--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The standards for horror fiction should…" description: "\"“The standards for horror fiction should be no less than those for 'serious literary' fiction in which originality of concept, depth of characters, and..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ff/joyce-carol-oates-344_creativity_the-standards-for-horror-fiction-should_2172057.png" --- # The standards for horror fiction should be no less than… ![“The standards for horror fiction should be no less than those for 'serious literary' fiction in which originality of concept, depth of characters, and attentiveness to language are vitally important.” quote by Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ff/joyce-carol-oates-344_creativity_the-standards-for-horror-fiction-should_2172057.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ff/joyce-carol-oates-344_creativity_the-standards-for-horror-fiction-should_2172057.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ff/joyce-carol-oates-344_creativity_the-standards-for-horror-fiction-should_2172057.png) > ““The standards for horror fiction should be no less than those for 'serious literary' fiction in which originality of concept, depth of characters, and attentiveness to language are vitally important.”” [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Horror fiction should meet the same literary standards as serious literature, emphasizing originality, depth, and language. **In simple terms:** Horror needs originality, depth, and language. Key Takeaway Raise horror’s literary quality. Themes literature genre standards creativity Mood analytical inspirational Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - writing workshops - publishing - academic study Key Concepts originality character depth language craft Questions to Reflect On - How can horror balance originality and tradition? - What makes language vital in horror? A Different Perspective Higher standards may limit genre experimentation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Fiction Literary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-literary-4655622/) [Fiction Originality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-originality-4655620/) [Horror Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horror-fiction-1091762/) [Literary fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literary-fiction/) [Standards Horror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/standards-horror-4655621/) ## Related quotes > [“science fiction is literary fiction with the lid blown off”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-winter/science-fiction-is-literary-fiction-with-the-lid-blown-off/) [Robin Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-winter/) > [I might not write fiction in the literary sense. But I write very well. My characters are good. My dialogue is good. And my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-fielding/i-might-not-write-fiction-in-the-literary-sense-but-i-write-very-well/) [Joy Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-fielding/) > [“Science fiction is a literature that belongs to all humankind. It portrays events of interest to all of humanity, and thus science fiction should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/science-fiction-is-a-literature-that-belongs-to-all-humankind-it/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [“The heroes of urban fantasy come out of the hard-boiled mystery, while the villains, monsters, and antagonists have their own roots in classic horror…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/the-heroes-of-urban-fantasy-come-out-of-the-hard-boiled-mystery-while/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [I think film had a terrible effect on horror fiction particularly in the 80s, with certain writers turning out stuff as slick and cliched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/poppy-z-brite/i-think-film-had-a-terrible-effect-on-horror-fiction-particularly-in/) [Poppy Z. Brite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/poppy-z-brite/) > [And the great appeal of horror fiction through the ages is that it serves as a rehearsal for our own deaths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-king/and-the-great-appeal-of-horror-fiction-through-the-ages-is-that-it/) [Steven King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-king/) > [Best-selling horror fiction is indeed necessarily conservative because it must entertain a large number of readers. It’s like network television. I’m your local cable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/best-selling-horror-fiction-is-indeed-necessarily-conservative/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [I think if you looked at the kind of ebb and flow of supernatural fiction and horror fiction, it does seem to be more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-koryta/i-think-if-you-looked-at-the-kind-of-ebb-and-flow-of-supernatural/) [Michael Koryta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-koryta/) > [ \[Horror fiction\] shows us that the control we believe we have is purely illusory, and that every moment we teeter on chaos and oblivion. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/horror-fiction-shows-us-that-the-control-we-believe-we-have-is-purely/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [“Good horror fiction deals with taboos. It must always go to the limits of what is acceptable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/good-horror-fiction-deals-with-taboos-it-must-always-go-to-the-limits/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [“Fear is essential in horror fiction. Gore is optional.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rayne-hall/fear-is-essential-in-horror-fiction-gore-is-optional/) [Rayne Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rayne-hall/) > [I've been writing since 1973. I've written nonfiction things of that nature, but I'm probably best known for crime fiction and, to some extent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/i-ve-been-writing-since-1973-i-ve-written-nonfiction-things-of-that/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [There's two kinds of evil that horror fiction always deals with. One kind is the sort of evil that comes from inside people, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/there-s-two-kinds-of-evil-that-horror-fiction-always-deals-with-one/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“There are those who don't understand the nobility of horror fiction. 'Isn't there enough horror in the world?' they ask. For all other forms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-those-who-don-t-understand-the-nobility-of-horror-fiction/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think that horror fiction is one of the ways to approach these problems of death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/i-think-that-horror-fiction-is-one-of-the-ways-to-approach-these/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) ## More by Joyce Carol Oates > [“A woman who has lost her husband is invalid, thus an invalid. In”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/a-woman-who-has-lost-her-husband-is-invalid-thus-an-invalid-in/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [Running! If there's any activity happier, more exhilarating, more nourishing to the imagination, I can't think of what it might be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/running-if-there-s-any-activity-happier-more-exhilarating-more/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [You need so much energy and encouragement to write that if someone says something negative, some of that energy goes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/you-need-so-much-energy-and-encouragement-to-write-that-if-someone/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [I