The Call of Cthulhu-- halloween live read 2006

[Nightshade]

http://www.dagonbytes.com/thelibrary/lovecraft/thecallofcthulhu.htm
OK you may discuss this to your hearts content

[Nightshade]

:Man, I love this sentence: That is not dead which can eternal lie,
And with strange aeons even death may die, a sort of poetry.

:the thing I like most about lovecraft is that he is able to evoke a real sense of dread in the reader's mind.

:what dread I didnt feel dread I was bored really a bit annoyed too

:His prose often borders on being ridiculously arcane, but somehow, he is still able to make it seem cool.shrugs, I suppose it differs from person to person.I haven't read much lovecraft, and he certainly isn't no Poe or even M. R. James, but in cthulu he has created a real horror icon, IMO.

:not so arcane really fairlytypical wells /verne/ early 20th C pulp I guess well

:I got so hooked up when he said: wherein is pieced together that which I hope may never be pieced together again. I have looked upon all that the universe has to hold of horror, and even the skies of spring and the flowers of summer must ever afterward be poison to me. But I do not think my life will be long. As my uncle went, as poor Johansen went, so I shall go. I know

:really, this sentence is melodrama at its best (or worst, depending on yer prespective)

:what did you think?

:yes. I thought that it was good, a bit difficult languages, couldn't check all words. But I love the way, author said something specially in the climax " "In his house at R'lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming."
The line was so gripping


:well glad someone thought so

:and I like this sverse: "That is not dead which can eternal lie,
And with strange aeons even death may die."

:if you want to read more of his stuff check out the mountain of madness.

:it does have a nice ring to it Ill admit


:And the opening sentences were good too: The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the light into the peace and safety of a new dark age.
This sentence made me think about my own fears concerning the advancement in the branch of science
We shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the light into the peace and safety of a new dark age"
This sentence made me think about my own fears concerning the advancement in the branch of science [QUOTE] We shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the light into the peace and safety of a new dark age"


:I thought it was abit melodramatic without actually getting into it in a way very clever but still


:and I must say that there is a horror in it too, and exactly when I was reading the description of cthullu, Night got alarmed by something and I thought that Cthullu might had reached her.


:why did this sentence make you think about advancements in science?

:what did you think of the inherint racisim in

:you mean that how the narrator was receiving his uncle's stuff?

:Inherent racism was a product of his era.

[Pensive]

Night, you forgot to mention the talk about cheese, Harry Potter, Emma and smileys. :p

[Nightshade]

:s it also some sort of racism? Well, one learns something/many things new everyday

:Lovercraft was a pretty vocal racist.

:Yes, it seems like by his words "March 1st, 1925, a thin, dark young man of neurotic and excited aspect had called upon Professor Angell bearing the singular clay bas-relief, which was then exceedingly damp and fresh. His card bore the name of Henry Anthony Wilcox, and my uncle had recognized him as the youngest son of an excellent family slightly known to him" look at "excellent family"

:though, one might not notice it

:pensive, this 'excellent family' is a relic of the victorian era.


:hey pre that try an intigral part of society since the very beging of class and social distinctions as in ancient egypt and poss before

:it was/still is everywhere.

:of course

:somewhere, its less and in other places, it is on height.

:The phrase 'excellent family' itself was often employed in the victorian novels in the relevent context
I am sure class distinction were present in every single human culture.


:yes but its also in 18th century novels alot

:I haven't read many 18th century novels so I cannot comment on that, I'll take your word for it.

:and jane austen used it and she was regency not victorian

:but if you might have noticed/most certainly would have that in Stephen King's and some modern one's, its not so.
and specially Rowling has strongly opposed the idea

:yes but no

:look at harry what is he? from an excellent family his dad was a pure blood


:Look at Hermione? Who is she? A muggle-born but a very good witch.

:err, harry's not from an excellent family 'per se'Lily was a mud-blood.

:and it can change slightly but the generalattitude of socila supiriours for reasons of wealth, power or birth is almost instictive Id argue

:"Look at Petunia"lol, is it an excellent family?

:yes but harry himself is excellent famiily not blood wise but power wise
and his dad was a seeker lots of stress on the excellence of his family a

:But Lily was a muggle-born, from where come she got the power of magic???

:Harry is ordinary 'power-wise'.

:only if you look at the tertm excellent family as coming form that point of
view

:Being a seeker has nothing to do with having an excellent family but is an innate ability.

:as opposed to merely a social position. not of birth but of influence

:ne of Voldemort's biggest insecurity is about his lineage, and JKR's whole point is - lineage doesn't matter.She certainly doesn't advocate traditional social structures.

:and I say that she does

:hats what I meant by saying that Rowling's nvels are

:the story itself follows a pretty tradional structure

:for example?

:It certainly doesn't.

:it does

:how so?

:Take Harry and Hermione's relationship for example.

:basic folklore

:It's a very platonic friendship - and that certainly isn't common in fiction.


:what basic folklore?

