Collected Essays 5: Philosophy, Autobiography and Miscellany

by H.P. Lovecraft

This fifth and final volume of Lovecraft’s Collected Essays mines a rich vein of his philosophical writings. A lifelong student of metaphysics, ethics, aesthetics, and other branches of philosophy, Lovecraft early declared himself a forthright materialist and atheist. Here he defends his views in numerous controversies with colleagues. Such essays as “Idealism and Materialism—A Reflection” and the In Defence of Dagon essays outline the essentials of Lovecraft’s philosophical thought, including such issues as free will, the improbability of theism, and cosmic pessimism. In his later years, the problems of politics and economics came to the forefront of his attention. In the essays “Some Repetitions on the Times,” “A Layman Looks at the Government,” and the unpublished “The Journal and the New Deal” Lovecraft vigorously argues for a moderate socialism to relieve the widespread unemployment brought on by the Depression. The problem of art in the modern age also concerned Lovecraft, and in the unpublished essay “A Living Heritage: Roman Architecture in Today’s America” Lovecraft condemns modern architecture as an inherently ugly product of sterile theory. This volume also contains Lovecraft’s autobiographical essays, including the delightful “A Confession of Unfaith,” describing his shedding of religious belief, and the piquant “Cats and Dogs,” in which cats stand as symbols for the abstract beauty of a boundless cosmos. All texts are extensively annotated, with critical and bibliographical notes, by S.T. Joshi.

Genres: Philosophy, Lovecraftian, Essays

382 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Howard Phillips Lovecraft, of Providence, Rhode Island, was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction.

Lovecraft's major inspiration and invention was cosmic horror: life is incomprehensible to human minds and the universe is fundamentally alien. Those who genuinely reason, like his protagonists, gamble with sanity. Lovecraft has developed a cult following for his Cthulhu Mythos, a series of loosely interconnected fictions featuring a pantheon of human-nullifying entities, as well as the Necronomicon, a fictional grimoire of magical rites and forbidden lore. His works were deeply pessimistic and cynical, challenging the values of the Enlightenment, Romanticism and Christianity. Lovecraft's protagonists usually achieve the mirror-opposite of traditional gnosis and mysticism by momentarily glimpsing the horror of ultimate reality.

Although Lovecraft's readership was limited during his life, his reputation has grown over the decades. He is now commonly regarded as one of the most influential horror writers of the 20th Century, exerting widespread and indirect influence, and frequently compared to Edgar Allan Poe.
See also Howard Phillips Lovecraft.

— Wikipedia

Reviews

[Silver Keeper · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good collection of essays and personal notes for readers interested in Lovecraft beyond his horror stories.
There are discussions about science and horror literature, and brief notes on some short stories as well. However, this is not a book about his art in the same way that C. Tolkien’s publications are about his father; this one focuses on how Lovecraft viewed the world around him.

Many pages are not an easy read, such as the list of symptoms during his final days, but I found interesting elements even in his daily notes written to remember things to expand upon or to write to an aunt.

I bought this specific volume because I wanted a physical copy of the essay Cats and Dogs, but I found a lot of interesting discussions about politics, modernism, and Lovecraft himself.
The most interesting ones, for me, were those that most clearly revealed his flaws, (primarily his racism), something that tainted many of his views on society and politics.
He changed his mind about various things; for example, after some time, he stopped seeing alcohol as the problem and understood that its abuse was only one expression of deeper and more insidious social issues.
However, he remained a racist, even against his own logic.
As a flawed man, he is a powerful mirror of today’s problems.

I liked the notes: informative yet neutral.

I recommend this book only to those who want to study the man behind the short stories more deeply.

[The Saint · Rating 5 out of 5]

For Lovecraft lovers. Lots of interesting insights in these pages.

[Dylan Rock · Rating 5 out of 5]

The final volume of Lovecraft's essays, the autobiographical sections are of particular interest.

[Arthur B · Rating 2 out of 5]

Useful source material for anyone researching Lovecraft, but not much of broader interest, particularly given the scattershot nature of the collection.

[Gerald Jerome · Rating 5 out of 5]

His ability to put across his views in such a convincing manner are worth studying for anyone wishing to become a more effective writer. However, what's even more alluring is his unique perspective. There are some of his words considering his view on life and existence that have still stuck with me.