"WWI saw the disappearance of the lost continent theme from fiction .. revived in 1920 ... several tales in Clark Ashton Smith's Out of Space and Time and Lost Worlds are laid in Hyperborea, Atlantis, or the future continent Zothique.
"There are volumes of stories (in Weird Tales) carrying on this type of horror-fantasy tradition made popular by H. P. Lovecraft, who contributed a few short stories of his own to the genre.
"While some critics object to Smith's heavily euphuistic style, based ultimately on Poe and Dunsany, many connoisseurs of fantasy find the stories delightful.
"The Late Robert E. Howard presented a similar picture of prehistory in his Kull and Conan stories though he relied more on swashbuckling swordplay and less on sinister sorceries for his excitement.
"The Kull stories are laid in Atlantis while the Conan stories are set 12,000 years ago in Howard's "Hyborian Age", between the sinking of Atlantis andthe dawn of recorded history."
Lost Continents, The Atlantis Theme, L Sprague deCamp, p. 271, (*), 1954, 1970, ppb printed 1975, Ballantine (* Preface says deCamp wrote the book in 1948! and then published serially in Other Worlds Science Fiction 1952-53! Writers - be patient.
Monday, April 03, 2006
Is There a Tillinghast In The House?
Everyday, I get excited about what new bit of Lovecraft I can offer up as an oblation to both long time fans and new seekers.
In no way, do I feel this to be an "oblogation"! ;)
Today, let's look at a quirk of the weird tale writer from Providence. Lovecraft would fixate on certain themes and fiddly bits his entire career and come back to it over and over. For instance, there is rarely a story that doesn't refer to "dark", "black", or end up with the protagonist going into a cave, a staircase to the nether earthen regions, or into a dank crypt, or an undersea depth.
And names. Randolph Carter is resurrected over and over. Then there is a special, archaic name found in yellowed New England ledgers - Tillinghast. This name is associated with the Rhode Island tuberculosis vampire tradition, and specifically Stuckely "Snuffy" Tillinghast and his family at the end of the eighteenth century.
Here are the three instances of the Tillinghast name I've found. If you know more, post in the comments section below!
From Beyond (Nov. 1920)... "Horrible beyond conception was the change which had taken place in my best friend, Crawford Tillinghast*."
The Case of Charles Dexter Ward (early 1927) ... "...but Capt. Tillinghast was an astute man, and soon uncovered enough rumours {sic} to whet his horror ..."
The Shunned House (Oct. 1924) ... "...but here the strangers had been granted a haven ... reading queer books and drawing queer diagrams ... at Pardon Tillinghast's wharf."
* S. T. Joshi relates that in the original Lovecraft draft of this story, the character's name was Henry Annesly. p. 268, An H.P. Lovecraft Encyclopedia, 2001.
___
Note: Thanks for the continuing notes of encouragement, and to the hundreds of you who have stopped by and made the HPLblog a part of your on-line experience!
In no way, do I feel this to be an "oblogation"! ;)
Today, let's look at a quirk of the weird tale writer from Providence. Lovecraft would fixate on certain themes and fiddly bits his entire career and come back to it over and over. For instance, there is rarely a story that doesn't refer to "dark", "black", or end up with the protagonist going into a cave, a staircase to the nether earthen regions, or into a dank crypt, or an undersea depth.
And names. Randolph Carter is resurrected over and over. Then there is a special, archaic name found in yellowed New England ledgers - Tillinghast. This name is associated with the Rhode Island tuberculosis vampire tradition, and specifically Stuckely "Snuffy" Tillinghast and his family at the end of the eighteenth century.
Here are the three instances of the Tillinghast name I've found. If you know more, post in the comments section below!
From Beyond (Nov. 1920)... "Horrible beyond conception was the change which had taken place in my best friend, Crawford Tillinghast*."
The Case of Charles Dexter Ward (early 1927) ... "...but Capt. Tillinghast was an astute man, and soon uncovered enough rumours {sic} to whet his horror ..."
The Shunned House (Oct. 1924) ... "...but here the strangers had been granted a haven ... reading queer books and drawing queer diagrams ... at Pardon Tillinghast's wharf."
* S. T. Joshi relates that in the original Lovecraft draft of this story, the character's name was Henry Annesly. p. 268, An H.P. Lovecraft Encyclopedia, 2001.
___
Note: Thanks for the continuing notes of encouragement, and to the hundreds of you who have stopped by and made the HPLblog a part of your on-line experience!
A little update
Chrispy has been busy on research.
I've purchased some unique items on ebay to share (when they arrive) which should illuminate Lovecraft's life in ways you've not seen and may not find elsewhere. In addition, I seized a rare copy of L Sprague deCamp's 1970's book on Lost Continents that has whole pericopes about Lovecraft, Smith, and Howard'ss use of the myths of Lemuria, Mu, & Atlantis.
I also have rare copies of Karl Edward Wagner's editions of Howard - which is a little off track, but will post excerpts in discussions down the road.
I've purchased some unique items on ebay to share (when they arrive) which should illuminate Lovecraft's life in ways you've not seen and may not find elsewhere. In addition, I seized a rare copy of L Sprague deCamp's 1970's book on Lost Continents that has whole pericopes about Lovecraft, Smith, and Howard'ss use of the myths of Lemuria, Mu, & Atlantis.
I also have rare copies of Karl Edward Wagner's editions of Howard - which is a little off track, but will post excerpts in discussions down the road.
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