"The Thing on the Doorstep" is a short story written by H. P. Lovecraft, part of the Cthulhu Mythos genre of horror fiction. It was written in August 1933, and first published in the January 1937 issue of Weird Tales. This article is about the author. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... “Horror story” redirects here. ... This article is in need of attention. ... This page is about the fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine and its heirs. ... This article is about the magazine as a published medium. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... This article is about the author. ... Cthulhu and Rlyeh The Cthulhu Mythos encompasses the shared elements, characters, settings, and themes in the works of H. P. Lovecraft and associated horror fiction writers. ... “Horror story” redirects here. ... See also: 1932 in literature, other events of 1933, 1934 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1936 in literature, other events of 1937, 1938 in literature, list of years in literature. ... This page is about the fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine and its heirs. ...

Inspiration

Two novels suggested as inspirations for "The Thing on the Doorstep" are Barry Pain's An Exchange of Souls (1911), about a scientist's invention that allows him to switch personalities with his wife, and H. B. Drake's The Remedy (1925; published in the U.S. as The Shadowy Thing), in which a character with the power of mind-transference comes back from the dead by possessing the body of an injured friend.^[1] Barry Eric Odell Pain (September 28, 1864 – May 5, 1928) was an English journalist, poet and writer. ...

Plot summary

The story is divided into 7 chapters:

I.

Daniel Upton, the story's narrator, begins by telling that he has killed his best friend, Edward Derby, and that he hopes his account will prove that he is not a murderer. He begins by describing Derby's life and career.

II.

He then tells of Asenath Waite, and how Derby and she wed.

III.

A few years later, people start to notice a change in Derby's behaviour. He confides in Upton, telling him strange stories of Asenath, and how he believes her father, Ephraim Waite, may not actually be dead.

IV.

Upton is called to pick up Derby who has been found in Maine, rambling incoherently. On the trip back, Derby tells of Asenath using his body, and suggests that it is in fact Ephraim who resides in the body of Asenath. Before finishing, he has a small seizure and rapidly changes personality, asking Upton to ignore what he might have just said. Official language(s) None (English and French de facto) Capital Augusta Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 39th  - Total 33,414 sq mi (86,542 km²)  - Width 210 miles (338 km)  - Length 320 miles (515 km)  - % water 13. ... This article is about epileptic seizures. ...

V.

A few months later, Derby shows up at Upton's door and says he's found a way to keep Asenath away; to stop her using his body. Derby finishes renovations on his old family house, yet seems strangely reluctant to leave Asenath's old place.

VI.

One time, whilst visiting Upton, Derby starts and begins rambling again. Upton gets him to sleep, but with his condition getting no better, ends up committing him to Arkham Sanitarium. Upton gets a call, saying that Derby has regained normality, though upon visiting, Upton can see it's not the true personality of Edward Derby. Arkham is a fictional city in Massachusetts, part of the Lovecraft Country setting created by H. P. Lovecraft and is featured in many of his stories, as well as those of other Cthulhu Mythos writers. ... Sanatório Heliantia A sanatorium refers to a medical facility for long-term illness, typically cholera or tuberculosis. ...

VII.

Upton, at home, is greeted by a fetid dwarf at the door carrying a letter from Derby. The letter explains that Derby had in fact killed Asenath and buried her body in their cellar. Despite this, Asenath had managed to take control of his body while he was in the Sanitarium, meaning that "the thing on the doorstep" was actually Derby inhabiting Asenath's liquefying corpse! The note implores Upton to go to the sanitarium to kill Derby, who has been permanently possessed by Asenath-Ephraim's soul. Upton does so, thus hopefully banishing Asenath-Ephraim's soul to the hereafter, though he reveals that he is afraid of having his soul transferred as well.

Characters

Edward Pickman Derby

(1890–1933)

The protagonist of the story, a poet and husband of Asenath Waite. Lovecraft's depiction of Derby's childhood is considered to be in large part autobiographical:^[2]

Perhaps his private education and coddled seclusion had something to do with his premature flowering. An only child, he had organic weaknesses which startled his doting parents and caused them to keep him closely chained to their side. He was never allowed out without his nurse, and seldom had a chance to play unconstrainedly with other children. All this doubtless fostered a strange secretive life in the boy, with imagination as his one avenue of freedom....

