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suvic's reviews
126 reviews
Beyond the Wall of Sleep by H.P. Lovecraft
5.0
★★★★✮ (4.5 stars)
i was initially going to deduct a few stars because the discrimination that this story contains is in fact a reality, and not a critique (i.e., lovecraft was a eugenicist). however, when taken through the latter lens, it is actually so compelling that i can’t help but read it in this contemporary light.
don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely important to recognize lovecraft’s faults and intentions here, but, at the same time, the audience interpretation often shapes a given work to a great extent - and i’d even argue that it shapes it more fully, more completely. tbh we could argue about authority and authorship all day, but what i’m really trying to say is that this story benefits from a more modern analysis, as well as a historical one. it would be such a great book to adapt to film, really leaning into these themes (and instead actually commenting on social inequalities as opposed to reinforcing them)
i was initially going to deduct a few stars because the discrimination that this story contains is in fact a reality, and not a critique (i.e., lovecraft was a eugenicist). however, when taken through the latter lens, it is actually so compelling that i can’t help but read it in this contemporary light.
don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely important to recognize lovecraft’s faults and intentions here, but, at the same time, the audience interpretation often shapes a given work to a great extent - and i’d even argue that it shapes it more fully, more completely. tbh we could argue about authority and authorship all day, but what i’m really trying to say is that this story benefits from a more modern analysis, as well as a historical one. it would be such a great book to adapt to film, really leaning into these themes (and instead actually commenting on social inequalities as opposed to reinforcing them)