The fantastic atmosphere in The Moon Bog by HP Lovecraft

Résumé du document

In his short story entitled ?The Moon Bog', Lovecraft adheres to his methods to create a genuine fantastic atmosphere. Both his style and his narration contribute to the setting of a cosmic ambiance in a very effective way. From the point of view of the narrative, the themes in this short story pierce very deep into the core and nature of humanity. Lovecraft tries to reveal the very truth of our inner selves that we sometimes try to hide. In the ?Moon Bog', he manages to open our eyes to the horrors that lurk within us, ready to surface and longing for freedom. The author succeeds in making us believe that true horror is resident within man himself, not in the outer world. Another of Lovecraft's themes, which contributes to the narrative creation of a fantastic atmosphere, is the presence of fantasizing. Lovecraft shows us that dreams are a reality which is possibly greater than our waking existence. This perpetual mix between dreams and reality is what makes the story fantastic.

Extraits

[...] It could be qualified as a gothic one with its use of old English know or the very particular rhythm of the sentences. Most of them are very long, so you have to prepare your breath in order to say them in a loud voice, but also nicely balanced which contributes to hypnotize the reader and thus create a dreamlike ambience. To conclude, I think that the way Lovecraft succeeds in creating a fantastic atmosphere is simply remarkable. His stylistic skills and the themes and imagery he chooses makes this short story a real fantastic fiction, and not only some “weird fiction”. [...]

[...] The fantastic atmosphere in The Moon Bog by HP Lovecraft By what narrative and stylistic devices does Lovecraft create a fantastic atmosphere in The Moon Bog? How effective do you find the method? In his short story entitled The Moon Bog, Lovecraft does not change his methods to create a genuine fantastic atmosphere. Both his style and his narration contribute to setting a cosmic ambiance in a very effective way in my opinion. First of all, in the narrative point of view, the themes in this short story pierce very deep into the core and nature of humanity. [...]

[...] I think that the fact that the superior force which causes all this disorders in the residents life is invisible is decisive for Lovecraft's narrative aim. The force that gives life to the bog seems to come from inside each resident : it materializes itself in dreams, or in a reality mixed with a dream. Thus it puts the reader in a very uncomfortable position ; in a way he also fears this inner force which can be unleashed if he falls asleep. [...]

[...] Another of Lovecraft's theme which contributes to the narrative creation of a fantastic atmosphere is the presence of fantasizing everywhere. Lovecraft shows us that dreams are a reality which is possibly greater than our waking existence. This perpetual mix between dreams and reality is what makes the story fantastic. The technique which is used to set this oneiric and fantastic ambience is dreamlike imagery. It is everywhere in the Moon Bog, from the first night of the hero in the castle to his hallucinations with the frogs and the effigy at the end. [...]