived in. Where strange foreigners brought dark magics with them, where country people were degenerate, inbred and barely human, where New England was this ancient place full of power and dark secrets. His views on everyone not a wealthy city dwelling white person aren't the reality we live in, but they are the reality for the world he built.
To be fair, most people had rampant prejudices at the time. Lovecraft was a xenophobe, he also feared and distrusted whites outside his immediate community.
I don’t think he was a fan of most people no matter what color they were. His use of the word “niggardly” is misinterpreted as a racial slur but that word was first used around 1500 A.D. and has nothing to do with the slur. 🙂👍
I'm glad you're able to see way beyond Lovecraft's racism. My grandmother is half-black (and half native Honduran), so it is a little personal to me, but ultimately I don't really care about anyone's opinions on race. I just like most of his works and love the haunting world he created.
"Something so weird, that our minds can't comprehend it..." Quantum Mechanics. We can describe it mathematically. It works. But our intuitions, go around and around and can't get a grip on it. Warm regards, Rick.
In The Mouth of Madness is part of Carpenter’s Apocalypse Trilogy, along with The Thing and Prince of Darkness. Deliberately Lovecraft-S.King-inspired.
King is clearly influenced by HPL. His prose style, his visions, some of his stories. Parts of the Dark Tower especially draw on Lovecraft. The short stories Crouch End and Jerusalem's Lot are clearly homage to HPL.
Brian Surratt Aren’t we all? However, In the Mouth of Madness includes a character somewhat based on Stephen King, so it’s not only Lovecraft upon Lovecraft, there’s a direct reference to S. King.
Years ago my mate and I started reading Lovecraft around the same time as each other and both of us ended up having really weird vivid dreams whenever we read the stories just before bed. Lovecraft's stories really have a weird way of getting into your head.
It really is! Think if all people like him actually used their fears and irrational hatred of outsiders in a more creative fashion. Isn't that the best way to express those feelings, instead of using bigotry and violence? He should be praised for the example he sets in that respect. He turned his prejudices into art and inspired generations in the process. I doubt any of his modern proponents can say the same.
@ryne green I think people worry too much about those long dead, rather than their own prejudices, behaviors and contributions. Being offended is a choice, and no one can get someone else to join in their fear and hatred unless said someone chooses to.The onus lies with those who make that choice, not those who merely made expression of their feelings. Additionally, Lovecraft expressed regret for those attitudes later in life. I also think it's possible to enjoy his stories without letting whatever it is that's objectionable in them bother one. I'm a godless heathen myself, but that doesn't stop me from enjoying Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia just because they're a thinly-veiled xian allegory. I'll stop ranting now, sorry about the word-vomit.
This is very helpful! Being playing bloodborne which is a game with very heavy lovecraft influence. This is really helping me understand the themes more and the story itself. I would recommend people to check out the lore for the game. Or play it yourself. It is one of the scariest games I have ever played scary in the way which makes you think and question everything you know.
Love this. Really good discussion and some great graphic novels and novel recommendations 😄 always love hearing your input on my favorite universes (regardless if we share said views or not)
Hey Quinn, thanks for pointing us to Barangers' illustrated version of The Call of Cthulhu - its a masterpice in combining Lovecrafts text and those amazing illustrations. Just received mine today and imnediately had to read it front to back on one sitting. Thanks again for the recommendation!
How the hell have you not seen In The Mouth Of Madness? You need to fix that ASAP I'm also guessing you have not seen The Prince Of Darkness, also by John Carpenter. That was the first movie I saw that got cosmic horror right, and that was before I knew what cosmic horror is.
Yes, definitely John Carpenter was influenced by Lovecraft. I absolutely love In the Mouth of Madness, a perfect meshing of Steven King and Lovecraft directed by a genius of Sci-fi Horror. Also The Thing as interpreted by Carpenter is a defining film not just as a Horror movie but a master class in suspense, tension and fear of the unknown just as Alien was, also a favourite film of mine. I would love to see an accurate, authentic film interpretation of The Call of Cuthulu in all it's glory, not dumbed down or diluted for the sellout Hollywood audience version but a full on accurate rendition.
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The way this dude acknowledged the prejudices of Lovecraft time, while still being able to appreciate the art is the mentality that could save the world.
Right? And everyone seems to forget that Lovecraft was legitimately insane. Like literally possessing a LOT of mental health problems. And they leave out the whole “growing out of it” thing he did toward the end of his life.
Brock Samson he literally married a Jewish woman which is one of the groups he was afraid of 😂
Social justice warriors that condemn people for being normal in their culture have mental issues. They are the modern village idiots but somehow the king listens to the idiot as if he is a wise sage.
Ferdinand amen
The key is not pretending that something was what it wasn't. Lovecraft was hilariously racist and terrified of anyone who wasn't WASP, he still wrote good stories. It's simple as that.
Quinn you have a real gift for conveying complex information in a way that hooks us to our screens, any university would be so lucky to have you as a literature lecturer teaching a sci-fi module
fr
Regarding Lovecraft's racism - I find it interesting that one of Lovecraft's last protagonists, occult expert Étienne-Laurent De Marigny, was a mixed race New Orleans creole. I can't help but speculate that De Marigny, a friend to Randolph Carter, would have become a recurring hero had Lovecraft lived longer. Perhaps some of Lovecraft's favorite contemporary authors and friends were having an effect on him - Clark Ashton Smith, for example, had no problem writing about interracial and even interspecies romance
There was a great documentary on Amazon Prime that mentioned near his death his opinions on things started to change. So, I can only imagine that if he lived longer, he might have changed as a person.
That’s very interesting thank you!
I agree and appreciate the idea that people grow and move past old ideas as they get out into the world and test ideas
@@justintasker2347most people do. Some, more than others
people act like he was a klansman most people across the world harbor prejudices and especially back then I doubt his opinions were that far out of mainstream american thought on race relations.
@@LisatheWeirdo This is exactly the case. He married a Jewish woman, Sonia Greene, who wanted him to move to New York City. This was really the first time he was exposed to the multitude of races and ethnicities, that he didn't see in Providence to the same extent. Shortly after his arrival, he wrote The Horror at Red Hook, which some critics call his most racist story. Fair enough. Eventually, he left to return to Providence. His trip to NYC did change him, and his views started to mellow. One wonders how fully his attitudes would transform had he lived a longer life. And this is in no way handwaving his proclivities away.
