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The Shunned House
The Shunned House | H. P. Lovecraft
The Shunned House "The Shunned House" is a novelette by H. P. Lovecraft in the horror fiction genre. Written on October 1619, 1924, it was first published in the October 1937 issue of Weird Tales. For many years the protagonist and his uncle, Dr. Elihu Whipple, have nurtured a fascination with an old, abandoned house on Benefit Street. Dr. Whipple has made extensive records tracking the mysterious, yet apparently coincidental sickness and death of many who have lived in the house for over one hundred years. They are also puzzled by the strange weeds growing in the yard, as well as the unexplained foul smell and whitish, phosphorescent fungi growing in the cellar. After the protagonist discovers a strange, yellowish vapour in the basement, which seems to be coupled with a moldy outline of a huddled human form on the floor, he and his uncle decide to spend the night in the house, investigating the possibility of some supernatural force. They set up cots and chairs in the cellar, arm themselves with military flamethrowers, and outfit a modified Crookes tube in the hopes of destroying any supernatural presence they might find. When Dr. Whipple naps while the protagonist keeps watch, he begins tossing and turning, and finally starts babbling in French until he suddenly awakes. He tells the protagonist he has had strange visions of lying in an open pit, inside a house with constantly shifting features, while faces stared down at him. Many of the faces were those of the Harris family, whose members died in the house... H. P. Lovecraft Howard Phillips Lovecraft (August 20, 1890 March 15, 1937) was an American author who achieved posthumous fame through his influential works of horror fiction. Virtually unknown and only published in pulp magazines before he died in poverty, he is now regarded as one of the most significant 20th-century authors in his genre. Lovecraft was born in Providence, Rhode Island, where he spent most of his life. Among his most celebrated tales are "The Call of Cthulhu", canonical to the Cthulhu Mythos. Never able to support himself from earnings as author and editor, Lovecraft saw commercial success increasingly elude him in this latter period, partly because he lacked the confidence and drive to promote himself. He subsisted in progressively straitened circumstances in his last years; an inheritance was completely spent by the time he died at the age of 46.
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review
bibliobliss
The Shunned House | H. P. Lovecraft
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Pickpick

• Good, creepy, atmospheric short story; my first H.P. Lovecraft. While the story itself left a bit to be desired, I think the prose set the tone perfectly and really helped me enjoy it more. I'll stick with a story as long as the language/writing is pleasing, and for me, this one was full of descriptive magic •

#SerialReader #classics #scifi #horror #readingtheclassics #newtomeauthor #HPLovecraft

kaysworld1 Loyal Capricorn lady high five got another one here 🤙❤️❤️❤️ 5y
bibliobliss @kaysworld1 ❤️😉 5y
37 likes1 stack add2 comments
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bibliobliss
The Shunned House | H. P. Lovecraft
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Repost for @ljuliel

Today, can you post a book that touched you emotionally? Any emotion...sad, happy, angry, glad to be alive...

The list goes on...any book that hit an emotion for you. You don't need to explain unless you want to.

AND

Daily, if possible. Comment to at least one person who posts a REVIEW. Try to branch out and comment to someone you haven't interacted much with.

We can get our old Litsy back if we all try ❤️📚❤️📚

ljuliel Thank you for the repost. 💕 5y
bibliobliss @ljuliel You're welcome 😉 5y
34 likes2 comments
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bibliobliss
The Shunned House | H. P. Lovecraft
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1. Too many things to list but I'll narrow it down to 3: it's a great, friendly community of book lovers; a beloved (for me) social media place where people connect over books instead of more superficial things, and the format of the app is pleasing as well
2. If I'm not interested in something, I know how to scroll past...
3. I'm sure we could all use more text allotment
4. I try to post at least once a week; I used to post daily

continued ⬇️

bibliobliss 5. I have participated in Readathons and Questionnaires (edited) 5y
bibliobliss 6. Again, just room for more text in the posts 5y
TheAromaofBooks Yes! I understand the character limit yet am still somewhat frustrated by it. It seems as though it could be longer, but with a cutoff to hit “more“ if you want to read the rest, or some such. Still, I love the way everyone makes it work by adding lots of comments to their own post! 5y
bibliobliss @TheAromaofBooks Yes, at least there is an easy way to continue with text in the comments 👍 5y
37 likes1 stack add5 comments
review
Verba Docent
Shunned House | H P Lovecraft
Pickpick

There are legitimate concerns about HPL's personal views which are well documented elsewhere. Speaking only for the short story, it was an excellent and atmospheric creepy tale. Loved the investigation elements as always and the way HPL weaves history into the story to give it a sense of authenticity.

