Horror, what is it, according to literary historian J.A. Cuddon, it is “a piece of fiction in prose of variable length…which shocks or even frightens the reader, or perhaps induces a feeling of repulsion or loathing.” This sets the guidelines for how the generic horror piece is written, as long as it can scare the reader in one sense or the other, or cause them to loath a certain part or character, then it can be called horror. The horror today has roots stemming from old folklore and religious traditions which had elements that dealt with death, the afterlife, and the demonic, along with the things or thing that embody a person. Horror during the 18th century was called gothic horror and this particular type of horror was invented in the …show more content…
Horace Walpole can be accredited with the creation of the horror genre and specific characteristics like a “…foreign location, a dark and ominous castle, and a naïve young woman fleeing from an evil, lustful man.” Walpole’s most well know work, The Castle of Otranto, has set a precedent for being the first novel that made fictitious horror popular and has also become the basis for all other horror literature and film. An associate professor at the Federated University of Australia by the name of Meg Tasker, who was noted in the BBC magazine article, The Castle of Otranto: The creepy tale that launched gothic fiction, says that Walpole took inspiration from “a whole range of literary sources and folklore, German as well as English and Scottish”. The BBC’s magazine also notes that works by William Shakespeare held influence over Walpole and his novel with the addition of satire and comic relief to break up the more melodramatic heavy moments within the novel. With Walpole’s novel being the catalyst, it influenced a number of writers from Edgar Allan Poe to Stephen …show more content…
He had published several other literary works, but these had not brought him fame and a reputation in the horror scene. With Poe’s writing of the poem, The Raven, with its darker setting and inclusion of death brought him more recognition from the general public as well as fitting into the gothic horror type of writing. The Masque of the Red Death, which is another of Poe’s short stories, had direct inspiration from Walpole’s novel, The Castle of Otranto, with its setting and ending to the plot. The Masque of the Red Death is set in an abbey owned by the main character, Prince Prospero, here all of the wealthy and powerful people go so that the Red Death can’t get to them. There are seven rooms which are all different colors, the last one being painted black with a scarlet light lighting up the room, giving the room a sense of being covered in blood, and in the corner a frighteningly white ebony clock. Very few people went into the room due to the room being “decorated in black and illuminated by a scarlet light, ‘a deep blood color’”, because of this combination these people were not brave enough to step into that room. Later in the story a figure comes in and wreaks havoc, Prince ended up chasing this figure only to find out that this figure is the Red Death itself, and when everyone comes to see who it is they end up dying soon after
Edgar Allan Poe was a famous American writer and literary critic. Poe is best known for his short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and fear. Poe has a magic and dark way of writing. “The Masque of Red Death’’ is one of Poe's most famous stories. He proficiently used some death symbolism, bloody imagery,and skillful figurative language in order to contribute to his purpose to inform his reader impossible to escape from the death no matter who you are.
If there's one sub-genre of hip-hop that I'm not privy too, then it would definitely be horrorcore. Horrorcore, formed in the early 90s, saw rappers bring up horror-themed subject matter in their rhymes, often discussing topics such as serial killing and satan worship. I often find horrorcore rappers to be gimmicky, and reliant on cheap shocks rather than lyrical prowess (Insane Clown Posse has become a definitive act for the genre for these reasons). That said though, the genre certainly has an important place in hip-hop history, and in many ways bridges the gap between late 80s gangsta rap, with hardcore artists of the late 90s. With the success of gangsta rappers like N.W.A. and The Geto Boys, combined with the fact
The author, Edgar Allan Poe, using illusion or misdirection keeps the reader is suspense throughout this story called "The Masque of the Red Death". Symbolism such as the colored rooms, the impressive clock, the feeling of celebration being at a party all makes this story feel like a fairytale. Poe used this fairytale style and converts it into a nightmare in disguise.
What is horror? Webster's Collegiate Dictionary gives the primary definition of horror as "a painful and intense fear, dread, or dismay." It stands to reason then that "horror fiction" is fiction that elicits those emotions in the reader. An example of a horror film is "The Shining", directed by Stanley Kubrick. Stanley Kubrick was a well-known director, producer, writer and cinematographer. His films comprised of unique, qualitative scenes that are still memorable but one iconic film in his collection of work is The Shining. Many would disagree and say that The Shining was not his best work and he could have done better yet, there are still those who would say otherwise. This film was not meant to be a “scary pop-up” terror film but
“The Masque of the Red Death,” a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, tells the story of Prince Prospero and his futile attempts to prevent death. During his masquerade party, the prince notices an unusual figure, dressed as the Red Death, and, enraged at the sight of it, Prospero tries to kill it. Poe uses the seventh room, the ebony clock, and the Red Death itself as symbols of death throughout his story.
