Weird fiction
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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| + | "The true [[Weird fiction |weird tale]] has something more than secret murder, bloody bones, or a sheeted form clanking chains according to rule. A certain [[atmosphere]] of breathless and unexplainable [[dread]] of outer, unknown forces must be present; and there must be a hint, expressed with a seriousness and portentousness becoming its subject, of that most terrible conception of the human brain--a malign and particular suspension or defeat of those fixed laws of Nature which are our only safeguard against the assaults of chaos and the daemons of unplumbed space." --[[Supernatural Horror in Literature]]" (1927) by H. P. Lovecraft | ||
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| - | '''Arkham House''' is a publishing house specializing in [[weird fiction]] founded in [[Sauk City, Wisconsin]] in 1939 by [[August Derleth]] and [[Donald Wandrei]]. The company's name is derived from H. P. Lovecraft's fictional New England city, [[Arkham]]. Arkham House published the first hardback collections of [[H. P. Lovecraft|Lovecraft]]'s works. Arkham House editions are noted for the quality of their printing and binding. | + | '''Weird fiction''' is a subgenre of [[speculative literature]] written in the late 19th and early 20th century. Weird fiction is distinguished from [[horror fiction|horror]] and [[fantasy]] in that it predates the [[niche marketing]] of [[genre fiction]]. Because genre or stylistic conventions had not been established, weird tales often blend the supernatural, mythical, and even scientific. British "weird" authors, for example, published their work in mainstream literary magazines even after American pulp magazines became popular. Popular weird fiction writers included [[H. P. Lovecraft]], [[Lord Dunsany]], [[Arthur Machen]], and [[M. R. James]]. |
| - | In addition to volumes of [[H. P. Lovecraft]]'s fiction, Arkham House has published collections of his letters to peers, friends and family. Among his correspondents were Arkham House founders, Derleth and Wandrei. | + | Although "weird fiction" is chiefly a historical description for works through the 1930s, the term has also been used since the 1980s, sometimes to describe [[slipstream (genre)|slipstream]] fiction that blends horror, fantasy, and science fiction. |
| - | Arkham House also published fiction from several of Lovecraft's contemporaries, including [[Robert E. Howard]], [[Frank Belknap Long]], [[Clark Ashton Smith]], [[Robert Bloch]], and [[August Derleth|Derleth]] himself; classic genre fiction by authors such as [[William Hope Hodgson]], [[Algernon Blackwood]], [[H. Russell Wakefield]], [[Seabury Quinn]], and [[J. Sheridan Le Fanu]]; and later writers in the Lovecraft school, such as [[Ray Bradbury]], [[Ramsey Campbell]] and [[Brian Lumley]]. | + | ==History of the Genre== |
| + | [[H. P. Lovecraft]] adopted the term from [[Sheridan Le Fanu]] and popularized it in his essays. In "[[Supernatural Horror in Literature]]," Lovecraft defines the genre: | ||
| + | <blockquote> | ||
| + | The true weird tale has something more than secret murder, bloody bones, or a sheeted form clanking chains according to rule. A certain atmosphere of breathless and unexplainable dread of outer, unknown forces must be present; and there must be a hint, expressed with a seriousness and portentousness becoming its subject, of that most terrible conception of the human brain--a malign and particular suspension or defeat of those fixed laws of Nature which are our only safeguard against the assaults of chaos and the daemons of unplumbed space. | ||
| + | </blockquote> | ||
