H.P. Lovecraft’s Search for Truth and Meaning Through the Medium of the Gothic Hero’s Quest

Authors

Jacob Hodgen, Brigham Young University
Dr. Dennis Perry, Brigham Young University

Keywords

H. P. Lovecraft, Gothic, hero's quest, hero myth, Arthurian

College

Humanities

Department

English

Abstract

The intent of my project was to seek to better understand the structure and ideology of the short stories of H.P. Lovecraft. Through my research I discovered that nearly every one of his stories can be directly linked to the archetypal hero’s quest—as popularized and brought into Western culture through the tradition of the Arthurian Grail Romance. I began to trace the roots of Lovecraft’s style and structure through his idol Edgar Allan Poe and learned that both Lovecraft and Poe used the structure of the questing hero myth that they had undoubtedly read from the likes of Malory, Geoffrey of Monmouth, and Tennyson.

Recommended Citation

Hodgen, Jacob and Perry, Dr. Dennis (2013) "H.P. Lovecraft’s Search for Truth and Meaning Through the Medium of the Gothic Hero’s Quest," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2013: Iss. 1, Article 725.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2013/iss1/725