{"id":5050,"date":"2018-04-24T13:41:03","date_gmt":"2018-04-24T13:41:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/?p=5050"},"modified":"2018-04-24T13:41:03","modified_gmt":"2018-04-24T13:41:03","slug":"roots-weird-william-hope-hodgson-discussed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/roots-weird-william-hope-hodgson-discussed\/","title":{"rendered":"ROOTS OF THE WEIRD: WILLIAM HOPE HODGSON DISCUSSED"},"content":{"rendered":"

Interested in the origins of weird fiction? Want to get the real lowdown on William Hope Hodgson? Then join us as we talk to author, editor and scholar Sam Gafford, in an interview which is already being described as sharper than a spinning diskos. The Night Land<\/em>, Carnacki, WHH’s life, influences, and women – all come under scrutiny. Our Hope Hodgson centenary articles continue today with\u2026<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
c. sebastian cabrol<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/div>\n

SAM GAFFORD ON WILLIAM HOPE HODGSON<\/strong><\/h1>\n

greydog:<\/strong><\/em> Hi, Sam. It\u2019s an odd celebration, because we feel a mixture of sadness – after all, Hope Hodgson was twenty years younger than greydog<\/em> when he was killed – and wonder, in that we are still discussing him and his work. You\u2019re one of the foremost WHH scholars around, so we\u2019ll risk a very broad starter question. Basically, why are we still talking about him? What was so different about his work that he stands out even now?<\/p>\n

Sam:<\/strong> I\u2019d venture to say that Hodgson is more popular today than he has ever been. His works are constantly being reprinted, much of his fiction is available free online and scholarly interest is at an all-time high. I think that a lot of the reason for this popularity is due to the vivid imagination evident in his writing. Some may come to Hodgson out of historical interest now that he is considered an early pioneer of science fiction and horror but stay because of his stories. <\/em><\/p>\n

Another thing that might be helping is the fact that, except for THE NIGHT LAND, most of his fiction is written in a vibrant style that is more modern than some of his contemporaries like Wells, Blackwood or Lovecraft. His short stories, in particular, are very powerful and sparsely written similar, in some ways, to a Hemingway. \u201cA Tropical Horror\u201d is a classic example of this as the action begins practically immediately as a giant sea monster attacks a lone ship and its crew. Hodgson gets great acclaim for his novels and deservedly so, but I feel that it\u2019s in many of his short stories that his talent as a writer really shines.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"hope<\/a>
william hope hodgson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

greydog:<\/strong><\/em> Hope Hodgson died late in the Great War , of course, as a result of a mortar bombardment. Given the number of war poets and correspondents, is he himself known to have written anything during his military service years?<\/p>\n

sam:<\/strong> Hodgson wrote a couple of \u2018articles\u2019 regarding some WWI topics such as \u201cHow the French Fought the War\u201d and these were widely circulated during his time. He joined up in the opening months of the war in 1914 but was then wounded in 1916 while he was training others in the movement and handling of big guns at Salisbury Plain. He was sent home and spent about a year recovering during which time I believe he wrote those \u2018articles\u2019 as well as several other items. Carnacki had been finished years before but the Captain Gault stories show a definite influence of WWI with the abundance of German spies and what was then more modern ships and weapons. There is, of course, always the possibility that he might have been working on more projects that were left unfinished due to his tragic death but we will likely never know about this.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
DC COMICS, 2000 Adapted by Simon Revelstroke and Richard Corben<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

greydog:<\/strong><\/em> Sadly not. Letters to, from or about WHH are scarce; occasional \u2018lost\u2019 poems have surfaced over the years. We can be pretty sure that no major works have been lost, but speculate for us. Is there much more, in a tangible form, that is likely to be found now, either of his writings or in biographical terms?<\/p>\n

sam:<\/strong> As we\u2019ve discussed many times, the lack of primary sources is our greatest hurdle to developing a more rounded idea of Hodgson the man and the writer. We\u2019ve very few letters to consult. I believe that there may be groups of letters that are being held in private collections but, until the owners (or descendants) make them public, we\u2019ll never know.<\/em><\/p>\n