In self-reliance and practical affairs, however, Derby was greatly retarded because of his coddled existence. His health had improved, but his habits of childish dependence were fostered by over-careful parents, so that he never travelled alone, made independent decisions, or assumed responsibilities.

It is considered unlikely, however, that the typically self-deprecating Lovecraft was thinking of himself when he described Derby as a child prodigy and young literary sensation:

He was the most phenomenal child scholar I have ever known, and at seven was writing verse of a sombre, fantastic, almost morbid cast which astonished the tutors surrounding him... Young Derby's odd genius developed remarkably, and in his eighteenth year his collected nightmare-lyrics made a real sensation when issued under the title Azathoth and Other Horrors.

The title of Derby's book suggests that Lovecraft had Clark Ashton Smith in mind, who won acclaim at the age of nineteen when he published a book of poetry called The Star-Treader and Other Poems (1912). Another possible model is Alfred Galpin, a friend of Lovecraft's who was eleven years his junior, whom he described as being "immensely my superior" in intellect.^[3] Azathoth is a fictional deity in the Cthulhu Mythos stories of H.P. Lovecraft and other authors. ... Clark Ashton Smith (January 13, 1893-August 14, 1961) was a poet, sculptor, painter and author of fantasy, horror and science fiction short stories. ...

In writing that Derby's "attempts to grow a moustache were discernible only with difficulty", Lovecraft evoked his protogee Frank Belknap Long, whom he frequently teased for same reason.^[4] Frank Belknap Long (April 27, 1901 - January 3, 1994) was a prolific American writer of horror fiction, fantasy, science fiction, poetry, gothic romance, comic books, and non-fiction. ...

Derby's correspondence with "the notorious Baudelairean poet Justin Geoffrey" is an homage to the Robert E. Howard Cthulhu Mythos story "The Black Stone" (1931). Robert Ervin Howard (January 22, 1906 – June 11, 1936)[1] was a classic American pulp writer of fantasy, horror, historical adventure, boxing, western, and detective fiction. ... Cthulhu and Rlyeh The Cthulhu Mythos encompasses the shared elements, characters, settings, and themes in the works of H. P. Lovecraft and associated horror fiction writers. ... The Black Stone is a classic short story by Robert E. Howard, first published in the November 1931 issue of Weird Tales. ...

Like Upton, Pickman and Derby are both old Salem names. There is a suggestion in Lovecraft's fiction that the three families are closely allied; Richard Upton Pickman is the title character of "Pickman's Model", while the Nathaniel Derby Pickman Foundation underwrites the Antarctic expedition in At the Mountains of Madness.^[5] Pickmans Model is a short story by H.P. Lovecraft, written in September 1926 and first published in the October 1927 issue of Weird Tales. ... At the Mountains of Madness is a novella by horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. ...

Peter Cannon notes that the protagonist's character drives the plot of "The Thing on the Doorstep" more than in most Lovecraft stories. "Where cosmic forces usually overtake the typical Lovecraft hero such as Peaslee by chance, here Derby has only his own weak personality to blame for his falling victim to his wife's nefarious designs."^[6] Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

Daniel Upton

(ca. 1884–?)

The story's narrator and the best friend of its protagonist, Edward Derby. After attending Harvard University and apprenticing with a Boston architect, he sets up his own practice in Arkham. He is married and, at about the age of 28, has a son, Edward Derby Upton. Harvard University (incorporated as The President and Fellows of Harvard College) is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA and a member of the Ivy League. ... Nickname: City on the Hill, Beantown, The Hub (of the Universe)1, Athens of America, The Cradle of Revolution, Puritan City, Americas Walking City Location in Massachusetts, USA Counties Suffolk County Mayor Thomas M. Menino(D) Area    - City 232. ... Arkham is a fictional city in Massachusetts, part of the Lovecraft Country setting created by H. P. Lovecraft and is featured in many of his stories, as well as those of other Cthulhu Mythos writers. ...

