[j. d. worthington]

Well, it seems others were posting at the same time, so I'm a bit behind again now....

Yes, Wilum, I do enjoy audio Lovecraft, very much (at least when done well, which is surprisingly often the case). In fact, I have come to a point where I often read his works aloud myself, just to better appreciate the poetic use of the language, the rhythms and cadences, and the musical and even orchestrated effect of his prose. He was one of the few writers of the period to be truly aware of the impact of good rhetoric on literature, and to turn it to his advantage.

At any rate, thank you for the suggestions. I cannot, at present, afford to invest in such; but I'm hoping that will change a little later in the year, as I would love to have several of these in my collection of CDs (limited as that has, so far, been).

J.P.: Yes, that is part of what I addressed in my own little notes on "Beyond the Wall of Sleep" which I have written down. I find this to be an excellent example (as are the openings of so many of his tales) of what Joshi calls his blending of the classic essay form and the prose-poem -- a marvelously effective combination. That first paragraph is rich in addressing both the tale itself, his general approach to dreams and their significance in the life of a fully-developed, evolved human being, and to many of the themes which he addresses time and again in his entire oeuvre. Fascinating stuff, and one of the things which draws me to Lovecraft's work over and over through the years....