Michael Crichton rips off Lovecraft!
David Fresko
In book of the Lurking Fear, there is a story entitled Arthur Jermyn,
which studied the life of Arthur and his family. One member went to
Africa in search of a lost city, and the idea of white apes came up, as
did small relics from the city itself. Crichton obviously took the idea of
the white apes, and the lost city, and the relics, put them together and
came up with Congo. There are more examples of this plagiarism, but I read
the story about a month ago and I'll have to refresh my memory.
Dave
Bob Cannard
In article <4uhh2m$n...@mtinsc01-mgt.ops.worldnet.att.net>, David Fresko
<D.Fr...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
> In book of the Lurking Fear, there is a story entitled Arthur Jermyn,
[snip]
> There are more examples of this plagiarism, but I read
> the story about a month ago and I'll have to refresh my memory.
Looks to me more like a tribute to Lovecraft than plagiarism.
--
+------------------------------------------------------------+
| Bob Cannard, your friendly local mi-go, has subtly altered |
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Jeffery
David Fresko wrote:
>
> In book of the Lurking Fear, there is a story entitled Arthur Jermyn,
> Africa in search of a lost city, and the idea of white apes came up, as
> did small relics from the city itself. Crichton obviously took the idea of
> the white apes, and the lost city, and the relics, put them together and
> the story about a month ago and I'll have to refresh my memory.
the connection is just as you say. However, the general idea isn't
original to Lovecraft either. Edgar Rice Burroughs and others did that
theme to death before Lovecraft tried it.
I wonder if Crichton had anything to do with that truly awful
movie.
Olaughing
>In book of the Lurking Fear, there is a story entitled Arthur Jermyn,
>which studied the life of Arthur and his family. One member went to
>Africa in search of a lost city, and the idea of white apes came up, as
>did small relics from the city itself. Crichton obviously took the idea
of
>the white apes, and the lost city, and the relics, put them together and
>came up with Congo. There are more examples of this plagiarism, but I
read
>the story about a month ago and I'll have to refresh my memory.
>
>Dave
>
If you read the end of Eaters of the Dead, IMHO Creighton's best book,
you will note a reference to The Necronomicon and HPL. Crichton obviously
is aware of HPL, and likes him. However, you can't say that Congo is
derivative from The White Ape. The idea of a lost city in Africa is very
old, and quite common in pulpy fiction. It is much more likely that
Crighton picked up the idea from Edgar Rice Burroughs' Trazan novels (OK,
I'm not certain of this, can I get somebody to back me up?).
I've read several of Crighton's books, and they strike me as modern
interpretations of good old pulpy fiction. Both Jurrasic Park and The
Lost World owe a lot of homage to the original The Lost World- Burroughs'
version. Congo is a more credible updating of Tarzan- lost city in
Africa, strange critters from Darkest Africa. Supported by recent
scientific research, but the plot elements remain the same.
It's really too bad that Crighton isn't a very original writer.
Someone of his stature could go a long way towards making HPL more known
that he is.
The Laughing Priest!
Chris W. McCubbin
David Fresko wrote:
>
> In book of the Lurking Fear, there is a story entitled Arthur Jermyn,
> which studied the life of Arthur and his family. One member went to
> Africa in search of a lost city, and the idea of white apes came up, as
> did small relics from the city itself. Crichton obviously took the idea of
> the white apes, and the lost city, and the relics, put them together and
> came up with Congo. There are more examples of this plagiarism, but I read
> the story about a month ago and I'll have to refresh my memory.
This "rip off" is a lot less blatant than then when Lovecraft "ripped off" Poe's Narrative of Arthur Gordon
Pym in At the Mountains of Madness. Don't get so excited. Who was it that said "Amateurs "borrow,"
professionals STEAL"?
Ian Ayliffe
A while ago I came across something very familiar in a television
programme. The series is called "Wycliffe" and for anyone who hasn't
heard of it, its a murder series set in Cornwall. It follows the weekly
theme of a murder which the local Inspector investigates. In this case
Inspector Jack Wycliffe. During one particular episode I was surprised
to find that two characters being investigated for a particular killing
were called Ephraim and Asenath Waite and the couple in question made
some mention of some wierd sea creature. To cut a long story short, they
were just a couple of eccentrics who had nothing to do with the murder.
If I get a chance, I'll try and track down the original novel and see if
these characters were put in by the novelist or if they were a creation
of the dramatist.
Anybody else come across any other references to Lovecraft like this
one?