| - | Despite the wealth of talented writers who appeared under the Arkham House imprint, it was not a financial success. Derleth wrote in 1970, "[T]he fact is that in no single year since its founding have the earnings of Arkham House met the expenses, so that it has been necessary for my personal earnings to shore up Arkham House finances." After Derleth's death, Donald Wandrei briefly acted as editorial director. He was succeeded by [[Jim Turner (editor)|James Turner]], who expanded the company's range of authors to include such prominent science fiction and fantasy writers as [[Michael Bishop (author)|Michael Bishop]], [[Lucius Shepard]], [[Bruce Sterling]], [[James Tiptree Jr.]], [[Michael Shea]] and [[J. G. Ballard]], often publishing hardcover collections of shorter works. Turner's successor [[Peter Ruber]] sought to return the publisher to its pulp origins. <!-- Then how are they staying afloat these days? --> | + | The [[pulp magazine]], ''[[Weird Tales]]'', published many such stories in the United States from March 1923 to September 1954. |
| - | ==Other Imprints== | + | [[S. T. Joshi]] describes several subdivisions of the weird tale: supernatural horror (or [[fantastique]]), the [[ghost story]], quasi [[science fiction]], [[fantasy]], and ambiguous [[horror fiction]]. |
| - | Arkham House published under two additional imprints throughout its history. In [[1945 in literature|1945]], the [[Mycroft & Moran]] imprint was launched for the publication of weird detective and mystery stories. Arkham also introduced [[Stanton & Lee Publishers]] in 1945 with the intention of publishing cartoons by Clare Victor Dwiggins. Stanton & Lee Publishers went on to publish poetry and the regional writings of [[August Derleth]]. | + | |
| - | ==Works published by Arkham House == | + | Although Lovecraft was one of the few early 20th-century writers to describe their work as weird fiction, the term has enjoyed a contemporary revival in [[New Weird]] fiction. Many horror writers have situated themselves within the tradition of weird fiction, including [[Clive Barker]], who describes his fiction as [[fantastique]], and [[Ramsey Campbell]], whose work is deeply influenced by Lovecraft. |
| - | ===2000s=== | + | |
| - | * ''[[Evermore (book)|Evermore]]'', edited by [[James Robert Smith]] and [[Stephen Mark Rainey]] (2006) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Other Worlds Than Ours]]'', by [[Nelson S. Bond|Nelson Bond]] (2005) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Cave of a Thousand Tales]]'', by [[Milt Thomas]] (2004) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Selected Letters of Clark Ashton Smith]]'', by [[Clark Ashton Smith]] (2003) | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Cleansing]]'', by [[John D. Harvey]] (2002) | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Far Side of Nowhere]]'', by [[Nelson S. Bond|Nelson Bond]] (2002) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Book of the Dead (memoir)|Book of the Dead]]'', by [[E. Hoffman Price]] (2001) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Arkham's Masters of Horror]]'', edited by [[Peter Ruber]] (2000) | + | |
| - | * ''[[In the Stone House]]'', by [[Barry N. Malzberg]] (2000) | + | |
| - | ===1990s=== | + | ==Weird Fiction Authors== |
| - | * ''[[Sixty Years of Arkham House]]'', edited by [[S. T. Joshi]] (1999) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Dragonfly (1999 novel)|Dragonfly]]'', by [[Frederic S. Durbin]] (1999) | + | |
| - | * ''[[New Horizons (book)|New Horizons]]'', edited by [[August Derleth]] (1999) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Lovecraft Remembered]]'', edited by [[Peter Cannon]] (1998) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Flowers from the Moon and Other Lunacies]]'', by [[Robert Bloch]] (1998) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Voyages by Starlight]]'', by [[Ian R. MacLeod]] (1997) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Synthesis & Other Virtual Realities]]'', by [[Mary Rosenblum]] (1996) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Cthulhu Mythos anthology#Cthulhu 2000|Cthulhu 2000: A Lovecraftian Anthology]]'', edited by [[Jim Turner (editor)|James Turner]] (1995) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Miscellaneous Writings]]'', by [[H. P. Lovecraft]], edited by [[S.T. Joshi]] (1994) | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Breath of Suspension]]'', by [[Alexander Jablokov]] (1994) | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Aliens of Earth]]'', by [[Nancy Kress]] (1993) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Alone with the Horrors: The Great Short Fiction of Ramsey Campbell 1961-1991]]'', by [[Ramsey Campbell]] (1993) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Meeting in Infinity]]'', by [[John Kessel]] (1992) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Lord Kelvin's Machine]]'', by [[James P. Blaylock]] (1992) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Gravity's Angels]]'', by [[Michael Swanwick]] (1991) | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Ends of the Earth]]'', by [[Lucius Shepard]] (1990) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Her Smoke Rose Up Forever]]'', by [[James Tiptree, Jr.]] (1990) | + | |
| - | ===1980s=== | + | *[[Arthur Machen]] |
| - | * ''[[Cthulhu Mythos anthology#Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos: Golden Anniversary Anthology|Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos]]'', by [[H. P. Lovecraft]] and Divers Hands (1989) | + | *[[Lord Dunsany]] |
| - | * ''[[Crystal Express]]'', by [[Bruce Sterling]] (1989) | + | *[[Algernon Blackwood]] |
| - | * ''[[The Horror in the Museum and Other Revisions]]'', by [[H. P. Lovecraft]] (1989) | + | *[[M. R. James]] |
| - | * ''[[Memories of the Space Age]]'', by [[J.G. Ballard]] (1988) | + | *[[Ambrose Bierce]] |
| - | * ''[[A Rendezvous in Averoigne]]'', by [[Clark Ashton Smith]] (1988) | + | *[[H. P. Lovecraft]] |
| - | * ''[[Polyphemus (book)|Polyphemus]]'', by [[Michael Shea]] (1987) | + | *[[William Hope Hodgson]] |
| - | * ''[[The Jaguar Hunter]]'', by [[Lucius Shepard]] (1987) | + | *[[L. P. Hartley]] |
| - | * ''[[Tales of the Quintana Roo]]'', by [[James Tiptree, Jr.]] (1986) | + | *[[Clark Ashton Smith]] |
| - | * ''[[Dreams of Dark and Light: The Great Short Fiction of Tanith Lee]]'', by [[Tanith Lee]] (1986) | + | *[[Robert E. Howard]] |
| - | * ''[[Dagon and Other Macabre Tales]]'', by [[H. P. Lovecraft]] (1986) | + | *[[E. R. Eddison]] |
| - | * ''[[At the Mountains of Madness and Other Novels]]'', by [[H. P. Lovecraft]] (1985) | + | *[[M. P. Shiel]] |
| - | * ''[[The Dunwich Horror and Others]]'', by [[H. P. Lovecraft]] (1985) | + | *[[Oliver Onions]] |
| - | * ''[[Lovecraft's Book]]'', by [[Richard A. Lupoff]] (1985) | + | *[[Walter de la Mare]] |
| - | * ''[[Who Made Stevie Crye?]]'', by [[Michael Bishop (author)|Michael Bishop]] (1984) | + | *[[Shirley Jackson]] |
| - | * ''[[Watchers at the Strait Gate]]'', by [[Russell Kirk]] (1984) | + | *[[Ramsey Campbell]] |
| - | * ''[[One Winter in Eden]]'', by [[Michael Bishop (author)|Michael Bishop]] (1984) | + | *[[T. E. D. Klein]] |
| - | * ''[[The Zanzibar Cat]]'', by [[Joanna Russ]] (1983) | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Wind from a Burning Woman]]'', by [[Greg Bear]] (1983) | + | |
| - | * ''[[The House of the Wolf]]'', by [[Basil Copper]] (1983) | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Solar Pons Omnibus]]'', by [[August Derleth]], edited by [[Basil Copper]] (1982) | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Darkling]]'', by [[David Kesterton]] (1982) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Blooded on Arachne]]'', by [[Michael Bishop (author)|Michael Bishop]] (1982) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Tales from the Nightside]]'', by [[Charles L. Grant]] (1981) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Collected Poems (Richard L. Tierney)|Collected Poems]]'', by [[Richard L. Tierney]] (1981) | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Third Grave]]'', by [[David F. Case|David Case]] (1981) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Cthulhu Mythos anthology#New Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos|New Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos]]'', edited by [[Ramsey Campbell]] (1980) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Necropolis (novel)|Necropolis]]'', by [[Basil Copper]] (1980) | + | |
