Horror as Racism in H. P. Lovecraft

<b>Providing a new perspective on Lovecraft's life and work </b><b><i>Horror as Racism in H.P. Lovecraft</i></b><b>focuses on the overlap between the writer's personal beliefs and the racist images and narratives in his speculative fiction.</b><b></b><br/> <br/>Building on recent debates about Lovecraft and drawing on the concept of white fragility John Steadman argues that the writer's fiction reflects his feelings of resentment and anger towards non-white persons and was used to advocate for his racist xenophobic political beliefs - that western civilization was in decline and slavery was justifiable among superior civilizations. In making these claims Lovecraft's tales pit humans against extra-terrestrial aliens developing a terrifying futuristic vision of the Earth as a plantation planet.<br/> <br/> The familiar image of Lovecraft as a reclusive creative genius and mentor to young writer-friends is dismantled through close readings of his fiction and nonfiction - including correspondence essays and poetry - and examination of his early biography. This image is replaced by that of a cruel callous and at times psychotic man a violently vitriolic racist and white supremacist who hated most of the non-white races. <br/><br/>While some will dismiss the author outright and others will read his fiction but ignore the racism <i>Horror as Racism in H.P. Lovecraft</i> takes a middle ground: acknowledging Lovecraft's personal history and heinous intentions it helps readers navigate the author's disturbing biography while also getting a better sense of the stories which remain significant within American science fiction.<b></b>