--
Ian Ayliffe
I...@directs.demon.co.uk
Shane Frasier
In article <bobtmigo-110...@ip-pdx10-15.teleport.com>,
Bob Cannard <bobt...@teleport.com> wrote:
>In article <4uhh2m$n...@mtinsc01-mgt.ops.worldnet.att.net>, David Fresko
>
>> In book of the Lurking Fear, there is a story entitled Arthur Jermyn,
>> There are more examples of this plagiarism, but I read
>> the story about a month ago and I'll have to refresh my memory.
>
>
>--
>+------------------------------------------------------------+
>| Bob Cannard, your friendly local mi-go, has subtly altered |
>| reality, and can now be contacted at bobt...@teleport.com |
>+------------------------------------------------------------+
Michael Crichton also mentions the Necronomicon as a reference
in Eaters of the Dead. Does anyone know if he has ever discussed
his interest in Lovecraft in an interview?
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-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-| mor...@virginia.edu |-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
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Tomas Lindohf
In article <320F3F...@origin.ea.com>, "Chris W. McCubbin"
<cmcc...@origin.ea.com> wrote:
<snip>
> Pym in At the Mountains of Madness. Don't get so excited. Who was it
that said "Amateurs "borrow,"
> professionals STEAL"?
I think it was Picasso and I think the quote was "Good artists borrow,
great artists steal"
Tomas
--
Better lucky AND good than just lucky or good
Arbiter
Olaughing wrote:
> It's really too bad that Crighton isn't a very original writer.
> Someone of his stature could go a long way towards making HPL more known
> that he is.
>
> The Laughing Priest!
>
> OLau...@aol.com
I must admit, I'm suprised to hear anyone say that Chrighton isn't an
original writer. What about Andromeda Strain, Rising Sun, or Sphere?
Or even Westworld, for that matter? You yourself mentioned Eaters of
the Dead, another intriguing and in many ways totally original
plotline. Mind you, I think that this is the same newsgroup I saw
Peter Straub pilloried on not so long ago . . . heresy, says I!
But seriously, this all goes back to the age-old bollocks about there
being only Ten Plots for a story in all the world. Is it possible to
write a story that has none of the elements of any other story in it?
Lovecraft gave us Ry'leh, which, (technically speaking), is a Lost
City; does that mean that he stole the idea from H.G. Wells, or any
other writer? The great thing about Chrighton is that even when he
does give you a situation that you may have seen ten thousand times
before, like in Congo, he turns it on its head, gives its tail a good
strong twist, and turns it into a wholly different animal. Besides
which, (and now I'm talking about your assertion that he could make
HPL more known than he is), surely if he does that, starts writing his
own set of mythos tales, he'd be building on and copying from other
people's work - exactly what you seem not to want him to do.
Cheers.
--
*****
Everybody's playing the game,
But nobody's rules are the same.
Nobody's on nobody's side . . .
*****
Don D'Ammassa
The idea of a lost city in Africa is very
>old, and quite common in pulpy fiction. It is much more likely that
>Crighton picked up the idea from Edgar Rice Burroughs' Trazan novels (OK,
>I'm not certain of this, can I get somebody to back me up?).
> I've read several of Crighton's books, and they strike me as modern
>interpretations of good old pulpy fiction. Both Jurrasic Park and The
>Lost World owe a lot of homage to the original The Lost World- Burroughs'
>version.
Umm, The Lost World was a novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, not Edgar
Rice Burroughs. But you're correct that calling Congo plagiarism is
nonsense.
Steven Howard
In <3215A4...@ibl.bm>, Arbiter <agau...@ibl.bm> writes:
>Olaughing wrote:
>
>> It's really too bad that Crighton isn't a very original writer.
>> Someone of his stature could go a long way towards making HPL more known
>> that he is.
>
>original writer. What about Andromeda Strain, Rising Sun, or Sphere?
>Or even Westworld, for that matter? You yourself mentioned Eaters of
>the Dead, another intriguing and in many ways totally original
>plotline.
What ABOUT them? Dead boring, to the last.
Plus, I can't be the first person to notice that "Jurassic Park" is
just "Westworld" with dinosaurs.
========
Steven Howard
bl...@ibm.net
What's a nice word for "euphemism"?
Jack Reda
While I admit I thoroughly enjoy reading Crichton, its true some of his
storylines are similiar to older ones... but its his gift of storytelling
that makes the books so good IMHO.
Sphere is very like the idea behind Forbidden Planet, Eaters of the Dead
*is* the story of Beowulf, and some of the other stories have already been
"attacked". Regardless, its good writing. Many writers may have a nice
original idea, but can't bring it across in an interesting way.
You Are False Data
Steven Howard (bl...@ibm.net) wrote:
: ========
: Steven Howard
: bl...@ibm.net
Crichton has a very pulpy and shallow style of writing. Lovecraft is
somewhat simmilar, except he has built up a world that is far more interesting
than any thing Crichton has come up with.
KRT:)
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