Tony's Review of The Very Old Folk

The Very Old Folk by H. P. Lovecraft is one of the more unusual pieces in Lovecraft’s body of work. It is less a conventional story and more a fragment, a dreamlike glimpse into a distant and forgotten past. Written as part of a letter and never fully developed into a complete tale, it feels like looking through a small window into a much larger world that remains hidden from view.

The story follows a modern narrator who experiences a strange vision and finds himself observing life in ancient Gaul during the Roman era. What begins as a fascinating look into a distant time gradually shifts into something darker. The villagers live under the shadow of old fears, ancient customs, and secrets buried deep within the surrounding landscape. There is a sense that something predates civilization itself, something older than the people, older than the ruins, and perhaps older than human memory. A touch of colonial horror.

This is not yet the fully formed cosmic horror Lovecraft would later become famous for. Instead, it feels like an early step toward those ideas. The story focuses on deep time, lost civilizations, and the uncomfortable realization that humanity occupies only a small part of history.

It is also interesting to see Lovecraft experimenting with historical settings. While many of his later stories are rooted in New England, The Very Old Folk reaches back into ancient Europe, drawing upon his lifelong fascination with history, antiquity, and the rise and fall of civilizations.

The Very Old Folk is not among Lovecraft’s major works, but it offers a fascinating glimpse into his developing imagination. It shows the early formation of ideas that would later define his career.