When faced with such \u2018dead-ends\u2019 in research, we have to then look to other sources such as third party memoirs or letters. Sadly, few of these have come to light but I remain hopeful that somewhere there may be a batch of letters or a memoir written by someone who knew Hodgson and mention him in their works. That\u2019s why it\u2019s so important for as many people as possible to be alert and vigilant in finding such obscure references. I still hope that there may be some things yet to come. I feel confident, however, in stating that there are no major lost works of Hodgson\u2019s floating around out there. Any stories that might come to light now are likely to be minor.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Nouvelles Editions Oswald (1988)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

greydog:<\/strong><\/em> The Night Land<\/em> and House on the Borderland<\/em> have few if any parallels in the period when he was writing, and few obvious antecedents. His family were not literary, not did he seem to move socially in such circles. Are there any clear influences on him in these weirder works?<\/p>\n

sam:<\/strong> Again, our lack of primary sources stymies us here. Outside of a few reviews that Hodgson wrote of other people\u2019s work, we really have no clue as to what his influences were or what impelled him to write in the first place. Hodgson\u2019s parents were both educated and literate people so it is likely that they encouraged this trait in their children. In his biographical essays about Hodgson, R. Alain Everts states that Hodgson\u2019s siblings remembered him as always reading.<\/em><\/p>\n

Hodgson was intelligent and had a curious mind which is evident in his writing. His first published items were articles about \u2018physical culture\u2019 which appeared in SANDOW\u2019S MAGAZINE which was the equivalent of a modern \u2018bodybuilding\u2019 magazine today. Again, Everts essays have Hodgson\u2019s siblings recounting how he loved to regale them with stories which, no doubt, became even more fantastic when he came home during his off months at sea.<\/em><\/p>\n

When I was asked at a convention, \u201cWhat do you think inspired Hodgson to write?\u201d My answer was \u201cPoverty.\u201d Although a bit flippant, there is much truth in this. When Hodgson returned from the sea and after the failure of his \u2018School of Physical Culture\u2019, he was the primary means of support for his mother and sister. He had to make money and, after enjoying some success with his exercise articles, must have concluded that this was a quick and enjoyable way to pay the bills. I think that he was also very eager to be accepted by the \u2018writing\u2019 world but never quite got there despite his books often getting very eager reviews.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Hyperion (1976)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

greydog:<\/strong><\/em> How do you feel about attempts to make The Night Land<\/em>, a long novel which does have its problems of style and language in places, more \u2018accessible\u2019?<\/p>\n

sam:<\/strong> Although I understand the desire to make THE NIGHT LAND a bit less intimidating to new readers, I don\u2019t particular agree with doing this. As difficult as the style Hodgson choose for this book is, and it is undeniably difficult, by editing or, even worse, rewriting the story, I think we do Hodgson a disservice. I have always championed the concept that the author\u2019s vision, good or bad, should be respected and preserved which is why I also disapprove of Lin Carter\u2019s \u2018editing\u2019 of the novel when it was reprinted as part of the Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series. Who are we to say that we know better what the story needs than the author? The book, short story or any written work should stand, of fall, on its own merits. <\/em><\/p>\n

The only time I would agree with changing the text is when it is adapted for a different medium like radio, television, movies or graphic novels. Certainly, anyone doing a graphic novel interpretation of THE NIGHT LAND should not be required to put everything from the novel into their vision. Otherwise, leave it alone and enjoy it the way that Hodgson meant it to be enjoyed.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"hope<\/a>
art by sebastian cabrol<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

greydog:<\/strong><\/em> We\u2019re sometimes struck by the male physicality of much his work \u2013 men DOING, or failing to do. Is anything known of his views on women?<\/p>\n

sam:<\/strong> Ironically, I\u2019ve written on this topic before in my article \u201cHodgson and Women\u201d. It\u2019s a very interesting thing to consider. Once again, the lack of primary sources means we don\u2019t know how Hodgson felt about women so we have to infer things from his writings.<\/em><\/p>\n

