The Strange High House in the Mist

The Strange High House in the Mist

"The Strange High House in the Mist" is a short story by H. P. Lovecraft. Written on November 9, 1926, it was first published in the October 1931 issue of "Weird Tales".

Inspiration

"An H. P. Lovecraft Encyclopedia" suggests that the story may have been inspired by Lord Dunsany's "Chronicles of Rodriguez", in which strange sights can be seen from a wizard's house on a crag. [Joshi and Schultz, p. 253.]

One model for the setting was Mother Ann, a headland near Gloucester, Massachusetts. [H. P. Lovecraft, "Selected Letters" Vol. 3, p. 433; cited in Joshi and Schultz, p. 253.]

Plot summary

Thomas Olney, a philosopher visiting the town of Kingsport, Massachusetts, climbs up to a strange house on a cliff overlooking the ocean. He meets the mysterious man who lives there and has an encounter with the supernatural. He returns to Kingsport the next day, but he seems to have left his spirit behind in the strange house.

Connections

Kingsport, which is mentioned in several Lovecraft stories, first appeared in "The Terrible Old Man" (1920). The title character of that story makes an appearance in "The Strange High House in the Mist" as well.

The story makes reference to the Celtic god Nodens, who also appears in "The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath". This entity was later incorporated into the Cthulhu Mythos by August Derleth as the leader of the Elder Gods. In the same passage in "The Strange High House", Lovecraft also mentions the arrival of the god Neptune, but that Roman deity has not similarly been adopted by Lovecraftian writers.

Critical reaction

The story was originally rejected by "Weird Tales" when submitted in July 1927. In 1929, Lovecraft agreed to let W. Paul Cook publish it in the second issue of "The Recluse", but when it became clear that that issue would never appear, he resubmitted it to "Weird Tales", which accepted it, paying him $55. [Joshi and Schultz, p. 253.]

References

* S. T. Joshi and David Schultz, "An H. P. Lovecraft Encyclopedia", Hippocampus Press.

Footnotes

External links


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