Horror is the genre that keeps the reader on their toes for nights upon end. It keeps them thinking. Thinking about how cruel and disturbing someone, or something, could possibly be. Thinking about what in the world happens to a character after the story drops off in a cliffhanger. Thinking about the probability that the events in the narrative could transpire in real life. Thinking about how likely it is for those things to happen to the reader. Refusing to look out their window in fear of seeing the glimpse of a murderous face, and listening to every sound with acute accuracy, praying that the noise is not one of a stranger creeping up the stairs. Scary accounts make the reader live in fear whenever the
Edgar Allan Poe was a brilliant poet who endured an incredibly harrowing life. It seemed as if everyone he became close to would decease before his eyes. His grim life served as inspiration for his work which take on eerie, nightmarish tones and themes, likely because those disturbing subjects are what he knew best. One of his poems greatly influenced by his life was “The Masque of the Red Death”. Some parts of the poem influenced by his life are Prince Prospero, the red death, and the theme of the inevitability of death.
“The Masque of Red Death” is considered an allegory because it is made of many different symbols, from the clock to the colors of the seven rooms. All of the forms of symbolism come together to make the short story. The allegorical meaning of “Red Death” is in fact, death. Even though there was a castle and a dagger to protect the Prince from the inevitable, he still died in the end with the rest of the characters. The allegorical meaning behind the colors of the seven rooms, are the stages of life. From blue being birth to black being the end, death, Poe illustrates to his readers that the castle is setup to include death even though that is something that is not necessarily wanted by Prince
Gothic literature uses wide ranging themes and gothic elements to convey its story. Gothic literature short stories can range from romance to horror to supernatural occurrences. Horacio Quiroga’s “The Feather Pillow,” Richard Matheson’s “Prey,” and Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Black Cat” all incorporate the following gothic elements: violence, revenge, hallucinations, nightmares, and psychological issues.
What is a horror? What does it mean to be terrified? The definition of a horror fiction is "fiction in any medium intended to scare, unsettle, or horrify the reader." Since the 1960s, any work of fiction with a morbid, gruesome, surreal, or exceptionally suspenseful or frightening theme has come to be called "horror" (Wikipedia) . "The Fall of the House of Usher" is a great example of a story on the basic level of a gothic horror, in which the element of fear is evoked in its highest form. There are many different elements, such as setting, feelings, themes, and characters, that play an essential role in suggesting this.
Horror is the most personal media genre because of how it can uniquely connect an audience to the traumatic aspects of human struggle. As a result, I like to define horror like this: horror is any instance when an audience is given an uncomfortable look at something that disturbs them. This definition is intended to give room for a cultural interpretation to horror; if something would have scared someone in the past because of something unique about their culture, it can still be considered horror. This is the primary vehicle with which I’ll argue that horror has existed as long as the English language has. Looking back at the medieval horror excerpts and Beowulf, there are many elements that would scare the audiences of their times that wouldn’t immediately affect a modern audience without thorough analysis. Because audiences in the Middle Ages were terrified of God, descriptions of hell and punishment were works of horror centered around fear of the divine. Likewise in Beowulf, in addition to containing an explicit, modern-esque monster in Grendel, Grendel’s Dam would have been seen as a horrifying figure because women were mostly used as negotiable objects for marriage in the 700s. In these ways, these works are evidence that horror has been around since before Frankenstein.
Edgar Allan Poe was a writer who believed every single word contained meaning and in his own words expressed this idea in brevity only he is capable, " there should be no word written, of which tendency, direct or indirect, is not to the one pre-established design." (Poe 244). To this effect, Poe drenches his works in symbolism and allegory. Especially in shorter works, Poe assigns meaning to the smallest object, explicitly deriving exurbanite significance within concise descriptions. "The Masque of the Red Death" tells the story of a Prince Prospero who along with his one thousand friends sought a haven from the plague that was ravishing their country. They lived together in the prince's luxurious abbey with all the amenities and
As a gothic writer, Edgar Allan Poe created horror using gloom as his weapon. Hidden within the suspenseful story of “The Masque of Red Death” is an allegorical tale of how individuals deal with the fear of death as time passes. Frantic activities and pleasures (as represented by Prince Prospero and his guests) seek to wall out the threat of death. However, the story reminds the reader that death comes “like a thief in the night”(Poe 3), and even those who seek peace and safety shall not escape. Poe uses symbolism to illustrate that man cannot hide from his own mortality.
Gothic art advanced from Romanesque art and kept going from the mid-twelfth century till the end of sixteenth century. Gothic art, being solely religious art style, loaned effective substantial weight to the developing force of the Church in Rome. This not just roused the general population, and in addition its common pioneers additionally it solidly settled the association amongst religion and art. Architecture was the most imperative and unique artistic expression amid the Gothic time frame. Gothic arches which dispersed push in more bearings descending from the highest purpose of the curve supplanted the round arches of the barrel vault of Romanesque time. The utilization of flying buttresses made it conceivable to construct to a great degree
Horror fiction is designed to create an eerie and frightening atmosphere which can be either supernatural or non-supernatural. Sometimes in the form of unseen paranormal things and sometimes presented in the various forms of a very human kind of evil, such as serial killers and psychopaths. These scary stories are designed to frighten, scare, and/or startle readers by provoking a response that's either emotional, psychological, or physical to cause them to react with fear and induce feelings of horror and terror. Most of our horror fiction has its roots in local folktales and religious traditions which usually focus on the unknown, death, and all things that we simply depict as “evil” beings or acts. These stories evolved and