I was intrigued by a recent article in Psyche on middlebrow works of art. Philosophers Aaron Meskin and Jonathan Weinberg make a strong case that while the term middlebrow is generally considered a put-down, it should instead be viewed as a worthy objective for all artists:
“Unlike the avant-garde, which may appeal only to a rarefied audience, middlebrow works pursue a broad audience, requiring only a minimal acquaintance with the medium or genre. And unlike most straightforwardly pop works, which can reach a mass audience by being weightlessly undemanding, middlebrow works aspire to at least some forms of artistic achievement typical of high art, such as thematic depth, formal ambition, intricate narrative structure, philosophical richness, linguistic inventiveness, and so on.”
That sounds like Robert E. Howard to me. Forced by economic necessity to write fiction with mass appeal, he frequently infused his stories with poetic beauty and thoughtful opinions.
As David Smith observes in his magnificent Robert E. Howard: A Literary Biography:
“His work is shot through with a relentless awareness of time, hurtfully so. This tragic appreciation is exhibited as powerfully in his writing as his acute awareness of the body — the weight of time, its passage and its cost to us. He grew up, of course, listening to recollections of the immediate past, frontier tales in which “the past is never past,” in Faulkner’s famous phrase.” p. 191.
Like the highbrow William Faulkner, Robert E. Howard the middlebrow wrote out of a distinctive Southern experience, inspired by Texan tall tales and family narratives of wars, blood feuds, and duels waged to defend honor. Like Flannery O’Connor, also a highbrow, Howard critiqued modern society from a Southern mindset. In “Tower of the Elephant,” Howard not only mesmerizes us with young Conan’s attempt to steal a fabled treasure, but also interjects a sharp rebuke on the modern decline of good manners:
“Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing.”
That sounds like something O’Connor might’ve penned if she’d been a man.
Howard also exceeded the boundaries of pulp fiction in “Red Nails,” a rousing adventure tale that skewers societies that have succumbed to corruption and self-destruction. The degeneration triggered by wealth was a running theme in his stories, no doubt inspired by the misery caused by the sudden wealth of the Texas oil boom, which he witnessed first hand. Stories such as “Red Nails” echoed the Agrarian critique of industrialized society from I’ll Take My Stand.
It was Robert E. Howard’s ability to combine mass appeal and shrewd insight that makes his works so enduring. As his friend H.P. Lovecraft put it:
“Scarcely anybody else in the pulp field had quite the driving zest and spontaneity of R. E. H. He put himself into everything he wrote—even when he made outward concessions to pulp standards…”
Sorry, Mike. That comment was made by me. Could you edit it so that my name/account shows up there as the author? Or should I re-post? Thank you.
(Due to some slight mishap, technical difficulties, and my own hastiness, the original comment I wrote was made “anonymous” when it should have shown I was the author. One more reason why I do not like computers. Because of that error, I had to rewrite my original response below, but I have added some changes for clarity. I’m hoping this time the system shows me as the rightful author.)
I detest the anti-pagan and racist elements in Robert E. Howard’s work. That is why I cannot call myself a true enthusiast of his, though I do acknowledge and appreciate the good qualities of his writings. This is similar to how I feel about Lovecraft’s and Clark Ashton Smith’s works; their writings overall, however, are so superior to Howard’s in aesthetics and spirit that I appreciate what they created more. Nevertheless, all three of them never reach the artistic purity of Poe’s or Arthur Machen’s compositions, even if those too have some glaringly distasteful properties.
Regards,
Matthew Pungitore
Problem is, many excellent authors have been accused of “racism.” Faulkner, O’Connor, Heinlein, London come to mind. I read what I like despite the thought police.
I’m not saying to ignore Howard’s work, but it’s not something I want in my life very much any more. I mean, how many more times should I read his offensive stories? Appreciate what you can of his stuff, yes, learn what you can from it, reasonably praise the singular level of his writing skill, certainly, but let us not allow his work to shape too far the future of our culture if we say we want to honor virtuous, masculine polytheism.
What do you think?
Regards,
Matthew Pungitore
You find REH offensive? Really?
I’m not saying that people who read Robert E. Howard’s works are awful people. There’s something good at times to be learned or enjoyed from reading his stories, but his works are not for everyone, and they should not be taught to just anyone without careful consideration.
That almost hyperreality/postmodern way that Robert E. Howard clownishly mangles, blends, and confuses cultures, histories, races, and myths reminds me a lot of the abhorrent cultural vandalism Christopher Nolan did with THE ODYSSEY (2026), and I feel like that sort of thing could be offensive to just about anyone.
