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Poe or Lovecraft?

  • Thread starter Deleted member 6550
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Deleted member 6550

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I was torn between this forum and the Horror book forum, but figured this is best. Mods, if incorrect, call me a 'n00b' and tell me to 'fuckin' smarten up!' :D

For all you scholars in the genre of Horror, intrinsically, the work of Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft, which author do you prefer and why? I have no doubt in my mind Poe will win this poll by a landslide, but I was curious of people's preferences and their reasons, so I made the topic.
 
I'm currently reading a collection of short-stories by Lovecraft. In reading what he wrote, I also couldn't help but compare him to Poe in my head. I haven't read that many stories by him, so I'm reserving judgment. I've read a ton of Poe and can't say enough about The Tell-Tale Heart, The Black Cat, and The Imp of the Perverse. Both authors are just amazing in how they can create a scene so vividly and scare you out of your wits. The writing styles are similar in that the words used(in this time period generally perhaps to a degree) are complex and well detailed. A big difference has to be Lovecrafts fascination with mysticism and the like. Poetry and the Gods is a good example of this. As stated previously, elegantly and richly written, just......odd.

Excellent topic and poll!! I'm looking forward to reading this one as people post.
 
Well, thankfully we don't really have to choose. I love both of them. Poe is probably the better writer of the two, but Lovecraft did create a world of his own and I love the way his stories seem to rip a whole in reality and drag out the ugliness underneath...
 
Their writing styles are so similar, therefore I included them only in the poll. Reading Lovecraft's work, I essentially see Poe written all over it, and I love it.

Unfortunately, H.P.'s work is very underrated, especially when compared to Poe's. It seems most know of Poe, have read some of his work, but when asked about Lovecraft, fall flat on their faces. It's unfortunate, really, considering he made his own in the Horror genre. His work needs to be more eminent in the world at large, because it's just incredible. Chilling and moody. It came as no surprise to me that Poe was Lovecraft's inspiration.

That said, I won't, no I can't choose... and I'm the one who started the thread. :D
 
Well, I chose Poe. (so predictable) But I think that Poe deserves the honor because he defined the horror genre, the detective genre, and to some extent, the drama genre. He detailed human fear perfectly, while Lovecraft uses mysticism to the same effect. Poe's is definitely more terrifying because it can easily be related to what could actually happen. It has a more truthful feel to it. Lovecraft is wonderful, too, don't get me wrong. I just feel that his style is more copied off Poe, and that he deserves mention, but Poe deserves the glory for inventing it.
 
eyez0nme said:
Amen to that.

HP Lovecraft suck compared to Poe.
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Come on... HP Lovecraft doesn't suck in any stretch of the imagination, even when compared to Poe. He may not be as good as Poe, but he still made his own in the horror genre, and has become one of the most underrated authors today. He wrote a chilling story or two.
 
Oh please, every one of his story I found tedious and boring, a chore to read, like walking uphill a mountain.

This man says a whole lot of things, but doesn't say anything... know what I'm saying? He tries to scare us with descriptions and scenaries rather than characters and dialouge. Only the masters know how to create tension through dialouge. Poe is one; unfortunately HP Lovecraft is not.
 
eyez0nme said:
Oh please, every one of his story I found tedious and boring, a chore to read, like walking uphill a mountain.

This man says a whole lot of things, but doesn't say anything... know what I'm saying? He tries to scare us with descriptions and scenaries rather than characters and dialouge. Only the masters know how to create tension through dialouge. Poe is one; unfortunately HP Lovecraft is not.
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While I don't agree entirely with your views on Lovecraft, I do agree that he tries to scare through a description of the environment rather than that of dialogue. In reading Lovecraft, you do get a painsticking description of a given mountain range and vegetation that is designed to creep you out. I'm not certain if I can recall a storyof his where dialogue was where the sizzle was at.
 
I've loved Poe since I was in elementary school. I've even visited his grave in Baltimore, Maryland, just 20 minutes away form where I live. He was an amazingly talented writer of both stories and poetry.
 
I hate Lovecraft, Ramsey Campbell, and every other writer who tries to mimic Lovecraft's style. It's just boring as hell.
 
SFG75 said:
While I don't agree entirely with your views on Lovecraft, I do agree that he tries to scare through a description of the environment rather than that of dialogue. In reading Lovecraft, you do get a painsticking description of a given mountain range and vegetation that is designed to creep you out. I'm not certain if I can recall a storyof his where dialogue was where the sizzle was at.
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He can't write dialouge. Open up any Lovecraft book and try to read his dialouge. Even Stephen King admits he sucks at it, in his memior On Writing.
 
eyez0nme said:
He can't write dialouge. Open up any Lovecraft book and try to read his dialouge. Even Stephen King admits he sucks at it, in his memior On Writing.
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But then again, Stephen King can't write worth a damn, and is in no position to judge far superior writers, ie: Lovecraft.
 
Seriously eyez, I don't think one can dismiss how much setting up the scene can be just as creepy as even the best written dialogue. I can't remember the story off of the top of my head right now, but I remember a story told from the viewpoint of a U-boat captain. One of the men is delusional and speaks of seeing the dead people from the liner they sunk floating by the boat with horrifying and evil faces plastered on their faces as they drift past the boat. I can't do the passage justice, but when you read it, it's definitely creepy, you can not only see it in your mind's eye, but Lovecraft can almost place you there in the murky Atlantic with the drowned zombie like beings.
 
Yes, that may be so.

But Jack London is even better with setting, atmosphere, and mood. He's is realistic, and not bordering on the line of whimsical. Just read "To Build a Fire." Scary as f**k, and slow torture.
 
Poe and king are overrated. Lovecraft is the master of horror! I absolutely love his work, I can read his stories over and over. And he's been such an inspiration for other writers like king etc and of course horror films :cool:
 
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