We know that Hodgson\u2019s life was primarily dominated by women. He left home at 13 and, during his time at sea, his father dies. He returns home to live with his mother and sister and takes the role as family provider and, in keeping with the societal norms of the day, likely the family protector as well.<\/em><\/p>\n

He does not marry until 1913 when he is 35 years old which is, in and of itself, odd for the people at that time. There are rumours of an earlier romance which ended poorly but we have no details on this.<\/em><\/p>\n

If we look over the progression of Hodgson\u2019s writing from the novels and short stories through to the Captain Gault stories, we see a change in attitude towards women. In the early stories, women are something to be loved and, above all else, protected from the harsh realities of the world. We see this \u2018damsel in distress\u2019 theme often in his early work which was also a popular trope at the time.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

But, by the time we reach some of the Captain Gault stories, this opinion towards women changes. No longer are women thought of as objects of romantic love and adoration but instead as crafty, insidious creatures that are, above all else, untrustworthy. Gault outsmarts several women because he simply cannot bring himself to believe or trust a woman.<\/em><\/p>\n

It is a remarkable change and one that we can only speculate upon. Did his ruined love affair create a distrust towards all women which resulted in him remaining unmarried for so long? Or did something occur during his marriage that also changed his views? We will never know for sure.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

greydog:<\/strong><\/em> As we\u2019ve said on greydogtales<\/em> before, Carnacki the Ghostfinder is probably second only to Sherlock Holmes in the number of pastiches and re-imaginings of a single-author detective from that period. How do you feel about the original Carnacki stories, which H P Lovecraft thought were Hope Hodgson\u2019s weakest pieces (though HPL had not read the longest tale, ‘The Hog’)?<\/p>\n

sam:<\/strong> I have never understood Lovecraft\u2019s dislike of the Carnacki stories. As a youthful admirer of Holmes, you would think that Lovecraft would be delighted with this character that approaches supernatural mysteries in a logical, scientific manner. Instead, Lovecraft (much as other writers including Ellery Queen) berates Hodgson for trying to create such an unnatural blending of genres.<\/em><\/p>\n

For myself, I find Carnacki to be Hodgson\u2019s greatest creation and his enduring popularity shows that I am not alone. To me, they are great stories that masterfully combine mystery and horror (as did some of Poe\u2019s finest stories) and endlessly enjoyable to read. It is amazing to consider that Carnacki has become so popular when Hodgson himself only wrote 9 stories with the character and, of those, only 6 were printed in his lifetime. A true testament to the brilliance of the concept!<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

greydog:<\/strong> <\/em>Absolutely – a landmark in the development of the occult detective as a concept. Presumably, since you\u2019ve published two volumes of Carnacki stories by contemporary authors, you still get some satisfaction from good pastiches and re-workings of the Ghost Finder? Are there approaches to the canonical material for which you don\u2019t particularly care?<\/p>\n

sam:<\/strong> I haven\u2019t ever come across anything that I positively hated although there have been some that I just think didn\u2019t work. Some writers, like William Meikle, understand the Carnacki concept implicitly and write at such a level that they could easily compete with Hodgson\u2019s own stories. Much like Lovecraft\u2019s Mythos stories, I think it\u2019s a wonderful sandbox to play in and I would hope that Hodgson would agree. I think that perhaps the one rendition I cared the least for was Alan Moore\u2019s interpretation of Carnacki in his LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMAN graphic novel series. Carnacki is portrayed as a bit of neurotic mess rather than the strong, albeit often frightened character he needs to be.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
carnacki by m s corley. copyright m s corley 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

greydog:<\/strong><\/em> We are hugely fond of the Ghost Finder ourselves, as is obvious. Now, if someone said they had never read any WHH, where would you suggest they start?<\/p>\n

