Following The Road To Madness The Literary Influence Of Edgar Allan Poe On Howard Phillips Lovecraft

Seminar paper from the year 2005 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,7, University of Duisburg-Essen (Englisches Seminar), course: British-American Short Stories, language: English, abstract: The play of the orchestra strikes up in a dark and sluggish manner. Its compact sonority spreads like milky fog which starts blurring and covering all familiar elements before the human eye. Slowly, an imaginative chill seems to surround the listener. An overture that causes a slight shudder and sharpens all senses... Then, Joachim Kerzel – the German voice of Jack Nicholson - starts off: „Das jene großen Mächte oder Wesen überlebt haben ist denkbar. Ein Überleben aus einer ungeheuer fernen Zeit, als Bewusstsein sich bildete. Vielleicht in Formen, die lange vor dem Heraufdämmern der Menschheit wieder verschwanden. Formen, von denen einzig Dichtung und Sage eine nebulöse Erinnerung bewahrt haben...“ This is the opening sequence of Der Cthulhu Mythos, an audio book published by LPL Records in 2002. It comprises horror stories by Howard Phillips Lovecraft and Ambrose Bierce. In 2003 the production was awarded with two prizes: Bestes Hörbuch des Jahres 2003, as well as Deutscher Phantastik Preis 2003. According to the company ́s principle “Gänsehaut für die Ohren”, LPL Records specializes in producing audio books of horror tales. Having five other stories by H. P. Lovecraft in stock, the author from Providence, Rhode Island, can be seen as their primal draw. Just one year later, H. P. Lovecraft ́s novella Der Schatten über Innsmouth was also nominated for Bestes Hörbuch des Jahres 2004 and won the Deutscher Phantastik Preis 2004 again. Among this genre, there is only one author whose horror tales can be considered as almost equally successful: his name is Edgar Allan Poe. In late 2003 Lübbe Audio published four of his short stories to start a new Edgar Allan Poe series. A firstperson narrator and protagonist, who suffers from severe memory-loss, relives the horrors of Poe ́s tales in his dreams. The quest for the narrator ́s true personality and the reason of his amnesia creates the frame-story of this continuing series. Therefore, Poe ́s stories work as a key to his past. Meanwhile, another four stories continue the sequence, and four more will be published in September 2005. This year, Lübbe Audio ́s Poe series is expected to receive an award for more than 250.000 sold copies – an enormous success for audio books, especially of this genre!

At the Mountains of Madness is a story, which details the events of a disastrous expedition to the Antarctic continent in September 1930 and what was found there by a group of explorers led by the narrator, Dr. William Dyer of Miskatonic University. Throughout the story, Dyer details a series of previously untold events in the hope of deterring another group of explorers who wish to return to the continent. The title is derived from a line in "The Hashish Man," a short story by fantasy writer Edward Plunkett, Lord Dunsany: "And we came at last to those ivory hills that are named the Mountains of Madness..." Howard Phillips Lovecraft (1890-1937) was an American author who achieved posthumous fame through his influential works of horror fiction. He is now regarded as one of the most significant 20th-century authors in his genre. Some of Lovecraft's work was inspired by his own nightmares. His interest started from his childhood days when his grandfather would tell him Gothic horror stories.

