Innsmouth Essays

Joseph Sheridan LeFanu’s Passage in the Secret History of an Irish Countess: Through the lens of Sigmund Freud’s The Uncanny The emergence of the Gothic Literature in the 18th century set the stage for one of the most prolific Irish writers of the 19th century, Joseph Sheridan LeFanu, whose “work is squarely in the nineteenth-century Gothic tradition” (Begnal 27), and to whose name can be ascribed The Purcell Papers, titled so due to “being attributed to the Reverend Francis Purcell of Drumcoolagh”

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Mention the gothic, and many readers will probably picture gloomy castles ... However, the truth is that the gothic genre has continued to flourish and evolve … producing some of its most interesting and accomplished examples in the 20th century-in literature, film and beyond – Carlos Ruiz Zafon.1 1.1. Gothic Meaning and Definition Notoriously, Gothic is hard to confine. This term signifies variety of meanings. As a historical term, Gothic derives from “Goth,” the

are not white and thinks less of them. Additionally, the underlying theme of “The Shadow over Innsmouth” is judgment based on race. Lastly, Lovecraft’s story “The Outsider” has a theme of people fearing the main character who is different from them. Critical analyses that have been written on

is enough to cause a crippling fear that leads him to becoming a morphine addict and commiting suicide. In “The Shadow Over Innsmouth”, the people of Innsmouth have mixed with an immortal race of amphibious sea monsters. This causes the people to develop features similar to the monsters as they age, eventually joining them in the ocean. The narrator travels through Innsmouth on his way

being victims of “an irruption of the inadmissible”, they are rather the ones to throw themselves and make an irruption in spheres which should have remained unknown to mankind. In The shadow over Innsmouth , for instance, the main character embarks onto a trip to discover the ancient town of Innsmouth in spite of repeated hints and warnings that he should avoid it as it is a place of “decay and desolation”. He dismisses those warnings which could impress “uninquiring souls” but for him are “merely

As mentioned before, Lovecraft was greatly influenced by E.A. Poe. He wrote in the same grim and lurid style that Poe did. Lovecraft even directly names Poe’s tale “The Imp of Perverse” (1845) in his novella The Shadow over Innsmouth (1936). Tim Burton also referenced Poe in his short horror film, Vincent. The film, published in 1982, is about a seven-year-old boy who wants to be just like Vincent Price. In the film, the narrator says, “While most children read books like “Go

H.P. Lovecraft wrote the short story, “The Dunwich horror,” in 1928 and had it published in april of 1929. He has written other works such as “The Call of Cthulhu,” “Dagon,” “The Shadow over Innsmouth,” “The Colour Out of Space,” and “From Beyond.” Many common themes within his work are non human influences on humanity and forbidden knowledge. In many of his stories there are unknown creatures that cause humans to go insane. Also, his short stories have curiosity of the unknown. H.P Lovecraft likes