What is the philosophy of cosmicism and how is it used to convey a sense of dread in both The Shadow Over Innsmouth and The Colour out of Space?
Cosmic horror is a subgenre of horror fiction made famous by author H. P. Lovecraft. One of the defining features of the philosophy of cosmic horror is its use of anti-anthropocentrism. Lovecraft regularly overshadows the significance of humanity in many of his stories by hinting at a universe that is far greater and more important than that of our own. Lovecraft states that “my tales are based on the fundamental premise that common human laws and interests and emotions have no validity or significance in the vast cosmos-at-large” (as cited in Joshi, 2007, p. 103).
In ‘The Shadow over Innsmouth’ (Lovecraft, 1936), Lovecraft imagines this greater cosmos through the ‘Deep Ones’. A race of human-fish hybrids that encompass the small, rundown fishing town of Innsmouth. The ‘Deep Ones’ possess immortality and often hide in the massive underwater city of ‘Y’ha-nthlei’ when their mutations become too apparent to outsiders. The ‘Deep Ones’ eventually plan on expanding to the surface world in tribute of the Great Cthulhu residing in R’lyeh, located in the depths of the South Pacific (Wikipedia, n.d.).
While in ‘The Color out of Space’ (Lovecraft, 1927), the meteorite that lands in Arkham, demonstrates the otherworldliness of Lovecraft’s work. Its appearance and characteristics are unlike that of anything seen before. The meteorite radiates strange colours and causes the environment nearby to act and mutate in uncharacteristic ways. After feeding on the mind and body of living things around it, an entity hiding from within the well returns home in a bright column of colour ascending to the outer reaches of space. Both of these tales hint, either directly or indirectly, at universes far superior to that of mankind. Therefore, implementing one aspect of the philosophy of cosmic horror.
Furthermore, characters that attempt to comprehend the newfound expansiveness of the cosmos often succumb to insanity, as their newfound knowledge shatters their understanding of the universe. Stableford (2007) elaborates that part of the terror from cosmic horror comes from the “knowledge that is too much to bear; the ultimate knowledge of that kind is, indeed, related to unplumbed space rather than the shallows of human evil, and to assaults of chaos” (p. 66).
In ‘The Shadow over Innsmouth’ (Lovecraft, 1936), as the main protagonist begins to uncover more about the inhabitants and the happenings of Innsmouth, his mental fortitude begins to breakdown. Stating “It was the end, for whatever remains to me of life on the surface of this earth, of every vestige of mental peace and confidence in the integrity of Nature and of the human mind” (Lovecraft, 1936), eventually succumbing to the ‘Deep Ones’.
In ‘The Color out of Space’ (Lovecraft, 1927) the meteorite that lands in Arkham has drastic psychological effects on nearby residents. An unfortunate victim of which, Mrs Gardner, has strange visions of things shifting unnaturally, along with mysterious “things” in the air that she is unable to describe. Eventually dying to the strange entity from within the meteorite.
This inability for humanity to comprehend the greater cosmos intern heightens the anti-anthropocentrism within the philosophy of cosmic horror.
References.
Joshi, S. T. (2007). The cthullu mythos. Icons of horror and the supernatural: An encyclopedia of our worst nightmares, 97-128.
Lovecraft, H. P. (1927). The color out of space.
Lovecraft, H. P. (1936). The shadow over innsmouth.
Stableford, B. (2007). The cosmic horror. Icons of Horror and the Supernatural: An encyclopedia of our worst nightmares, 66-96.
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Cthulhu. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cthulhu
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