:hero rises from oppression and insignificantce to rise to power defeting ignorance and opposition due to his misfortune


:eh, that's a very misleading summation of Harry Potter series.


:not uncommonly one of birth

:If we are willing to generalize to such an extent, almost every story can be reduced to seven basic storylines.

:Harry was never 'insignificance.'
He never arose to 'power'
he isn't powerful at all.
this is the whole point of the series.
Harry is what he is because of the people around him

:I was generalising and the story isnt finished yet

:the bonds that hold him together with his friends and his classmates.

:again not uncommon in ancient greek legends


:The point of JKR's series is that power itself, however absolute it may be, can be brought down.

:like jason and the argunauts, king minas

:hat about jason and argunauts? How is that relevent to the point that JRK advocates traditional social structures, ex. classism and racism?

:OK OK you know the HP series better than me can we get bck to love craft
so what did you think?

:i think it's hard

[cuppajoe_9]

"That is not dead which can eternal lie,
And with strange aeons even death may die."

I think those lines are taken from one of John Donne's sonnets, although I could easily be mistaken.

I have not read The Call of Cthulu (and, in all honesty, will probably not get to it very soon), but I generally enjoy Lovecraft. My favorite piece of his is a short story called "The Music of Erich Zann", although I'm not sure how easy it is to track down. I found it in a rather weighty volume called Masterpieces of Terror and the Supernatural that my grandparents bought in a used bookstore in Halifax.

[Pensive]

It was generally a good read, I think but very much like a typical horror story, things would be left for us to figure out - author's fate. But I must say that the ending lines have really gripped me.

Especially, I liked Lovecraft's writing style, though his vocabulary was a bit difficult. Crafty man, isn't Craft? :p

[Nightshade]

:ummm, hard? But in which context?
with vocabulary? plot?
did you get the whole thing?

:most of them lol
i don't think so

:its ok if you didnt I didnt either

:you didn't?

:nope

:actually, its one of those stories with no ending...I mean its not like love tales which will end......its written in a typical horror style.....that the author is leaving things for us to figure out.for example, his own fate..."As my uncle went, as poor Johansen went, so I shall go. I know too much, and the cult still lives. "

:I Know but I still dont get what we are supposed to be frightend of?


:Cthullu!


: precisely

:frightened of author's fate

:oh

:what?

:I meant what IS Cthullu?


:yes, its really perplexing

:i'm just wondering sth like night

:what really is Cthullu

:some people made it in drawings as it states
The figure, which was finally passed slowly from man to man for close and careful study, was between seven and eight inches in height, and of exquisitely artistic workmanship. It represented a monster of vaguely anthropoid outline, but with an octopus-like head whose face was a mass of feelers, a scaly, rubbery-looking body, prodigious claws on

:ughhh I guess Im no good at horro couldnt see the creepiness in sleepyhollow either last year
except I did enjoy that
OMG octopus?

:yeah, I agree its not that oh-making-me-go-mad but its well-written you see.

:how did I miss that oh dearie dearie me

:and who are the people who attacked Emma?

:I am.

:i don't get that ><

:I think they were people who were also possed by the Ctuthhllo

:Emma is a darned awesome, sexist, yarn.

:sexist??

:comeagain ie explain
btw what did you think?

:I think it is a very good, atmospheric horror story
Emma isn't sexist?
You have got to be kidding me.
Almost every fiction book penned in the 18th century is sexist by default, owing to the definition of the term.

:hey it wasnt 18th C

:it was 1920s-30s
why do I think 32??

:I don't know anything about Emma because I found it sooo boring that I left reading it in the very start.

:Are we talking about Emma by Jane Austen?

:I like Jane Austen's style, as long as she doesn't get hooked up in one event....I mean Emma was a slow read.

:Because Emma by Jane Austen certainly wasn't published in 1920's-30's.

:i thought we're talking about the boat

:okay, lets talk about the boat!

:so did I:eek2: :lol:

:so what do you want to discuss about the boat, kathita?

:i just asked who attacked it?
it seems just like they come from nowhere for me ><

:I think they are the deamons?
or peoplepossesd by them?

:It was Ctullu, I think but he lives in the house of Ryelah.he/she/it whatever

:which is under the sea so I guess its possible

: ummm I see



:it's just kinda interest me to know that "a supreme elder devil " is called Tornasuk in Greenland (according to the story)i've just noticed!

[PeterL]

I think those lines are taken from one of John Donne's sonnets, although I could easily be mistaken.

I have not read The Call of Cthulu (and, in all honesty, will probably not get to it very soon), but I generally enjoy Lovecraft. My favorite piece of his is a short story called "The Music of Erich Zann", although I'm not sure how easy it is to track down. I found it in a rather weighty volume called Masterpieces of Terror and the Supernatural that my grandparents bought in a used bookstore in Halifax.


The complete works of H. P. Lovecraft are available on line. They are now in the public domain. Whoever owned the rights after his death (and there is question about that) neglected to renew any copyrights.
http://www.dagonbytes.com/thelibrary/lovecraft/
That is only one of several sites that have his works.