“The Dunwich Horror” by H.P. Lovecraft was surely a treat to read. A great example of the complex discovery plot. It was a slow start for me, but the descriptive writing Lovecraft used easily kept me interested. He makes it effortless to visualize the surroundings and become one with the story. His description of Wilbur dying in the library provided a perfect image, and Curtis Whateley’s brief glimpse of the monster was just downright disturbing.

“Oh, oh, my Gawd, that haff face—that haff face on top of it . . . that face with the red eyes an’ crinkly albino hair, an’ no chin, like the Whateleys . . . It was a octopus, centipede, spider kind o’ thing, but they was a haff-shaped man’s face on top of it, an’ it looked like Wizard Whateley’s, only it was yards an’ yards acrost . . ..”

There was a sentence in the beginning of the story that I especially loved, probably because I have a personal interest in trees.

“Those sides loom up so dark and precipitously that one wishes they would keep their distance but there is no road by which to escape them.”

I’ve never heard the word ‘precipitously’ before and as I read on, I realized there were many words I’ve never heard used. I kept my dictionary handy throughout the story to define some of Lovecraft’s word usage. “The Dunwich Horror” has brought to my attention how important it is to extend my vocabulary. I’m left somewhat confused by the ending. If someone could explain the twin brother/looks more like his father that would be great. I think I may have missed something.

The second story I chose by H.P. Lovecraft, “Cool Air.” I really love the flow of Lovecraft’s writing, which is why I chose him again, but I also chose this story because it’s a perfect example of the overreacher plot. There was a great deal of suspense for me as I wondered why the Dr. had to keep his room at such a low temperature and of course why he would need all that ice. Learning the end was a surprise. It’s safe to say that these two stories have made H.P. Lovecraft one of my favorite writers. I love how he keeps you hanging on until the very end.

“The Philosophy of Horror” offered me a lot of helpful information on the various horror plot structures. I had no idea that there were so many plot structures to choose from. I must add that my favorite horror reading is the plot breakdown of “The Exorcist.” This film has always been a favorite of mine and I’m ashamed to say that I never read the book, but I can say that it’s been added to the top of my books to read list.

Lovecraft, H. P. (n.d.). The dunwich horror. Retrieved from http://www.hplovecraft.com/writings/texts/fiction/dh.aspx

Lovecraft, H. P. (n.d.). Cool air. Retrieved from http://www.hplovecraft.com/writings/texts/fiction/ca.aspx

Carroll, N. (1990). The philosophy of horror. New York: Rout