Talk:H. P. Lovecraft

Parasomnia

I'm neither piqued nor dubious about the inclusion of this factoid--it's relevant, I suppose.

I am, however, somewhat at odds with the wording itself.

The article states that he suffered from night terrors, 'a rare parasomnia'.

Firstly, can we elucidate just what we're comparing, here? It's pertinent to the word selections. If we're stating that any parasomnia is rare, I suppose we'd be correct. However, if we're stating that night terrors are rare when compared aside other parasomnias, I'm less sure.

Our own article upon the subject makes no mention of the comparative rarity of night terrors--it merely adduces the relevant research statistics upon the subject.

Ergo, I feel it would be more proper to simply say 'a form of parasomnia'. I shall be enacting this change immediately. If you have any objections, I welcome you to voice them. Ghost Lourde (talk) 15:50, 19 February 2015 (UTC)

Addendum: Furthermore, I'd like to indulge in a bit of conjecture. I am by no means a professional in regards to such matters, as I have comparatively little experience with psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, and the various multidisciplinary fields therein, but I feel there may be some validity to this, regardless:

The article portrays H.P. as being a prodigious child--and, given that he was able to recite poems at the age of three, that portrayal is far from unwarranted. However, it makes equal mention of his difficulties with higher math, mentioning that it may have precluded him from becoming a professional astronomer. Also, the article highlights his general reclusiveness in regards to social matters.

To me, this seems indicative of hyperlexia. Firstly, it goes without saying that such premature reading ability is highly aberrant. Moreover, he never outgrew this; in fact, he practically dedicated his life to it. Furthermore, his difficulties with higher math may reflect an atypical neuroanatomy. Finally, many hyperlexic individuals have greater difficulty with social interaction than the average person.

Nevertheless, this could all just be inaccurate frivolity, but it seems like a point worth discussing, regardless. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ghost Lourde (talk • contribs) 16:00, 19 February 2015 (UTC)

Rebuttal portion of race section

The following is given nearly the same portion of the page as the (very well-sourced) paragraph before it, and yet is supported by two cites and a lot of weasel wording. It seems to be textbook WP:FRINGE, so I'm removing it. If someone can rescue it, here's the text for you to work with.192.249.47.186 (talk) 14:49, 21 July 2015 (UTC)

However, perceptions concerning Lovecraft's views on race are being challenged by some 21st-century literary scholars. Some scholars such as Gail Bederman have noted that other contemporary authors such as Edgar Rice Burroughs who are subject to similar criticism were in fact no way unusual for their time, and were in fact completely typical of not just average early 20th century Americans but in fact were typical of the overwhelming majority of early 20th century intellectuals including Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Theodore Roosevelt, G. Stanley Hall, and others. This is true both of Lovecraft's racism as well as his ideas about cultural degeneration and his xenophobic anxiety in general.[53] In "Black Christ and His Invisible Brother on the Cross: Race and Religion in H.P. Lovecraft's 'The Dunwich Horror'," Historian Michael Gurnow argues that the author suggests empathy toward minority plights and viewpoints. In "The Dunwich Horror," the two monstrous brothers of the tale are mulatto, thus part African American, and become martyrs by the story's climax.[54]