| - | ===1970s=== | + | ==The New Weird== |
| - | * ''[[The Black Book of Clark Ashton Smith]]'', by [[Clark Ashton Smith]] (1979) | + | [[Ann VanderMeer|Ann]] and [[Jeff VanderMeer]] and [[China Miéville]] have suggested that Weird fiction has seen a recent resurgence, a phenomenon they term the [[New Weird]]. Tales which fit this category, as well as extensive discussion of the phenomenon, appear in the anthology ''The New Weird''. |
| - | * ''[[The Princess of All Lands]]'', by [[Russell Kirk]] (1979) | + | |
| - | * ''[[In the Mist and Other Uncanny Encounters]]'', by [[Elizabeth Walter]] (1979) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Half in Shadow]]'', by [[Mary Elizabeth Counselman]] (1978) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Born to Exile]]'', by [[Phyllis Eisenstein]] (1978) | + | |
| - | * ''[[In Mayan Splendor]]'', by [[Frank Belknap Long]] (1977) | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Horror at Oakdeene and Others]]'', by [[Brian Lumley]] (1977) | + | |
| - | * ''[[And Afterward, the Dark]]'', by [[Basil Copper]] (1977) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Kecksies and Other Twilight Tales]]'', by [[Marjorie Bowen]] (1976) | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Height of the Scream]]'', by [[Ramsey Campbell]] (1976) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Literary Swordsmen and Sorcerers]]'', by [[L. Sprague deCamp]] (1976) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Dwellers in Darkness]]'', by [[August Derleth]] (1976) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Selected Letters V (1934-1937)]]'', by [[H. P. Lovecraft]] (1976) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Selected Letters IV (1932-1934)]]'', by [[H. P. Lovecraft]] (1976) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Dreams from R'lyeh]]'', by [[Lin Carter]] (1975) | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Purcell Papers (1975 book)|The Purcell Papers]]'', by [[Sheridan Le Fanu|J. Sheridan LeFanu]] (1975) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Nameless Places]]'', edited by [[Gerald W. Page]] (1975) | + | |
| - | * ''[[The House of the Worm]]'', by [[Gary Myers (writer)|Gary Myers]] (1975) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Harrigan's File]]'', by [[August Derleth]] (1975) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Xélucha and Others]]'', by [[M. P. Shiel]] (1975) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Howard Phillips Lovecraft: Dreamer on the Nightside]]'', by [[Frank Belknap Long]] (1975) | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Watchers Out of Time and Others]]'', by [[H. P. Lovecraft]] and [[August Derleth]] (1974) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Collected Ghost Stories]]'', by [[Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman|Mary E. Wilkins-Freeman]] (1974) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Beneath the Moors]]'', by [[Brian Lumley]] (1974) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Stories of Darkness and Dread]]'', by [[Joseph Payne Brennan]] (1973) | + | |
| - | * ''[[From Evil's Pillow]]'', by [[Basil Copper]] (1973) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Demons by Daylight]]'', by [[Ramsey Campbell]] (1973) | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Rim of the Unknown]]'', by [[Frank Belknap Long]] (1972) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Disclosures in Scarlet]]'', by [[Carl Richard Jacobi|Carl Jacobi]] (1972) | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Arkham Collector: Volume I]]'', edited by [[August Derleth]] (1972) | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Caller of the Black]]'', by [[Brian Lumley]] (1971) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Selected Letters III (1929-1931)]]'', by [[H. P. Lovecraft]] (1971) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Songs and Sonnets Atlantean]]'', by [[Donald Sidney-Fryer|Donald S. Fryer]] (1971) | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Arkham Collector]]'' Number Ten: Summer, 1971 | + | |