Upton is an old Salem, Massachusetts name, reflecting the fact that Arkham is largely a fictionalized version of Salem. Lovecraft described Winslow Upton, a Brown University professor, as a "friend of the family".^[7] Nickname: Location in Essex County in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country State County Essex County Settled 1626 Incorporated 1626 A City 1836 Government  - Type Mayor-council city  - Mayor Kimberley Driscoll Area  - City  18. ...

In Fritz Leiber's story "To Arkham and the Stars" (1966), Upton is credited with designing Miskatonic University's new Administration Building and the Pickman Nuclear Lab, described as "magnificent structures wholly compatible with the old quadrangle." Albert Wilmarth remarks in the story that Upton "has had a distinguished career ever since he was given a clean bill of mental health and discharged with a verdict of 'justified homicide'".^[8] Fritz Reuter Leiber Jr. ... To Arkham and the Stars is a short story written by Fritz Leiber in the Cthulhu Mythos genre of horror fiction. ... Miskatonic University is a fictional university located in the equally fictitious Arkham, set in the real-world Essex County, Massachusetts. ... The Whisperer in Darkness is a short story by H.P. Lovecraft, written in 1930. ...

Asenath Waite Derby

(1905–1932)

The wife of Edward Derby and the daughter of Ephraim Waite. She is described as "dark, smallish and very good looking except for over-protuberant eyes"--a look common to people from Asenath's hometown of Innsmouth. Combined with the fact that her mother was Ephraim's "unknown wife who always went veiled", there is a strong suggestion that Asenath is a Deep One hybrid of the sort described in Lovecraft's "The Shadow Over Innsmouth". Innsmouth is a fictional town in the writings of H.P. Lovecraft, part of the Lovecraft Country setting of the Cthulhu Mythos. ... The Deep One is a fictional creature in the Cthulhu Mythos of H.P. Lovecraft. ... The Shadow Over Innsmouth is a novella by H.P. Lovecraft. ...

In the Bible, Asenath is the wife of Joseph and the mother of Ephraim. S. T. Joshi claims that her name translates as "she belongs to her father", and that "in the tale Asenath is literally 'possessed' by her father."^[9] According to the Book of Genesis, Asenath (אָסְנַת, Standard Hebrew Asənat, Modern Hebrew Osnat, Tiberian Hebrew ʼĀsənạṯ) was an Egyptian woman whom Pharaoh gave to Joseph son of Jacob to be his wife. ... Joseph interprets the dream of the Pharaoh. ... This entry incorporates text from the public domain Eastons Bible Dictionary, originally published in 1897. ... Sunanda Tryambak Joshi (b. ...

Peter Cannon writes that Asenath Derby makes "The Thing on the Doorstep" "the only Lovecraft story with a strong or important female character"--although the question is complicated by the tale's "gender-swapping situation".^[10]

Ephraim Waite

The father of Asenath Waite. He is said "to have been a prodigious magical student in his day", and is described as having a "wolfish, saturnine face" with a "tangle of iron-grey beard." He "died insane" at about the time that Asenath entered the Hall School.

According to Robert M. Price, the model for Waite was real-world occultist Arthur Edward Waite, best known for the Rider-Waite Tarot deck.^[11] Robert McNair Price was born July 7, 1954 in Mississippi and is a Professor of Theology and Scriptural Studies. ... Arthur Edward Waite in the early 1880s Arthur Edward Waite (October 2, 1857 - May 19, 1942) was an occultist and co-creator of the Rider-Waite Tarot deck. ... The Rider-Waite Tarot deck is probably the most popular Tarot deck today. ...

