Naturally, by no means this is meant to suggest that Lovecraft's writing is lacking. While he does have stronger and weaker points, such a statement can be made about practically anyone who's ever written more than one sentence. But H.P.L achieved fame and recognition that is rare for a writer, and continues to inspire artists long after his death.
Pardon me, kind sir, you seem to have forgotten your lines.
An avid reader of Lovecraft's stories, as well as an aficionado of literature as a whole, will promptly be able to see that H.P.L. was more apt in some areas than others. Over the course of twenty stories or so, it becomes increasingly visible that dialogue is definitely not a strong point of his. But readers will tire of even the most interesting, well-crafted descriptions in the fullness of time, and so the lack of dialogue in Lovecraft's works becomes the more visible the more stories have been read. Of course, given that most of them have a diary or journal format, the emphasis on description is justified, but on the other hand, lack of dialogue results in severely distancing readers from the characters they are supposed to care about.
They looked ordinary : one was wearing a jewelled turban...
Character design is a field H.P. Lovecraft was even less interested in, populating his stories with an army of Author Avatars. Which is not a bad thing in itself, especially for this genre, but in due course the readers might get weary and maybe even roll their eyes at yet another protagonist who is "adept in Greek, Latin, and half a dozen other European languages" and takes great pains to describe architecture regardless of its relevance to the events. Perhaps it is for this reason that The Temple stands out from the rest of Lovecraft's stories - its protagonist is a man of distinct personality, and even if this effect is achieved rather bluntly, the character still remains different.
O Sister, Where Art Thou?
They looked ordinary : one was wearing a jewelled turban...
Character design is a field H.P. Lovecraft was even less interested in, populating his stories with an army of Author Avatars. Which is not a bad thing in itself, especially for this genre, but in due course the readers might get weary and maybe even roll their eyes at yet another protagonist who is "adept in Greek, Latin, and half a dozen other European languages" and takes great pains to describe architecture regardless of its relevance to the events. Perhaps it is for this reason that The Temple stands out from the rest of Lovecraft's stories - its protagonist is a man of distinct personality, and even if this effect is achieved rather bluntly, the character still remains different.
O Sister, Where Art Thou?
Another interesting point in Lovecraft's writing was the complete lack of female characters. Of course, simple omission of either gender in a work of fiction does not discredit it, especially since in some cases it might be entirely justified. But it is an interesting point, one that arouses curiosity : what would be the effect of introducing a woman into H.P.L's unique world? One that would not be limited to the role of poor Lavinia Whateley, who was, essentially, little more than a disposable incubator? Results would definitely be worth seeing, to some readers at least.
Of course, many writers attempted similar goals, August Derleth coming to mind immediately. But each point of view is unique, and so this one might just appeal to someone.
