You will remember that, in the closing statement in the last department
of “The Boiling Point” last month, we asked you, the readers, to tell
us what you think of horror stories. Is there any virtue to them? Why
do people delight in being horrified?—etc. suggested by Forrest J.
Ackerman. H. P. Lovecraft honors us with the first opinion, which we
present to you as follows:
“It can be said that anything which vividly embodies a basic human
emotion or captures a definite and typical human mood is genuine art.
The subject matter is immaterial. It requires an especial morbidity to
enjoy any authentic word-depiction, whether it is conventionally
‘pleasant’ or not. Indeed, it argues a somewhat immature and narrow
prospection when our judgment is by the mere conventional appeal of its
subject-matter or its supposed social effects. The question to ask is
not whether it is ‘healthy’ or ‘pleasant,’ but whether it is _genuine_
and _powerful_.”
Have you another idea concerning the horror story? If so, let us know
what it is. However, if your opinion differs, don’t tell Mr. Lovecraft
that he is crazy or has a diseased mind for thinking as he does, or
this department will just become another ‘Boiling Point.’ Or bring up
something new, if you will. This is your department, and anything you
wish to say concerning weird fiction in general or any of its branches
in particular will be printed here. Here’s hoping to hear from you.
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