Are you truly confused about why one might be offended at his writings? There’s much I could say and complain about the extreme perversity, gross sexism, racism, and anti-paganism in Robert E. Howard’s works, but that would demand an essay, which would go beyond the scope of this casual comments-section, and I don’t want to waste anyone’s time. Much has already been said by many others. Instead, I’ll share a list of some things you might want to examine (or re-examine) if you’re wanting to understand why his works could be considered offensive enough for us to shun them:
(1.) SKULL-FACE, by Robert E. Howard.
(2.) Damon Young’s ARYANS IN LOVE: On the letters of Robert E. Howard and HP Lovecraft; Meanjin Winter 2020; Accessed at 10:22 a.m. on August 9, 2026 from:
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/65fb5ddb67f0a279d7a5aedd/t/6842476abfa7b22c5dcc189b/1749174122960/Aryans+in+Love.pdf
(3.) “Deeper Cut: Conan and the Shemites: Robert E. Howard and Antisemitism”; Deep Cuts in a Lovecraftian Vein; April 6, 2022; Accessed at 10: 22 a.m. on August 9, 2026 from:
https://deepcuts.blog/2022/04/06/deeper-cut-conan-and-the-shemites-robert-e-howard-and-antisemitism/
(4.) “The Valley of the Worm,” by Robert E. Howard.
(5.) “Shadows in Zamboula,” by Robert E. Howard.
(6.) “The Last White Man,” by Robert E. Howard.
(7.) “Worms of the Earth,” by Robert E. Howard.
(8.) “Wings in the Night,” by Robert E. Howard.
(9.) “The Frost-Giant’s Daughter,” by Robert E. Howard.
(10.) “Black Hound of Death,” by Robert E. Howard.
(11.) “The Iron Man” (“Fall Guy”/”Iron Men”), by Robert E. Howard.
(12.) “Waterfront Fists” (“Stand Up and Slug!”), by Robert E. Howard.
On top of what I’ve already complained about, as someone of Italian blood, I am disgusted utterly by the anti-Latin, anti-Roman, and anti-Italian bigotry, stereotypes, caricatures, language, and/or negative suggestions in Robert E. Howard’s works.
Robert E. Howard’s writings seem to loathe the black, the brown, and even at times the gray, which is between white and black. That fear/hate of greyness could be read as a fear/hate of those Europeans/Americans who are regarded as being “not white enough” or “not good enough” by more prejudiced standards. It’s offensive. After reading his works that express such hate in them over and over again, and seeing people talking about his works so often, it’s exhausting.
It may seem like Robert E. Howard is honoring ancient myths and legends, but what he’s done is distort, corrupt, and misshape them. The gravitas of his art goes away when he plays with Gods and magic like toys through his writings. His works feel more like criticism and deconstruction of polytheism, folklore, and legend. Sometimes I can’t tell if he’s trying to Christianize everything, if he’s a cynical atheist, or what. His art, is that just the product of a mercenary mind? His works are a bitter mess of slapdash ideologies and immature moods. There’s almost something of the “boomer” or the “neocon” to it all, his works, that low-grade nihilism mixed with vanity, selfishness, and barbarism. One might find enjoyment reading such writings the first few times, but the more one thinks about it the more it seems as if those stories are too repulsive for any further reading. There comes a time when one must stop consuming the junk food.
Read those pieces I included in the list above and you’ll see what I mean. Again, I’m not saying anyone is a bad person for reading his works. Differing opinions, Individuality, freedom of speech, these are all generally good things. If we care about defining what is low Art, middle Art, or High Art, nonetheless, let us do so and just do better to improve the domains of fantasy, of literature, of Art.
Regards,
Matthew Pungitore
WordPress put your comment in my blog’s Pending folder, most likely due to its length and number of links. I just saw it this AM, and published it in its entirety.
I am not confused by dislike of Robert E. Howard. We’re in an age that worships egalitarianism and victimhood while demonizing excellence and virility. Howard wrote in the tradition of Western culture, more specifically, within the aesthetics and sensibilities of the South. To me and countless others, his fiction is an antivenom to modern decadence.
https://www.abbevilleinstitute.org/robert-e-howard-southern-writer/
First, allow me to express my appreciation for your gentlemanly decency. Computer technology really is not the kind of progress the snake oil technocrats sell it to be. So, thank you for your care and consideration with my comment.
I have read the article you shared. You and I seem to walk dissimilar paths regarding the works of Robert E. Howard.
Regards,
Matthew Pungitore
So many original takes, things that I haven’t even considered. I’m really glad you made this argument because it makes me see Howard’s work in a new light.
Anonymous,
Yes, thank you, Matthew.