TSOU -- Deaf, Dumb, and Blind
HARMSDM
The Shadow over Usenet
"Deaf, Dumb, and Blind"
Source: The Horror in the Museum, Arkham.
Synopsis: A doctor accompanies some men to the home of a paralyzed
war veteran and writer whose servant has fled screaming. This doctor
recalls that the house was once the home of a man who was found dead
under horrifying conditions. When they arrive, they find the dead writer
with a manuscript still in his typewriter. After taking it home to read,
the doctor goes into shock over the manuscript's contents, which are then
repeated to us.
Comments: Boy, I'm glad this is only a secondary revision. Some
ambiguity in a horror story is good, but this story left too much nebulous
and unanswered. The "undeterrable narrator," who continues to write out his
story no matter what, is a standard device in Lovecraft's stories, though
this story takes it too far. Even a severely handicapped man such as Richard
Blake would have attempted to leave a room unaided if it were on fire (and if
he didn't he probably wouldn't have the presence of mind to use words like
"Ocypetean"). The final passage is somewhat unnerving, but lacks the
immediacy of "You fool, Warren is DEAD!"
As I posted last spring, C. M. Eddy was one of HPL's few Providence
friends, and this was the last short story which Lovecraft revised for him.
I wish I could tell you more, but the only reference in his published letters
is in Vol. 3, which I don't have. (If someone does, please turn to page
328.)
That's all I have. Oh -- and Lovecraft hadn't heard from Robert
Bloch at this point, otherwise I'd speculate that "Richard Blake" was a
play off his name.
Daniel
StoOdin101
<<<The "undeterrable narrator," who continues to write out his
story no matter what, is a standard device in Lovecraft's stories, though
this story takes it too far.>>>
Wait till we get to "the Diary of ALonzo Typer". It features a protagonist
who must be the MOST undeterrable of undeterrable narrators, judging from
his final entry.
"We Know you Can Hear Us, Earthmen"...a C-45 of electronic music with
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A.M. Kuchling
StoOdin101 (stood...@aol.com) wrote:
: Wait till we get to "the Diary of ALonzo Typer". It features a protagonist
: who must be the MOST undeterrable of undeterrable narrators, judging from
: his final entry.
Ramsey Campbell wrote a book of Lovecraftian short stories
called _Cold Print_; they're mostly mediocre, with only one or two
good ones. Anyway, in his introduction to the volume, he discussed
how he began by writing Lovecraft pastiches; in one of them, a victim
was scribbling on a telegram form while loathsome creatures were
coming up the front path.
Incidentally, Campbell's novels _Ancient Images_ and _Midnight
Sun_, while not Lovecraftian in style, share something of the same
sensibility, and are excellent.
Andrew Kuchling
a...@magnet.com
StoOdin101
<<<<<< Ramsey Campbell wrote a book of Lovecraftian short stories
called _Cold Print_; they're mostly mediocre, with only one or two
good ones. >>>>>
Probably most of these came from "The Inhabitant of the Lake and Less
WElcome Tenants", his first book, which I own. Though I did foolishly
paint "Revelations of GLaaki" on the cover when I was much younger and
unaware of the VALUE of some things.
briley
In article <52k5jm$g...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, stood...@aol.com says...
>
><<<<<< Ramsey Campbell wrote a book of Lovecraftian short stories
>called _Cold Print_; they're mostly mediocre, with only one or two
>good ones. >>>>>
>
>Probably most of these came from "The Inhabitant of the Lake and Less
>WElcome Tenants", his first book, which I own. Though I did foolishly
>paint "Revelations of GLaaki" on the cover when I was much younger and
>unaware of the VALUE of some things.
>
>
managed to scrape up a paperback copy at a used book-store ("Cold Print",
not "The Inhabitant..." -- that I still have to go to the rare books
section for). I would enjoy it more if it included ALL his mythos
fiction (There wasn't THAT much of it) -- notably "The Stone on the
Island", which I've never read, and "The Franklyn Paragraphs", one of
his finest stories even if it was during his break-with-Lovecraft period.
One annoying bit in the intro is that Campbell rails against the
anti-Derlethites, and then proceeds to ridicule the over-classification
and name-dropping that he and his disciples engaged in. Oh, well.
Christophe Thill
What disappoints me in this story is the use of standard demonology
(sort of "sell your soul to the Devil") instead of alien Mythos
creatures. Still, "Horror at Red Hook" did the same, and I like it.
The reason must be that most of the ideas came from Eddy, not
Lovecraft. As Eddy was one of his dearest friends, I don't think that
Lovecraft would have put to much of himself in this work, so as to let
his friend express himself, and really did nothing more than true
revision work. Anyway the best word I can find to describe it is
"weak". I'd say the same about "Ashes" but "The loved dead" and "The
ghost-eater" are a little bit better.
Vila Resthal
HAR...@ctrvx1.Vanderbilt.Edu (HARMSDM) wrote:
> The Shadow over Usenet
> "Deaf, Dumb, and Blind"
> Source: The Horror in the Museum, Arkham.
> That's all I have. Oh -- and Lovecraft hadn't heard from Robert
>Bloch at this point, otherwise I'd speculate that "Richard Blake" was a
>play off his name.
>Daniel
This is NOT a flame!!!!
Sorry, but I think you're mistaken on that point. Bloch and HPL had
been writing to each other for some time by then. Bloch returned the
"Robert Blake" favor by writing one where HPL gets killed off. They
both had a good laugh over those. Check out Lin Carter's HPL biography
if you think I'm wrong. I've also read it in several other HPL bios
and an autobiographical bit by Lovecraft himself. Try the biggest
public or college library in your area. I found almost all of the bios
in the UGA library in Athens Ga. back when I was a student there;
Back when dinosaurs ruled the earth, you know, the mid '70s.
Respectfully,
Vila
Tom Youderian
Is the story "The Stone on the Island" a reference to the HPL story "The Doom
That Came to Sarnath"?
Tom
Jason Thompson
I really ought to re-read this one, and I know I'm coming a little late to
the discussion, but from what I remember of it (when I was, oh, 12) I found
it one of the scarier pastiche stories. The gimmick is a little obvious, but
it's at least as original as it is mechanical. There's a real sense of
helplessness and isolation, however. (Or maybe I should go reread it...)
Jason Thompson
Knygathin Zhaum
briley
In article <52vmrl$m...@nntp4.u.washington.edu>, tyoud says...
set down a number of story ideas that he never used -- young Campbell
decided to go ahead and use one. The story is set in Camside (a town
in his Severn Valley setting); the island is obviously a copy of the
one off Arkham in "The Dreams in the Witch-House".