Ridiculus Undarke
Posts: 48
5/20/2014
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In the last month or so, there have been many mentions of Lovecraft in the descriptions of the atmosphere of Sunless Sea, which I find quite curious... and misleading. But that prompts me to ask: do you think the world of Fallen London is "Lovecraftian" in any sense?
Simply put, I think it isn't. I can even see more Chesterton than Lovecraft in it. I am not a specialist in either of them, and I am not even a PoSI in FL, so there is a chance that I'm missing some important plot elements here, but from everything I've seen so far, I'm quite certain that their connection is rather superficial.
With Lovecraft I associate first and foremost a certain type of hopeless madness and despair (and not squids!) which I don't find in Failbetter's games. There are cosmic forces there that are far beyond the powers of man, but so what? The whole history of fiction is full of them, and I certainly can't imagine Lovecraft writing about love and passion.
This article gives a fine introduction on the nature of Lovecraftian horror. So, what do you fellow Fallen Londoners think?
edited by Ridiculus Undarke on 5/20/2014
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http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Ridiculus
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Diptych
Administrator
Posts: 3493
6/4/2014
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Lovecraft created a world full of distant, bizarre and terrifying creatures, whose very existence was antithetical to our understanding of the universe, and who where so much greater and more ancient than us that they were barely aware we were here... reflecting his fear of foreign cultures.
Fallen London is a world of distant, bizarre and terrifying creatures whose very existence defines our understanding of the universe, and who, despite being so much greater and more ancient than us, seem to want something from us, and are prepared to cajole, deceive, manipulate or do violence to us to get it. And which resemble governments so explicitly that we can assume the comparison is thoroughly deliberate and rational.
They're both cosmic horror involving tentacl'd monstrosities, seaside cults, indescribable sights and what have you, but they approach the genre from completely opposite directions.
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Sir Frederick, the Libertarian Esotericist. Lord Hubris, the Bloody Baron.
Juniper Brown, the Ill-Fated Orphan. Esther Ellis-Hall, the Fashionable Fabian.
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Alexis Kennedy
Posts: 1374
5/20/2014
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I'd add that Sunless Sea is a little more Lovecraftian. It's bleaker, and less funny. Also, giant tentacle monsters in the sea.
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Lily Fox
Posts: 346
5/21/2014
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Let's not forget that Cthulu itself was defeated when a ship rammed into its head, knocking it out.
FL and SS do have the ever-increasing threat of Madness, things in the well, the Name, secret rituals held on coastal towns to distant and terrifying gods; so like any good story big enough, it has chapters of Lovecraftian horror but balances it with lighter adventures.
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@LilyLayer4
Fallen London character: Lilith B.
Author of Maelstrom - Play - Discuss
Author of City of Phire - Play - Discuss
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Ridiculus Undarke
Posts: 48
6/4/2014
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What do they say? In the deepest matters of the Bazaar, always look to love. Always. This is so anti-Lovecraftian that I think there is even no need to explain the difference.
Also, dream-quests are not something related specifically to Lovecraft. Many writers of the time period used them. If I must label them with a name, I would rather say "Dunsanian".
But, it is obviously impossible for a work of this size and scope, which is furthermore vaguely set in a similar time period, and is deeply Gothic in nature, not to be compared with Lovecraft's work. The same applies to high fantasy and Tolkien. The closest FL and Lovecraft come together, I think, is in Seeking the Name...
edited by Ridiculus Undarke on 6/4/2014
edited by Ridiculus Undarke on 6/4/2014
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http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Ridiculus
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Alexis Kennedy
Posts: 1374
5/20/2014
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Authorial authority is not infallible, but this interview reflects my current opinion (ctrl-F 'Lovecraft')
http://pcgmedia.com/failbetter-games-talk-fallen-london-sunless-sea-beyond/
Chesterton, however, is bang on.
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