From: CESNYD01@ulkyvx.louisville.edu (Albercrombie -- The one and only Space gopher)
Subject: Re: What's the deal?
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 18:47:49 GMT
X-News-Reader: VMS NEWS 1.11
Organization: University of Louisville

In <1992Oct13.213512.7718@sol.ctr.columbia.edu> smmcafee@mtu.edu writes:

> In article <aldavi01.718863880@starbase.spd.louisville.edu> aldavi01@starbase.spd.louisville.edu (Arlie Davis) writes:
> >In <1992Oct9.210952.15538@javelin.sim.es.com> KHATCH@130.187.170.178 (kh) righteously complains:
> >>     What's the deal with these paperback novels that have Lovecraft's name on 
> >> them but on closer inspection are written by August Derleth?
> 
> >I dunno, but I was bitten by this, too.  Apparently, August Derleth was a big
> >HPL fan, and deliberately copied his style.  What came of it are some truly
> >dreary stories -- I couldn't finish them, they were so bad.  Derleth copied
> >his style, but none of his intelligence, and hinting at greater things.
> >Very pedantic.  Made me very *mad*.

   Ok folks - here's the scoop.  August Derleth, to put it bluntly, almost
looked at HPL as an idol.  He was responsible for collecting most HPLs work
and getting it published under Arkham House - Derleth started that.  He also
took it on him self to finish the unfinished stories because he believed
that HPL stuff was to good to let rot on a shelf (I fully agree).  Whether or
not he was up to calibur is almost irrelavent.  He *KNEW* HPL, and go to work
with him, I would like to think he was qualified -- personally I still can't 
tell where HPL stops and Derleth starts -- all I know is that he did a better 
job than I could ever do.

   I do agree that Derleth wasn't the greatest writer of all time, or even one
of the better ones - but the man was able to put feeling into his stories that
most writers miss.  Fur example, his version of Sherlock Holmes was called
Solar Pons - the stories are almost *IDENTICAL* if you change a few names and
dates.  I'm not saying that I want them to be totally the same, but when I
want something in the original Doyle style (after the fact I've read all of 
Doyle's Holmes stuff), I think he is the best I've found.  

   On the other hand - look at what could have happened if Dereleth didn't
finish HPL's stories - we would have lost a lost of good Mythos ideals/ideas
*AND*/*OR*, think what would have happened if he had somebody else finish the
stories.  I think then you would have seen the break points in the stories if
authors would have tried it -- like Robert Bloch, Arthur C. Clark, Issac
Asimov, YOUNG Stephen King (Yes he was in touch with HPL during the last few
years of his life), and so on and so forth - these guys would have been great
--BUT-- their stories would have showed their styles and influences so
strongly that I think HPL's contribution would be overshadowed.

   No, I have to say that I enjoy Derleth's contribution to the Mythos.

   Also, check out a book called _HPL_ (Don't quote me on this - it was a
while ago when I read it.) by William Conover (I'm almost positive that I got
this name right).  Conover wrote this book about himself and HPL and the
corrispondence they sharred thru HPL's life.  It also talks about the other
writers in this genre of fiction (they had this big letter group and wrote to
each other constantly).  I think this will help in showing what type of
influence Lovecraft had on the other writers of his day [Arlie - this is in
the Main Branch of the Free Public Library]  

   I think what may also soften the blow of the Lovecraft/Derleth stories is I
think I have read have of the Cth. bibliography - after half a billion
stories, things get a little blurred -- but they're still EVIL!!!!!!!


					AlberCrombie.

"You fool, Warren is DEAD!" --- _The Statement of Randolf Carter_
 
~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^
AlberCrombie 					 - The One and Only Space Gopher
cesnyd01@ulkyvx.louisville.edu				  cesnyd01@ulkyvx.bitnet
"If wishes were horses, this beggar would ride.  Have my cake and eat it, 
             with a little on the side" - Melissa Etheridge
^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Newsgroups: alt.horror.cthulhu