In "The Lairs of Cthulhu" James explores Lovecraft's relationship to archaeology, its use in his fiction, the adoption of this imagery by the Lovecraftian fan community, and the ways in which Lovecraft's work anticipates modern debates in the field.
Thanks again to James, Treadwell's and GBSteve for making this recording available.
The Lairs of Cthulhu: Archaeology, Myth and Mystery in the work of H.P. Lovecraft
James Holloway (Cambridge)
Recorded Thursday 15th October, 2009 (7:30-9:00 PM)
For many, the name H.P. Lovecraft conjures images of strange pre-human ruins. In fact, Lovecraft was keenly interested in archaeology and ancient history, and used archaeological theory to create specific dramatic effects in his work. This talk explores Lovecraft's relationship to archaeology, its use in his fiction, the adoption of this imagery by the Lovecraftian fan community, and the ways in which Lovecraft's work anticipates modern debates in the field. This is a recording for all who have been moved by the landscapes he conjured, the deeps he evoked: the lairs of Cthulhu.
James Holloway has a Ph.D. in archaeology from Cambridge, focusing on funerary archaeology in the Anglo-Saxon period. He has a lifelong interest in Lovecraft, and originally began to look into this subject as part of a 2007 conference session on 'the archaeology of imaginary civilisations'.
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Re: The Lairs of Cthulhu - Treadwell's Lecture by James Holloway (Score: 1) by jholloway on Monday, October 26, 2009 @ 09:06:21 GMT (User Info | Send a Message)
I'm really pleased and impressed that so many people are interested in a fairly obscure talk. Of course, listening to it again I feel like there are some things that didn't come across as clearly as I wanted, and one or two silly mistakes. Notably, Cornelius Holtorf isn't Swedish -- he's German, but works in Sweden, or at least he did as of a few years ago.
I really want to stress that the issues about archaeology and identity at the end of the talk are quick, informal summaries of long and detailed issues. If you think that I've over-simplified something, I probably agree with you.
Once again, thanks to everyone who came and thanks to Steve for recording it.
Re: The Lairs of Cthulhu - Treadwell's Lecture by James Holloway (Score: 1) by GBSteve on Monday, October 26, 2009 @ 10:08:02 GMT (User Info | Send a Message | Journal)
You can find a rather good report on the talk here.
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