| - | * ''[[Dark Things]]'', edited by [[August Derleth]] (1971) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Eight Tales]]'', by [[Walter de la Mare]] (1971) | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Arkham Collector]]'' Number Nine: Spring, 1971 | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Face in the Mirror]]'', by [[Denys Val Baker]] (1971) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Selected Poems (C. A. Smith)|Selected Poems]]'', by [[Clark Ashton Smith]] (1971) | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Arkham Collector]]'' Number Eight: Winter, 1971 | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Horror in the Museum and Other Revisions]]'', by [[H. P. Lovecraft]] (1970) | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Arkham Collector]]'' Number Seven: Summer, 1970 | + | |
| - | * ''[[Other Dimensions]]'', by [[Clark Ashton Smith]] (1970) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Demons and Dinosaurs]]'', by [[L. Sprague deCamp]] (1970) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Thirty Years of Arkham House, 1939-1969: A History and Bibliography]]'', prepared by [[August Derleth]] (1970) | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Arkham Collector]]'' Number Six: Winter, 1970 | + | |
| - | ===1960s=== | ||
| - | * ''[[The Folsom Flint and Other Curious Tales]]'', by [[David H. Keller]] (1969) | ||
| - | * ''[[Cthulhu Mythos anthology#Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos|Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos]]'', by [[H. P. Lovecraft]] and Others (1969) | ||
| - | * ''[[The Arkham Collector]]'' Number Five: Summer, 1969 | ||
| - | * ''[[The Arkham Collector]]'' Number Four: Winter, 1969 | ||
| - | * ''[[The Arkham Collector]]'' Number Three: Summer, 1968 | ||
| - | * ''[[Nightmares and Daydreams]]'', by [[Nelson S. Bond|Nelson Bond]] (1968) | ||
| - | * ''[[Selected Letters II (1925-1929)]]'', by [[H. P. Lovecraft]] (1968) | ||
| - | * ''[[The Green Round]]'', by [[Arthur Machen]] (1968) | ||
| - | * ''[[The Arkham Collector]]'' Number Two: Winter, 1968 | ||
| - | * ''[[Strange Gateways]]'', by [[E. Hoffmann Price]] (1967) | ||
| - | * ''[[Three Tales of Horror]]'', by [[H. P. Lovecraft]] (1967) | ||
| - | * ''[[The Mind Parasites]]'', by [[Colin Wilson]] (1967) | ||
| - | * ''[[The Arkham Collector]]'' Number One: Summer, 1967 | ||
| - | * ''[[Travellers by Night]]'', edited by [[August Derleth]] (1967) | ||
| - | * ''[[Deep Waters (book)|Deep Waters]]'', by [[William Hope Hodgson]] (1967) | ||
| - | * ''[[Black Medicine]]'', by [[Arthur J. Burks]] (1967) | ||
| - | * ''[[Colonel Markesan and Less Pleasant People]]'', by [[August Derleth]] and [[Mark Schorer]] (1966) | ||
| - | * ''[[The Dark Brotherhood and Other Pieces]]'', by [[H. P. Lovecraft]] & divers hands (1966) | ||
| - | * ''[[Strange Harvest]]'', by [[Donald Wandrei]] (1965) | ||
| - | * ''[[Something Breathing]]'', by [[Stanley McNail]] (1965) | ||
| - | * ''[[The Quick and the Dead (collection)|The Quick and the Dead]]'', by [[Vincent Starrett]] (1965) | ||
| - | * ''[[Dagon and Other Macabre Tales]]'', by [[H. P. Lovecraft]] (1965) | ||
| - | * ''[[Poems in Prose]]'', by [[Clark Ashton Smith]] (1965) | ||
| - | * ''[[Selected Letters I (1911-1924)]]'', by [[H. P. Lovecraft]] (1965) | ||
| - | * ''[[Tales of Science and Sorcery]]'', by [[Clark Ashton Smith]] (1964) | ||
| - | * ''[[Nightmare Need]]'', by [[Joseph Payne Brennan]] (1964) | ||
| - | * ''[[Portraits in Moonlight]]'', by [[Carl Richard Jacobi|Carl Jacobi]] (1964) | ||
| - | * ''[[At the Mountains of Madness and Other Novels]]'', by [[H. P. Lovecraft]] (1964) | ||
| - | * ''[[Over the Edge (anthology)|Over the Edge]]'', edited by [[August Derleth]] (1964) | ||
