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The Role Of Horror In Literature

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As a student, I am exposed to many different genres in literature including comedy, drama, horror, non-fiction, realistic fiction, romance, satire and tragedy. The horror genre is one of the most popular genres there is in both literature and film. Even though not everyone is fond of this genre, it has a lot of fans that would love to read a horror book or watch a horror movie anytime. I personally am not the biggest fan of this genre, since I do not enjoy getting myself frightened or scared, which are both something horror books or films make you feel.

Horror in literature has an extensive and interesting history. The beginning of horror can be first found in the Inquisition. In about 1235 AD, the obsession with witchcraft started because of the Vatican’s order to reestablish the orthodoxy in the faith, then charges of heresy were tangle with accusations of witchcraft. The obsession of witchcraft …show more content…

Ghost stories and war stories in the start of the twentieth century was the start of bringing ghosts into modernity. The turn of the century was also the start of horror films, which were quite gruesome and kind of fantastic. The first true horror film was William N Selig's sixteen-minute adaptation of Stevenson's “Jekyll and Hyde.” The first movie adaptation would appear a few years later. Directed by J. Searle Dawley, the film's production required the assistance of the one and only Thomas Edison!

The Great Depression increased Americans’ interest in all things horrifying and supernatural. Then in World War II the real horrors that occurred inspired the fictional ones. After that, different stories inspired horror writers and poets. Horrific and gruesome stories are what inspire writers and poets till this

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