One of the most influential horror writers of the early twentieth century is indeed Howard Phillips Lovecraft, born in 1890, who influenced a great number of other writers of his time and after his time. With his seeking for more than the logical everyday life, Lovecraft has become a cult figure in the horror community and for readers of supernatural fiction. Lovecraft created distinct universes filled with mythology and ancient monsters, with protagonists fighting their own demons and inner struggles. With his short story “Pickman’s Model”, published in 1926, the reader gets a fictional portrayal of the painter Pickman and the narrators report of various weird and strange happenings with the artist. On the base of this short story by Lovecraft, this paper will in the first two chapters examine the theories of Sigmund Freud’s “The Uncanny” and Tzvetan Todorov’s “The Fantastic”, their characteristics and how exactly “Pickman’s Model” applies to the theories, since both play a big role in gothic and horror literature genres. In the last chapters, this paper will work out, which literary and aesthetic effects these theories have in a text, regarding “Pickman’s Model”. With these analyses, this paper will in most terms be able to answer the questions which elements make a horror story effective, how Lovecraft’s story fits into the context of similar literary genres such as the fantastic, the uncanny and the marvelous and what makes a horror story, that is meant to evoke fear and dread in the reader, so appealing to many people, in the context of Lovecraft’s techniques.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction: The Gothic
2 Freud’s Psychoanalysis
2.1. The Uncanny
2.2. Uncanny elements in “Pickman’s Model”
3 A Structural Approach
3.1. Todorov’s Theory of the Fantastic
3.2. Fantastic and Supernatural elements in “Pickman’s Model”
4 Aesthetic and Narrative Effects of the Uncanny
5 Conclusion: Why the reader comes back to Horror
Research Objectives and Themes
This academic paper explores the intersection of horror literature and psychoanalytic theory by analyzing H. P. Lovecraft's short story "Pickman's Model." It aims to investigate how Sigmund Freud’s concept of "the uncanny" and Tzvetan Todorov’s "theory of the fantastic" can be applied to Lovecraft’s narrative to understand the mechanisms that evoke fear, dread, and aesthetic pleasure in the reader.
- The psychological manifestation of "the uncanny" in Lovecraft’s characterization and settings.
- The structural role of hesitation and ambiguity in the fantastic genre.
- The aesthetic function of shock, the "topos of the inexpressible," and the blurring of fantasy and reality.
- The relationship between trauma, repressed anxieties, and the enduring appeal of horror fiction.
Excerpt from the Book
3.2. Fantastic and Supernatural elements in “Pickman’s Model”
Referring to Todorov’s definition, the reader not only sees uncanny, but also fantastic elements in “Pickman’s Model”. Meteling sees the climax of Lovecraft’s stories in exactly those parts, where the fantastic appears, may it be a catastrophe or the appearance of the monster (Meteling 2008 : 249). In “Pickman’s Model” the monster never really appears, but that seems to be a strategy of Lovecraft: Thurber can only assume and imagine what is in the cellar, because, just like in a detective story, he only has some clues like noises, the paintings, the photograph, his own memories and the very unlikely explanation of Pickman himself. But exactly this fulfills the fantastic purpose, the reader, Thurber and also his friend Eliot in this case, find themselves in a state of hesitation, in which no one knows what exactly to believe, if this event has really taken place, if Eliot and the reader can trust Thurbers description of the events or if this was all in Thurbers imagination. Armitt supports that this is the crucial feature here, that fantasy narratives have a relationship “with the unsaid and the unseen […] that which has been silenced, made invisible, covered over and made absent […]” (Armitt 1996 : 2). And although like in the world of play of a child “the creative writer […] creates a world of phantasy while separating it sharply from reality” (Armitt 1996 : 6), the reader is forced to choose his or her own explanation, to choose a world, may it be the fantastic one in which ghouls live in cellars, or the ‘real’ one, in which Thurber is unreliable or insanely jumping to false conclusions.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: The Gothic: Provides a historical overview of the Gothic genre and introduces H. P. Lovecraft as a pivotal figure, setting the stage for an analysis of his work through psychoanalytic and structural lenses.
