Vislumbres do abismo: o desenvolvimento do horror nos espaços literários em H. P. Lovecraft

Abstract

This work intends to demonstrate how the places shown in the narratives are important for the construction of the cosmic horror in the literature of H. P. Lovecraft. For this purpose, we discuss concepts about the spatialities within literature: mainly Borges Filho’s (2007) topoanalysis, among other essential authors and concepts for the discussion of the literary places, like Tally Jr’s topophrenia (2019). The work also talks about Lovecraft’s formation, opinions and philosophies, all of which had great influence on his literature’s development. For that, we’ve quoted authors like Joshi (2017) and Scotuzzi (2019). Through that, this work presents a general view of lovecraftian literature. From that view, we could go into the goal of analysing the composition of spatiality in eight Lovecraft’s stories that present his mature aesthetics, which is more known in his Cthulhu Mythos. The selected tales are “The call of Cthulhu” (1928), “The Dunwich horror” (1929), “The whisperer in darkness” (1931), “At the mountains of madness” (1936), “The shadow over Innsmouth” (1936), “The shadow out of time” (1936), “The haunter of the dark” (1936)” and “The horror at Red Hook” (1927). We point, as main elements of his spatiality, the desolation and isolation, the presence of the abyss – on time and space –and of the terrifying nature’s sublime, the scientific and full of adjectives descriptions, the aversion of decadence, counterpointed by an appreciation of old and traditional things, and the presence of thresholds, where a resistant tradition seeks to protect itself from assaults from beyond. With that analysis, we can see how these elements conjure the reader’s fears and take part in the composition of the lovecraftian cosmic horror, specially when the author explores spatial abysses and their effects on the human mind. Beyond that, the spatial approach also allows a better understanding of the origins of the fear and the social relations in lovecraftian narratives. Also, it shows a glimpse of Lovecraft’s legacy in new writers, who create parodies, pastiches and tributes to his works.