On Saturday, I got back from the PCA/ACA conference in San Antonio, where I had the real pleasure of taking part in a panel on Robert E. Howard. I hope to write about my experiences later. For now, I just had a thought I wanted to share that's been bumping around in my mind ever since.
During the conference, we discussed that Lovecraft is more popular in our modern culture than Howard. People also made a few jokes about the way Lovecraft's influences keep appearing (and being credited!) in our modern society. As a result, I think I have one possible explanation why Lovecraft is more generally known. I think it's because Lovecraft's singular style can be mapped onto a whole host of things. Something can be "Lovecraftian" just because it invokes an unspeakable horror born from some madness-inducing impossibility, or even just because someone slapped some tentacles on it, particularly if those tentacles are "squamous," "ichorous," or "rugose." Because we identify so many things in modern culture, particularly modern horror and monsters, as Lovecraftian, we see Lovecraft everywhere.
As a result, I'm going to start referring to everything that even remotely involves a decadent civilization being opposed by strong-hearted and clear-eyed barbarians as "Howardian." With luck, this will eventually get picked up and used in popular parlance.
Just about anything can be Howardian, from Westerns to superheroes to video games. Whether I'm talking about Unforgiven or God of War or Sin City, I'm thinking I'm going to try to get one "Howardian" a day into my conversations....
What's your favorite Howardian text?
(I hope I don't have to add that I mean this entirely tongue-in-cheek, and I hope it will be received as such!)
The Charming Mr. Wheaton
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My Dearest Gentle Readers,
It is with the greatest pleasure that I am able to inform you that on this
very day I was so delightfully privileged as to meet t...
16 years ago
I think that you're absolutely right about how "Lovecraftian" has come to mean a number of distinct, though related, narrative devices, such as cosmic horror, pre-human occult civilizations, and of course big monsters with tentacles.
ReplyDeleteI think my favorite Howardian text is the Legend of Zelda. A young man with a sword arises from a forest civilization to overthrow the king of the realm, all to save his lady and his way of life. Sounds pretty Howardian to me.
So you, a single strong-hearted man, are opposing the decadent attention our civilization places upon Lovecraft? That's a very Howardian quest, sir. ;)
ReplyDeleteOi!
ReplyDeleteI was surprised to see that you haven't written anything since April. Get some blogging done!
ReplyDelete