As this was my first time reading a work by Lovecraft, it
was difficult for me to determine whether Lovecraft the man was the same as
Lovecraft the voice. Maybe if I had a time machine, I would know a definite answer
to this question. But since I’m a Writing
major for a reason and am horrible at math and science, building a time machine is out
of the question. However, I do believe that at the very least, Lovecraft didn’t
use an “imposter voice”. Thaisa and Wall state that imposter voices “can’t
stand up to the demands of the creative imagination that needs a wide, open
sky.” Lovecraft’s imagination was
clearly not restricted in The Madness
from the Sea. The story had to require a lot of imagination. Of course, Lovecraft
himself probably never experienced such a phenomenon as the one he wrote about,
but that doesn’t mean that he didn’t put his own unique viewpoint into the
situation. While he may never have seen
or been frightened by a Cthulhu, he may have experienced a similar terror at
something else. This past experience could then contribute to his own unique
voice on the subject of fear. This seems to point towards Thaisa and Wall’s
theory of one’s true voice coming from the heart since he probably had to use his feelings from this experience to give an accurate portrayal of the fear the narrator felt. So while Lovecraft the man may be totally
different from his narrator, I think there is enough evidence to say that the
man is at the very least similar to the voice through the use of his own feelings from different experiences. If nothing else, one can look at how popular Lovecraft‘s works remain
today, decades after his death. If he was truly using an imposter voice, his
stories would not have remained so popular.
I like your commentary and you make a strong point when you cited Thaisa and Wall when they comment that imposter voices "can't stand up to the demands of the creative imagination that needs a wide, open sky." When I read that line in the handout it stood out to me and I agree that it's very applicable to the argument about how Lovecraft's voice is being projected onto his work. I agree with your other connections too.
ReplyDeleteYour reflection hits on some very key points to what I love about writing. Your comment on how our own personal experiences can shape what we create is something that makes the written word such a foundation for civilization. A well written piece has a universal subject that a reader can connect with. You bring up "fear" as this universal theme in Lovecraft. Remaining at the center of all writing is this unique voice that each writer has developed. This is what makes literature interesting and fun to study.
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