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arvidsem t1_j6l7q6a wrote

Reply to comment by lordpan in The letters of T. S. Eliot to Emily Hale that were kept sealed from 1956 to 2020 have been released for free online by RunDNA

Be fair, he was way more racist than a normal New Englander. To be clear, the average New Englander was pretty damn racist, but H. P. Lovecraft would have placed first in the racism Olympics, but he refused to compete on the grounds that lesser people would be there.

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lordpan t1_j6ldcqc wrote

In what way was he more racist? Like, was he a KKK member during its New England revival in the 1920's?

I'd honestly be interested to hear. I wonder if it's more that his racist views are more accessible to us than the idle thoughts of a random New Englander.

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arvidsem t1_j6o94ti wrote

No, he was pretty damn racist even for living when and where he did.

There is a pretty good run down here. Skip the first half and start at "Response to those who say Lovecraft merely reflected the racism and hatred of his times"

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