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The Dunwich Horror
The Dunwich Horror: A Short Story | H. P. Lovecraft
24 posts | 44 read | 19 to read
The Dunwich Horror A Short Story H.P. Lovecraft "The Dunwich Horror" is a short story by H. P. Lovecraft. Written in 1928, it was first published in the April 1929 issue of Weird Tales (pp. 481-508). It takes place in Dunwich, a fictional town in Massachusetts. It is considered one of the core stories of the Cthulhu Mythos. "The Dunwich Horror" is one of the few tales Lovecraft wrote wherein the heroes successfully defeat the antagonistic entity or monster of the story. In the isolated, desolate, decrepit village of Dunwich, Wilbur Whateley is the hideous son of Lavinia Whateley, a deformed and unstable albino mother, and an unknown father (alluded to in passing by mad Old Whateley, as "Yog-Sothoth"). Strange events surround his birth and precocious development. Wilbur matures at an abnormal rate, reaching manhood within a decade. Locals shun him and his family, and animals fear and despise him (due to his odor). All the while, his sorcerer grandfather indoctrinates him into certain dark rituals and the study of witchcraft. Various locals grow suspicious after Old Whateley buys more and more cattle, yet the number of his herd never increases, and the cattle in his field become mysteriously afflicted with severe open wounds. Wilbur and his grandfather have sequestered an unseen presence at their farmhouse; this being is connected somehow to Yog-Sothoth. Year by year, this unseen entity grows to monstrous proportions, requiring the two men to make frequent modifications to their residence. People begin to notice a trend of cattle mysteriously disappearing. Wilbur's grandfather dies. His mother disappears soon afterwards. The colossal entity eventually occupies the whole interior of the farmhouse.
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Emilymdxn
The Dunwich Horror | H. Lovecraft
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Pickpick

This one stood up to rereading more than the shadow over innsmouth! The ramshackle dying town was so creepy and perfectly described. Love me some cthulhu

#scarathlon #skeletoncrew

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Naz786
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

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TheNeverendingTBR
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Pickpick

A story about the strange events surrounding the birth of a boy who matures at an abnormal rate, reaching manhood rapidly – all the while being brainwashed into rituals & witchcraft by his grandfather and by using such practices come with deadly repercussions. 👹

Typical Lovecraft writing, of mysterious presences which are unseen but terrifying; I love his writing and this story is very good - a perfect Halloween read. 4/5 👻

MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm Absolutely ADORE Lovecraft! ❤️🐙❤️ 4y
Cathythoughts Loving the new pic ❤️ 4y
TheNeverendingTBR @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm I read a whole bunch of these stories many years ago but have difficulty remembering them so I'm going for a re-read of ones I've read and not read 😌 4y
TheNeverendingTBR @Cathythoughts They're so cool, got that Hammer film poster look! 🧟‍♂️ 4y
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Taylor
The Dunwich Horror | H. Lovecraft
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Pickpick

This man Lovecraft continues to enchant me with his imaginative expeditions into God knows what.

I really mean that—I don‘t have a clue where he came up with this stuff.

The thing about his tales is, just when you think you know about where it‘s going he cranks it up to a thousand and takes it ENTIRELY too far.

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Taylor
The Dunwich Horror | H. Lovecraft

I‘m still reading Lovecraft, and I‘m really enjoying it. I just love how passionate he is in his writing. His stuff is all so out there, and he‘s a master at the slow build. Really you gotta be willing to accept the slow build, and take pleasure in the world creating, to appreciate this stuff. Because getting right to the action is not what he was about.

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clynncoy
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Mehso-so

My first Lovecraft. I was hoping for a bit more devilish rampage but a good fast read. 🌟🌟🌟1/2

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Sg1224
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Pickpick

I am hooked! This short story was the perfect gateway into the realm H.P Lovecraft crafts in such a well-rounded sense. The way he describes putrid scents left me with the perfect understanding. This story quickly unfolds and wraps its tentacles around you until it has sucked you dry. 😬 #bookclub June read!

Trashcanman I hope you are well, truly I do 5y
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Malisa
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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sixgun
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Panpan

I love the classic terror that is Lovecraft., However, with this story it feels like the truly terrible was too long in coming and much too unfocused for good reading. It is Lovecraft but maybe another choice would be wiser.

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Sweettartlaura
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Up next for #spookyreadathon 😱

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Emma3
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this a lot. I read it with Serial Reader so it was split up but I actually would have preferred to read it normally all in one go. It was very atmospheric and creepy

bookcollecter Creepy right? ,😱 6y
Emma3 @bookcollecter yea 😲 6y
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Leftcoastzen
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#OldCoolBooks #Curdler H.P Lovecraft was born in 1890, wrote for pulps but was never able to make a living by his writing.August Derleth & Arkham House Publishers selected these stories in 1963, but I think this volume dates from the 80s or 90s with its 17.95 cover price & an ISBN on the back.The idea was to consult Lovecrafts original manuscripts & early publications to arrive at a more definitive edition.Still on my TBR.