Well done Quinn for keeping the theme of the separation of art from the artist. Most artists are strange and have reprehensible sides. If we enjoy their art, it does not mean we approve of their character. Lovecraft had a genius for making humans seem insignificant. His great horror derives from this and the nihilism of a realisation that human life may be without purpose. At the Mountains of Madness covers this extremely well and has had many imitations including the film Prometheus.
I am so looking forward to getting Tadhya - you are doing great work Quinn.
My only conceit is what would an artist have to do to lose your support what line can never be crossed?
@@snatchadams69 An excellent question and hard to answer. I think committing or being complicit in murder or child abuse would cross the line. For instance, the more knowledge I obtained of Roman Polanski's history, it built into an aversion to seeing his films. However he did make an important film about the holocaust and he is a holocaust survivor. That does not counteract his convicted crimes, but it creates a dilemma. One I have avoided by avoiding the film in question.
That takes one back to the Old Ones - the fear they inspire is their indifference to humanity, which is the trademark of a human psychopath, they are an expression of humanity's own dark side in that regard. It would be interesting to research how many great artists were psychopaths or sociopaths.
I agree with you mostly. But it can be a problem with living artists because they can still cause damage. if an artist
Is homophobic supporting them will help them spread homophobia on social media or through political donations even if it isn't obvious in their art.
It is a lot more complicated when it comes to the living
@Gasper Vidovic possibly they are referencing JK Rowling and the fact she seems to be so transphobic, she had to write an essay explaining her transphobia, chose a homophobic/transphobic pen name for her transphobic story, and retweeting TERF talking points.
@@juliankirby9880 you're a talentless smear merchant
H.P. Lovecraft is the only writer that scares me. It's not what he writes, it's how he writes.
H.P. Lovecraft highly praised Robert E Howard(author of "Conan the Barbarian") for his horror writing. They corresponded through letters quite a bit. Howard wrote a decent collection of Horror, some of it set in the Cthulu Mythos. I agree with Lovecraft's assessment, Howard definitely was an undeniable talent.
Aye. He violates the ”show, don't tell“ rule throughout, but somehow he manages to pull it off, to make you fill in the blanks he only hints at. He keeps telling you something is too horrible to describe, and rather than making that sound like lazy storytelling, he somehow makes you imagine your worst nightmare and something beyond.
I actually think one of the best examples of Lovecraftian concepts adapted to film is Twin Peaks. Not in the conventional sense, but the red room is inhabited by strange beings that often send humans mad when they interact with them and you really get the feeling that what you looking at isn't what is really there, but the closest approximation that is possible for a human to perceive. Even the 'mauve zone' in The Return is part of Kenneth Grant's mythos, which is an actual occultist who writes about and interacts with The Old Ones. Really far out stuff btw, but worth looking into if you dig Lovecraft stuff. Love you Quinn, as always, keep up the good work.
Nice catch! Also the fact that people in the Black/White Lodge sometimes speak in reverse, or are represented by non-human objects do point towards cosmic horror as you note.
mouth of madness
No sorry but twin peaks is based on Native American religion
@@malkavil I agree that is the best Lovecraft movie
2nd to that is dagon
@@rajanaga3538 No Sorry but I thinking the understanding did not welcome to your consciousness.....
If anyone is interested just about every Lovecraft story can be found in audiobook form on RUclips for free. I’ve listened to all of them several times each. As far as the scariest of Lovecraft’s stories, in my opinion, it’s “Dreams in the witch house”. Love your content 🙂👍
Horror babble right? I love that channel
You should check out, "Conan the Barbarian" author, Robert Howard"s Stories that he wrote within the Cthulu Mythos. Lovecraft thought very highly of Howard's ability as a Horror writer.
@@jaded9234 I actually collected Conan comics growing up long before I ever heard of Lovecraft and I think (not completely positive) I’ve read all his Cthulhu mythos stories since. Finding that connection between Howard and Lovecraft led me to Clark Ashton Smith, August Derleth, Robert Bloch and the couple others (unfortunately can’t remember their names at the moment) in the Lovecraft circle. It’s crazy the amount of material Howard created before his death at 30 years old.
I've known of conan, basically, my entire life. I heard the quote of Lovecraft's where he calls Howard a true master of horror writing. That was when I listened to a collection of Howard's horror stories(both, Cthulu mythos and non-Cthulu mythos-related). There are many and I've only disliked one short story(though, that wasn't because the story wasn't written well).
I've never been much interested in Lovecraft. Yet I find that I seem to be able to watch this video over and over, and I just love it. Can hardly look away. Sometimes I even put the sound on and listen.
2:11:59 _"Who influenced Lovecraft?"_ It's been a number of decades since I read his biography, etc. but I would say *Ambrose Bierce* and *Edgar Allan Poe.*
you may add Robert W. Chambers, Lord Dunsany, Jules Verne, Charles Dickens, Bram Stoker..
@@wj2429 Unfamiliar with *_Swinburne._* Was he influential because *Lovecraft* considered himself a throwback to an earlier time? Or did he actually have some particularly spooky works as well?
@@wj2429 Well, I'm really glad you made note of him. I'm looking forward to discovering his work. I just finished glancing at a family tree they had on his Wikipedia page. A great many delightfully hardcore Victorian British names! 😊
Lord Dunsany for sure
Algernon Blackwood: "Am I a joke to you?"
Whenever I describe lovecraft's philosophy of ignorance being merciful, I'm reminded of what Agent K said in Men in Black 1
"A person is smart, people are dumb panicking animals. There is always a alien Armada ready to wipe out earth, there is always a cosmic plague that could destroy all life on this puny planet. the only way these people go on with their happy lives, is that they do not know about it."
Honestly for an action comedy buddy cop sci-fi film, the scale of Men in Black could be very Lovecraftian...only on a more tech and politics based view as opposed to magick cult text
Maybe a reboot could help (in the comics they dealt with aliens, demons and cults)
And insanity
I love At the Mountains Madness, It has the most “realism” to any of the stories I think. Both the old school audio tape, and horror babbles readings feel almost like someone is reading a persons journal entry.
Agreed. Mountains of madness had me on the edge of my mental seat the entire way through. The introduction itself is quite a hook, it feels very natural, the way someone would only feel compelled to retell the horrors they witnessed in order to warn and potentially save a future expedition.
