After reading a review of The Classic Horror Stories: Lovecraft ((link) I realized that often this one crucial question is often neglected: How did Lovecraft, whose style and ideology were constantly criticized, outlasted other horror or SF writers, and came to be the master of modern horror?
My idea is that the originality of the world he created, as well as the dark and hopeless worldview appealed to the hidden pessimistic view of people's mind, but normally such traits would put people off(just look at all the anime and other SF where the heroes vanquish the Lovecraftian monsters. Even the admirers seem to be sick of his pessimistic worldview). And his works can be quite difficult to read due to the floods of adjectives and adverbs.
So what does make Lovecraft such enduring writer?
Interesting, this would make a huge article!
I'm no Lovecraft expert, but I'd like to say that it's the fears and issues of his period that remained a constant theme in everyday things (politics, philosophy, writing), and since then, the cultural momentum of the his creations have become unstoppable. This has probably already been said in a smarter way because there are lots of smart people who have written about this (probably), but that was just my 2 cents. – Austin10 years ago
I think that it is his more academic work (his history of horror) that helps his work endure. He cornered the market on weird fiction and really tied it in to the primal feeling of horror that we experience when confronting the unknown. He is one of the first authors to let these other-worldly creatures "win" or at least maintain a position of power throughout human history. His works are both entertaining fiction but also a commentary on human psychology and the way fear has persisted throughout humanity's existence – DClarke10 years ago