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ReadingOver50
The Shunned House | H. P. Lovecraft
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Pickpick

Trying to break out of my reading slump I decided to read something short on Serial Reader. This was only 4 issues so I was able to read it in one sitting.
The writing style is dated and the first half moved slowly but the ending was pretty scary. A good haunted house story.

LauraJ So, how‘s the slump? 6y
ReadingOver50 @LauraJ still there. I think it‘s getting better. Starting a book of short stories. I want to read things that aren‘t a big commitment 😄 6y
88 likes2 comments
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ReadingOver50
The Shunned House | H. P. Lovecraft
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I learned something new. Eldritch means weird and sinister or ghostly. I always thought it was just a word HP Lovecraft made up.

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Emma3
The Shunned House | H. P. Lovecraft
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Pickpick

Enjoying these short reads and definitely getting into Lovecraft

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DreesReads
The Shunned House | H. P. Lovecraft
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Pickpick

Lovecraft‘s stories would be great campfire read alouds—though I‘m not sure I would actually sleep after hearing them. I don‘t find his stories to be all that scary—but I would have looooved them around 8th grade. This one is short and involves no monsters or travel—just a creepy house with a history, much more to my taste than some of his others. I have also decided to pick up #serialreader again and commit to 1 installment/day.

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Michellesibs
The Shunned House | H. P. Lovecraft
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Mehso-so

This is hard book to review, it was basically the history of one house that was deamed to be haunted. This book is only 48 pages long so it's a quick book to read, but don't expected to be scared! Although perhaps in it's time it was a horror but certainly not nowadays.

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aprilpohren
The Shunned House | H. P. Lovecraft
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Mehso-so

This is my first read by H.P. Lovecraft. While there were parts that I really enjoyed, there were also parts that I found my mind wandering off. This was an ok read for me.

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DarcysMom
The Shunned House | H. P. Lovecraft
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Pickpick

🌟🌟🌟🌟
#serialreader

62 likes3 stack adds
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DarcysMom
The Shunned House | H. P. Lovecraft
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#serialreader
#192019Challenge (written in 1924, so I am counting for that year - until/unless I find something else)

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Brinx
The Shunned House | H. P. Lovecraft
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Pickpick

My first H. P. Lovecraft…good story

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melrailey
The Shunned House | H. P. Lovecraft
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Pickpick

Finished this one last night on Serial Reader. My favorite Lovecraft so far.

DrexEdit Lovecraft is one of those authors you know you should read but can't quite get to, for me. Not sure I'm going to love him enough to buy the books. #SerialReader would be the perfect way to check him out! 😊 8y
melrailey @DrexEdit I agree! I'm having a hard time with him. It's been 50/50 in whether I've liked the stories. 8y
78 likes2 comments
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katelizabee
The Shunned House | H. P. Lovecraft
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Starting something new this morning with #SerialReader! 📚 cc: @SerialReader

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jen_hayes7
The Shunned House | H. P. Lovecraft
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A pretty good year in books. Hopefully I can squeeze a few more in before 2017.

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alanacristin
Shunned House | H P Lovecraft
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Pickpick

First Lovecraft. First @SerialReader story 😍 I love the app! The story was creepy and filled with all manner of over the top descriptions which is half the fun of anything fantasy. It's super short and stars a haunted house 💀 What's not to like? #mommyreads #horror

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Aseleener
The Shunned House | H. P. Lovecraft
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Pickpick

Just finished my very first @SerialReader read. I give the story ⭐⭐⭐ and the app ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐! Love it. I chose a short one to start, only 4 issues. I upgraded right after reading the first issue. I love being able to pick different fonts. 😁 This was also my first Lovecraft. I am hard to scare, but I did find it interesting and looked forward to the next day's reading.

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Aseleener
The Shunned House | H. P. Lovecraft
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I am jealous of all of you participating in the readathon. Not possible for me! So I consoled myself by starting my first-ever #serialreader read. Can't seem to quit the spooky theme with Halloween coming up. Starting with a short one, only 4 issues. It's also my first Lovecraft!

