Lovecraft described his planned novel as a "weird Eastern tale in the 18th century manner" and as a "weird Vathek-like novel", referring to a novel of Arabia written by William Thomas Beckford in 1786.
Lovecraft described his planned novel as a "strange Eastern tale in the 18th-century style" and as a "strange Vathek-like novel", referencing a novel of Arabia written by William Thomas Beckford in 1786.