sam:<\/strong> It may come as some surprise but I\u2019d probably not suggest starting with the novels. I think that reading the short stories like \u201cA Voice in the Night\u201d, \u201cA Tropical Horror\u201d and the Sargasso Sea stories give a much stronger impression of his writing. If pressed to recommend a novel, I\u2019d likely pick THE HOUSE ON THE BORDERLAND as it is a work that is completely without equal anywhere. Definitely leave THE NIGHT LAND for last. If someone were to try that novel first, they would likely come away from it with a bad impression of Hodgson\u2019s writing despite the imaginative power it displays.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"carnacki\"<\/a>
art m wayne miller<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

greydog:<\/strong><\/em> On a personal note, we did ask you ages ago if you felt Hope Hodgson\u2019s work had influenced your own work, but you\u2019ve been writing and been published quite a bit since then. Is he still more of a background mist than an imminent fog-bank when you write?<\/p>\n

sam:<\/strong> I\u2019ve yet to write a \u2018Hodgsonian\u2019 story in the same way that I\u2019ve written many Lovecraftian type tales. Or, at least, a story that on the surface would be something I could point to and say, \u201cThat\u2019s Hodgson right there\u201d. Rather, I take away from Hodgson the same thing I take from Lovecraft which is feeling of \u2018cosmic horror\u2019 that is so prevalent in both writer\u2019s works. That concept that there is something out there that is so horrible and so amazingly indifferent to humanity is, at its heart, the foundation of all of my own writing and I do feel that I got a great bit of that concept from Hodgson.<\/em><\/p>\n

greydog:<\/strong><\/em> Much the reason why we often refer to Hope Hodgson as at least the \u2018uncle\u2019 of weird fiction. So, finally, no plans to follow up on your H P Lovecraft graphic book \u2018Some Notes on a Non-Entity\u2019 with a Hope Hodgson version?<\/p>\n

sam:<\/strong> That is unlikely for two reasons:<\/em><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. We don\u2019t have enough biographical information to do a comprehensive graphic novel and,<\/em><\/li>\n
  2. My collaborator, Jason Eckhardt, would likely kill me if I even suggested this with the amount of research and drawing detail that would be involved.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    greydog:<\/strong><\/em> Both very fair points. Sam, many thanks for joining us.<\/p>\n

    sam:<\/strong> Thanks for having me!<\/em><\/p>\n

    \n

    APART FROM his critical work on Hope Hodgson, Sam Gafford has had four recent publications (of his own writing) which should be of interest \u2013 a novel, a whole collection of his short stories, an excellent and strange period novel concerning Arthur Machen and the Whitechapel Murders, and a graphic book on H P Lovecraft\u2019s life. You can see them below, with links.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

    UK http:\/\/amzn.eu\/gjLSwhu<\/a><\/p>\n

    US http:\/\/a.co\/h2zK0wE<\/a><\/p>\n

    \"sam<\/a><\/p>\n

    UK http:\/\/amzn.eu\/dAMsDBT<\/a><\/p>\n

    US http:\/\/a.co\/82l4wTc<\/a><\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