True, the whole shoggoth part burned itself into my brain
B.J. Harrison of the classic tales podcast has a good reading of at the mountains of madness and the music of Erich zann
Sorry to revive an old thread but you're just too right!!! Huge ranges of sci fi and horror tropes come from this story: going mad from a reveal, the dynamic of a high-tech precursor race that was wiped out by an even scarier precursor race (halo, alien, mass effect, StarCraft), found footage (paranormal activity), an inherently hostile universe (three body problem, SCP)
HorrorBabble is a great channel! I listen to them all the time
The film Event Horizon I thought was very Lovecraftian.
agreed
Event Horizon, one of my alltime favourites. sam neil was creepy as hell in it
Never watch before sleep...... nasty dreams if your mind allows you to sleep that night.
No more 40k
I mean 40k does have a good amount of lovecraftian feel from the tyranids, Necrons, and the warp. Hell 40k has the "Old Ones" in it as a precursor race who went to war with the C'tan and created the Orcs and Eldar to fight them before they mysteriously disappeared
Seriously i can't understand why SciFy channel doesn't give you a weekly one hour show.
Because he’s not SJW enough.
He is to good
@Josh M yes. A fellow rememberer of when the Sci-Fi channel was a thing. The serial shows, the docuseries shows, and the movies were so good then. Even the "reality" shows they had were good, im pretty sure that's the channel that had the Tracy Morgan horror prank show
@@aceundead4750 And then, they put Generic Strong Female Exec in charge, and she decided the channel needed to move away from it's "limited audience". About the time they changed from Sci-Fi channel to SuFy....which sounds a pet name for one's favorite venereal disease. Ugh.
They cant handle the Quinn
“The Statement of Randolph Carter” would be my recommendation for someone wanting to see if they vibe with Lovecraft writing. It’s only like 10 pages, and though I don’t usually find horror to be actually “scary”, its unsettling enough to cause goosebumps
I prefer „Dagon“ as one of the shorter stories I’d recommend. It isn’t that vague, and directly shows the reader what that whole Mythos thing is about.
I thoroughly enjoy the Dream-scape stories. Unknown Kadath is the pinnacle
Hmm, it's funny, I think it's one of his clumsiest and worst stories. The protagonists are extra stupid even for typical Lovecraft protagonists, the writing is not very good, and the "twist" is pretty cheesy. I definitely wouldn't recommend it for a first read. I would recommend something like the Color out of Space : medium-length, but very representative of his brand of cosmic horror and directly plunges into the unknown and the truly alien.
I just discovered this channel and I really wish I was there for streams like this. Quinn, you seem like such an awesome, genuine person. And I really enjoy listening to you talk about anything really lol you've helped me discover so many cool new worlds and authors I'm so excited to explore! And just in time for Holloween! Thank you good sir
I haven't listened to you since the GoT craze. I've always enjoyed Lovecraft's work, and I'm very excited you're delving into his work.
What exactly did you enjoy? The racism?
@@pinkimietz3243 no I actually hated the racism part. And honestly, before I read any lovecraft, I didn't know about his bigoted views. So its actually important that Quill addresses this in his video.
I can still enjoy the cosmic horror aspect of HP Lovevraft's work. Even if it is tainted by his appalling views.
Pinki Mietz did you even watch this video?
@@pinkimietz3243 the racism is quite laughable and easy to ignore. His writing style is fantastic and his Stories are fascinating. Why do his weird race focused lines once in a while through you off so much? Ye its stupid. But its Not at all the focus of his work.
@@pinkimietz3243 lol 🤣😂 you are moron. Go f**k yourselk kid.
Quinn, I always appreciate your honesty and fair-minded commentary. I personally love Lovecrafts works, and even though I disagree with his ideology I do not hate the man. Honestly the more I learn about his past and life, I pitty him. I wonder if his beliefs would have been the same today? What if he had be able to find actual mental health care? But I think when you read his work, his absolute fear of everything is very evident. Thanks for the episode, really awesome!
What wonderful words you found to address the timeframe, insular exposure, historical surroundings which influenced 'narrow' thinking and just down right "Ohhhhhh Howard, just .... no. No, really, stop." He truly was the product of a very odd upbringing, his own biography is as odd as so much of his work, right down to his insistence of archaic spellings and phrasing that added an extra layer of 'unique' to his writing. But he laid down an amazing foundation for an Alternate Reality of Earth and the Heavens, he was also very generous in helping to launch the writing of classic Fantasy and Horror writers. It took me a lot of trying before I caught on to Lovecraft's mythos and pantheon, before I realized 'it's all connected', he's now one of my favorites and he led me to Machen, Blackwood, Dunsany, and Wellman. Back to when the whole genre was called 'weird fiction' when 'horror', 'fantasy', 'science or alternative fiction' had been coined as contemporary descriptions. He's a massive inspiration for Hellboy and del Toro. He lurks. He continues to lurk. He is the reason Gotham has Arkham Asylum. And you are always such a thoughtful and well spoken analyst of classic sci-fi and horror. It's always a pleasure to visit your channel (and end up spending my money on some beautiful copy of a book you own that I then have to have.) I love listening to and watching you share your collections with us all.
One of my all time favourite writers, there is literally noone else that compares to his writing and imagination of cosmic horror.... Literally every science fiction horror for the past 100 years has his DNA
Do you mean sci-fi and horror or sci-fi/horror? I think his influence is pretty heavy in both honestly and even high fantasy to an extent. He is probably the single most influential writer in general fantasy/fiction since Jules Verne and HG Wells.
@@DeathBYDesign666 I'd include Asimov, Heinlein, Bradbury, Tolkien and Lewis in that circle of influential writers, but otherwise I agree.
@@DeathBYDesign666 Also, Philip K. Dick. Can't believe I left him off...
Lovecraft is difficult to read and I'm actually really surprised his personal works get so much attention. I read In the Mountains of Madness recently and its got repetitive overly difficult language and all the monsters tend to be fishy tentacled monsters. I wouldn't call Lovecraft my favorite but if you've ever read Stephen King (coincidentally one of my all time favorite writers) then you will feel the overwhelming power of Lovecraft's influence within the cosmic horror of his works Modern horror owes its existent to Lovecraft but I don't love Lovecraft's books by themselves. I find his books to be like interesting fossils from another time that should be dusted off and examined occasionally so that we can appreciate the great horror authors and film makers that came after.
@@samieltheinfamous Yeah I agree with that too, but I was going for more of a first wave of the particular genres type influence. Lovecraft was definitely the first of his kind and only a single generation later than the others I mentioned. You forgot Herbert as well.