2 Freud’s Psychoanalysis: Defines the core of Freud’s theory regarding the unconscious and the psychological roots of anxiety.
2.1. The Uncanny: Explores the etymology and defining features of the uncanny, focusing on how familiarity and repression trigger fear.
2.2. Uncanny elements in “Pickman’s Model”: Examines the specific narrative techniques in Lovecraft’s story, such as Pickman’s characterization and the blurred lines between reality and art, that manifest uncanny effects.
3 A Structural Approach: Introduces Tzvetan Todorov’s structural theory of the fantastic as a framework for literary classification.
3.1. Todorov’s Theory of the Fantastic: Explains Todorov’s criteria for the fantastic, emphasizing the importance of reader hesitation between natural and supernatural explanations.
3.2. Fantastic and Supernatural elements in “Pickman’s Model”: Analyzes how Lovecraft’s story creates a state of hesitation through the absence of the supernatural, forcing the reader to navigate between conflicting interpretations.
4 Aesthetic and Narrative Effects of the Uncanny: Investigates the literary devices used to create atmosphere, shock, and the "topos of the inexpressible" to heighten the reader's engagement with horror.
5 Conclusion: Why the reader comes back to Horror: Synthesizes the analysis to explain the psychological appeal of horror and why audiences consistently return to stories that provoke anxiety and existential dread.
Keywords
Horror literature, The Uncanny, The Fantastic, H. P. Lovecraft, Pickman’s Model, Sigmund Freud, Tzvetan Todorov, Psychoanalysis, Aesthetic effect, Hesitation, Supernatural, Repression, Trauma, Narrative technique, Genre theory.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this work?
The work focuses on analyzing H. P. Lovecraft’s short story "Pickman’s Model" through the theoretical frameworks of Freud’s psychoanalysis (specifically the concept of the uncanny) and Todorov’s structural approach to the fantastic.
What are the central thematic areas discussed?
The paper discusses the psychological roots of fear, the definition of the fantastic genre, the intersection of art and reality, and the emotional impact of horror narratives on the reader.
What is the primary research objective?
The objective is to determine how specific literary and aesthetic techniques in Lovecraft's work function to create "the uncanny" and "the fantastic," and to explain why these elements make horror stories emotionally effective and appealing.
Which scientific methodologies are employed?
The author employs a qualitative literary analysis, utilizing psychoanalytic theory (Freud) and structuralist literary criticism (Todorov) to deconstruct the text of "Pickman’s Model."
What does the main body of the work cover?
The main body covers a deep dive into the definitions of the uncanny, the role of hesitation in fantastic narratives, the influence of the inexpressible in horror, and the aesthetic purpose of shock and vague imagery.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
Keywords include horror literature, the uncanny, the fantastic, H. P. Lovecraft, psychoanalysis, narrative hesitation, and the aesthetic effects of terror.
How does Lovecraft use the "topos of the inexpressible" in this story?
Lovecraft uses the "topos of the inexpressible" by providing long, descriptive passages about the emotional reaction to Pickman's paintings, while carefully avoiding specific visual descriptions, thereby forcing the reader to imagine the horror themselves.
What role does Pickman's cellar play in the analysis?
The cellar functions as an uncanny, liminal space—a place of decay and darkness—that mirrors the psychological "underground" and serves as the setting where the boundaries between fantasy and reality become blurred.
How does the author relate "Pickman's Model" to the concept of trauma?
The author explores whether the protagonist’s encounter with the supernatural is a traumatic event that causes him to suffer from "narrative memory" collapse, leading to permanent anxiety that prevents him from visiting subways or cellars.
Why is the absence of an overt response by Eliot considered important?
The absence of Eliot’s replies is critical because it creates an "illusion of presence," focusing the reader entirely on Thurber’s perspective and reinforcing the voyeuristic, unstable nature of the narrative.
- Citar trabajo
- Katharina Wagner (Autor), 2016, The Uncanny and the Fantastic in H. P. Lovecrafts "Pickman's Model", Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/516753
