@misc{1adb8bec4c74417e83c2fb7e1075c518,
title = "Reading Lovecraft in an Era of Post-Truth",
abstract = "This essay investigates the work of H. P. Lovecraft via its relevance in our twenty-first century cultural moment, questioning the multivalent roles that fact, fiction, and evidence play in contemporary politics and myth-making. Our current era of “post-truth,” used to signify a new period in which objective truth is rejected and replaced with believably true fabricated narratives, draws surprisingly similar parallels to Lovecraft{\textquoteright}s stories: “Nyarlathotep” depicts a wondrous demagogue figure that successfully manipulates belief in a stable reality, while novellas like {"}The Shadow Over Innsmouth{"} and The Mountains of Madness warn readers of cover-ups whistleblower narratives that reveal manufactured absences of truth. Thus, Lovecraftian tales serve as effective cautionary tales of humanity{\textquoteright}s eventual geopolitical and environmental fate, helping us to understand and prepare for the mistakes of our very real and active present.",
keywords = "H. P. Lovecraft, Post-truth, Simulacra, Defactualization, Credibility",
author = "Lucas Townsend",
year = "2021",
month = jun,
day = "1",
language = "English",
volume = "8",
series = "Aeternum: The Journal of Contemporary Gothic Studies",
edition = "1",
type = "Other",
}