learned long ago that being Lewis Carroll was infinitely more exciting than being Alice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-learned-long-ago-that-being-lewis-carroll-was-infinitely-more/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [Paradox: how do we know what we have failed to see because we have no language to express it, thus we cannot know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/paradox-how-do-we-know-what-we-have-failed-to-see-because-we-have-no/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [At all crucial moments in our lives we want to speak without knowing what to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/at-all-crucial-moments-in-our-lives-we-want-to-speak-without-knowing/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [A writer’s life is in his work, and that is the place to find him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/a-writer-s-life-is-in-his-work-and-that-is-the-place-to-find-him/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [The challenge is to resist circumstances. Any idiot can be happy in a happy place, but moral courage is required to be happy in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/the-challenge-is-to-resist-circumstances-any-idiot-can-be-happy-in-a/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [The first sentence cant be written until the final sentence is written.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/the-first-sentence-cant-be-written-until-the-final-sentence-is-written/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [“Did you know, Marianne: how by breaking the code that day, you broke it forever? For us all?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/did-you-know-marianne-how-by-breaking-the-code-that-day-you-broke-it/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > ['The Accursed' is very much a novel about social injustice as the consequence of the terrible, tragic division of classes - the exploitation not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/the-accursed-is-very-much-a-novel-about-social-injustice-as-the/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [Keep a light, hopeful heart. But expect the worst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/keep-a-light-hopeful-heart-but-expect-the-worst/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [And this is the forbidden truth, the unspeakable taboo - that evil is not always repellent but frequently attractive; that it has the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/and-this-is-the-forbidden-truth-the-unspeakable-taboo-that-evil-is/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [I don't think that writer's block exists really. I think that when you're trying to do something prematurely, it just won't come. Certain subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-don-t-think-that-writer-s-block-exists-really-i-think-that-when-you/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [... such speculation is like staring into the hot white sun. you know the sun is there but you can't see a thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/such-speculation-is-like-staring-into-the-hot-white-sun-you-know-the/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) [Explore all 658 Joyce Carol Oates quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) ## More Creativity quotes > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“The Soviet “creative intelligentsia” - that is, people accustomed to thinking one thing, saying another and doing a third - is as a whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-amalrik/the-soviet-creative-intelligentsia-that-is-people-accustomed-to/) [Andrei Amalrik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-amalrik/) > [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/a-rock-pile-ceases-to-be-a-rock-pile-the-moment-a-single-man/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [You don't get lucky. You create lucky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/you-don-t-get-lucky-you-create-lucky/) [Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“You are the end of beauty and creativity one must have created so far.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/you-are-the-end-of-beauty-and-creativity-one-must-have-created-so-far/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [Jonah Lehrer is one of the most talented explainers of science that we’ve got. What a pleasure it is to follow his investigation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/jonah-lehrer-is-one-of-the-most-talented-explainers-of-science-that/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [If you've got creativity, imagination, and intelligence, and you want to be hypnotised, then there's no reason you shouldn't be able to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-barry/if-you-ve-got-creativity-imagination-and-intelligence-and-you-want-to/) [Keith Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-barry/) > [“I believe in magic. As a writer, I create them on blank paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonnia-kemmer/i-believe-in-magic-as-a-writer-i-create-them-on-blank-paper/) [Sonnia Kemmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonnia-kemmer/) > [Creativity is like chasing chickens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-niemann/creativity-is-like-chasing-chickens/) [Christoph Niemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-niemann/) > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [You always hear actors say, 'Theater is my first love,' and it is. It's a time when you really get to do what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-landecker/you-always-hear-actors-say-theater-is-my-first-love-and-it-is-it-s-a/) [Amy Landecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-landecker/) > [Create an environment for people to fail, to learn, and to grow. Their creativity and productivity will increase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/create-an-environment-for-people-to-fail-to-learn-and-to-grow-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 13,625 Creativity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The standards for horror fiction should be no less than those for 'serious literary' fiction in which originality of concept, depth of characters, and attentiveness to language are vitally important.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joyce Carol Oates" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/the-standards-for-horror-fiction-should-be-no-less-than-those-for/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Creativity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/the-standards-for-horror-fiction-should-be-no-less-than-those-for/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ff/joyce-carol-oates-344_creativity_the-standards-for-horror-fiction-should_2172057.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ff/joyce-carol-oates-344_creativity_the-standards-for-horror-fiction-should_2172057.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ff/joyce-carol-oates-344_creativity_the-standards-for-horror-fiction-should_2172057.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The standards for horror fiction should be no less than those for 'serious literary' fiction in which…” — Joyce Carol Oates", "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": "Joyce Carol Oates", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The standards for horror fiction should...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/the-standards-for-horror-fiction-should-be-no-less-than-those-for/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/the-standards-for-horror-fiction-should-be-no-less-than-those-for/#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 } } ] } ```