    UK http:\/\/amzn.eu\/hoFGBN5<\/a><\/p>\n

    US http:\/\/a.co\/0yFcCUJ<\/a><\/p>\n

    \"some<\/a><\/p>\n

    UK http:\/\/amzn.eu\/9pwepgd<\/a><\/p>\n

    US http:\/\/a.co\/2X79YO8<\/a><\/p>\n

    \n

    We’ll be back in two or three days with something entirely different – as usual….<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Interested in the origins of weird fiction? Want to get the real lowdown on William Hope Hodgson? Then join us as we talk to author, editor and scholar Sam Gafford, in an interview which is already being described as sharper than a spinning diskos. The Night Land, Carnacki, WHH’s life, influences, and women – all … Continue reading ROOTS OF THE WEIRD: WILLIAM HOPE HODGSON DISCUSSED<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"iawp_total_views":28,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nROOTS OF THE WEIRD: WILLIAM HOPE HODGSON DISCUSSED - greydogtales<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/roots-weird-william-hope-hodgson-discussed\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"ROOTS OF THE WEIRD: WILLIAM HOPE HODGSON DISCUSSED - greydogtales\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Interested in the origins of weird fiction? Want to get the real lowdown on William Hope Hodgson? Then join us as we talk to author, editor and scholar Sam Gafford, in an interview which is already being described as sharper than a spinning diskos. The Night Land, Carnacki, WHH’s life, influences, and women – all … Continue reading ROOTS OF THE WEIRD: WILLIAM HOPE HODGSON DISCUSSED →\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/roots-weird-william-hope-hodgson-discussed\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"greydogtales\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-04-24T13:41:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/cabrol2-210x300.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"greydogtales\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"greydogtales\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"14 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/roots-weird-william-hope-hodgson-discussed\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/roots-weird-william-hope-hodgson-discussed\/\",\"name\":\"ROOTS OF THE WEIRD: WILLIAM HOPE HODGSON DISCUSSED - greydogtales\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/roots-weird-william-hope-hodgson-discussed\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/roots-weird-william-hope-hodgson-discussed\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/cabrol2-210x300.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-04-24T13:41:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-04-24T13:41:03+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1c2413a29a9d04fbc9280c12fdf7b151\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/roots-weird-william-hope-hodgson-discussed\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/roots-weird-william-hope-hodgson-discussed\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/roots-weird-william-hope-hodgson-discussed\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/cabrol2.jpg?fit=552%2C788&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/cabrol2.jpg?fit=552%2C788&ssl=1\",\"width\":552,\"height\":788,\"caption\":\"c. sebastian cabrol\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/roots-weird-william-hope-hodgson-discussed\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"ROOTS OF THE WEIRD: WILLIAM HOPE HODGSON DISCUSSED\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"greydogtales\",\"description\":\"Literature, lurchers and life\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1c2413a29a9d04fbc9280c12fdf7b151\",\"name\":\"greydogtales\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/33b1544bc8676700f4c33c9ed5475632?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/33b1544bc8676700f4c33c9ed5475632?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"greydogtales\"},\"description\":\"John Linwood Grant writes occult detective and dark fantasy stories, in between running his beloved lurchers and baking far too many kinds of bread. Apart from that, he enjoys growing unusual fruit and reading rejection slips. He is six foot tall, ageing at an alarming rate, and has his own beard.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/author\/greydogtales\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"ROOTS OF THE WEIRD: WILLIAM HOPE HODGSON DISCUSSED - greydogtales","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/roots-weird-william-hope-hodgson-discussed\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"ROOTS OF THE WEIRD: WILLIAM HOPE HODGSON DISCUSSED - greydogtales","og_description":"Interested in the origins of weird fiction? Want to get the real lowdown on William Hope Hodgson? Then join us as we talk to author, editor and scholar Sam Gafford, in an interview which is already being described as sharper than a spinning diskos. The Night Land, Carnacki, WHH’s life, influences, and women – all … Continue reading ROOTS OF THE WEIRD: WILLIAM HOPE HODGSON DISCUSSED →","og_url":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/roots-weird-william-hope-hodgson-discussed\/","og_site_name":"greydogtales","article_published_time":"2018-04-24T13:41:03+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/cabrol2-210x300.