| - | * ''[[Poems for Midnight]]'', by [[Donald Wandrei]] (1964) | ||
| - | * ''[[The Inhabitant of the Lake and Less Welcome Tenants]]'', by [[J. Ramsey Campbell]] (1964) | ||
| - | * ''[[The Dark Man and Others]]'', by [[Robert E. Howard]] (1963) | ||
| - | * ''[[Mr. George and Other Odd Persons]]'', by [[August Derleth|Stephen Grendon]] (1963) | ||
| - | * ''[[Who Fears the Devil?]]'', by [[Manly Wade Wellman]] (1963) | ||
| - | * ''[[Autobiography: Some Notes on a Nonentity]]'', by [[H. P. Lovecraft]]: annotated by [[August Derleth]] (1963) | ||
| - | * ''[[The Dunwich Horror and Others]]'', by [[H. P. Lovecraft]] (1963) | ||
| - | * ''[[Collected Poems (H. P. Lovecraft)|Collected Poems]]'', by [[H. P. Lovecraft]] (1963) | ||
| - | * ''[[The Horror from the Hills]]'', by [[Frank Belknap Long]] (1963) | ||
| - | * ''[[100 Books by August Derleth]]'', by [[August Derleth]] (1962) | ||
| - | * ''[[The Trail of Cthulhu]]'', by [[August Derleth]] (1962) | ||
| - | * ''[[Dark Mind, Dark Heart]]'', edited by [[August Derleth]] (1962) | ||
| - | * ''[[Lonesome Places]]'', by [[August Derleth]] (1962) | ||
| - | * ''[[Dreams and Fancies]]'', by [[H. P. Lovecraft]] (1962) | ||
| - | * ''[[The Shunned House]]'', by [[H. P. Lovecraft]] (1961) | ||
| - | * ''[[Fire and Sleet and Candlelight]]'', edited by [[August Derleth]] (1961) | ||
| - | * ''[[Strayers from Sheol]]'', by [[H. Russell Wakefield]] (1961) | ||
| - | * ''[[Invaders from the Dark]]'', by [[Greye La Spina]] (1960) | ||
| - | * ''[[Pleasant Dreams: Nightmares]]'', by [[Robert Bloch]] (1960) | ||
| - | * ''[[The Abominations of Yondo]]'', by [[Clark Ashton Smith]] (1960) | ||
| - | ===1950s=== | + | ==See also== |
| - | * ''[[The Shuttered Room and Other Pieces]]'', by [[H. P. Lovecraft]] and Divers Hands (1959) | + | * [[Dark fantasy]] |
| - | * ''[[Some Notes on H. P. Lovecraft]]'', by [[August Derleth]] (1959) | + | *[[Fantastique]] |
| - | * ''[[Arkham House: The First 20 Years]]'', by [[August Derleth]] (1959) | + | * [[Gothic fiction]] |
| - | * ''[[Nine Horrors and a Dream]]'', by [[Joseph Payne Brennan]] (1958) | + | * [[Horror fiction]] |
| - | * ''[[The Mask of Cthulhu]]'', by [[August Derleth]] (1958) | + | * [[List of genres]] |
| - | * ''[[Spells and Philtres]]'', by [[Clark Ashton Smith]] (1958) | + | *[[New Weird]] |
| - | * ''[[Always Comes Evening]]'', by [[Robert E. Howard]] (1957) | + | * [[Occult detective]] |
| - | * ''[[The Survivor and Others]]'', by [[H. P. Lovecraft]] and [[August Derleth]] (1957) | + | *[[Speculative fiction]] |
| - | * ''[[The Feasting Dead]]'', by [[John Metcalfe (writer)|John Metcalfe]] (1954) | + | * [[Supernatural fiction]] |
| - | * ''[[The Curse of Yig (book)|The Curse of Yig]]'', by [[Zealia Bishop]] (1953) | + | * [[Urban fantasy]] |
| - | * ''[[Night's Yawning Peal: A Ghostly Company]]'', edited by [[August Derleth]] (1952) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Tales from Underwood]]'', by [[David H. Keller]] (1952) | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Dark Chateau]]'', by [[Clark Ashton Smith]] (1951) | + | |
| - | * ''[[A Hornbook for Witches]]'', by [[Leah Bodine Drake]] (1950) | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | ===1940s=== | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Throne of Saturn (short story collection)|The Throne of Saturn]]'', by [[S. Fowler Wright]] (1949) | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Arkham Sampler]], Volume II, Number Four: Autumn, 1949'' | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Arkham Sampler]], Volume II, Number Three: Summer, 1949'' | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Arkham Sampler]], Volume II, Number Two: Spring, 1949'' | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Arkham Sampler]], Volume II, Number One: Winter, 1949'' | + | |
