6) “The Dunwich Horror” by H. P. Lovecraft

Plot:

Dunwich, Massachusetts, is a backwoods town settled by refugees from the Salem witch trials. Most people dislike it and avoid it now, though they couldn’t tell you why.

Lavinia Whateley, the deformed and emotionally stunted daughter of Old Whateley, becomes pregnant and gives birth to Wilbur Whateley. The townspeople gossip; who could the father be? At about the same time, Old Whateley begins to buy cows from his neighbors and make renovations on his farmhouse, paying for everything in gold. His herd neither grows nor diminishes in size, however.

The child matures with unnatural rapidity. He reads his grandfather’s occult books and understands them. After his grandfather dies of old age, Lavinia disappears. Wilbur, at only fifteen, appears to be a full-grown adult. He approaches the librarian at Miskatonic University asking for a copy of the Necronomicon, a book with spells he can use to summon the Old Ones because—why not? The librarians deny his request. His attempts at theft don’t go well.

Shortly afterward come reports of something or someone destroying crops and stealing cattle back home in Dunwich. A trio of learned men at Miskatonic see this and wonder what can be done.

Thoughts:

This is an atmospheric piece, telling of a neglected, decayed area and a “decayed” family. Old Whateley was something of a wizard back in the day. His family had some dealings with the Old Ones up on Sentinel Hill. How much does Old Whateley remember? Lavinia has little to do with the important dealings of her menfolk.

That Wilbur isn’t entirely human is indicated by his rapid maturity and a foul odor that’s often around him. Dogs don’t like him, as if he were an intruder. The reader realizes something is wrong with this child, but what?

Additional tragedies occur. How to combat them? How to understand them?

While Lovecraft’s writing often focused on cosmic horror—that is, a horror too great for human comprehension—this is a bit more down-to-earth. People lose their lives and their farms. Livestock is attacked. Crops are damaged by something they don’t understand how to fight. Mild-mannered academics arrive to go to battle with the horror.

The writing is often heavy. Lovecraft looooves exposition. It takes a while to get through this. The last paragraphs are something of a punchline. It’s not my favorite Lovecraft tale, but many disagree with me.


Radio play here.

The story can be read here.

Audio book on Librivox here.


Bio: H.P. (Howard Phillips) Lovecraft (1890-1937) was an American writer of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. He is best known as the creator of the Cthulhu myths, involving “cosmic horror,” that is, horror that arises from forbidden knowledge. Those who seek such knowledge are often driven insane or die.

Lovecraft originally wanted to be a professional astronomer.  He maintained a voluminous correspondence, particularly with other writers. Though his work is now revered as seminal in horror and dark fantasy, he died in poverty at the age of 46 of cancer of the small intestine at his birthplace, Providence, Rhode Island.

Lovecraft was an early contributor to Weird Tales magazine in the 1920s. Among his best-known works are “The Dunwich Horror,” “Dagon,” and “The Call of Cthulhu.”



Title: The Dunwich Horror
Author: H. P. Lovecraft (1890-1937)
First published: Weird Tales, April 1929