Linsy What a great dust jacket! It‘s crazy how some of the greats are only recognized after they‘ve left us. 7y
Leftcoastzen @Linsy Both King and Joyce Carol Oates list him as a big influence re: macabre, gothic ,etc. The negative , not too enlightened,as some of his generation regarding women and race. 7y
LeahBergen Cool! 7y
KateFulfordAuthor Insightful commentary thanks! 6y
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laundry_piles
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Fun Fact courtesy of Serial Reader

#funfact #serialreader #hplovecraft #didyouknow

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Notmacaroniandcheese
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Pickpick

So, when it comes to reading supernatural stories, especially short stories, I don‘t get scared very often. This one, however, had me horrified.

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JoeStalksBeck
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Just a note. I suggest you read this book before you read Providence by Caroline Kepnes

BibliophileMomma Haven‘t read any H.P. Lovecraft. But I‘ve always wanted to. What should I start with? 7y
JoeStalksBeck @Tiffy_Reads this one 😃 7y
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shawnmooney
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Panpan

The only thing I was afraid of was that the shitty-shitty-SHITTY prose might make me vomit.

DGRachel I read this on Serial Reader and hated it, too. 7y
LeahBergen 😂 7y
emilyhaldi Lol 7y
britt_brooke 😆 7y
54 likes4 comments
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shawnmooney
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Yup this is going to be even worse than I expected. 😂😂 Who cares - only 50 pages!

Marchpane Ugh, hate the word "swarthy" ? 7y
shawnmooney @Marchpane I'd heard Lovecraft couldn't write but I had no idea how true that was! 😂 7y
kammartinez Hazards of reading Lovecraft: his toxic racism and classism. The Cthulhu Mythos is amazing, but the politics are terrible. 7y
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Tamra I read Lovecraft was a racist. I promptly dumped the complete collection of stories I bought new. Doesn't sound like I missed much. 7y
Tamra @kammartinez dumped him for that reason. 😑 7y
kammartinez @Tamra If you're interested in reading Lovecraftian horror sans the racism, I highly recommend Victor LaValle's The Ballad of Black Tom :D. It'll give you a fairly good idea of what kind of horror Lovecraft plays with, but without the terrible racism. 7y
Tamra @kammartinez it's hard to ignore now though. 😐 7y
kammartinez @Tamra Well, yes, that is true. It can be hard to unsee something like that. But I still recommend The Ballad of Black Tom if only because it's an excellent commentary on the very real horror of racism itself - especially as juxtaposed against the landscape of 1920s New York. 7y
Tamra @kammartinez I am intrigued now. 7y
kammartinez @Tamra It's only novella-length so it shouldn't take up too much of your time :). And if you find you like it, you might also want to read Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff: it's similar to Ballad of Black Tom thematically, but is set in post-WWII, Jim Crow America instead. 7y
LeahBergen Are you trying for your "freezer-worthy horror"? I have a short, fun rec for you! 7y
shawnmooney @kammartinez @EchoLogical @Tamra @LeahBergen I chose this because it was such a short audio book, and I shan't waste any of my precious energy on a political critique of writing that is this god-awful on the prose level. But I'm going to persevere with it just to cross this horrible task off my reading challenge list! LOL 7y
Tamra @shawnmooney oh that‘s the spirit Shawn! 👻👻 🤣 7y
50 likes14 comments
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DreesReads
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Pickpick

I have read a few Lovecraft stories, and this has been my favorite so far. Still a bit dated in its idea of "horror" IMO, but the fear of the trapped townspeople and the making fun by nearby towns? Still feels very real.

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MrBook
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#TBRtemptation post 4! Any Lovecraft fans in the Litsy house? I thought so. Well, my library just acquired a new compilation of his work, and I look forward to borrowing it sometime (hopefully sooner than later) down the road. The stories in this collection span from 1919 to 1937. #blameLitsy #blameMrBook 😎

JSW I haven't read any Lovecraft, but I'm going to; yesterday I bought The Night Ocean so I need the background. 8y
The.Intentional.Reader Awesome. Love me some Lovecraft! 8y
Chelsey I haven't read any Lovecraft but there's been such a resurgence of his popularity in recent years I confess to some curiosity. I have heard that he's a bit problematic re: women and POC. Any thoughts? 8y
Bookgirl I've got Lovecraft on my TBR but have felt hesitant...think it's time to go for it 8y
LitsyGoesPostal 😊👍🏻 7y
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GetFictional
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It's freezing here in Maine and they're calling for the possibility of snow tomorrow. I love it :) The wind is howling, but it's sunny and beautiful, leaving some of the red and orange on the trees intact. Curling up with some classics today. I've been on a short story kick lately, and I'm finding I love the huge complexities that authors fit in such a short space.

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Laura317

Started this on Serial Reader. Somehow, I never read H. P. Lovecraft until now. So far, it's creepy good!

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LauraJ
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Yep, liking this Serial Reader app.

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