Lovecraft's Frozen Impressions of Urban Horror

An insightful post from The Dodologist blog zeroes in on one story where H.P. Lovecraft invigorated his hatred of modern urbanity like no other: "He." This tale's anti-lush descriptions capture what New York must have looked like to Lovecraft's eyes. In addition, the story reeks of disillusionment--a mood that can be hazily lost or ignored amid HPL's hostile prose and weird revelations.

Lovecraft's idyllic "Old New York" was famously crushed by his own mortified perception of immigrant scourges and decadence. Yet, if one can get past certain antiquated and bigoted views, it's almost possible to emphasize with this mental shock forever petrified in literature. "He" is a perversion of history, a colonial fantasy dear to Lovecraft's heart in slow motion annihilation.

The urban hell was potent, and it famously left its impression on HPL forever. Even his late works are packed with darkened cities whose buildings tower over insignificant men, and nameless foreigners sketched in contempt and fear. No later story, though, captures quite the same sensation of obliterated expectations as "He," conceived and written when New York's grim shadows nearly suffocated Lovecraft to death.

-Grim Blogger