The Strange Tale of Mrs. Ward
The Mother of All Lovecraftian Stories
In the before time, I used to enjoy reading the stories of H.P. Lovecraft and other authors—such as Edgar Allan Poe, Philip K. Dick, and M.R. James—out loud. It completely changed the experience compared to reading the words silently off the page. Many of Lovecraft’s stories, such as The Statement of Randolph Carter, have a lovely cadence and become almost poetic or operatic when reading them aloud with a little flare. But this is not always the case, and you might find that with other stories from Lovecraft’s canon, reading them aloud affords you time to start asking too many questions as you struggle to pronounce Lovecraft’s antiquarian & antediluvian word choice.
A case in point is the mother in Lovecraft’s atavistic short novel The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, wherein Mrs. Ward (she was not even given a first name) becomes increasingly concerned about her son’s strange behavior and obsessions with his distant ancestor, Joseph Curwen—a cautionary tale perhaps for modern parents and an interesting jumping-off point in the realm of what-if.
Side Note: Donovan Loucks game me his opinion that although Mrs. Ward is never named, Lovecraft probably would’ve considered “Mrs. Ward” the proper way to refer to her. In addition, Mr. Ward’s full name is only mentioned once. But Mr. Ward is mentioned about three times more often than Mrs. Ward; the frequency stats: 62 — Mr. Ward, 21 — Mrs. Ward, 1 — Theodore Howland Ward, 1 — “Theodore” (Willett’s letter). But I digress…
As the novel progresses, Mrs. Ward notices Charles becoming increasingly secretive, spending most of his time in his attic laboratory. As a parent, you have to wonder, is Charles involved in drugs?! All this behavior makes his mommy hyperalert as she listens for the strange sounds and chants emanating from Charles’ room at night—something one should not do with a son living at home. Some things are best left unheard.
But the final straw is when Mrs. Ward smells a strong foetor odor (probably because Charles hasn’t done his laundry for weeks) and faints. What should a mother do?! More importantly, what is the reader to do? Reading this novel aloud makes you scream, “When will you start parenting!”
One can easily imagine her having whispered conversations with her friends after church or over coffee about how the younger generation is not respectful to their parents, summoning demons down from the stars at all hours of the night! You can imagine someone like Mrs. Schrödinger trying to console Mrs. Ward sympathetically with her own stories about how the cat runs away traumatized from her husband and how she, too, hears strange noises emanating from the rooms when her husband is tutoring. [Mrs. Poe was also invited to these gatherings, but unfortunately for Mrs. Ward, Virginia was detained by Edgar and unable to leave her home.]
Even with this imaginary comfort from her friends, Mrs. Ward grows increasingly anxious about Charles’ activities. Finally, she discusses her concerns with their family doctor and friend, Dr. Willett. “Doctor, we have tried nothing and are all out of ideas!”
Side Note: When John Strysik and I interviewed Dan O’Bannon about his film adaption called The Resurrected, he told us that Dr. Willet was singularly one of the dullest busybody characters he had ever read in literature which was why he replaced him with a Private Detective which better fit with the story’s clinical casebook quality. He also replaced the ineffectual parents with a concerned wife.
But it doesn’t take a doctor to see that her nerves have completely deteriorated under the strain of worrying about her son, and Dr. Willett orders Mrs. Ward to go to Atlantic City for an indefinite recuperative stay. He also instructs Mr. Ward and Charles to write letters regularly to cheer her. You can imagine Charles just rolling his eyes with a huff.
As you, the reader, pronounce and struggle with the made-up language for the spells that form the climactic ending, you are comforted that Mrs. Ward will never know the true nature and horrific detail of her son’s demise. It was a small mercy and probably the only thing that protected her already fragile mental state. But she would, of course, worry for the rest of her life about what truly happened to her son and perhaps what she might have done differently as a parent!
Although H.P. Lovecraft’s writing style is distinctive and influential in horror and weird fiction (even melodic at times), his old-fashioned adjective “ladden” and sentence-heavy paragraphs are often criticized for featuring long, winding proboscidian sentences filled with archaic and tenebrous language. Nonetheless, I encourage you, gentle reader, to read some of these short stories aloud; you may be pleasantly surprised.
About the Author
Andrew Migliore is the author of Lurker in the Lobby: A Guide to the Cinema of H.P. Lovecraft and the founder of the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival® and CthulhuCon™. During daylight hours, he is the CTO of a healthcare startup; at night, he quietly contemplates the peace and safety of a new dark age. No “Essential Saltes” were disturbed in the writing of this article.
Marginalia
Charles Dexter Ward’s Family Tree
Joseph Curwen (1662–1771, and 1928): An Ancestor of Charles Dexter Ward who was a “wizard” involved in alchemical and necromantic practices. In 1692, he came to Providence, Rhode Island, and married into a local family.
Spouse: Eliza Tillinghast
Children: Ann CurwenEliza Tillinghast : Wife of Joseph Curwen. The Tillinghast family is notable in Providence society, and her marriage to Curwen connects the two families. Any relationship to Crawford Tillinghast?
Spouse: Joseph CurwenAnn Curwen: The daughter of Joseph Curwen and Eliza Tillinghast. She married Welcome Potter in 1785 thus helping to link the Curwen and Ward lineages. Potter was Ward’s great-great-grandfather.
Spouse: Welcome Potter
Children: …Theodore Ward: the daddy of Charles Dexter Ward who is a well-to-do, practical, and concerned man. He is skeptical of the supernatural and tries to explain Charles’ odd behavior in rational terms, primarily as a medical or psychological issue. As Charles’ condition worsens and bizarre occurrences escalate, Theodore becomes increasingly desperate to find a solution. He and his wife become distraught, especially when Charles withdraws from the family and isolates himself.
Spouse: Mrs. Ward
Children: Charles Dexter WardMrs Ward: Charles’ unnameable mommy.
Spouse: Theodore Ward
Children: Charles Dexter WardCharles Dexter Ward (1902–1928): An (unfortunate) direct descendant of Joseph Curwen. Born in 1902. His compelled fascination with his family’s history leds him to uncovering Curwen’s history of occult activities and his eventual involvement in dangerous rituals that ultimately led to his demise.
