I stumbled on this -- perhaps some folk here would like to read & discuss it. I have just glanced at it so far.

[orthosphere.wordpress.com]

I found the article weirdly opaque, but got sidetracked by it into reading an article Bertonneau wrote for The Imaginative Conservative about Atlas Shrugged which was actually pretty good! I did notice that he compared CAS with another pulp author called Shaver towards the end of the article, if only to highlight the differences between the two - Shaver ended up in an asylum, whereas CAS was always pretty sanguine about his lot. I only mention this because I’ve often reckoned that of the Big Three - Howard, Lovecraft and CAS - CAS was the best adjusted. Howard was fixated on his mother, and Lovecraft sounds like a complete neurotic.

Cathbad Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I found the article weirdly opaque, but got
> sidetracked by it into reading an article
> Bertonneau wrote for The Imaginative Conservative
> about Atlas Shrugged which was actually pretty
> good! I did notice that he compared CAS with
> another pulp author called Shaver towards the end
> of the article, if only to highlight the
> differences between the two - Shaver ended up in
> an asylum, whereas CAS was always pretty sanguine
> about his lot. I only mention this because I’ve
> often reckoned that of the Big Three - Howard,
> Lovecraft and CAS - CAS was the best adjusted.
> Howard was fixated on his mother, and Lovecraft
> sounds like a complete neurotic.

Hah!

I agree with your perception of CAS's psyche. Sometimes I've thought of him as a (much) less forceful Steinbeck. They both seemed to be well aware of what's actually out there, among humanity, and accepted it as a given, with differing levels of resigation.

--Sawfish

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"The food at the new restaurant is awful, but at least the portions are large."
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Yeah, exactly.

Dale Nelson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I stumbled on this -- perhaps some folk here would
> like to read & discuss it. I have just glanced at
> it so far.
>
> [orthosphere.wordpress.com]
> -ashton-smiths-city-of-the-singing-flame-synchroni
> city/#more-24767


I don't know, Dale.

I read the article as best I could and it seemed to me to be as much about the author looking for external support for his favored ideas, rather than someone who is examining verifiable, repeatable (or at least logically supportable) phenomena and let it lead him to formulate an opinion.

The article seemed more focused on his ideas about synchronicity and "deep archaeology" than on CAS's story: where he examined CAS's style, it was quite good, I thought, but that was a small part of the eassy. In this regard, The City of the Singing Flame was anecdotal support for the author's ideas on synchronicity.

Indeed, it's hard to do much more than "glance at it".

--Sawfish

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"The food at the new restaurant is awful, but at least the portions are large."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Interesting anyway as an indication of CAS being remembered outside fan circles.

Yes, I'd say that just since I joined the group about 15 years ago I have seen an increased interest in general.

I mean, he was a virtual unknown when I first read him, according to the impression I gained from Lin Carter's intro.

--Sawfish

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The food at the new restaurant is awful, but at least the portions are large."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 9 Nov 20 | 03:21PM by Sawfish.