I agree 200% with what you were saying around 37:40, not only as an educated opinion about the unproven unknown but as a fact already proved by science! We don't know the first thing about the universe because we don't have the capacity to perceive the reality as it is, let alone comprehend it. Without even having to leave our own planet, we have species here with the capacity of perceiving reality at different levels than us, take dogs or butterflies for a perfect example! They see the world in different ranges of colors, some less or more than us. Or dolphins! They have developed their huge brains to the point that they have mechanisms to comunicate across very long distances in the middle of the huge dark deep ocean, and although scientists have dedicated their lives to observe that and try to understand how animals can do that sort of things, the reality is, if we are not even capable of understanding the species we share a world with, we should assume that the amount of things we don’t know and won't even have the capacity to comprehend about the universe is countless.
Thrilled to see you covering Lovecraft. I love the ideas in Lovecraft but his writing style can a little intimidating, I really want that illustrated book now
Love your channel, thanks for the content.
I'm always amazed with Lovecraft's ideas, especially regarding when he wrote his stories. The man was way beyond his time. Thanks again.
Oh my you are so good and interesting while explaining Lovecraft's stories.i just saw last night some of your animated shows.FANTASTIC!!!!!!
This was one of the best takes I have seen on Lovecraft in a while, especially how you deal with his prejudices but also contextualize it and deal with his mental health issues. It has always struck me as odd that we single him out, yet this was a time when segregation was rampant, racialist science was common, and racism was quite prevalent. I think maybe it his New England breed of racism that focuses so much on bloodlines and ethnicity that throws people off a bit. But when you consider the violent racism prevalent at the time, it feels like a mental hiccup when people make the argument that he was exceptionally racist for the period (his racism was I think very neurotic and baked into a lot of his phobias, but this is a time when the clan was marching on Washington)
Thanks for showing off these stories in a visual format, and even more for your work in general. I have ADHD and when it's bad it's very hard to jump into something in a pure text format.
me too. His videos convey the story in a super interesting way.
@41:00
Lol!
Quinn fallsminto the same hubris trap that he just described less than a minute before.
There are still PLENTY of places on earth that are unexplored.
Ice still covers huge areas.
There are caves, both dry and water filled that have only begun to be explored. Huge complexes that just keep going and going and we really have no idea of their true size.
The bottom of the ocean and eben some large lakes remains mostly unexplored.
There are places in the Amazon where archaeologists are revealing large scale stone structures that no one knew about until about 10 years ago. Within our lifetime they will he describing a new civilization that was unknown until now, except maybe in a few scatteted accounts from explorers who were disregarded.
And finally, there are things buried deeper than anyone cares to look.
Gobekli Teppe, more new discoveries in Iran. Things are being unearthed all the time if one pays attention.
To suggest that we have explored everything is laugahble.
That which is dead may eternal lie, but with strange eons even death may die.
I knew this quote via Metallica LONG before I even heard of Lovecraft 🤘
Also, that which is dead may never die, but risesagain, stronger and harder. 🤣
It's "That is not dead which may eternal lie, and with strange eons, even death may die"
FACTS
I got to visit his grave in Rhode Island. Very minimal grave hidden behind a tree, but it was great to see all of the items left on his grave in Many different languages. There are spots around Providence Rhode island dedicated to his time there but sadly are slowly being removed. He is one of the great story tellers in American history but he sadly falls into the product of his time. I don't know how many books I have on Lovecraft through various iterations or games but it is MANY. Great Video! I had to subscribe, after watching this video today, keep up the great content!
Ok so:
1. I love your attitude, we don't have to throw the baby out with the bathwater. You're a role model for out trying times Quinn 💜
2. Dave! I knew his name wasn't Lucifer... He needs a puffer the poor bugger 😔
3. I love your passion for good stories/fantasy/sci fi, I guess it's all furniture. You've got me keen for Lovecraft now 😊
Quinn is such a smart, ellegant and adorable human being! I've loved his channel ever since the Dune movie came out. I was needi g someone to explain me what the it was all about, and his passion and patience made me stay for the rest of the content!
A Hug from 🇦🇷
"The IDEA of the God, IS the God." --- Alan Moore.
@Cult Mechanicus It's not deep. It's just another "god work in mysteries ways-excuse". Everything can be "explained" by that. Except, it's never can or will give any answers.
Take the Problem of evil; it won't explain that. There are only three answers; either god isn't good, isn't all powerful or doesn't exist. It's really not that complicated.
Alan Moore ( 🎵🎶🎵“knows the score”🎵🎶🎵, one for the teenagers there) is a space wizard, so he would know.
I thought Alanis Morissette was God?
@@nqabandlwana5040 Hmm, what is that? Could you please explicate?
@@Welther47 No, my friend, you don't understand Moore's point. The idea, the concept of the god IS the god; it doesn't have to physically or supernaturally exist. For examples, look to Neil Gaiman's American Gods, or the earlier writings of Harlan Ellison, Paingod, the god of money, etc... modern 20th and 21st century gods. Read Alan Moore's Promethea series, or at least the interview with him I linked to above. These are Models and Metaphors.
After the first 5 minutes I knew this was going to be a well rounded video. I appreciate you doing what so many cant/wont do anymore today, put things/people/situations in context. Great video on the Master of Horror
Would love your perspective on the warhammer 40k universe!
This would be amazing. Emperor be praised!
The parallels it has with Dune make it pretty cool to me as a Dune fan. And with Lovecraft. Seems a cool thing for Quinn to talk about!
I don’t think he’s into all that.
It's a boring universe based off toys. At first it seems cool, then you realize just how predictable it is. And how stale it is. Nothing meaningful every changes because again, it's based off toys. You can't have something like the Dune saga in 40k, you can't have something like the fall of the Hegemony (Hyperion) in 40k simply because it's a static setting by design. Oh and don't get me started on the awful books...
@@user-lp7tx1fe6t Sounds like heresy in there : not all of the lore is good right, but sounds like you dont considere humanity's situation in 40k. It's a post apocaliptic universe, where humans are just dying : this is theire last stand but they wont do it against thau and other races. Tyranids are by far the nearest representation of galactic terror I've seen in many other fantasy universes for a long time, and if you take all the time line, you have the same kind of enormous time scale that Dune can provide. I'm a BIIIIG fan of dune and true there is no comparaison, but is it a valuable reason to put down all of 40 lore ? I havent played RPG for years and still is interested in the lore.... but right you got one point for sure : 40k books are defenetly not good at all (except the fisrt book on horus heresy)
I love all of Lovecraft's works and co-works but my favorite has to be The Shadow out of Time, it captures the moments of Dagon, The Nameless City, Beyond the Wall of Sleep and At the mountains of madness all in one story. so many amazing moments combined to make one true epic. Love your channel Quinn.
