The Street (short story)
Encyclopedia
"The Street" is a short story by American
horror fiction
writer H. P. Lovecraft
, written in late 1919
and first published in the December 1920
issue of the Wolverine amateur journal.
city, presumably Boston
, from its first beginnings as a path in colonial times to a quasi-supernatural occurrence in the years immediately following World War I
.
As the city grows up around the street, it is planted with many trees and built along with "simple, beautiful houses of brick and wood," each with a rose garden. As the Industrial Revolution
runs its course, the area degenerates into a run-down, polluted slum
, with all of the street's old houses falling into disrepair.
After World War I and the October Revolution
, the area becomes home to a community of Russian
emigres; among the new residents are the leadership of a "vast band of terrorists" who are plotting the destruction of the United States
on Independence Day
.
When the day arrives, the terrorists gather to do the deed, but before they can get started, all the houses in the street collapse concurrently on top of them, killing them all. Observers at the scene testify that immediately after the collapse, they had visions of the trees and the rose gardens that had once been in the street.
police strike of September–October 1919 inspired Lovecraft to write "The Street", as he declared in a letter to Frank Belknap Long
:
The terrorism was also real, and had been going on since 1914 in a series of parcel bombs. In 1919 two campaigns of mail bombing were discovered. In 1920 there would be a major terrorist bomb attack on Wall Street.
The story's anti-immigrant stance echoes such earlier xenophobic poems by Lovecraft as "New England Fallen" and "On a New-England Village Seen by Moonlight".
The, real and unreal, news of the anarchy occurring during the Russian and German revolutions would, along with the story of Peter The Painter, also indubitably have effected a market for the story.
describes this story as "manifestly racist". According to Daniel Harms
, author of The Encyclopedia Cthulhiana, "If someone came up to me and said, 'Hey Daniel, I think H. P. Lovecraft was a wordy, overly-sentimental bigot whose stories don't make much sense,' this would be the last story I would hand to him to convince him otherwise."
American literature
American literature is the written or literary work produced in the area of the United States and its preceding colonies. For more specific discussions of poetry and theater, see Poetry of the United States and Theater in the United States. During its early history, America was a series of British...
horror fiction
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
writer H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
, written in late 1919
1919 in literature
The year 1919 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Winifred Holtby and Vera Brittain return to Somerville College, Oxford, to complete their education following war service.*Two paintings by E. E...
and first published in the December 1920
1920 in literature
The year 1920 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Agatha Christie publishes her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, introducing the long-running character detective, Hercule Poirot....
issue of the Wolverine amateur journal.
Synopsis
The story traces the history of the eponymous street in a New EnglandNew England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
city, presumably Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, from its first beginnings as a path in colonial times to a quasi-supernatural occurrence in the years immediately following World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
As the city grows up around the street, it is planted with many trees and built along with "simple, beautiful houses of brick and wood," each with a rose garden. As the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
runs its course, the area degenerates into a run-down, polluted slum
Slum
A slum, as defined by United Nations agency UN-HABITAT, is a run-down area of a city characterized by substandard housing and squalor and lacking in tenure security. According to the United Nations, the percentage of urban dwellers living in slums decreased from 47 percent to 37 percent in the...
, with all of the street's old houses falling into disrepair.
After World War I and the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
, the area becomes home to a community of Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
emigres; among the new residents are the leadership of a "vast band of terrorists" who are plotting the destruction of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on Independence Day
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
.
When the day arrives, the terrorists gather to do the deed, but before they can get started, all the houses in the street collapse concurrently on top of them, killing them all. Observers at the scene testify that immediately after the collapse, they had visions of the trees and the rose gardens that had once been in the street.
Inspiration
The BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
police strike of September–October 1919 inspired Lovecraft to write "The Street", as he declared in a letter to Frank Belknap Long
Frank Belknap Long
Frank Belknap Long was a prolific American writer of horror fiction, fantasy, science fiction, poetry, gothic romance, comic books, and non-fiction. Though his writing career spanned seven decades, he is best known for his horror and science fiction short stories, including early contributions to...
:
The terrorism was also real, and had been going on since 1914 in a series of parcel bombs. In 1919 two campaigns of mail bombing were discovered. In 1920 there would be a major terrorist bomb attack on Wall Street.
The story's anti-immigrant stance echoes such earlier xenophobic poems by Lovecraft as "New England Fallen" and "On a New-England Village Seen by Moonlight".
The, real and unreal, news of the anarchy occurring during the Russian and German revolutions would, along with the story of Peter The Painter, also indubitably have effected a market for the story.
Reaction
An H. P. Lovecraft EncyclopediaAn H. P. Lovecraft Encyclopedia
An H. P. Lovecraft Encyclopedia is a reference work written by S. T. Joshi and David E. Schultz. It covers the life and work of American horror fiction writer H. P...
describes this story as "manifestly racist". According to Daniel Harms
Daniel Harms
Daniel Harms is the author of the Encyclopedia Cthulhiana , co-author of The Necronomicon Files, and the originator of The Shadow over Usenet: a detailed online discussion of the works of H. P. Lovecraft. He is a lecturer on Lovecraft Circle literature and occult films...
, author of The Encyclopedia Cthulhiana, "If someone came up to me and said, 'Hey Daniel, I think H. P. Lovecraft was a wordy, overly-sentimental bigot whose stories don't make much sense,' this would be the last story I would hand to him to convince him otherwise."