Elements of Horror Fiction
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Transcript of Elements of Horror Fiction
Elements of Horror Fiction
Short Stories
Ahhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Highly improbable and unexpected sequences of events that usually begin in ordinary situations and involve supernatural elements
“Hey, that person is just like me!”
Contrast the oddness of these events with the minutiae of daily life so readers identify with the characters.
Life Can be Soooo…Scary! Ah!
Explores the dark, malevolent side of humanity.
Malevolent-”wicked”
“I Think I’m Mad!!! AHHHH!!!!”
Main characters are people we can understand and perhaps identify with.
Although often these are haunted, estranged individuals.
“I hope Johnny makes the right choice” Lives depend on
the success of the protagonist.
“Wow! I feel scared.”
Mood is dark, foreboding, menacing, bleak and creates an immediate response by the reader that matches the feeling.
“This place haunts me…”
Setting may be described in some detail if much of the story takes place in one location
“This Movie is Rated R (why?)”
Plot contains frightening and unexpected incidents
Violence, often graphic, occurs and may be accompanied by explicit sexuality
Writing Style Most stories are told in
the third person.
What is third-person?
The third person point of view is a form of storytelling in which a narrator relates all action in third person, using third person pronouns such as "he" or "she”.
The style is plain.
KEY INGREDIENT The key ingredient in
horror fiction is its ability to provoke fear or terror in reader
HOW? something demonic. should be a sense of
dread, unease, anxiety, or foreboding.
experiencing horror fiction is like reading about your worst nightmares.
Archetypes Associated with Horror
ARCHETYPES: a universally understood symbol, term, or pattern of behavior, a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated.
Demons Witches Ghosts Vampires
What other characters do you associate with horror stories?
FIN