---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The attraction of horror is a mental, or…"
description: "\"The attraction of horror is a mental, or even an intellectual, excitement, but the fascination of the repulsive, so noticeable incontemporary writing, ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c8/ellen-glasgow-1897_attraction_the-attraction-of-horror-is-a-mental-or_92138.png"
---

#  The attraction of horror is a mental, or even an…

![“The attraction of horror is a mental, or even an intellectual, excitement, but the fascination of the repulsive, so noticeable incontemporary writing, can spring openly from some rotted substance within our civilization.” quote by Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c8/ellen-glasgow-1897_attraction_the-attraction-of-horror-is-a-mental-or_92138.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c8/ellen-glasgow-1897_attraction_the-attraction-of-horror-is-a-mental-or_92138.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c8/ellen-glasgow-1897_attraction_the-attraction-of-horror-is-a-mental-or_92138.png)

> “The attraction of horror is a mental, or even an intellectual, excitement, but the fascination of the repulsive, so noticeable incontemporary writing, can spring openly from some rotted substance within our civilization.”

[Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Horror captivates by stimulating intellectual curiosity, while its repulsive elements expose underlying societal decay.

**In simple terms:** Horror thrills the mind and reveals cultural rot.

Key Takeaway

Fearful art mirrors societal flaws.

Themes

horror psychology culture decay intellectual curiosity

Mood

dark provocative

Type

literary critique cultural observation

When to use this quote

- film analysis
- literary criticism
- cultural studies

Key Concepts

catharsis social critique

Practical Applications

- use horror to discuss taboo topics
- employ metaphorical decay in storytelling

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do we seek out disturbing narratives?
- What does horror reveal about our collective anxieties?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on repulsion can alienate audiences seeking escapism.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Attraction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attraction/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Decadence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decadence/) [Excitement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excitement/) [Fascination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fascination/) [Horror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horror/) [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spring/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [One defining symptom of decadence is a fondness for vast and nonsensical extravagance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-silverberg/one-defining-symptom-of-decadence-is-a-fondness-for-vast-and/)

[Robert Silverberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-silverberg/)

> [“Conventional, organized religion, in its most decadent form, is an inert parody of the genuine religious experience as much as modern occult organizations are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/conventional-organized-religion-in-its-most-decadent-form-is-an-inert/)

[Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/)

> [“Evolution has no foresight. Complex machinery develops its own agendas. Brains — cheat. Feedback loops evolve to promote stable heartbeats and then stumble upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-watts/evolution-has-no-foresight-complex-machinery-develops-its-own-agendas/)

[Peter Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-watts/)

> [I want my children to be bold,free,self-reliant and capable of changing the phase of that portion of the earth where they live. They may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amun-djoleto/i-want-my-children-to-be-bold-free-self-reliant-and-capable-of/)

Amun Djoleto

> [The history of prevailing status quos shows decay and decadence infecting the opulent materialism of the Haves. The spiritual life of the Haves is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-history-of-prevailing-status-quos-shows-decay-and-decadence/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“He saw a chamber, broad and low, designed, in its every rich stain of picture and slumberous hanging, to appeal to the sensuous. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-capes/he-saw-a-chamber-broad-and-low-designed-in-its-every-rich-stain-of/)

[Bernard Capes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-capes/)

> [Fundamentalists believe that we don't believe in anything. In their view of the world, they are in possession of absolute certainties, while we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/fundamentalists-believe-that-we-don-t-believe-in-anything-in-their/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [Misgovernment is of four kinds, often in combination. They are: 1) tyranny or oppression, of which history provides so many well-known examples that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/misgovernment-is-of-four-kinds-often-in-combination-they-are-1/)

[Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/)

> [Content without style is propaganda or adolescence. Style without content is decadence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-mae-brown/content-without-style-is-propaganda-or-adolescence-style-without/)

[Rita Mae Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-mae-brown/)

> [I definitely consider 'Poses' - the whole album in fact - to be kind of a miracle. Like the last breath of that moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/i-definitely-consider-poses-the-whole-album-in-fact-to-be-kind-of-a/)

[Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/)

