The Case of Charles Dexter Ward

[Martin Woolsworth]

This has, for a while, seemed to me the best story by H.P. Lovecraft, though its a tough choice.  Still, by comparison to the other excellent pieces in his impressive catalog, 'Dexter Ward' has almost an epic span of sustained odd and horrific circumstances and actions. The characters' are believably completely drawn and motivated. Most of all, the plot works with a melodic seamless thoroughness and internal sense. H.P. Lovecraft holds, unfailingly, a fantastic grasp on the reader, without a break, except for relief and revivals which rhythmically come out of the twists and turns within the story -- and from those multiple bizarre paths he creates to to tell it to you.  Have you read it?

[7elaine]

Hi, nice forum idea. Hope more people get that.  

I agree with your choice of TCoCDW as the best Lovecraft story. And it certainly would rank, it seems to me, as belonging on the short list of the best stories of the whole group, as listed.  

The scenes and characters and what goes on are so very strange, so eerie.  But brilliantly conceived of by H.P.L. -- the essential salts down in that hideous, ghastly, eldritch underground laboratory; and the crawling about on the floor in that chamber of tubular containment holes in that floor, containing some unutterable entities... Now I have to read it again!

I read somewhere, maybe the imdb, or somewhere else, that a (very poor, unrepresentative) movie of the story had been made.  It's a shame it was not done well, this is a film that would translate from the text just shooting one paragraph after the other, with NO changes, it's very cinematographic -- and there's plenty of dialogue and action.  The scenes are described right down to the last flask, too, by the man from Providence. I'm a sometimes actress and a scribbler; wouldn't I love to be on the set -- even as an extra -- in the making of a film of that story, as is, just to get even closer and more into such a fantastically worthy story and its (virtual) settings!      
      

[NightGirl]

Clicking on this text link  --  The Case of Charles Dexter Ward  --  will take you to a great reading by MorganScorpion of The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, Chapter 1 (24 min., 23 secs.)  I'm sorry to say I don't know who she is -- but one thing is for certain: she knows H.P. Lovecraft and C.D.Ward, apparently[!]  

It really is worth hearing. The focused animated way she reads it, it seems she's the author telling you the story, in my opinion and in my experience of it.  I have listened to all of her H.P. Lovecraft readings, of which there are many at this same large and excellent audio book resource.

Use the search utility at the top of the page to find all of the other chapters, also read by MorganScorpion.  Remember to search within the drop-down selection "Audio Books and Poetry" or just "Audio".  Let me know what you think.

Quite a few other stories, by different authors within this forum's theme and other readers, are at the related site www.librivox.org.  Do look there for Peter Yearsley's reading of Ghost Stories of an Antiquary by Montague Rhodes James.

[7elaine]

Thanks, NightGirl (not a Goth) -- I found a second film (1992) that seems to have received somewhat better reviews; and two rather detailed pages of overviews or sources apparently believed by the authors to be reliable (naturally.)  There is some interesting historic material on the errie "Essential Saltes" device.
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**** Fairly Large Descriptively Encyclopedic Resource: "Written in early 1927, set in Lovecraft's hometown of Providence, Rhode Island. It was first published (in abridged form) in the May and July issues of Weird Tales in 1941; the first complete publication was in Arkham House's Beyond the Wall of Sleep collection (1943)." [... much more here...]
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**** Sources of Necromancy in Charles Dexter Ward
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Roger Corman & Vincent Price -- 1963 Version "The Haunted Palace" (??)
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Dan O'Bannon -- 1992 Version" "The Resurrected"
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...(Anyone seen either or both?)
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**** Much text and imagery purported to be accurately related to Alchemy*, possibly another thread at ST-HF. (I know a great and [I presume correctly] revealing Alchemy audio file at Librivox.org, recorded by the truly wonderful reader/audio actor/actor-actor? Peter Yearsley{!}, if people are interested. [Highly recommended, by 7elaine.]) *--Only one of many linked materials from the second entry I listed as "Sources~"
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**** ...and which Peter Yearsley patently propitious performance appears magically, through clicking HERE. 
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That's All Folks (for tonight...)