And your first Lovecraft tale was ....?

j. d. worthington said:
Welcome to the club, Fried Egg. Question: What did you think of it?
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Well, it was kind of spooky the seabed rising out of the ocean like that. I gather it was based on a dream he had? His writing style is a pleasure to read and I am enjoying working myway through the collection.
 
Apparently at least part of the story was (the crawling across the plain to reach the boat). That's not an uncommon thing with Lovecraft, who frequently used his dreams in his work; either as the story overall, or as an element in them. If you're reading the notes (as I take it you are), then you're probably aware that "Polaris" is based on a dream plus a debate he was having with a correspondent over reality versus illusion.

Enjoy!
 
I've just read "The Outsider" and it was brilliant; the best so far. In reading the notes afterward, I was suprised to find it had been criticised for having a nonsensical plot. I guess I see their point, but the plot "holes" didn't occur to me attall when I was reading the story. I was too engrossed in it's other aspects that more than make up for such flaws (if indeed flaws they be).
 
That one has been addressed many places. It has been argued that, given the epigram from Keats' The Eve of St. Agnes, it could be seen as the dream of the Baron from that poem, and that it is a tribute to Keats, having been written the centenary of his death. It has also had some very interesting psychological interpretations over the years, often using a Jungian approach. While it isn't among my favorites, I do think it is a richly interpretable story.

Glad you're enjoying the tales; it'll be interesting to hear your thoughts on the others as you go along...
 
I'm also making my way through The Call of Cthulhu and other weird stories, albeit quite slowly as I keep dipping in and out of it every so often, which I bought after reading the fantastic Call of Cthulhu in another anthology (and that, as I've said previously, was my first Lovecraft tale). I really need to go back and read more of ...and other weird stories very soon. I've really enjoyed the stories that I've read thus far, though, epecially The Hound.
 
I just finished "Howard West - The Re-animator" last night and subsequently had my first Lovecraft inspired nightmare! That was a disturbing tale...
 
My first story was "The Call of Cthulhu" maybe twenty years ago. For whatever reason it had little impact on me at the time. I'm now reading Lovecraft again and having a good time with it. I've only read the first 6 stories of Lovecraft: Tales, so it's probably too early to pick any as the most powerful, but I really got a kick out of "The Outsider". In truth I've loved them all so far. Even "Howard West..." even though it was a bit repetitious. I thought Howard was well drawn.
 
At the Mountains of Madness. I'm reading it right now. Haven't even finished.
 
Rats in the Walls - Book: Blood Curdling Tales of the Macabre

I haven't read fiction in years until recently. I decided one day to read Starship Troopers and also happened to be looking up Cthulhu (remembered from RPG days). I figured these Lovecraft stories HAVE to be read! I don't want to read anything else now!

I'm about half way through "Blood Curdling..." and it seems that Lovecraft spends a lot of time in "painting the setting" as a build up to the end. Fascinating reading!
 
Welcome to the madhouse, B.C....:D

Yes, he felt very strongly that all such a story could really be was a picture of a certain kind of mood, as its success depended on the reader's emotional responses... the mechanics of plot were important, but definitely secondary to providing an emotionally convincing atmosphere... otherwise most supernatural fiction simply fails to convince a reader....
 
I'll second the welcome BeerClark. Yes, Lovecraft wrote that way. He built his stories like puzzles, painting in small details in all their complexity. He made sure you could see and feel what was happening, that you'd sink into the tale and go along to where it was taking you. He didn't tell you so much as help you imagine things for yourself and by doing so made the impact so much the greater.
 
Pickman's Model I found to be a more coventional tale than Erik Zahn. It was still good but not as satisfying as Erik Zahn. I really enjoyed the way HPL built up the tension with that "mysterious" music and the ending was good because of its open-endedness. A short but tightly written and well crafted tale.
 
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