The Unique Legacy of Weird Tales: The Evolution of Modern Fantasy and Horror

267 Pages·2015·1.56 MB·English

by  Justin Everett

The Unique Legacy of Weird Tales
Studies in Supernatural Literature
Series Editor: S. T. Joshi
LovecraftandInfluence:HisPredecessorsandSuccessors,editedbyRobertH.Waugh,
2013
LordDunsany,H.P.Lovecraft,andRayBradbury:SpectralJourneys,byWilliamF.
Touponce,2013
CriticalEssaysonLord,editedbyS.T.Joshi,2013
RamseyCampbell:CriticalEssaysontheModernMasterofHorror,editedbyGary
WilliamCrawford,2014
LordDunsany:AComprehensiveBibliography,SecondEdition,byS.T.JoshiandDar-
rellSchweitzer,2014
DisordersofMagnitude:ASurveyofDarkFantasy,byJasonV.Brock,2014
TheUniqueLegacyofWeirdTales:TheEvolutionofModernFantasyandHorror,edited
byJustinEverettandJeffreyH.Shanks,2015
The Unique Legacy of Weird Tales
The Evolution of
Modern Fantasy and Horror
Edited by
Justin Everett
Jeffrey H. Shanks
ROWMAN&LITTLEFIELD
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BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationInformationAvailable
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
TheuniquelegacyofWeirdTales:theevolutionofmodernfantasyandhorror/editedbyJustin
EverettandJeffreyH.Shanks.
pagescm.—(Studiesinsupernaturalliterature)
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-1-4422-5621-7(hardback:alk.paper)—ISBN978-1-4422-5622-4(ebook)1.Weird
tales.2.Fantasyfiction,American—Historyandcriticism.3.Horrortales,American—Historyand
criticism.4.Periodicals—Publishing—UnitedStates—History—20thcentury.5.Pulpliterature,
American—Historyandcriticism.I.Everett,Justin,editor.II.Shanks,JeffreyH.,1972–editor.
PS228.F35U552015
813'.0876609—dc23
2015020167
TMThepaperusedinthispublicationmeetstheminimumrequirementsofAmerican
NationalStandardforInformationSciencesPermanenceofPaperforPrintedLibrary
Materials,ANSI/NISOZ39.48-1992.
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction:WeirdTales—DiscourseCommunityandGenreNexus ix
JustinEverettandJeffreyH.Shanks
PartI:TheUniqueMagazine:WeirdTales,Modernism,and
GenreFormation 1
1 “SomethingThatSwayedasIfinUnison”:TheArtistic
AuthenticityofWeirdTalesintheInterwarPeriodicalCultureof
Modernism 3
JasonRayCarney
2 WeirdModernism:LiteraryModernismintheFirstDecadeof
WeirdTales 15
JonasPrida
3 TheLovecraftCircleandthe“WeirdClass”:“Againstthe
ComplacencyofanOrthodoxSun-Dweller” 29
DánielNyikos
4 StrangeCollaborations:WeirdTales’sDiscourseCommunityas
aSiteofCollaborativeWriting 51
NicoleEmmelhainz
5 GothictoCosmic:Sword-and-SorceryFictioninWeirdTales 63
MorganT.Holmes
v
vi Contents
PartII:Eich-Pi-ElandTwo-GunBob:LovecraftandHowardin
WeirdTales 81
6 ANamelessHorror:MadnessandMetamorphosisinH.P.
LovecraftandPostmodernism 83
ClancySmith
7 GreatPhallicMonoliths:LovecraftandSexuality 105
BobbyDerie
8 EvolutionaryOtherness:AnthropologicalAnxietyinRobertE.
Howard’s“WormsoftheEarth” 119
JeffreyH.Shanks
9 EugenicThoughtintheWorksofRobertE.Howard 131
JustinEverett
PartIII:MastersoftheWeird:OtherAuthorsofWeirdTales 151
10 PegasusUnbridled:ClarkAshtonSmithandtheGhettoization
oftheFantastic 153
ScottConnors
11 “ARoundCipher”:Word-BuildingandWorld-Buildinginthe
WeirdWorksofClarkAshtonSmith 173
GeoffreyReiter
12 C.L.Moore,M.Brundage,andJirelofJoiry:Womenand
GenderintheOctober1934WeirdTales 187
JonathanHelland
13 Psycho-ology101:IncipientMadnessintheWeirdTalesof
RobertBloch 201
PaulW.Shovlin
14 “ToHellandGone”:HaroldLawlor’sSelf-EffacingPulp
Metafiction 211
SidneySondergard
Index 229
AbouttheEditorsandContributors 243
Acknowledgments
Thisvolumewastheresultofmuchhardworkandcollaborationonthepart
of a number of individuals and would not have been possible without their
generous efforts. In particular, we would like to thank our contributors,
whose excellent work has made this the most important volume of scholar-
shiponWeirdTalestodate.WewouldliketoexpressourappreciationtoS.
T. Joshi for his guidance and oversight as the series editor for Studies in
Supernatural Literature and to Stephan Ryan, senior editor at Rowman &
Littlefield. We would also like to thank the Popular Culture Association
(PCA) and American Culture Association (ACA); many of the chapters in
this volume began as papers in the Pulp Studies area at several of the joint
PCA/ACA National Conferences over thelastfew years, andthat venuehas
been instrumental in creating a core group of scholars who are undertaking
academic work on Weird Tales and its authors. Finally, we would like to
expressourdeepestappreciationtoourfriendsandfamilyfortheircontinued
patience and forbearance in their support of our often time-consuming re-
searchandscholarship.
vii