> [“After two years' absence she finally returned to chilly Europe, a trifle weary, a trifle sad, disgusted by our banal entertainments, our shrunken landscapes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octave-mirbeau/after-two-years-absence-she-finally-returned-to-chilly-europe-a/)

[Octave Mirbeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octave-mirbeau/)

> [“(Decadent style) is ingenious, complicated, learned, full of shades of meaning and research, always pushing further the limits of language... forcing itself to express…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophile-gautier/decadent-style-is-ingenious-complicated-learned-full-of-shades-of/)

[Theophile Gautier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophile-gautier/)

> [I think Illium can take care of himself.” “Not if he keeps flirting with you.” A fine, almost elegant tendril of heat, champagne and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nalini-singh/i-think-illium-can-take-care-of-himself-not-if-he-keeps-flirting-with/)

[Nalini Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nalini-singh/)

> [“Like symbolism, decadence puts forth the idea that the function of literature is to evoke impressions and 'correspondences', rather than to realistically depict the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asti-hustvedt/like-symbolism-decadence-puts-forth-the-idea-that-the-function-of/)

[Asti Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asti-hustvedt/)

> [Decadence is a difficult word to use since it has become little more than a term of abuse applied by critics to anything they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/decadence-is-a-difficult-word-to-use-since-it-has-become-little-more/)

[Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/)

## More by Ellen Glasgow

> [Too much principle is often more harmful than too little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/too-much-principle-is-often-more-harmful-than-too-little/)

[Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/)

> [I have watchedmany literary fashions shoot up and blossom, and then fade and drop… Yet with the many that I have seen comeand go,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/i-have-watchedmany-literary-fashions-shoot-up-and-blossom-and-then/)

[Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/)

> [After a day of rain the sun came out suddenly at five o'clock and threw a golden bar into the deep Victorian gloom of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/after-a-day-of-rain-the-sun-came-out-suddenly-at-five-o-clock-and/)

[Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/)

> [What I hated even more than the conflict was the lurid spectacle of a world of unreason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/what-i-hated-even-more-than-the-conflict-was-the-lurid-spectacle-of-a/)

[Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/)

> [Preserve, within a wild sanctuary, an inaccessible valley of reverie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/preserve-within-a-wild-sanctuary-an-inaccessible-valley-of-reverie/)

[Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/)

> [I was always a feminist, for I liked intellectual revolt as much as I disliked physical violence. On the whole, I think women havelost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/i-was-always-a-feminist-for-i-liked-intellectual-revolt-as-much-as-i/)

[Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/)

> [Although the primitive in art may be both interesting and impressive, as portrayed in American fiction it is conspicuous for dullness alone. Drab persons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/although-the-primitive-in-art-may-be-both-interesting-and-impressive/)

[Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/)

> [Do you know there is always a barrier between me and any man or woman who does not like dogs?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/do-you-know-there-is-always-a-barrier-between-me-and-any-man-or-woman/)

[Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/)

> [You look as if you lived on duty and it hadn't;t agreed with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/you-look-as-if-you-lived-on-duty-and-it-hadn-t-t-agreed-with-you/)

[Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/)

> [there are times when life surprises one, and anything may happen, even what one had hoped for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/there-are-times-when-life-surprises-one-and-anything-may-happen-even/)

[Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/)

> [Life may take away happiness. But it can't take away having had it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/life-may-take-away-happiness-but-it-can-t-take-away-having-had-it/)

[Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/)

> [So long as one is able to pose one has still much to learn about suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/so-long-as-one-is-able-to-pose-one-has-still-much-to-learn-about/)

[Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/)

> [...I had grown up in a world that was dominated by immature age. Not by vigorous immaturity, but by immaturity that was old and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/i-had-grown-up-in-a-world-that-was-dominated-by-immature-age-not-by/)

[Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/)

> [I hated the things they believe in, the things they so innocently and charmingly pretended. I hated the sanctimonious piety that let people hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/i-hated-the-things-they-believe-in-the-things-they-so-innocently-and/)

[Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/)

> [Youth is the season of tragedy and despair. Youth is the time when one's whole life is entangled in a web of identity, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/youth-is-the-season-of-tragedy-and-despair-youth-is-the-time-when-one/)

[Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/)

[Explore all 200 Ellen Glasgow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/)

