Ghostly presences in H.P. Lovecraft’s “Cool Air” and The Case of Charles Dexter Ward

Abstract

H.P. Lovecraft (1890-1937) is a writer characterized for his mixture of genres –what is known as the weird tale– that borrows influences from gothic fiction, fantasy, horror and science fiction. This amalgam of styles and genres results in the unusual apparition of classical horror figures (vampires, zombies, ghosts) that are filtered through a very original view. It is the goal of this chapter to analyze how Lovecraft dealt with ghostly presences in his tales. Through the review of theoretical approaches to ghosts and specters, I will focus my attention on two texts, “Cool Air” and The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, in order to unravel the connections that seemingly detached characters might have with the classical gothic ghost.