Re: NecronomiCON

[bfarnell@xxxxxxx]

Adam McLean wrote:

> Please research in depth not just skim the surface.
> Don't take the  first thing you read as true. Test,
> challenge, investigate, otherwise you will never be
> able to think clearly. You must not believe all you
> read on the Internet.
> 
> Oh I do despair sometimes!  This old chestnut !
> 
> Forgive me if you were just making a joke, and had
> not really taken this work seriously, but I do find, as
> I get older, that invented documents such as the
> Necronomicon are becoming more and more
> annoying to me, as they give a false context and
> make it difficult for people who do not have a
> sufficiently critical attitude, to see things clearly
> or read history correctly.  It is difficult enough
> trying to grasp the context of a real manuscript
> such as the Voynich without having it distorted
> through a prism of fabricated nonsense, written
> only to make money, and to play games with
> people. Please don't let them play games with
> your mind. Test, challenge, investigate in depth.

Perhaps you are being too harsh.  I understand the Necronomicon is a
piece of fiction, however the fiction has been translated into many,
many languages and the critique has not.  Even my own small town high
school library in the heart of the US Southern bible belt has a card
catolog entry for the Necronomicon (OK, yes, I put it there).  Dark MaP
is obviously not a native English speaker, perhaps the hoax goes over
much better when translated.  In fact, being translated adds to
credibility and makes it very difficult to check cited 'references'.  As
far as making money off the hoax, after writing a paper on Lovecraft I
don't feel that he ever wanted to make money off a hoax, he just wanted
to make money off a story.  As lousy as his writing is, I have to say
that it's kind of cool that he managed to create ideas so intriguing
that he accidentally spawned his own mythology.  I wonder if Joseph
Campbell ever addressed the issue...

Respectfully,
Brian