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"greydogtales","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"greydogtales","Estimated reading time":"14 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/roots-weird-william-hope-hodgson-discussed\/","url":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/roots-weird-william-hope-hodgson-discussed\/","name":"ROOTS OF THE WEIRD: WILLIAM HOPE HODGSON DISCUSSED - greydogtales","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/roots-weird-william-hope-hodgson-discussed\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/roots-weird-william-hope-hodgson-discussed\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/cabrol2-210x300.jpg","datePublished":"2018-04-24T13:41:03+00:00","dateModified":"2018-04-24T13:41:03+00:00","author":{"@id":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1c2413a29a9d04fbc9280c12fdf7b151"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/roots-weird-william-hope-hodgson-discussed\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/roots-weird-william-hope-hodgson-discussed\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/roots-weird-william-hope-hodgson-discussed\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/cabrol2.jpg?fit=552%2C788&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/cabrol2.jpg?fit=552%2C788&ssl=1","width":552,"height":788,"caption":"c. sebastian cabrol"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/roots-weird-william-hope-hodgson-discussed\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"ROOTS OF THE WEIRD: WILLIAM HOPE HODGSON DISCUSSED"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/#website","url":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/","name":"greydogtales","description":"Literature, lurchers and life","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1c2413a29a9d04fbc9280c12fdf7b151","name":"greydogtales","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/33b1544bc8676700f4c33c9ed5475632?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/33b1544bc8676700f4c33c9ed5475632?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"greydogtales"},"description":"John Linwood Grant writes occult detective and dark fantasy stories, in between running his beloved lurchers and baking far too many kinds of bread. Apart from that, he enjoys growing unusual fruit and reading rejection slips. He is six foot tall, ageing at an alarming rate, and has his own beard.","sameAs":["http:\/\/greydogtales.com"],"url":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/author\/greydogtales\/"}]}},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6sRRV-1js","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4232,"url":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/shiela-crerar-clay-corpses-psychic-investigation-girls\/","url_meta":{"origin":5050,"position":0},"title":"Shiela Crerar, Clay-Corpses & Psychic Investigation for Girls","author":"greydogtales","date":"July 20, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cOh, you modern women! You dabble in science and medicine, you dabble in politics and law, and now you dabble in the occult. What else is there left for mere man?\u201d Today we get lost in Scotland and its folklore with Shiela Crerar, follow a plucky young woman's psychic endeavours,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"classic horror\"","block_context":{"text":"classic horror","link":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/tag\/classic-horror\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"shiela crerar","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/doll-626790_960_720-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4071,"url":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/fables-disappearances-untethered-tales-gwendolyn-kiste\/","url_meta":{"origin":5050,"position":1},"title":"Fables and Disappearances: The Untethered Tales of Gwendolyn Kiste","author":"greydogtales","date":"May 29, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Today, dear listener, we have loss and identity; clarity and hope; the core of writing, style, Angela Carter and some dark, magical stories. When we thought about interviewing author Gwendolyn Kiste, we realised we wanted to burrow behind her work a bit, so we went there.\u00a0 Though we centre on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"interviews\"","block_context":{"text":"interviews","link":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/tag\/interviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"SONY DSC","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/And-Her-Smile-Will-Untether-the-Universe-Gwendolyn-300x201.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2610,"url":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/shades-of-sherlock-holmes-pastiche-paranormal-or-piffle\/","url_meta":{"origin":5050,"position":2},"title":"Shades of Sherlock Holmes: Pastiche, Paranormal or Piffle?","author":"greydogtales","date":"August 17, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"In which we consider the Holmes pastiche, for better or for worse... Holmes forced more of the vile Turkish tobacco into his pipe, wincing as he realised that yet again he was smoking the damnable stuff in order to keep up appearances. \u201cDespite the fact that you are secretly my\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"sherlock holmes\"","block_context":{"text":"sherlock holmes","link":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/tag\/sherlock-holmes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Huty1913428","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/sherlock-holmes-basil-rathbone-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7318,"url":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/scotland-the-strange-the-eyes-of-doom\/","url_meta":{"origin":5050,"position":3},"title":"SCOTLAND THE STRANGE: THE EYES OF DOOM","author":"greydogtales","date":"January 24, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"This week, in honour of Burns Night, which celebrates Scottish poet Robert Burns (25 January 1759 \u2013 21 July 1796), our greydogtales site begins a ramble through the subject of Scottish supernatural\/horror and related cultural stuff. We\u2019ll have some classic tales, new material, guest reviews of some really bad films\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"SCOTLAND THE STRANGE","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Ben_Lomond_from_Beinn_Narnain-300x163.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5050","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5050"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5050\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5055,"href":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5050\/revisions\/5055"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5050"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5050"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}