The Moon-Bog
Encyclopedia
"The Moon Bog" is a short story by American
horror fiction
writer H. P. Lovecraft
, written in or before March 1921
and first published in the June 1926
issue of Weird Tales
.
The story was written for a gathering of amateur journalists in Boston on March 10, 1921, that had a St. Patrick's Day theme.
The unnamed narrator describes the final fate of his good friend, Denys Barry, an Irish-American who reclaims an ancestral estate in Kilderry, a fictional town in Ireland
. Barry ignores pleas from the local peasantry not to drain the nearby bog
, with unfortunate supernatural consequences. The story bears a similarity to Lord Dunsany's first Irish novel The Curse of the Wise Woman in theme, showing the influence of Dunsany on Lovecraft's works.
Like Barry, Lovecraft had dreams of buying back his ancestors' home in England. This same theme is treated with greater depth in Lovecraft's "The Rats in the Walls
" (1923).
"The Moon-Bog" is described by S. T. Joshi and David E. Schultz as "one of the most conventionally supernatural in HPL's oeuvre."
American literature
American literature is the written or literary work produced in the area of the United States and its preceding colonies. For more specific discussions of poetry and theater, see Poetry of the United States and Theater in the United States. During its early history, America was a series of British...
horror fiction
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
writer H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
, written in or before March 1921
1921 in literature
The year 1921 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-New books:*Edgar Rice Burroughs – Tarzan the Terrible*James Branch Cabell – Figures of Earth*Hall Caine – The Master of Man*Willa Cather – Alexander's Bridge...
and first published in the June 1926
1926 in literature
The year 1926 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Bread Loaf Writers' Conference is founded in Middlebury, Vermont....
issue of Weird Tales
Weird Tales
Weird Tales is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine first published in March 1923. It ceased its original run in September 1954, after 279 issues, but has since been revived. The magazine was set up in Chicago by J. C. Henneberger, an ex-journalist with a taste for the macabre....
.
The story was written for a gathering of amateur journalists in Boston on March 10, 1921, that had a St. Patrick's Day theme.
The unnamed narrator describes the final fate of his good friend, Denys Barry, an Irish-American who reclaims an ancestral estate in Kilderry, a fictional town in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. Barry ignores pleas from the local peasantry not to drain the nearby bog
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
, with unfortunate supernatural consequences. The story bears a similarity to Lord Dunsany's first Irish novel The Curse of the Wise Woman in theme, showing the influence of Dunsany on Lovecraft's works.
Like Barry, Lovecraft had dreams of buying back his ancestors' home in England. This same theme is treated with greater depth in Lovecraft's "The Rats in the Walls
The Rats in the Walls
"The Rats in the Walls" is a short story by American author H. P. Lovecraft. Written in August–September 1923, it was first published in Weird Tales, March 1924.-Plot summary:...
" (1923).
"The Moon-Bog" is described by S. T. Joshi and David E. Schultz as "one of the most conventionally supernatural in HPL's oeuvre."
See also
- PartholanPartholónPartholón, in medieval Irish historical tradition, was the leader of the second group of people to settle in Ireland, supposedly first to arrive after the biblical Flood. They arrived in 2680 BC according to the chronology of the Annals of the Four Masters, 2061 BC according to Geoffrey Keating's...
- The Book of InvadersLebor Gabála ÉrennLebor Gabála Érenn is the Middle Irish title of a loose collection of poems and prose narratives recounting the mythical origins and history of the Irish from the creation of the world down to the Middle Ages...
- TallaghtTallaghtTallaght is the largest town, and county town, of South Dublin County, Ireland. The village area, dating from at least the 17th century, held one of the earliest settlements known in the southern part of the island, and one of medieval Ireland's more important monastic centres.Up to the 1960s...
- NemedNemedNemed , meaning "holy" or "privileged" is a figure of Irish mythology who features in The Book of Invasions...