In such stories, the "curse" is often a hereditary one, either because of interbreeding with non-humans (e.g., "Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family" (1920), "The Shadow over Innsmouth" (1931) or through direct magical influence ("The Case of Charles Dexter Ward").
Lovecraft: The Decline of the West" S. T. Joshi postavi Spenglerja v središče razprave o Lovecraftovih političnih in filozofskih idejah.