Terry Pratchett has some lovecraftian old ones trying to get into Discworld all the time. It's the great danger of magic, to open the world to the creatures in the dungeon dimensions. Equal Rites explores this theme and it's a really fun read. I love Terry Pratchett's style, the satire to our own world blended with so many mythological, folkloric and literary nods and easter eggs.
The necrotelecomnicon.
I think Pratchett grew out of parodying Lovecraft fairly quickly though.
Just finding your content now, but really enjoying it. I was pleased that you touched on Dreamquest of Unknown Kadath. The White Ship was the story that convinced me to keep reading him, but Kadath is my favorite.
Also, I like the BBC radio adaptation of the Case of Charles Dexter Ward from a few years back. If you haven't given it a listen, it is wonderful.
Your the coolest. Glad you covered lovecraft and how he was in fear of things unfamiliar to him. I have found that his fears of different people dissipate as his interactions with others grew. In his later works he has a more accepting views and are given more favorable tones in his stories such as dagone or call of C'thulu compared to the mound. In the mound he distinguishes between two types of native Americans and allows the reader to see that any culture can have 2 sides the ones who struggle to stay in the light and those who dive into darkness.
Favorite nickname for Randall Flagg: The Walkin’ Dude
Cabin in the Woods. Joss Whedon marries slasher horror with cosmic horror, hilarity ensues.
Love this so much, Quinn! Thank you, you and LML make the best content on RUclips. I absolutely love this.
There were some elements of Color Out of Space that completely terrified me. The mom and the son in the attic was pristine Lovecraft energy, even better than The Thing.
The color from out of space is a Lovecraft story.
I should hope it has lovecraft enargy, he did write it.
To the First part about "The Old One's and Cthulhu.... I HONESTLY BELIEVE HE IS THE DROWNED GOD OF PYKE AND THE IRON BORN.... " FOR WHAT IS DEAD MY NEVER DIE, BUT RISES AGAIN HARDER AND STRONGER
There's a romantic comedy manga called Haiyore! Nyaruko-san where the love interest is an Eldritch Horror wearing the skin of a cute schoolgirl. It's probably the most of out-there Lovecraft-influenced media I've seen, just for its unexpected take.
Nyarlathotep has the title 'The God of a Thousand Forms' so I can believe one of them is a cute anime girl lol.
You are the Best at this bro. Love your literary deep dives. Just fantastic.
I Really enjoyed this intro to Lovecraftian lore. Also, Thank you for the The bit about Annihilation Vs Colour out of space was spot on. I remember recommending Annihilation to supposed fans of Lovecraftian themed stories and they were happy to report that they hated it and treated me like I knew nothing about movies. Incredible, really.
Quinn, you have earned a patreon. Not rich, but your videos and interest just intercept with mine so much. Dune, GoT, now Lovecraft. Cheers! Hope to be able to get you a beer someday.
Quinn, I want to thank you! In less than five minutes you managed to sum up the entire "Lovecraft Issue" better than all of the "woke" white kids and angry horror fans that have been tearing each other apart for the last couple of months. You totally get it! And that is why I love your channel so much. You analyze your subjects to the Nth degree before making your videos and you always do an awesome job presenting it! And you've never torn into me like some people do over my love of the Dune prequels and sequels! I never get tired of your content! Can't wait to read Tadhya! Keep on keeping on and being one of the best RUclipsrs....PERIOD!
He is a woke fool who said fuck all cops.. etc dont get your hope up...
I LOVE hearing from people that are passionate about complex topics like this and love what they do/know. Keep em coming bro!
Check out Clarke Ashton Smith, I love Love craft but then I discovered CAS, I kinda like his stories a tiny bit more.
Stephen King, particularly Crouch End/ The Jaunt but all SK is great.
Algenon Blackwood, The Wendigo/ The Willows
Some other short stories, Black Letter Day, The Battle of Arkham, Prologue to the Weird Company, The Curse of YIG
Another very freaky story called This World is Full of Monsters by Jeff Vandermeer
That's all I can think of off the top of my head, thanks so much for this content
The Willows was Lovecraft's favorite weird fiction story. It's really good.
The Jaunt will be stuck in my head forever. I think for me it's one of the scariest stories I've read.
@@Shayoni It's my favorite short of kings
@Liam Donovan I have them all in a personal playlist
CAS was an incredibly prolific writer. Do a RUclips search for CAS audiobooks. You could listen for weeks without stopping. a RUclips channel call “swollengoats audiobooks” has a huge number of them for free listening. ✌️🙂👍
OK Just found this after being a huge fan of yours Quinn. I really look forward to listening to it on my commute!
Listening to Lovecraft audiobooks while sleeping = the best dreams.
I thought I was the only one who does this. Lovecraft read by Gordon Gould is my favorite.
@@岩倉玲音-z4g Depends on the story for me, different stories lend themselves to different voices, in my opinion anyway.
Been a fan of your content for years! Keep up the good work!
As an archaeology student, no we have barely scratched the surface of humans alone.
That's awesome. Got any good examples on human mysteries and oddities? Cheers.
How do you feel about the discovered works that pre dated Egypt? Masons to this day cannot recreate some of stonework found.
@@erictko85 two symbols for gods and people that carried on for the longest of times. Cybele and the Staff God of the Andes. Cybele was depicted before agriculture even became a thing and she used to be presented very differently. Originally she was morbidly obese and her back was flayed to the bone. Then of course there's various settlements that we know nothing about that seemed to just be eaten by the jungles in Indonesia.
@@notlessgrossman163 it's not surprising. We've been making things for a long long time. Also I doubt it's impossible for masons to accomplish.
NotLess Grossman
You mean like Göbekli Tepe?
As far as the pyramids are concerned. It’s not a matter of their construction being impossible for us in the modern era (it’s just a pile of blocks), but rather how did they going about building them with the level of technology and the resources that they had, and why did they even bother to invest so much man hours and resources into doing it, and (as with lesser known mega/monoliths) what purpose did the project or end structure serve?
thank you. lovecraft is awesome.
lets dive deep into the lore.
