one thing i find really funny is how, you know, “the necronomicon” has totally entered pop culture lore in a way where most people feel like they “know what it is” even if they’ve never read any lovecraft (or related horror fiction), it’s referenced in all kinds of books, movies, etc., it’s recognizable in much the same way that, say, dracula is recognizable. or, okay, maybe not dracula, but, like, slenderman or something. the idea of “bloody mary”.
but the thing “everyone knows” about the necronomicon is that it’s a cursed book that drives anyone who reads it dangerously insane (or turns them evil/warps reality somehow, you get the idea), and that particular idea never really comes up in h.p. lovecraft’s fiction? i mean, just reading the book (…not out loud) neither seems to be especially dangerous in its own right, nor something that typically drives people mad (it’s disturbing, but so is the shining, yk). in fact, at times like every single person who went to university in lovecraft’s stories seems to have read it at some point? they’re always going “oh, and i know about this bc i read about it in the necronomicon!” it gets to the point where you’re like, is this thing just required reading in the miskatonic u. freshman english classes? or is it part of some hazing thing? ( “gary, before you join the frat, you gotta read this one book, oh, nothing special, it’s not that big a deal…”)
& honestly i find the idea that everyone who went to one particular school at some point had to read this dark grimoire type thing and is now walking around with a head full of half-remembered, not particularly useful deets on incantations to call up horrible godlike alien beings from outside time or w/e, even though they’re like an architect or a secretary or something and oh my god i majored in graphic design, i am never using this stuff way more amusing (and actually potentially scarier?) than “there’s this spooky book, drives you nuts if you read it” idk