| - | * ''[[Something About Cats and Other Pieces]]'', by [[H. P. Lovecraft]] (1949) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Not Long for this World]]'', by [[August Derleth]] (1948) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Genius Loci and Other Tales]]'', by [[Clark Ashton Smith]] (1948) | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Arkham Sampler]], Volume I, Number Four: Autumn, 1948'' | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Arkham Sampler]], Volume I, Number Three: Summer, 1948'' | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Arkham Sampler]], Volume I, Number Two: Spring, 1948'' | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Arkham Sampler]], Volume I, Number One: Winter, 1948'' | + | |
| - | * ''[[Roads (novel)|Roads]]'', by [[Seabury Quinn]] (1948) | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Fourth Book of Jorkens]]'', by [[Lord Dunsany]] (1948) | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Web of Easter Island]]'', by [[Donald Wandrei]] (1948) | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Travelling Grave and Other Stories]]'', by [[L.P. Hartley]] (1948) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Night's Black Agents]]'', by [[Fritz Leiber|Fritz Leiber, Jr.]] (1947) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Revelations in Black]]'', by [[Carl Richard Jacobi|Carl Jacobi]] (1947) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Dark Carnival (book)|Dark Carnival]]'', by [[Ray Bradbury]] (1947) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Dark of the Moon: Poems of Fantasy and the Macabre]]'', edited by [[August Derleth]] (1947) | + | |
| - | * ''[[This Mortal Coil (book)|This Mortal Coil]]'', by [[Cynthia Asquith]] (1947) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Slan]]'', by [[A. E. van Vogt]] (1946) | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Clock Strikes Twelve]]'', by [[H. Russell Wakefield]] (1946) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Fearful Pleasures]]'', by [[A. E. Coppard|A.E. Coppard]] (1946) | + | |
| - | * ''[[West India Lights]]'', by [[Henry S. Whitehead]] (1946) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Skull-Face and Others]]'', by [[Robert E. Howard]] (1946) | + | |
| - | * ''[[The House on the Borderland and Other Novels]]'', by [[William Hope Hodgson]] (1946) | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Doll and One Other]]'', by [[Algernon Blackwood]] (1946) | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Hounds of Tindalos (book)|The Hounds of Tindalos]]'', by [[Frank Belknap Long]] (1946) | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Lurker at the Threshold]]'', by [[H. P. Lovecraft]] and [[August Derleth]] (1945) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Green Tea and Other Ghost Stories]]'', by [[Sheridan Le Fanu|J. Sheridan LeFanu]] (1945) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Witch House]]'', by [[Evangeline Walton]] (1945) | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Opener of the Way]]'', by [[Robert Bloch]] (1945) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Something Near]]'', by [[August Derleth]] (1945) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Marginalia (collection)|Marginalia]] by [[H. P. Lovecraft]] (1944) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Lost Worlds (book)|Lost Worlds]]'', by [[Clark Ashton Smith]] (1944) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Jumbee and Other Uncanny Tales]]'', by [[Henry S. Whitehead]] (1944) | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Eye and the Finger]]'', by [[Donald Wandrei]] (1944) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Beyond the Wall of Sleep (collection)|Beyond the Wall of Sleep]]'', by [[H. P. Lovecraft]] (1943) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Out of Space and Time]]'', by [[Clark Ashton Smith]] (1942) | + | |
| - | * ''[[Someone in the Dark]]'', by [[August Derleth]] (1941) | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | ===1939=== | + | |
| - | * ''[[The Outsider and Others]]'', by [[H. P. Lovecraft]] (1939) | + | |