I have a serious uni directional bff thing going on with Quinn.His ability to articulate the subtleties of literature is a grace upon this earth. When he voices the God Emperor Worm, his inflection I think is my new favourite thing. Much obliged, Quinn.
ps intelligent malevolence and Necronomacon for Dummies, pure gold lol
Quinn got me reading Lovecraft after the video about Lovecraft in ASOAIF. bought his complete works. the books is huge. i cant remember how many stories I read but id say they added up to 300-400 pages (read out of order). I've paused to start reading the Dune series also because of Quinn. about 100 pages left of Children of Dune. I support via Patreon. Thanks Quinn!
When is Quinn going to release an audiobook of any of the books he talks about? His voice is perfect for it
I’m wondering the same thing. I could listen to this voice all day.
No doubt. He is a very eloquent man with a unique tone of voice.
I’ve been getting very into Lovecraft lately and writing cosmic horror stories of my own. Thanks for this great content!
Imagine Quinn DMing sessions of D&D, Call of Cthulhu, etc. Please make this a thing.
LOVING YOUR CHANNEL! WHOOO! Sorry, I am just so hyped. Came for the Dune discourse, stayed for your personality and candor. Subbed and telling friends.
Lovecraft has such an interesting style. Thank you for addressing the outrage. His work deserves to be read.
I call it an atmospheric style.
HP also deserves to be recognized as a virulent racist; one for whom even his own times cannot possibly excuse some of the shit he said and wrote about some human beings. he was a full-on White Supremacist .
"So long as modern stories of white genocide, superpredators, and the alleged master race find fertile ground on American soil, the contemporary relevance of Lovecraft will extend beyond what some fans care to admit. His bigotry and race-inflected narratives can’t be wished away, cherry-picked, or swept under the rug in favor of his more widely known literary techniques and accomplishments-especially as hell-bent right-wing insurgents proudly claim him as a true elaborator of reactionary horrors. His stories and politics are still breathing, even the most defiled and rotten among them."
@@rdecredico It was no white supremacist at all. That's so unfounded. This allegations have to stop. Even Joshi, the main HLP living researcher, at the end of his bio says it is overblown. And by the way.... if you see all that racism in lovecraft stories then you can see everywhere.
@@Shinji72 It is NOT unfounded. It is in his writing.
You have clearly not read his entire catalog of works. Thus, you are ignorant. And wrong. And this is not really even open for debate.
And I say this as a huge fan of his work.
Modern Sci fi and fantasy owe him a large debt of gratitude but the man was a piece of fucking shit as a human being., a virulent racist and a white supremacist.
So stop with your fucking revisionism.
@@rdecredico have u read the letter that he wrote in his last year of life when he addresses that he was wrong and a reactionary and becomes a socialist sympathizer??
is not like that clean all his work simbolic meaning but is to this point boring and sad seeing the same moralist critique without pointing his change of views and only helps the supremacists that try to ingore that to be able to apropiate his work for them, like in the same way how Freud telling in his last years that homosexuality is normal and that he was wrong was ignored for all his critics making only that homophobes could apropiate psychoanalysis to create conversion therapy
I have his full anthology and Quinn, thank you for covering so much great literature. You're amazing
Lovecraft was always a contradiction.
He married a jewish woman, he had friends who were gay, he helped female writers get exposure in a mostly male dominated genre, he was a friend of Houdhini, he expressed regret in later life of some of his attitudes before he died.
Essentially he died as he was beginning to grow...
Common misconceptions.
1 He was a friendless loner.
That's not true, he suffered from bouts of depression growing up, but when he got into amateur press he amassed loyal friends, friends who were known as "The Lovecraft Circle." he was by all accounts amiable and loved by his friends.
2. All his literature is based upon fear of race.
Yeah that's the most low brow interpretation of his works.
As an early teen he became interested in astronomy, it was after studying the universe he realised how indifferent the universe is, he became an atheist, he then started to have crazy dreams of been flown into out of space and dropped upon a huge spike , He bled his nightmares into reality and his fiction was born. Lovecraft's God's are utterly indifferent to all of mankind, there is no good and evil, which is horrifying.
Lovecraft spent as much of his meagre income on travelling, Often looking for historical sites, you will find a lot of them
in his fiction.
3. Racism, Lovecraft had a genuine phobia, potentially agoraphobia, this agoraphobia attached itself to essentially everyone outside of his house
during his early twenties, he and his mother lived a reclusive life for a few years, with Lovecraft not leaving the house until the night to avoid people.
A lot of people cherry pick small elements of Lovecraft's fiction to virtue signal, had they of actually read his fiction (a lot of them haven't)
Lovecraft's fiction took pot shots at humanity as a whole, which within the context of the cold indifferent universe
makes sense. Why would he want nice people in his work if he is trying to world build a universe of indifference?
A lot of people don't get that, or it flies over their heads.
My advice to anyone is to read S.T. Joshi's fantastic biography "I am Providence" Lovecraft was never a member of the KKK, never hurt children, never hurt women, his only crime is that People are stupidly trying to put their modern political ideology onto his life.
Cancel culture doesn't care about art, they Don't care about context, they only care about themselves.
Well said.
All true, all valid points. The guy’s imperfections fueled his work
Lovecraft was a blatant racist so much so that he wrote poetry to describe his hatred of black people. His defenders love to blow off his racism as a sign of the times. How convenient that you don't actually have to be black and experience these people's hatred being directed at you. To have people disregarding your very right to live...
Also it's intellectually lazy and heavy handed to use a term like "cancel culture" to describe a set of situations that each deserve their own separate analysis.
@@kalebgoldbeck1250 yes, none of what he said should be forgotten. But his defenders who act as though his racism wasn't there or who try to play it down are lying to only themselves. Any literate person who actually has looked into his work can see how racist he actually was, regardless of how much you want to hide it behind his "Jewish wife and gay friends". As if that magically somehow makes him not a racist. Give me a break...
@@kalebgoldbeck1250
It really is bizarre that Lovecraft had a gay friend called Loveman.
If anyone gave characters in a novel names like this their editor would say to cut it out and that The Pilgrim's Progress should not be imitated by modern writers.
I love rewatching the lives while I work. Quinn, thank you for all you do. Praise Garf 😆
And your aside on acknowledging and considering an artist who is a product of his time regarding controversial opinions. Everyone holds historical figures to modern standards.