17 likes2 stack adds
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litznbooks
The Shunned House | H. P. Lovecraft
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All is lost. I will die in a pile of books. 📚
#tbr #ebooks #polygamousreader #serialreader #bibliophilia #scaretober #octoberead

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Jen2
The Shunned House | H. P. Lovecraft
Pickpick

Weird but worth reading.

quirkyreader I am glad that you liked it. 🐸🐙 8y
66 likes3 stack adds1 comment
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Jen2
The Shunned House | H. P. Lovecraft

My first H. P. Lovecraft. Serial Reader is so great!!

quirkyreader I am glad you liked it. Lovecraft is one of my favourite writers, granted some of his story can get quite 8y
quirkyreader Quite strange. 🐸🐙 8y
66 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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Mdargusch
The Shunned House | H. P. Lovecraft
Mehso-so

Interesting and short old fashioned thriller. I was a little thrown off by the old fashioned language. If you want to read a quick and spooky story for Halloween, this will do the trick. I recommend reading it on the serial reader app.

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Ericmanciniwriter
The Shunned House | H. P. Lovecraft
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Walking around Providence today, I snapped some photos of the real house that was the inspiration for HP's Shunned House. Benefit st. is one of the oldest in the city, and people used to bury their family members on their properties.

MrBook Oh wow! That's so cool! 8y
LeahBergen I just read the blurb here about the story. It sounds freaky! 8y
BekahB Very cool! Thanks for sharing the picture! 8y
36 likes1 stack add3 comments
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jen_hayes7
The Shunned House | H. P. Lovecraft
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Next up in @SerialReader I'm usually a 'one book at a time' girl, but Serial Reader might be changing my life. 😉

6 likes1 stack add
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Jlee745
The Shunned House | H. P. Lovecraft
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MrBook WOOHOO! Congrats 😁👏🏻👍🏻! 8y
britt_brooke 🙌🏻🙌🏻 8y
LDavisMunro Awesome! 8y
Jlee745 Thank yall😊 8y
15 likes4 comments
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Jlee745
The Shunned House | H. P. Lovecraft
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I chose this to be my first book using @SerialReader

12 likes1 stack add
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SerialReader
The Shunned House | H. P. Lovecraft
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Do you believe in haunted houses? 👻 Generations of people have met grisly ends in the old house on Benefit Street. Some say it's ghouls, others the strange fungi in the cellar...

Readingismyescape I read this using serial reader a few months ago. 8y
34 likes4 stack adds1 comment
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AlexandraGriffin
The Shunned House | H. P. Lovecraft
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I'm still working my way through this one. I've been too busy to keep up with the daily issues, but maybe I'll be able to finish it this weekend! #serialreader

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ValerieAndBooks
The Shunned House | H. P. Lovecraft
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Pickpick

Very atmospheric-- I could feel/picture the setting! Actually a short story, read in 4 installments via the Serial Reader app. A good way to be introduced to HP Lovecraft; I'll keep an eye out for more by him. (Photo cred: me)

Gulfsidemusing I've never read Lovecraft (that I remember anyway). This might be a good place to start. Perfect photo! 8y
20 likes1 comment
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ValerieAndBooks
The Shunned House | H. P. Lovecraft
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Thanks to Litsy, I learned about The Serial Reader app. This one is my first pick -- I've always been fascinated by those old, abandoned houses and it's a good way to try out HP Lovecraft. I encountered a new word: "eldritch " meaning sinister, spooky!

ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled Love that word! New to me too 8y
Gezemice Never read Lovecraft, sounds like a good way to try! 8y
Ericmanciniwriter I lived next to the house in Providence RI that was the inspiration for the Shunned House - it was still kind of creepy 8y
ValerieAndBooks @eamann and did people live in it at that time? Not sure I'd be brave enough to do that! 8y
Ericmanciniwriter @ValerieAndBooks they did- it was a nice historic house. They had a sense of humor about it too - there was a sign in (I think) French warning about a dog 8y
22 likes1 stack add5 comments
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BunnhiTales
The Shunned House | H. P. Lovecraft
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So happy to have found this app through all the hype on Litsy. It's a great way to read the classics at a good pace.