Essays
Transgressing the Myth – H.P. Lovecraft’s Philosophy of Life and its Narrative Execution. An Essay
Thies Münchow
; Europa-Universität Flensburg, Deutschland University of Flensburg, Germany
Abstract
Howard Philips Lovecraft counts as the father of modern horror literature. His narrative work is considered to be an anti-mythology which gives way to the readers imagination. The essay elaborates on his narrative technique that is determined by psychological and philosophical motives. Furthermore, Lovecraft’s stories are said to portray a nihilistic world view. The essay argues that there is more to Lovecraft’s work than a nihilistic perspective, namely a philosophy of life that is motivated by his reading of Epicurus and Lucretius. On the subject of mythology the thesis is, that an anti-mythology does not necessarily mean non-mythology. Lovecraft’s literary work is rather transgressing central mythological tropes in light of his philosophical worldview. It is a way of expressing his philosophy of life in a narrative way.
Keywords
Lovecraft; Houellebecq; Kierkegaard; Lacan; Kant; Blumenberg; transgression; myth; mythology; anxiety; sublime; materialism
Hrčak ID:
192435
URI
Publication date:
15.12.2017.
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