This may be a bit silly, but I've always thought nuclear fission is pretty much the real world manifestation of the fears Lovecraft expressed through his stories. Knowledge about the nature of the universe so deep it can destroy us in the glimpse of an eye. The idea got cemented in my mind when I watched the Chernobyl miniseries, in which the radiation contamination pretty much felt like this alien yet natural thing without even the ability to care about humans or its effect on them, haunting this particular location due to people messing with knowledge they did not, and perhaps should not, fully grasp. And lets not even go into nuclear bombs.
Yes, I also had this impression that nuclear radiation has the flair of a cosmic horror entity. You cannot see it or hear it or run away from it. And it can harm you in a way that you are basically dead before you know it.
That said, the depiction of the effects of radiation on the human body in "Chernobyl" was a bit wrong and exaggerated. I understand why they did it, though. The pacing of real radiation sickness isn't good for dramatic effect.
ok so i dont want to drag the conversation down, and im not really sure how to word this... but i've seen a lot of articles recently about how lovecraft isnt fit for modern book shops and saying how toxic it is, and i just despair.. but as a man of colour, i think it's great that you can focus on the incredible writing and world building he did.... and not get bogged down in just calling him a racist, like a lot of people do... i wouldnt be watching if i wasnt a fan of both you and lovecraft... i love how passionate you are... this is easily one of my favourate youtube channels..
You are amazing! I love the Lovecraftian mythology! You have alot of interests. You are definitely one of my top 10 RUclipsrs!
Yeah, I've avoiding Lovecraft Country like the plaque since I found out JJ Abrams is involved.
Anyway, if anyone's looking for some great Lovecraft-inspired music you should look up Cryochamber. They've got an album for each deity.
It's really pretty good.
But Lovecraft purists might not like the shoggoths.
I like Metallica's call of Ctulu. Very operatic.
I didn't know that you and Dave were roommates! That's awesome!!!
Also, I absolutely love both of y'all's content. You're both spectacular!
I really love Lovecraft, but honestly, I'm waiting on the person that comes up with something just as unique. I feel people always lean on their inspirations too much when they create and so even when they succeed in giving us a different style or angle, it feels like more of the same. If you're old enough you might remember the days when anime was super rare, but the little you did see (Vampire Hunter D, Demon City Shinjuku, Cashan, Record of Lodoss War, Ninja Scroll) was so far beyond what you get in America you were instantly hooked. Patiently waiting on the person that brings something fresh like that to the table.
@OME ACER Having watched anime since the 70's,I can just remember seeing black and white Kimba The White Lion on TV as well as Space Battleship Yamato and Macross back in the day, I agree that the golden age of anime was from around 81' or so to around 96'. There was a unique quality to it and many things were fairly distinct.
Akira is good and was important, probably the best thing about it is the soundtrack,but hardly unmatched. The Royal Space Force from 87' is more impressive and Nausicca does a better job at condensing a long story. Grave Of The Fireflies and Only Yesterday are some of the most adult anime and Otaku No Video had far more moxie than Ninja Scroll could ever hope to have. Ninja Scroll has style but little substance as with most of Kawajiri's films. It's a fun ride but it was nothing really new Even in 93'. While no one is going to outdo the biting commentary of Otaku No Video. I l do like Ninja Scroll and Kawajiri's works,have them all on disc. Evangelion is probably the pinnacle of anime being,much like Gunbuster,a summation of anime history up to that point. But it's not surprising since Anno and the rest of Gainax are insanely well versed in obscure anime and filled all their stuff with references while somehow keeping it fresh and interesting.
I like the Ghost In The Shell TV show but it doesn't compare to the movies. That's due in large part to director Mamoru Oshii's style. Ever since Beautiful Dreamer and Angel's Egg he has been one of the most interesting and different anime creators. The 95' GITS has a lot in common with Angel's Egg in terms of tone and images. The entire film has a Zen like quality and a focus on spiritually and philosophy that the TV show doesn't have,even though the director of the show was a student of Oshii's. The show is easier to digest and is good for sure but I find myself going back to the film far more. Can't wait for the 4K disc next month. The only film that outdoes it for Oshii is Patlabor 2 which is one of the best anime ever made and something that would never be made here.
There are a lot of authors bringing new and unique things out but many just are overlooked and are ahead of their time. Like Lovecraft. He wasn’t widely regarded and praised for his work until after his death.
@@thelemmiebee ... or millennials aren't as talented as those that came before them.
Motley Motley True, but modern media has become too dependent and derivative of IPs from the past. The lack of creativity by modern creatives is shocking. I thought art forms were supposed to progress with time, not stagnate.
Fucking love Ninja Scroll
Great video. Been curious about lovecraft for a while now. Just got a book with several stories. So your video is my true intro.
I love your stuff, man! You really need to try playing some D&D. It’s right up your alley. I think you’d love it.
I saw Lovecraft Country. It has noting to do with HPL or his fiction. Also only a very small portion of his fiction was what came to be called Cthulhu Mythos, HE didn't even call it that.
Thanks for this Livestream. I hope you do more of these. I always enjoy your Lovecraftian breakdowns.
I always saw the old ones of inter-dimensional beings. Beyond advance. To loosely quote Arthur C. Clarke, anything which is eons ahead of us and in possession of extremely advance technologies, those beings will look as gods to primitive cultures and their tech as nothing short of magic.
It’s a pleasure to listen to a video on Lovecraft by someone who obviously did their homework, exercised some thought and reflection, and took the time to organize their presentation in a logical and literate manner. A welcome relief from the obligatory public shaming and/or rambling that’s more the norm when most speak of HPL on YT. Greatly appreciated. Bravo! Well done Mr. Quinn.
If you get the chance Quinn, check out Alan Moore's recent Lovecraftian graphic novel Providence. It's brilliantly written. With some very creepy interpretations of HPL's mythos.
Hell yeah.
Just discover this channel. Quinn you are awesome. Great summary of classics. :-)
Yessss, Quinn is delving into the Cthulhu Mythos!
Wish I had time to finish this whole video now. I'll definitely be back later to do so! I just stumbled upon your channel, but I have already subscribed and I shall be sticking around for a while! 😁 Cool man! ✌Keep up the good work! 🤘
Thank you for the rational and logical view...wonderful breath of fresh air....yes he had some wrong views, but we can appreciate his art...Thank you Quinn, please keep up the good work!
