Comparison of horror texts
Having looked at the development of the horror genre from Poe to post-modernism, we have discovered some differences and similarities.
Please use the questions below to compare the horror texts you have dealt with. Use your own vocabulary, but try to consider the suggested vocabulary also. Look up words you do not understand.
The questions deal with three important apects of horror fiction: the setting, the monster and the morale.
When looking at the genre diachronically, we may spot developments and patterns.
The Setting:
Characterise the setting. Where does the text take place? Is it a gothic setting? Does it resemble a gothic setting? Is the setting - or the weather - symbolic or metonymous in any way?
Suggested vocabulary: attic, cellar, graveyard, castle, locked room, confined, threatening, gloomy, dark, midnight, moonlight, isolated, desolate, claustrophobic, mysterious, metropolis, obscured, shadowy, abandoned, old mansion, detailed, neutral, specific, enchanted, haunted, ominous, hopeless, open, closed, gothic, secluded, crowded, menacing, bleak, melodramatic, wild, ancient, decayed, frightening sounds, smell of rot and death, metonymous (eg. nature and the weather stand for something else; rain stands for sorrow etc.), symbolic places (like a church that is a symbol of good, etc.), far away (foreign), close (local), deteriorated.
The Monster:
Characterise the monster in the text. Who is it? What is it? What is new about this monster compared to previous monsters? Can you use Freud's model of the mind to describe the monster?
Suggested vocabulary: humanoid, beast, shape shifter, controlling, manipulative, strong, gentlemanly, angry, powerful, weak, controlled, uncontrolled, controlled by Id, controlled by superego, masculine, feminine, spirit, undead, psychopath, sociopath, predator, anthropomorphic, lustful, tormented, ghost, otherworldly, supernatural, demonic, vampire, anonymous, insane, repulsive, disgusting, werewolf, formless, lethal, repressed.
The Morale:
In spite of the fact that horror fiction is often dismissed as trashy B-culture, it is actually quite often focused on moral questions and implied moral instructions. What, if any, is the morale of the text? Can you find more than one morale? What is the author trying to say, warn against or propose?
Suggested vocabulary: madonna, whore, puritan, Victorian, pre-marital sex, alcohol, solitude, explicit sexuality, challenge of chastity, good and evil, mental balance, female sensibility, science or religion is good or bad.