Connections

The story makes frequent references to elements from other Lovecraft stories, including places (Arkham, Miskatonic University, Innsmouth, Kingsport), books (the Necronomicon, Book of Eibon, Unaussprechlichen Kulten), and entities (Azathoth, Shub-Niggurath, shoggoths). Arkham is a fictional city in Massachusetts, part of the Lovecraft Country setting created by H. P. Lovecraft and is featured in many of his stories, as well as those of other Cthulhu Mythos writers. ... Miskatonic University is a fictional university located in the equally fictitious Arkham, set in the real-world Essex County, Massachusetts. ... Innsmouth is a fictional town in the writings of H.P. Lovecraft, part of the Lovecraft Country setting of the Cthulhu Mythos. ... Kingsport is a city located in Sullivan County, Tennessee. ... A prop designed to look like the Necronomicon. ... Many fictional works of arcane literature appear in the Cthulhu mythos of H. P. Lovecraft. ... Unaussprechlichen Kulten (the name was supposed to mean nameless cults in German, but really translates as unspeakable/unutterable cults) is a fictitious book, said to be written by Friedrich von Junzt. ... Azathoth is a fictional deity in the Cthulhu Mythos stories of H.P. Lovecraft and other authors. ... Artistic portrayal of Shub-Niggurath, along with her Thousand Young. Shub-Niggurath, often associated with the phrase The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young, is a fictional deity in the Cthulhu Mythos of H. P. Lovecraft. ... Shoggoths are an enormous fictional species in the Cthulhu Mythos, first mentioned in the novel At The Mountains of Madness by H. P. Lovecraft. ...

Lovecraft returned to the theme of mind-transference in "The Shadow out of Time" (1935). The Shadow Out of Time (1936) is a short story by H.P. Lovecraft. ...

Peter Cannon wrote two sequels to "The Thing on the Doorstep": “The Revenge of Azathoth” (1994) and “The House of Azathoth” (1996).

Reaction

According to Peter Cannon, "Most critics agree that 'The Thing on the Doorstep'" ranks among "the poorest of Lovecraft's later tales." He criticizes it for its "obvious and melodramatic plot, punctuated by patches of histrionic monologue", as well as its "rather formulaic" Arkham background.^[12] Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

Lin Carter likewise dismisses the tale as "curiously minor and somehow unsatisfying...a sordid little domestic tragedy...wholly lacking in the sort of cosmic vision that makes Lovecraft's best stories so memorable."^[13] Linwood Vrooman Carter (June 9, 1930 - February 7, 1988) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor and critic. ...

References

• Lovecraft, Howard P. [1933] (1999). "The Thing on the Doorstep", in S. T. Joshi and Peter Cannon (eds.): More Annotated Lovecraft, 1st, New York City, NY: Dell. ISBN 0-440-50875-4.  With explanatory footnotes.
• Lin Carter, Lovecraft: A Look Behind the Cthulhu Mythos, Ballantine Books.
• S. T. Joshi and David Schultz, An H. P. Lovecraft Encyclopedia, Hippocampus Press, 2004.
• Robert M. Price, ed., The Azathoth Cycle, Chaosium.

Linwood Vrooman Carter (June 9, 1930 - February 7, 1988) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor and critic. ... Sunanda Tryambak Joshi (b. ... An H. P. Lovecraft Encyclopedia is a reference work written by S. T. Joshi and David E. Schultz. ... Robert McNair Price was born July 7, 1954 in Mississippi and is a Professor of Theology and Scriptural Studies. ...

Footnotes

1. ^ Joshi and Schultz, p. 264.
2. ^ Joshi and Cannon, p. 243
3. ^ Joshi and Schultz, pp. 264-265.
4. ^ Joshi and Schulz, p. 265.
5. ^ Joshi and Cannon, p. 219, 241.
6. ^ Cannon, p. 9.
7. ^ S. T. Joshi and Peter Cannon, More Annotated Lovecraft, p. 219.
8. ^ Fritz Leiber, "To Arkham and the Stars", Tales of the Lovecraft Mythos, pp. 319-320.
9. ^ Joshi, p. 247.
10. ^ Peter Cannon, "Introduction", More Annotated Lovecraft, p. 9.
11. ^ Robert M. Price, The Azathoth Cycle, p. vi.
12. ^ Peter Cannon, "Introduction", More Annotated Lovecraft, p. 9.
13. ^ Carter, p. 102.

External link

• The Thing on the Doorstep by H. P. Lovecraft