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Post by Drizzle Drazzle on Jun 17, 2008 6:59:35 GMT -6
We all know that Lovecraft left behind many unfinished pieces, which became those very godawful posthumous collaberation, perpetrated by Derilith.
What I am looking for is the original fragments, jotted notes or synopsea--before August went and built his little stories around them. Somewhere, I reason, these pieces must be compiled (or ought to be, at least) in their original, and incompleat form.
Is anybody hip?
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Post by I AM the Way on Jun 17, 2008 9:38:47 GMT -6
Myth: August Derleth’s “Posthumous collaborations”
After Lovecraft’s death, August Derleth took fragments of Lovecraft’s writings (from his Commonplace Book, for example), and incorporated them into stories entirely of Derleth’s own design. According to S.T. Joshi’s Bibliography, Derleth’s The Lurker at the Threshold is 50,000 words long, and only incorporates 1,200 words by Lovecraft—that’s about 2.4%. None of these “posthumous collaborations” should be considered to have been authored by Lovecraft. In spite of this, these stories have been published as being authored by Lovecraft and Derleth, or, worse yet, solely by Lovecraft. Both the Carroll & Graf paperbacks, The Lurker at the Threshold and The Watchers Out of Time include only Lovecraft’s name on their covers, although they are almost wholly Derleth’s work.www.hplovecraft.com/life/myths.asp#posthumous
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Madguten
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Post by Madguten on Jun 17, 2008 14:08:29 GMT -6
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Post by shadowoutoftime on Jun 17, 2008 19:25:22 GMT -6
Yeah, none of the Lovecraft books I own have any notes in them. I know the Conan stories by Robert E. Howard, who corresponded with Lovecraft, have notes in those books and partials and rough drafts of stories as well as a few that never got made into anything official.
I own "Lovecraft - Tales" (you can get it from the Library of America.) Very great book with tons of stories in it as well as a chronology, notes on the text, and a reference section for nearly every odd thing Lovecraft mentions in his stories.
Which is, oddly enough, how I found out about H.P. Blavatsky and read some of her works. That is, Isis Unveiled and The Secret Doctrine. Unfortunately, the banned third volume of, I think, The Secret Doctrine is a little hard to get. It might be Isis unveiled though, I forget.
I also have Dreams of Terror and Death (which btw Azathoth is the first story in) as well a the similar book called Shadows Over Innsmouth that, obviously, has the story of the very same name and then other assorted stories by other people. It's okay, I just prefer Lovecraft's work itself.
Then I got Waking up Screaming because it had one or two stories that weren't in the other books, beyond that I think I've read most of his direct work. Though a quick look at the official HPlovecraft.com site tells me there's still a chunk I haven't read, though those usually seem to be only the ones where he collaborated with someone else on them.
I do enjoy Robert E. Howard's works, especially with all the mentioning of ancient times with places like Khemi and Atlantis. Atlantis is particularly interesting to me, as well as Lemuria. You can definitely tell Howard got some insight from Lovecraft.
Don't know if any of that helps, the notes in "Lovecraft - Tales" from the Library of America might though, hard to say. I found them useful at least.
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Post by Drizzle Drazzle on Jun 18, 2008 7:32:35 GMT -6
Venger: that is exactly what I am talking about---
I want to read those original 1,200 words.
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Post by I AM the Way on Jun 18, 2008 9:00:24 GMT -6
yeah, i have no idea how one would extricate Lovecraft's words from those Derleth stories...
VS
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Post by Drizzle Drazzle on Jun 18, 2008 10:15:50 GMT -6
Perhaps Shugguth saliva, utilised here for its' storied solvent properties? burn away the chaff, keep the GOO' stuff.
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