Love you Quinn.
Thanks For Everything you do
I'm so glad you chose to discuss Lovecraft. I love his work, and can't wait to hear your thoughts. And, I agree that the recent criticism of his 'racism' is misplaced and disingenuous.
PS: Please consider doing a reading of a Lovecraft story. I think your voice would be a great fit for the subject.
Omry Goldwasser I disagree with your assertion that Lovecraft was racist. That’s like claiming he was xenophobic because he suggested that aliens could be evil.
The ethnic characters in his stories are represented exactly as they were perceived by society (Africa was the dark continent, voodoo was evil, native religions were pagan). Even when he talks about the Cthulhu cult, he only states what they believe. He does not pass judgment on them. Any derogatory comments in the stories were made by characters who represented the normal public at that time.
Just stumbled onto your channel. Great content. Got to get a copy of that illustrated book, looks awesome.
Lovecraft's xenophobia and prejudices contributed to his world building. In fantasy the fictional world is the same as the real world until explained otherwise, and that's what Lovecraft did. He fashioned a darker, stranger world than the one he lived in. Where strange foreigners brought dark magics with them, where country people were degenerate, inbred and barely human, where New England was this ancient place full of power and dark secrets. His views on everyone not a wealthy city dwelling white person aren't the reality we live in, but they are the reality for the world he built.
To be fair, most people had rampant prejudices at the time. Lovecraft was a xenophobe, he also feared and distrusted whites outside his immediate community.
I don’t think he was a fan of most people no matter what color they were. His use of the word “niggardly” is misinterpreted as a racial slur but that word was first used around 1500 A.D. and has nothing to do with the slur. 🙂👍
@@ScooBdont I'm pretty sure the slur is derived from the country Niger in central Africa, but I could be wrong about that.
@CounterIntuit the more you know 🤷♂️
I'm glad you're able to see way beyond Lovecraft's racism. My grandmother is half-black (and half native Honduran), so it is a little personal to me, but ultimately I don't really care about anyone's opinions on race. I just like most of his works and love the haunting world he created.
"Something so weird, that our minds can't comprehend it..."
Quantum Mechanics. We can describe it mathematically. It works. But our intuitions, go around and around and can't get a grip on it.
Warm regards, Rick.
The best movie that does Lovecraftian cosmic horror justice in my opinion is Event Horizon. Not based on his works but the essence is there in spades.
Love that movie!
In The Mouth of Madness is part of Carpenter’s Apocalypse Trilogy, along with The Thing and Prince of Darkness. Deliberately Lovecraft-S.King-inspired.
oooh yeah.
King is clearly influenced by HPL. His prose style, his visions, some of his stories. Parts of the Dark Tower especially draw on Lovecraft. The short stories Crouch End and Jerusalem's Lot are clearly homage to HPL.
@@BrianSurratt is this an argument, or just a fun fact?
Brian Surratt Aren’t we all? However, In the Mouth of Madness includes a character somewhat based on Stephen King, so it’s not only Lovecraft upon Lovecraft, there’s a direct reference to S. King.
@@existenceisrelative fun fact. Sharing info for people who aren't familiar with HPL and King.
The stars have definitely aligned by now!
KINGS “THE OUTSIDER”. ANOTHER ANCIENT ENTITY THAT FEEDS ON PAIN
MY GOD CARES NOT FROM WHENCE THE BLOOD FLOWS SO LONG AS IT FLOWS!
BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD! SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!
Years ago my mate and I started reading Lovecraft around the same time as each other and both of us ended up having really weird vivid dreams whenever we read the stories just before bed. Lovecraft's stories really have a weird way of getting into your head.
Great stream. Love the author, weirdness and quirks all. Hate against him is irrational.
It really is! Think if all people like him actually used their fears and irrational hatred of outsiders in a more creative fashion. Isn't that the best way to express those feelings, instead of using bigotry and violence? He should be praised for the example he sets in that respect. He turned his prejudices into art and inspired generations in the process. I doubt any of his modern proponents can say the same.
@ryne green I think people worry too much about those long dead, rather than their own prejudices, behaviors and contributions. Being offended is a choice, and no one can get someone else to join in their fear and hatred unless said someone chooses to.The onus lies with those who make that choice, not those who merely made expression of their feelings. Additionally, Lovecraft expressed regret for those attitudes later in life. I also think it's possible to enjoy his stories without letting whatever it is that's objectionable in them bother one. I'm a godless heathen myself, but that doesn't stop me from enjoying Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia just because they're a thinly-veiled xian allegory. I'll stop ranting now, sorry about the word-vomit.
This is very helpful! Being playing bloodborne which is a game with very heavy lovecraft influence. This is really helping me understand the themes more and the story itself.
I would recommend people to check out the lore for the game. Or play it yourself. It is one of the scariest games I have ever played scary in the way which makes you think and question everything you know.
Great video. Keep up the great work.
Love this. Really good discussion and some great graphic novels and novel recommendations 😄 always love hearing your input on my favorite universes (regardless if we share said views or not)
EVENT HORIZON. SO SO LOVECRAFT. THE SHIP ACTUALLY GOES TO THE OTHER DIMENSION.
According to the makers, its a Slannesh Demon from 40k. Look it up, lol.
Hey Quinn, thanks for pointing us to Barangers' illustrated version of The Call of Cthulhu - its a masterpice in combining Lovecrafts text and those amazing illustrations. Just received mine today and imnediately had to read it front to back on one sitting. Thanks again for the recommendation!
It looks absolutely great.
How the hell have you not seen In The Mouth Of Madness? You need to fix that ASAP
I'm also guessing you have not seen The Prince Of Darkness, also by John Carpenter. That was the first movie I saw that got cosmic horror right, and that was before I knew what cosmic horror is.
Both awesome.
Yes, definitely John Carpenter was influenced by Lovecraft. I absolutely love In the Mouth of Madness, a perfect meshing of Steven King and Lovecraft directed by a genius of Sci-fi Horror.
Also The Thing as interpreted by Carpenter is a defining film not just as a Horror movie but a master class in suspense, tension and fear of the unknown just as Alien was, also a favourite film of mine.
I would love to see an accurate, authentic film interpretation of The Call of Cuthulu in all it's glory, not dumbed down or diluted for the sellout Hollywood audience version but a full on accurate rendition.
I adore your voice. Lovecraft is great stuff. Thank you!!!!!! Keep up with it and GOT.