## More Attraction quotes

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [You cannot perceive what you are not in the vibration of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darryl-anka/you-cannot-perceive-what-you-are-not-in-the-vibration-of/)

[Darryl Anka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darryl-anka/)

> [What the Laws of Attraction are really about; how to harness the power of creation within you to make life what you truly desire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/what-the-laws-of-attraction-are-really-about-how-to-harness-the-power/)

[Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/)

> [You are the one who calls the law of attraction into action, and you do it through your thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-byrne/you-are-the-one-who-calls-the-law-of-attraction-into-action-and-you/)

[Rhonda Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-byrne/)

> [The vast majority of people are born, grow up, struggle and go through life in misery and failure, not realizing that it would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/the-vast-majority-of-people-are-born-grow-up-struggle-and-go-through/)

[Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/)

> [You don't have to say it out loud. I already know why you like me.' 'You do, huh?' 'Yep.' He wrapped his arms around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/you-don-t-have-to-say-it-out-loud-i-already-know-why-you-like-me-you/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [You don't have to be Sigmund Freud to surmise that war has a perverse appeal for the human race, nor is the attraction limited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/you-don-t-have-to-be-sigmund-freud-to-surmise-that-war-has-a-perverse/)

[Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/)

> [It doesn't matter if they say you can't do it. It only matters if you say you can't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-mackay/it-doesn-t-matter-if-they-say-you-can-t-do-it-it-only-matters-if-you/)

[Harvey Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-mackay/)

> [If you want to find greater happiness and fulfillment in your life, you must begin to understand and live in harmony with the law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-canfield/if-you-want-to-find-greater-happiness-and-fulfillment-in-your-life/)

[Jack Canfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-canfield/)

> [We don't need to complicate all the "reasons" behind our emotions. It's much simpler than that. Two categories .. good feelings, bad feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-byrne/we-don-t-need-to-complicate-all-the-reasons-behind-our-emotions-it-s/)

[Rhonda Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-byrne/)

> [Focus on being grateful for what you have already .. enjoy it!! Then release into the universe. The universe will manifest it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-byrne/focus-on-being-grateful-for-what-you-have-already-enjoy-it-then/)

[Rhonda Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-byrne/)

> [I want to remind priests that the confessional must not be a torture chamber but rather an encounter with the Lord’s mercy which spurs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/i-want-to-remind-priests-that-the-confessional-must-not-be-a-torture/)

[Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/)

> [All of my work is meant to evoke a whole bunch of different layers of discord between the attraction and repulsion that we feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-jordan/all-of-my-work-is-meant-to-evoke-a-whole-bunch-of-different-layers-of/)

[Chris Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-jordan/)

> [War is thus divine in itself, since it is a law of the world. War is divine through its consequences of a supernatural nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-de-maistre/war-is-thus-divine-in-itself-since-it-is-a-law-of-the-world-war-is/)

[Joseph de Maistre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-de-maistre/)

> [As your awareness of the riches available to you in your everyday life grows, you are on the way to becoming the laughing Buddha.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jeffers/as-your-awareness-of-the-riches-available-to-you-in-your-everyday/)

[Susan Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jeffers/)

[Browse all 2,005 Attraction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attraction/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The attraction of horror is a mental, or even an intellectual, excitement, but the fascination of the repulsive, so noticeable incontemporary writing, can spring openly from some rotted substance within our civilization.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ellen Glasgow"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/the-attraction-of-horror-is-a-mental-or-even-an-intellectual/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Attraction"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/the-attraction-of-horror-is-a-mental-or-even-an-intellectual/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c8/ellen-glasgow-1897_attraction_the-attraction-of-horror-is-a-mental-or_92138.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c8/ellen-glasgow-1897_attraction_the-attraction-of-horror-is-a-mental-or_92138.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c8/ellen-glasgow-1897_attraction_the-attraction-of-horror-is-a-mental-or_92138.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The attraction of horror is a mental, or even an intellectual, excitement, but the fascination of the…” — Ellen Glasgow",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Ellen Glasgow",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The attraction of horror is a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/the-attraction-of-horror-is-a-mental-or-even-an-intellectual/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/the-attraction-of-horror-is-a-mental-or-even-an-intellectual/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
