Books Quote by Michel Parry
““At this point, a few words on this term 'horror' are perhaps called for. Some amateurs of this kind of literature engage in endless hairsplitting disputes, centered around this word and its close companion 'terror', as to which' stories may so be categorized and which may not, and whether or not descriptions such as weird or fantasy or macabre are preferable. The designation 'horror', with its connotations of revulsion, satisfies me no more than it does the purists but I believe that it is the only term which embraces all the stories in this collection and which succinctly suggests to the majority of readers what is in store for them. Horror then, in this instance, covers tales of the Supernatural and of physical terror, of ghosts and necromancy and of inhuman violence and all the dark corners and crevices of human belief and behavior that lie in between. ("An Age In Horror" - introduction)””
About This Quote
Source Essay: Introduction to “An Age In Horror”, 1995
The term “horror” is used as an umbrella for stories involving supernatural, physical terror, and dark aspects of human belief and behavior.
In simple terms: Horror covers supernatural and violent themes.
Key Takeaway
Use “horror” to signal broad, unsettling content.
Themes
genre classification
literary theory
supernatural
violence
human psychology
Mood
analytical
critical
thoughtful
Type
literary analysis
critical essay
When to use this quote
- writing workshops
- book reviews
- genre studies
- library cataloging
Key Concepts
taxonomy
categorization
aesthetic judgment
Questions to Reflect On
- How does labeling a work as horror affect reader expectations?
- Can horror be distinguished from other dark genres?
A Different Perspective
The term can be too broad, obscuring nuanced differences between terror and horror.
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