Introduction
Welcome to my corner! Last week, I shared with you one of Grimm's Fairy Takes called "The Frog-King; Or, Iron Henry." This week, I'll be sharing a short gothic tale by H.P. Lovecraft called "Memory." At the end, I'll share some of my thoughts.
Memory
H.P. Lovecraft
In the valley of Nis the accursed waning moon shines thinly, tearing a path for its light with feeble horns though the lethal foliage of a great up as-tree. And within the depths of the valley, where the light reaches not, move forms not meet to be beheld. Rank is the herbage on each slope, where evil vines and creeping plants crawl amidst the stones of ruined palaces, twining tightly about broken columns and strange monoliths, and heaving up marble pavements laid by forgotten hands. And in trees that grow gigantic in crumbling courtyards leap little apes, while in and out of deep treasure-vaults writhe poison serpents and scaly things without a name.
Vast are the stones which sleep beneath coverlets of dank moss, and mighty were the walls from which they fell. For all time did their builders erect them, and in sooth they yet serve nobly, for beneath them the grey toad makes his habitation.
At the very bottom of the valley lies the river Than, whose waters are slimy and filled with weeds. From hidden springs it rises, and to subterranean grottoes it flows, so that the Daemon of the Valley knows not why its waters are red , nor whither they are bound.
The Genie that haunts the moonbeams spake to the Daemon of the Valley, saying, "I am old, and forget much. Tell me the deeds and aspect and name of them who built these things of stone." And the Daemon replied, "I am Memory, and am wise in lore of the past, but I too am old. These beings were like the waters of the ruver Than, not to be understood. Their deeds I recall not, for they were but of the moment, Their aspect I recall dimply, for it was like to that of the little apes in the trees. Their name I recall clearly, for it rhymed with that of the river. These beings of yesterday were called Man."
So the Genie flew back to the thin horned moon, and the Daemon looked intently at the little ape in a tree that grew in a crumbling courtyard.
Howard Phillips Lovecraft, better known as H.P. Lovecraft, was a writer of weird, science, fantasy and horror fiction. His most famous work was The Call of Cthulhu, which gave birth to the famous monster Cthulhu. If by some chance you haven't heard of Cthulhu, here's your chance to learn.
In The Call of Cthulhu, Cthulhu is a gigantic, cosmic entity in the shape of a green octopus, dragon and caricature of human form; it is worshiped by cultists. Cthulhu is often mistaken or interchanged with the Kraken of legends. Unlike Cthulhu, the Kraken is thought to be an enormous sea monster, most likely a squid or octopus, that was a sailor's worst nightmare.
Now, I must admit, I've never read The Call of Cthulhu, but I wouldn't say no to trying it out sometime. I only mention it because it was Lovecraft's legacy. It was published in the Weird Tales magazine in 1928, nine years after "Memory" was published.
Lovecraft's gothic tale "Memory" was first published in 1919 in the The United Co-operative. Although it's not labeled as such, I think this tale fits into the dystopia genre.
Dystopias are often characterized by fear or distress, tyrannical governments, environmental disaster, or other characteristics associated with a cataclysmic decline in society. It's also one of my favorite genres. I'm not sure I can really explain why I enjoy them so much. I like comprehending what other people have imagined our futures to be. The stories also usually have a great message, a chance for learning, and a chance for change.
Some of the more famous dystopian tales include: 1984 by George Orwell, The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, We by Yevgeny Zamyatin, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler, The Giver by Lois Lowry, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, and many more. I was blessed to have read many of these during my school years. I got to read some of the best books (at least in my opinion) for homework!
I often get H.P. Lovecraft and H.G. Wells mixed up. I blame their initials! They also both wrote science fiction. Wells may be considered the "father of science fiction" but he didn't limit himself to that; he also wrote in many other genres. Lovecraft, however, focused on science fiction and horror.
While not stated outright, "Memory" hints that the setting is a future time, a time where humans, "Man," no longer exist. The only beings mentioned in the story are the Daemon, the Genie, the toads, the snakes, and the small apes.
The Genie wonders who, or what, laid the stones upon the valley, for he is too old to remember. The Daemon answered that he was also too old to remember clearly and only remembered their names because it rhymed with the river Than: Man.
I've always hated trying to read into things and interpret what the author may have been eluding to in their work. It always seemed like guesswork, and somehow I was always wrong! (At least when it came to worksheets). I firmly believe that readers can conclude things (sometimes easily and sometimes not) for themselves, but you can never be 100 percent certain what the author meant unless they noted it elsewhere.
Stories are meant to be interpreted! They aren't usually laid out perfectly so everyone can understand them the same way. Different interpretations mean different viewpoints, more discovery, more learning!
My interpretation of "Memory" is this: After the decline and extinction of the human race, all that's left behind are the structures they once built. The river Than is slimy and filled with weeds, but also red. The Daemon compared the river to humans, not to be understood.
I think the river is meant to reflect humans, The red color could symbolize human extinction: blood, death. The description of "slimy and filled with weeds" makes me think of corruption. Maybe that's what led to the human decline? I don't know, just my thoughts!
What were your thoughts? Feel free to share them with us! You can call us, email us, visit us at the office, leave us a comment or message on Facebook, or even mail us something. Keep the comments, suggestions, questions, submissions, etc. coming our way! We'd love to hear from you!