Keen to learn but short on time? Find out everything you need to know about the life and work of Edgar Allan Poe in just 50 minutes with this straightforward and engaging guide! Edgar Allan Poe was one of the most significant and enduring figures of the literary scene in 19th-century America. He was one of the first American authors to attempt to make a living solely by writing, with mixed success, and he was a pioneering influence in the development of a number of modern genres, including horror, fantasy, science fiction and detective fiction. Although he is best known for the Gothic-inspired atmospheres and the darkness that permeated his work, he was also a profoundly rational, methodical writer, who eschewed the tradition of populating fantastic fiction with supernatural creatures in favour of a more psychological brand of horror. This innovative style has been an inspiration for countless writers, poets and artists, cementing Poe’s legacy as a key figure in literary history. In this book, you will learn about: • Poe’s most famous works, including The Fall of the House of Usher and The Murders in the Rue Morgue • The literary movements and earlier writers who influenced his work and ideas • His personal life, including the misfortune that plagued him and inspired some of his best-known works ABOUT 50MINUTES.COM | Art & Literature The Art & Literature series from the 50Minutes collection aims to introduce readers to the figures and movements that have shaped our culture over the centuries. Our guides are written by experts in their field and each feature a full biography, an introduction to the relevant social, political and historical context, and a thorough discussion and analysis of the key works of each artist, writer or movement, making them the ideal starting point for busy readers looking for a quick way to broaden their cultural horizons.

America's most famous poet lives again within the pages of John Isaac Jones’ new biographical novel! His early orphan years, his tumultuous relationship with his foster father, his scandalous affairs, his glory days as a literary scion and his untimely death at the age of forty in a barroom brawl. It’s all here! “Anyone that is a fan of Edgar Allan Poe will thoroughly enjoy this read. I enjoyed the story as it was woven factually, fictitiously, and historically from before Poe's birth to his death. Mr. Jones captured all the critical milestones in Poe's literary career and included some of his most important pieces. One of the best books I have read in a long while.” - Amazon reviewer

The Fall Of The House Of Usher By Edgar Allan Poe "The Fall of the House of Usher" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1839 in Burton's Gentleman's Magazine, then included in the collection Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque in 1840. The Fall Of The House Of Usher By Edgar Allan Poe "The Fall of the House of Usher" shows Poe's ability to create an emotional tone in his work, specifically emphasizing feelings of fear, impending doom, and guilt. These emotions center on Roderick Usher, who, like many Poe characters, suffers from an unnamed disease. The Fall Of The House Of Usher By Edgar Allan Poe

Ever wondered how to combat the deep-seated urge to do wrong? Maybe Edgar Allen Poe can help. In "The Imp of the Perverse" (1845) Poe sets out to explain the Imp – the archetype responsible for persuading us to do what we know in our minds we shouldn’t. Poe, supposedly distraught with his own self-destructive impulses, lets the story take place primarily in the narrator’s mind as he frets the day he will have to come clean. At the heart of this short story is the question of how far we can justify our wrongdoings. It explores our self-destructive impulses and urges, the abandonment of reason and our inherent wickedness. Join Poe as he takes the reader from the sunny valleys of reason to the darkest regions of the human soul. A descent into madness. Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) was an American poet, author, and literary critic. Most famous for his poetry, short stories, and tales of the supernatural, mysterious, and macabre, he is also regarded as the inventor of the detective genre and a contributor to the emergence of science fiction, dark romanticism, and weird fiction. His most famous works include "The Raven" (1945), "The Black Cat" (1943), and "The Gold-Bug" (1843).

“[Lovecraft's] dream fantasy works are as terrifying and haunting as his tales of horror and the macabre. A master craftsman, Lovecraft brings compelling visions of nightmarish fear, invisible worlds and the demons of the unconscious. If one author truly represents the very best in American literary horror, it is H. P. Lovecraft.”—John Carpenter, Director of At the Mouth of Madness, Halloween, and Christine With an introduction by Neil Gaiman This volume collects, for the first time, the entire Dream Cycle created by H. P. Lovecraft, the master of twentieth-century horror, including some of his most fantastic tales: The Doom That Came to Sarnath—Hate, genocide, and a deadly curse consume the land of Mnar. The Statment of Randolph Carter—“You fool, Warren is DEAD!” The Nameless City—Death lies beneath the shifting sands, in a story linking the Dream Cycle with the legendary Cthulhu Mythos. The Cats of Ulthar—In Ulthar, no man may kill a cat...and woe unto any who tries. The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath—The epic nightmare adventure with tendrils stretching throughout the entire Dream Cycle. And twenty more tales of surreal terror!