Howling:5th Season and Lovecraft
I was thinking that the new Moffat season is pulling a lot of the plot twist and feels of H.P. Lovecraft. Anyone care to help me explore this further? I'm not familiar enough with Lovecraft yet to put specific plots with specific references. ' Please add in under episodes to keep references straight ReTardis 18:04, April 28, 2010 (UTC)
The Eleventh Hour -- Prisoner Zero is in a Axtraxi-extra dimensional prison and once hidden in Amy's house, the extra room can only be seen out of the corner of the eye, but not when actually looking for it. ReTardis 18:04, April 28, 2010 (UTC)
The Beast Below --The hidden creature who is at the heart of the remainder of the British Isles, choosing to forget vs. face unsettling knowledge.ReTardis 18:04, April 28, 2010 (UTC)
The Time of Angels -- The Home Box used in the episode covered in "eldritch runes"; The Weeping Angels themselves - creatures that can reproduce via. imagery, they can only move when not observed, Amy's "infestation" and the slow transformation into a Weeping Angel.ReTardis 18:04, April 28, 2010 (UTC)
Some comparison from HP Lovecraft is certainly valid.
After all, Lovecraft guiding literary principle was what he termed "cosmicism" or "cosmic horror", the idea that life is incomprehensible to human minds and that the universe is fundamentally alien. Those who genuinely reason, like his protagonists, gamble with sanity. While Steven Moffat doesn't seem to be going completely towards the horror aspect, he does recognize that Alien environments have to be alien, or at least that's the way I see it....
Often, several themes re-occur in Lovecraft's stories:
- forbidden Knowledge - This is harder to fit in. I would see this fitting in better with Torchwood, and Captain Jack... Because the Doctor isn't human, in theory, no knowledge is forbidden to him. (eg. Captain Jack, with his missing gap of memory)
- Non-human Influences on Humanity - Well, the Doctor, Daleks, Alien Invasions, etc. All seems to apply.
- Inherited Guilt - Well, last survivor of the Time War. Destroyer of Gallifrey, Skaro, the Daleks, and the Timelords... Not to mention any other affected races.
- Fate - Predestined due to history (eg. Fires of Pompeii), The actions of another races (eg. Planet of the Ood), but I think this might be a stretch for Doctor who...
- Civilization under threat - Well, yes... I can't see how we can debate that..
- Race, ethnicity & class - For Doctor who, the obvious would be Human vs. Alien, Alien vs. Alien, etc. Not exactly a Good fit...
Do some monsters seem to have a "Cthulhuian" appearance?
- Take a look at the Ood, they certainly would be a good fit.
Bschollnick 19:41, April 28, 2010 (UTC)
