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”Fear of the unknown” En posthumanistisk studie av tre bortommänskliga varelser i H.P. Lovecrafts skräcklitteratur

Author

  • Matilda Blohmé

Summary, in English

In this essay I will examine whether H. P. Lovecraft’s alien species are more evolved and more intelligent than humans. The three races that will be examined are Mi-Go from The whisperer in Darkness (1931), The Deep Ones from The Shadow over Innsmouth (1936), and The Great Race from The Shadow Out of Time (1936). These races will be analyzed with the help of the post-humanistic theory, which focuses on human’s relations to other beings and whether we have the right to treat other species the way that we do today. The conclusion I will reach is that the alien species in Lovecrafts literature displays a higher level of intelligence than humans. This is shown through their superhuman abilities such as telekinesis
and time travel. The society in which the alien creatures live are interpreted as Lovecraft’s form av utopia for humans which further proves their hierarchic position against humans.

Publishing year

2023

Language

Swedish

Document type

Student publication for Bachelor's degree

Topic

  • Languages and Literatures

Keywords

  • Lovecraft
  • Posthumanism
  • Kosmologisk skräck
  • bortommänsklig

Supervisor

  • Erik Zillén (Associate Professor)