Curtis D. Carbonell
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781789620573
- eISBN:
- 9781789629644
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Discontinued
- DOI:
- 10.3828/liverpool/9781789620573.003.0005
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Cultural Studies
This central chapter examines the importance of H.P. Lovecraft in how realized worlds are conceptualized in Dread Trident, especially within the context of TRPGs. It sees in Lovecraft, not just a ...
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This central chapter examines the importance of H.P. Lovecraft in how realized worlds are conceptualized in Dread Trident, especially within the context of TRPGs. It sees in Lovecraft, not just a writer of Weird fiction, but a writer of cosmic fiction who also, inadvertently, helped create a mythos. This ‘Cthulhu’ Mythos acts as a supreme example of how a realized world works because of how it incorporates a broad canvas of elements from a variety of individuals. Also, Lovecraft’s poetics of creating a sense of dread with Weird writing hints how he often sidesteps rather than directly draws the ultimate horror. Yet, his later writing embraced a materialistic categorizing of scientific and biological forms. This chapter looks through Lovecraftian scholarship, as well as a few of his own pieces of fiction, as well as the TRPG The Call of Cthulhu, for examples of how his mythos works and examples of his granular style.Less
This central chapter examines the importance of H.P. Lovecraft in how realized worlds are conceptualized in Dread Trident, especially within the context of TRPGs. It sees in Lovecraft, not just a writer of Weird fiction, but a writer of cosmic fiction who also, inadvertently, helped create a mythos. This ‘Cthulhu’ Mythos acts as a supreme example of how a realized world works because of how it incorporates a broad canvas of elements from a variety of individuals. Also, Lovecraft’s poetics of creating a sense of dread with Weird writing hints how he often sidesteps rather than directly draws the ultimate horror. Yet, his later writing embraced a materialistic categorizing of scientific and biological forms. This chapter looks through Lovecraftian scholarship, as well as a few of his own pieces of fiction, as well as the TRPG The Call of Cthulhu, for examples of how his mythos works and examples of his granular style.
Michael Kinsella
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- March 2014
- ISBN:
- 9781604739831
- eISBN:
- 9781604739848
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781604739831.003.0004
- Subject:
- Literature, Folk Literature
A legend complex consists of narratives, practices, and experiences that build upon and reinforce one another to encourage legend-tripping performances. Legend-trippers interpret any number of events ...
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A legend complex consists of narratives, practices, and experiences that build upon and reinforce one another to encourage legend-tripping performances. Legend-trippers interpret any number of events by drawing upon stories and legends. Similar to legends, occult texts guide or even goad readers to use supernatural or magical frameworks to make sense of their contents. Occult texts, philosophies, and practitioners often warn about the dangers inherent in occultism. This chapter examines how legend complexes function as persuasive narrative worlds by investigating the operations of occult texts. It looks at the Cthulhu Mythos, a complex fictional world created by the horror writer H. P. Lovecraft (1890–1937), and discusses how supernatural experiences can occur through legend-tripping performances. It also presents a series of memorates gathered from players of The Beast, an alternate reality game (ARG), and considers the link between zine culture and the supernatural.Less
A legend complex consists of narratives, practices, and experiences that build upon and reinforce one another to encourage legend-tripping performances. Legend-trippers interpret any number of events by drawing upon stories and legends. Similar to legends, occult texts guide or even goad readers to use supernatural or magical frameworks to make sense of their contents. Occult texts, philosophies, and practitioners often warn about the dangers inherent in occultism. This chapter examines how legend complexes function as persuasive narrative worlds by investigating the operations of occult texts. It looks at the Cthulhu Mythos, a complex fictional world created by the horror writer H. P. Lovecraft (1890–1937), and discusses how supernatural experiences can occur through legend-tripping performances. It also presents a series of memorates gathered from players of The Beast, an alternate reality game (ARG), and considers the link between zine culture and the supernatural.
