Evolution of Horror Essays - 1497 Words

Joshua An 71811473 Writing 39B 18 April 2013 The Evolution of Horror For centuries, stories of monsters, demons and other unholy abominations have brought fear to the hearts of audiences in commercially convenient doses. Noel Carroll, Ph.D., in his article â€Å"The Nature of Horror†, argues that the existence of monsters and supernatural entities alone do not define a horror novel or film â€Å"for monsters inhabit all sorts of stories, such as fairy tales, myths, and odysseys, that we are not wont to identify as horror† (Carroll). One can therefore infer that the absence of such creatures in either media can absolutely still yield a work in the Horror fiction genre. The genre of Horror draws its roots from many sources. It has,†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"It is so cold, Eleanor thought childishly; I will never be able to sleep again with all this noise coming from inside my head; how can these others hear the noise when it is coming from inside my head? I am disappearing inch by inch into this house, I am going apart a little bit at a time because all this noise is breaking me; why are the others frightened?† (Jackson 128). Eleanor is Hill House’s main victim; therefore, she can be seen as the women in distress who so often appears in many other Gothic Horror novels. As the story progresses, one might detect hints of romance between Eleanor and Theodora; Jackson leaves this facet of the story as vaguely as she does the others, however, and never elaborates on it. Romance, in itself, is another key factor in establishing Gothic Horror literature. Though eighteenth century Gothic Horror laid the foundation of Modern Horror, a s we know it today, much of what we are used can be attributed to influences by horror authors in the nineteenth century. It was during this century when Gothic Horror transformed into the genre of Horror. Horror exploded with popularity with the publication of â€Å"Frankenstein† (1818) by Mary Shelley. It was during this time that Horror authors began to incorporate the five human senses to help their audience to imagine the physical manifestation of fear itself. â€Å"The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde† (1886) by Robert Louis StevensonShow MoreRelatedThe Evolution of Horror Films Essay1595 Words   |  7 Pagesterror are all just a few things to expect when watching a modern day horror film. What is horror? Horror can be defined as an intense feeling of fear, shock, or disgust. (Wilson) The description of horror is not very pleasant, but for some reason horror films are extremely popular. Why is this so? People are addicted to the synthetic feeling of bein g terrified. Modern day horror films are very different from the first horror films which date back to the late nineteenth century, but the goal ofRead MoreA Compare and Contrast of Horror and Science Fiction/Fantasy Genres1777 Words   |  7 Pagesin the world. 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