Sweet Ermengarde
And now for something completely
different...how about Lovecraft writing a parody of romantic melodramas. That's
right, it's time to look at Lovecraft's often over looked comedic novelette
(I'm serious...this is real).
I actually found it quite difficult to
find much information on this odd little story. Even the date in which it was
written is up for discussion. Odds are it falls rather early in HPL’s writing
career, probably somewhere between 1919-21, well before Lovecraft found his
voice and was just throwing around ideas in hopes of getting noticed. But
strangely enough, little is even mentioned of this story in the thousands of
letters that Lovecraft wrote to various people (the main source for Lovecraft
fiction background info). There is a letter from 1914, in which Lovecraft
mentions his desire to write a story for the people complaining they can't get
enough of Fred Jackson's writing. This is possibly the earliest mention of his
work on this story, but does give some background to possible dates and
inspiration for the work. But because the work also mentions the inactment of
Prohibition, we know it must have been written sometime around 1919 or later.
If the idea for a play on romantic literature came from his own romantic feelings,
the writing date could lean closer to 1921 when HPL met and soon began courting
Sonia Haft Greene, who would later become his wife.
This story is about as far away from
what we expect from Lovecraft. But it is a rather enjoyable read. With the
twists and turns one would expect from the genre, Sweet Ermengarde is a ridiculous tale of romance. Lovecraft takes
the implausable plotlines of Jackson's work and pushes them to their limit. I
actually feel guilty how much I enjoy the silliness of this story.
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| Illustration by Jeff Powers © 2013 |
Ermengarde Stubbs is the beautiful
daughter of a poor farmer. She claims to be sixteen despite numerous rumors
that she is almost thirty. As is oft to happen in these tales, she is being
courted by two very different men (both with hilarious names). But who shall
have her hand? Squire Hardman, the rich banker threatening to foreclose on
their farm, or Jack Manly, the Ermengarde's childhood friend. Hardman and
Manly. Sounds like an MST3k sketch. The game is really changed with yet a third
suitor is found. The story continues, filled with blackmail, romantic intrigue,
and even a man being thrown from a moving train. Without the elegance of a
Dickensian novel, this story plays out like the best of dime-store romances of
the Edwardian era. And the ending is like something Dicken's would have come up
with in his serialized novels. It certainly isn't horrifying. It certainly
isn't something ground-breaking or defining. But it is rather fun, and a
pleasant little break from all the doom and gloom we are about to dive into.
If you want to read something utterly
un-Lovecraftian you can check out the full text here: HPL's Sweet Ermengarde
Next time: Hypnos
Next time: Hypnos
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