Barry Garcia wrote:
> grandsir@natlab.research.philips.com writes:
> > I don't think so... But if its style is not what I like best,
his
> >world
> >is pretty good and well-worked. The idea of Cosmic Horror I like
very
> >much, but the numerous racist words I like less (read: I hate very
> >much).
>
> I winced everytime I came across a racist word. He also seemed to be
very
> prejudiced against the country folk in Masachussets (or at least
country
> folk in general) by the way he depicted some of their speech.
> Unfortunately that was how some people talked back then. It's not
> excuseable but it is something to realize.
As I understand it, Lovecraft's dialect isn't based on observation
but
on imitation of other writers' depictions of dialect. It's not
particularly accurate.
I don't remember specific racist words in Lovecraft, but he certainly
had a racist attitude... until the end of his life, where some of his
friends convinced him of the errors of his racist ways. This is
reflected in one of the last stories he wrote, _The Haunter of the
Dark_, where the world is saved from invasion by *imagine that*
immigrant Catholics! Who were *big time* targets of racism in 1920s
America....
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edheil@postmark.net
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