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The Spooky Authors Collection: Shelley, Poe, Lovecraft, and Jackson

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Last Updated . Click "Updates" above to see the latest.

Updated 1/21/2023: Added nameplates! Also switched to some brighter colors for Lovecraft and redesigned Mary Shelley's segment slightly.

Updated 11/8/2022: Big update! I've redone Poe and Lovecraft's colors to bring out some details that were muddy before. I've also redone Poe's bust of Pallas. I completely overhauled Shirley Jackson so that her minifigure is more accurate and so that her vignette is more visually appealing.

Updated 9/24/2022: I've uploaded some higher-resolution pictures to give you a clearer look at the pieces used.

This set of four brick-built dioramas brings to life the imaginations of some of the greatest horror writers in history. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Edgar Allan Poe, Howard Phillips Lovecraft, and Shirley Jackson are commemorated in these vignettes. Display the authors inside their respective scenes, or remove them and allow the scenes to live on their own. This set will make a great display piece for writers, readers, and horror fans in their home, office, or library.

About the Authors:

  • Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley was an English writer who began work on her definitive novel, Frankenstein, when she was only eighteen years old. Frankenstein, published in 1818, is one of the earliest works of science fiction and one of the most influential novels of all time.
  • Edgar Allan Poe was a poet and writer famous for exploring dark and mysterious themes. His poem "The Raven", one of his most famous works, was published in the New York Evening Mirror in 1945.
  • H.P. Lovecraft was a writer who worked primarily in the "weird fiction" genre, meaning his stories explored unexplainable supernatural phenomenon often coming from other worlds or dimensions. His most famous story, "The Call of Cthulhu", was published in Weird Tales in 1928.
  • Shirley Jackson was a prolific author who wrote six novels and over 200 short stories. Though many of her stories were about her own childhood or humorous anecdotes about her children, she is best known for her horror and mystery writing. Her novel The Haunting of Hill House has been adapted into two films, two plays, a radio serial, and a television series.

The scenes are each built on an 8x8 footprint. Each scene places an author in an imaginative scenario inspired by their work:

  • Shelley is exploring a castle and finding inspiration for the laboratory in Frankenstein. Lightning courses through the machinery and into the body of her monster, who is included as a minifigure.
  • Poe is relaxing by the fire when a raven swoops in and lands on his bust of Pallas. His fireplace erupts with flame, revealing the symbol of the Red Death.
  • Lovecraft tries to work on his next story, but he is tormented by shadowy tentacles and sinister eyes that watch him from his bookshelf.
  • Shirley Jackson strolls through the yard of Hill House, looking for inspiration, but she is being watched by whatever thing is haunting the old mansion.

If you prefer, though, you can display the authors separately and keep the vignettes empty as art pieces!

As of now, there are no new bricks or prints required to produce this set, although several pieces would have to be produced in new colors.

Please consider voting for my project, especially if you love Halloween, scary stories, classic literature, writing, or writers!

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