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"The true weird tale has something more than secret murder, bloody bones, or a sheeted form clanking chains according to rule. A certain atmosphere of breathless and unexplainable dread of outer, unknown forces must be present; and there must be a hint, expressed with a seriousness and portentousness becoming its subject, of that most terrible conception of the human brain--a malign and particular suspension or defeat of those fixed laws of Nature which are our only safeguard against the assaults of chaos and the daemons of unplumbed space." --Supernatural Horror in Literature" (1927) by H. P. Lovecraft |
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Weird fiction is a subgenre of speculative literature written in the late 19th and early 20th century. Weird fiction is distinguished from horror and fantasy in that it predates the niche marketing of genre fiction. Because genre or stylistic conventions had not been established, weird tales often blend the supernatural, mythical, and even scientific. British "weird" authors, for example, published their work in mainstream literary magazines even after American pulp magazines became popular. Popular weird fiction writers included H. P. Lovecraft, Lord Dunsany, Arthur Machen, and M. R. James.
Although "weird fiction" is chiefly a historical description for works through the 1930s, the term has also been used since the 1980s, sometimes to describe slipstream fiction that blends horror, fantasy, and science fiction.
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History of the Genre
H. P. Lovecraft adopted the term from Sheridan Le Fanu and popularized it in his essays. In "Supernatural Horror in Literature," Lovecraft defines the genre:
The true weird tale has something more than secret murder, bloody bones, or a sheeted form clanking chains according to rule. A certain atmosphere of breathless and unexplainable dread of outer, unknown forces must be present; and there must be a hint, expressed with a seriousness and portentousness becoming its subject, of that most terrible conception of the human brain--a malign and particular suspension or defeat of those fixed laws of Nature which are our only safeguard against the assaults of chaos and the daemons of unplumbed space.
The pulp magazine, Weird Tales, published many such stories in the United States from March 1923 to September 1954.
S. T. Joshi describes several subdivisions of the weird tale: supernatural horror (or fantastique), the ghost story, quasi science fiction, fantasy, and ambiguous horror fiction.
Although Lovecraft was one of the few early 20th-century writers to describe their work as weird fiction, the term has enjoyed a contemporary revival in New Weird fiction. Many horror writers have situated themselves within the tradition of weird fiction, including Clive Barker, who describes his fiction as fantastique, and Ramsey Campbell, whose work is deeply influenced by Lovecraft.
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Weird Fiction Authors
- Arthur Machen
- Lord Dunsany
- Algernon Blackwood
- M. R. James
- Ambrose Bierce
- H. P. Lovecraft
- William Hope Hodgson
- L. P. Hartley
- Clark Ashton Smith
- Robert E. Howard
- E. R. Eddison
- M. P. Shiel
- Oliver Onions
- Walter de la Mare
- Shirley Jackson
- Ramsey Campbell
- T. E. D. Klein
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The New Weird
Ann and Jeff VanderMeer and China Miéville have suggested that Weird fiction has seen a recent resurgence, a phenomenon they term the New Weird. Tales which fit this category, as well as extensive discussion of the phenomenon, appear in the anthology The New Weird.
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See also
- Dark fantasy
- Fantastique
- Gothic fiction
- Horror fiction
- List of genres
- New Weird
- Occult detective
- Speculative fiction
- Supernatural fiction
- Urban fantasy
Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Weird fiction" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.
