Theology and H. P. Lovecraft

Austin M. Freeman

doi:10.5771/9781978711716

Summary

While still relatively unknown to the general public, early twentieth century American horror author H.P. Lovecraft left an indelible stamp upon popular culture. Images of tentacled horrors, forbidden tomes, and protagonists struggling against the insanity that comes with the revelation of the terrible truth of reality–Lovecraft pioneered all of these. Best known for his short story “The Call of Cthulhu,” Lovecraft instantiated his philosophy of cosmicism into every one of his tales.

This collection of fourteen essays is the first sustained academic engagement with horror author H.P. Lovecraft from a theological perspective. Covering the major themes of Lovecraft's work such as nihilism, xenophobia, dark cults, and unimaginable horrors beyond the stars, the book is divided into five sections corresponding to each of the divisions of theology: biblical, historical, systematic, practical, and comparative. With responses ranging from admiration to critique, the contributors explore the dark uncharted regions of Lovecraft’s dark mythology in the service of theological truth.

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Bibliographic data

Copyright year: 2022
ISBN-Print: 978-1-9787-1170-9
ISBN-Online: 978-1-9787-1171-6
Publisher: Lexington, Lanham
Language: English
Pages: 280
Product type: Edited Book

1. Dedication No access
2. Contents No access
3. Acknowledgments No access
1. The Man and the Mythos: Lovecraft and His Themes No access
2. Whisperer in Darkness: Why Does Lovecraft Fascinate People of Faith? No access
3. Summaries of Chapters No access
4. Conclusion: Strange Aeons No access
5. Notes No access
1. 1. Lovecraft’s Articulation of the Relationship between Cosmicism and Religion No access
  2. Cosmic Insignificance in Psalm 8 No access
  3. Cosmic Inscrutability in Job 28 No access
  4. Inscrutability and Futility in Ecclesiastes No access
  5. Biblical Cosmicism: Conclusion No access
  6. Notes No access
  7. Bibliography No access
2. 1. The Biblical Rhetoric against Idolatry No access
  2. Lovecraft and the Bible No access
  3. The Rhetoric of Idolatry in “Dagon” and The Shadow over Innsmouth No access
  4. The Shadow over Idols: A Theological Response No access
  5. Notes No access
  6. Bibliography No access
3. 1. The Dying Zeitgeist No access
  2. The Joban Horror No access
  3. Epistemological Terrors No access
  4. The Apophatic Silence No access
  5. Christian Theodicy No access
  6. The Lovecraftian Challenge to Theodicy No access
  7. Closing Thoughts No access
  8. Notes No access
  9. Bibliography No access
1. 1. The Puritan in History No access
  2. Lovecraft’s Puritan Aesthetics No access
  3. Lovecraft and Forbidden Knowledge No access
  4. Notes No access
  5. Bibliography No access
2. 1. Lovecraft’s “Blasphemous” Mythos No access
  2. The Derleth Mythos No access
  3. Christianizing the Mythos No access
  4. The End Times No access
  5. The Elemental Gods No access
  6. Conclusion No access
  7. Notes No access
  8. Bibliography No access
3. 1. Did Derleth Manufacture the Mythos? No access
  2. Did Derleth Steal Lovecraft’s Work? No access
  3. Did Derleth Contradict Lovecraft’s Vision? No access
  4. Conclusion No access
  5. Notes No access
  6. Bibliography No access
1. 1. Han Urs von Balthasar and the Theological Problem of Power No access
  2. The Inward Turn of Protestant Theology No access
  3. Lovecraft’s Inherited Religious Sensibility No access
  4. A Horror of Transcendental Formlessness No access
  5. Lovecraftian Transcendence No access
  6. Conclusions No access
  7. Notes No access
  8. Bibliography No access
2. 1. God after Godless Thinking No access
  2. 1. A Daytrip with Dagon No access
    2. Cats! No access
    3. Cthulhu No access
    4. Dunwich No access
  3. God after Critique No access
  4. “One God Further” No access
  5. Notes No access
  6. Bibliography No access
3. 1. 1. Tolkien’s “On Fairy Stories” No access
    2. Lovecraft’s “Supernatural Horror in Literature” No access
    3. Overlaps and Divergences No access
  2. 1. Lovecraft’s Happy Endings No access
    2. Lovecraft and Eucatastrophe No access
  3. Notes No access
  4. Bibliography No access
1. 1. Introduction: Church as Place, Church as Practitioners No access
  2. Biographical Note No access
  3. 1. Cults as the Racial Other No access
  4. 1. Sacred Spaces No access
    2. Church Buildings No access
  5. Conclusion No access
  6. Notes No access
  7. Bibliography No access
2. 1. 1. 1. Ancient Aliens No access
    2. 2. Anti-theist Parodies No access
    3. 3. Icons of Cosmic Indifference No access
    4. 4. Aspects of an Anti-mythology No access
    5. 5. A Critique of Esotericism No access
    6. 6. An Inversion of the Numinous No access
  2. 1. Lovecraft’s Racism and Xenophobia No access
    2. The Link between God and the Stranger No access
    3. Hate God and Hate Your Neighbor No access
  3. 1. The Abyss of the Other No access
  4. Conclusion: Lovecraft as a Theological Resource No access
  5. Notes No access
  6. Bibliography No access
3. 1. A Comment about Sentimentality No access
  2. Three Views on Conversion No access
  3. Fear and Conversion in Lovecraft’s Fiction No access
  4. Fear of God and Gods of Fear No access
  5. Tearing Reality No access
  6. Notes No access
  7. Bibliography No access
1. 1. The Tree: A Case Study No access
  2. Finding Other Gods: The Classic and Christian in the Development of H. P. Lovecraft No access
  3. Ancient Gods, Stronger Gods No access
  4. Conclusion: Lovecraft and the Ancient Gods Today No access
  5. Notes No access
  6. Bibliography No access
2. 1. The Mad Arab and the Necronomicon No access
  2. Lovecraft’s Gods and Lovecraft’s Orient No access
  3. Arab Prophets and Arabic Scriptures No access
  4. Lovecraft’s Prophetology No access
  5. Notes No access
  6. Bibliography No access
Index No access Pages 271 - 276
About the Contributors No access Pages 277 - 280