Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
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Research Article

H.P. Lovecraft's Conflict with Classical Philosophy and How It Influences Modern Literature and Aesthetics

Jingtian ChengNanjing Foreign Language School British Columbia Academic*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

This paper is going to do research on H.P. Lovecraft and his Cthulhu Literature. Since the beginning of the 20thcentury, a new genre of literature, permeated with weirdness, began to emerge. It was an evolution of the Gothic novel, yet it completely subverted it, it also had a profound impact on traditional philosophy by the acknowledgement of many scholars, transforming the cosmism and epistemology under the capitalistic world. The philosophy presented by Lovecraft shows extreme anti-rationality; his thought conflicts with the doctrines of Kant, and echoes the doctrines of Nietzsche and Schopenhauer. And, just as it's identity at the beginning, Cthulhu literature has profoundly influenced all subsequent pop culture fields, including popular literature, music, role play games, and visual arts. Its influence is also unique, the core idea Cthulhu literature reveals is completely different from other fiction literary systems, and it has even been repeatedly paid tribute to by modern art works. This paper is going to explore the conflict between Lovecraft's idea and traditional philosophy, and how it impacted the following arts and aesthetics.

Keywords: Lovecraft; Cthulhu; philosophy; aesthetics; pop culture
Published: March 16, 2026
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/2025.HT32274
Volume: CHR Vol.94
pp. 140-148
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