Types of fear: Infection

One of the authors that influenced Lovecraft was Arthur Machen. Machen's works include The Great god Pan, a story that has been a cornerstone of Stephen King's stories. Machen mainly deals with how madness can spread like a disease. We only need to look toward our conspiracy theories to see how bad ideas can take hold. But what about Lovecraft? While he nicknames Shub Niggurath by "Pan," Machen's influence seems to be a forgotten foundation in the Lovecraftian universe. But look closely and I think you'll see Lovecraft nipping Machen's outcomes in the bud. Many of Machen's stories end with the protagonist alive and free to infect others with their craziness. Lovecraft often kills his characters or puts then in jails or asylum. There his character's tales become tall tales, local gossip by a man in a looney bin. Who would believe a man claiming thete was a whe city beneath his house or that a couple of archeologists saw a city older than mankind? By sealing their fate, Lovecraft prevents the stories from spreading and keeps the cthulhu mythos as forgotten lore. That is for the best. If man knew of the horrors out there, how could we function? Lovecraftian characters are overripe like rotten fruit ready to spill their tales on public but something stops them. Maybe an act of an unseen god, or a cult silences an outsider. Lovecraftian protagonists seem to be doomed to never had their voices heard. And that is, again, for the best. What can a man do against a god?

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