American Writers (One Hundred Pages at a Time)

I am excited to present part 1 (of 24) of my examination of THE BAROQUE CYCLE by Neal Stephenson. In this part we meet Daniel Waterhouse and the eternal wizard Enoch Root while getting a sense of the numerous themes in the series.

In this story written by Hazel Heald and H. P. Lovecraft (mostly ghostwritten by HPL), we explore an amazing wax museum with a horrible special exhibit. One of the most delightful of the Lovecraft collaborations.

The final episode in my series on William Wells Brown explores the second half of MY SOUTHERN HOME, the author's second memoir. Next up, a special series on Neal Stephenson's BAROQUE CYCLE.

MY SOUTHERN HOME is a memoir by William Wells Brown written toward the end of his life. It rehashed much from his earlier writers, but from the perspective of a more sober old man.

In another of Lovecraft's Hazel Heald revisions (ghostwriting)--WINGED DEATH--we get a fascinating tale of science, empire, and revenge. Like THE MAN OF STONE, we get most of the story from the villain' point of view.

The first of five collaborations between H. P. Lovecraft and Hazel Heald. In this story, a wizard uses black magic to punish his adulterous wife. Through a framed narrative our authors give us a window into the mind of the villain.

In 1862, William Wells Brown wrote a series of short biographies of black activists, politicians, scientists, and artists in an attempt to prove black people's capacity for self-rule in the context of the Emancipation Proclamation. It begins with a great philosophical essay.

The final by-line publication by H. P. Lovecraft during his life was THE HAUNTER IN THE DARK. I explore this story in this episode, finishing up the formal read through of his works.

In this episode I look at a play by William Wells Brown called THE ESCAPE. It is an effective look at the horrors of slavery and the necessity of resistance.

The second part of my review of THE SHADOW OUT OF TIME by H. P. Lovecraft. I cannot believe I made it this far. There is still a lot to look at in future episodes but only one more "by-line" publication. Anyway, this story is good.

An only slightly deeper look at William Wells Brown THE AMERICAN FUGITIVE IN EUROPE. The second half of this travelogue focuses on Browns' travels through Britain, him seeing the homes and monuments of great writers, and some of his anti-slavery work.

William Wells Brown spent 1849-1854 in Europe doing anti-slavery work. This narrative of these years reads more like a traditional travelogue than a polemical text, and that is okay.

The first half of my review of H. P. Lovecraft's THE SHADOW OUT OF TIME. This story is a nice mix of cosmic horror, science fiction, and horror. It also has one of Lovecraft's most well-developed protagonists.

CLOTEL is the first novel by an African-American in the United States. While not a plot-driven page-turner, William Wells Brown created a convincing portrait of the sexual and gender politics in American slavery.

Another H. P. Lovecraft story (THE THING ON THE DOORSTEP) is explored in this episode. You think your marriage is bad. Try being married to a bossy lady who is actually an old wizard who wants your body (not in that way).

The second part of my review of THE DREAMS IN THE WITCH-HOUSE by H. P. Lovecraft. Great stuff in this story on modern science and folklore. This story is also our best look at the city of Arkham. Why people not like?

I start a new series on the works of William Wells Brown. I start with his compelling and short autobiography about his time as a slave, published in 1847. I also speak a bit on CLOTEL, his novel.

We begin a series on the final H. P. Lovecraft stories with THE DREAMS IN THE WITCHHOUSE. This is one of my favorite Lovecraft stories, but it seems to not get much love.

The finale of my coverage of the letters of H. P. Lovecraft. I do not think I will be coming back to letters until I take on the Robert E. Howard series in the near future. For now we return to stories.

I am almost through with my commentary on the fourth volume of the selected letters of H. P. Lovecraft. These cover the autumn of 1933.

I know it has been a while since I uploaded anything. Been busy at home in Wisconsin. But here are some more thoughts on the letters of H. P. Lovecraft, focusing on those written in the late summer of 1933.

In this episode, I dig deeper into the fourth volume of the selected letters of H. P. Lovecraft. There are some unhinged stuff in this set, especially the letters to J. Vernon Shea.

The finale of my review of THE PROUD TOWER by Barbara Tuchman also finishes off our look at this mid-century American historian.

More of Lovecraft's letters are examined in this episode covering the period from January to April 1933. Some of the most notable elements include the publication of DREAMS IN THE WITCH HOUSE and the death of H.S. Whitehead.

As we move on in Barbara Tuchman's THE PROUD TOWER we explore chapters devoted to the Hague Conventions on peace with their successes and failures, as well German culture. The later chapter deals almost exclusively with the career of Richard Strauss, the composer.