Dirk W. Mosig
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Yōzan Dirk W. Mosig (born 1943) is a psychologist,
historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...
, literary critic and ordained
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monk noted for his critical work on H. P. Lovecraft. He was born in
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and lived for several years in
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before emigrating to the
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. He received his
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at the
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in 1974. Between 1973 and 1978, Mosig published numerous important essays assessing Lovecraft's work. To cite but three, Mosig's 1973 essay "Toward a Greater Appreciation of H.P. Lovecraft: The Analytical Approach" is a psychological interpretation (based on the theories of C.G. Jung) of many Lovecraft stories. The pioneering and oft-reprinted "H. P. Lovecraft: Myth Maker" (1976) explores Lovecraft's philosophy of horror, takes issue with
August Derleth August William Derleth (February 24, 1909 – July 4, 1971) was an American writer and anthologist. Though best remembered as the first book publisher of the writings of H. P. Lovecraft, and for his own contributions to the Cthulhu Mythos and th ...
's distorted interpretation of Lovecraft's myth-cycle and emphasises the latter's vision of an amoral cosmos in which humanity has little significance. In "Lovecraft: The Dissonance Factor in Imaginative Literature" (1979), insanity is the result of a fatal
cognitive dissonance In the field of psychology, cognitive dissonance is the perception of contradictory information, and the mental toll of it. Relevant items of information include a person's actions, feelings, ideas, beliefs, values, and things in the environmen ...
in the protagonist caused by encounters with cosmic horrors that contradict the protagonist's (and the reader's) worldview of the universe and its laws. Several of Mosig's essays assessed individual works by Lovecraft such as " The Outsider" and " The White Ship" according to a psychoanalytical perspective. One essay analysed Lovecraft's poem "The City". S. T. Joshi has stated that "Dirk Mosig is the key transitional figure in Lovecraft studies; and if the history of this field is ever written, he will have to occupy a central role."''Mosig at Last: A Psychologist Looks at H. P. Lovecraft,''
Necronomicon Press Necronomicon Press is an American small press publishing house specializing in fiction, poetry and literary criticism relating to the horror and fantasy genres. It is run by Marc A. Michaud. Necronomicon Press was founded in 1976, originall ...
, 1997, p.123
Mosig currently teaches psychology at the
University of Nebraska at Kearney The University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK) is a campus of the public University of Nebraska system and located in Kearney, Nebraska. It was founded in 1905 as the Nebraska State Normal School at Kearney. History In March 1903 the Nebraska Sta ...
, where he is also engaged in research on the Punic Wars and the career of Hannibal. The volume ''Mosig at Last: A Psychologist Looks at Lovecraft'' (West Warwick, RI: Necronomicon Press, August 1997) collects Mosig's previously published Lovecraft papers and adds some previously unpublished, such as "Life After Lovecraft: Reminiscences of a Non-Entity" (reflections on his life as a Lovecraft scholar). Also included is "Growing Up Lovecraftian" by Mosig's daughter, Laila Briquet-Mosig.


References


Further reading

*
Peter Cannon Peter H. Cannon (born 1951 in California) is an H. P. Lovecraft scholar and an author of Cthulhu Mythos fiction. Cannon works as an editor for ''Publishers Weekly'', specializing in thrillers and mystery. He lives in New York City and is marrie ...
"The Man Who Was Mosig." ''Crypt of Cthulhu'' 33 (Lammas 1985):36. Brief essay on Mosig's importance in Lovecraft studies. * Donald R. Burleson. "Fra Mosigus." ''Crypt of Cthulhu'' 33 (Lammas 1985): 37–38. A memoir of Mosig and a discussion of his importance in Lovecraft studies. * Joshi, S.T. "Concluding Address". in Joshi, ed. ''The H.P. Lovecraft Centennial Conference: Proceedings.'' Warwick, RI: Necronomicon Press, March 1991, pp. 78–90. Reprint in ''Books at Brown'' 28/29 (1991–92): 149–56. Summarises the Lovecraft Centennial Conference (Providence, RI, 1990) and memorialises the prior figures ( Robert H. Barlow,
August Derleth August William Derleth (February 24, 1909 – July 4, 1971) was an American writer and anthologist. Though best remembered as the first book publisher of the writings of H. P. Lovecraft, and for his own contributions to the Cthulhu Mythos and th ...
, Dirk W. Mosig and others) who made Lovecraft's recognition possible. * Joshi, S. T. "Mosig at Last: My Years with the Greatest of Lovecraft Scholars."''Crypt of Cthulhu'' 33 (Lammas 1985):29-35, 23. Discusses Joshi's relations with Mosig and touches upon Mosig's significance in fostering understanding of Lovecraft.


External links



Yozan Mosig page {{DEFAULTSORT:Mosig, Dirk W. 1943 births Living people 21st-century American psychologists American literary critics German emigrants to the United States H. P. Lovecraft scholars University of Nebraska at Kearney people 20th-century American psychologists