Horror is one of few genres which the imagination can compensate for the lack of styles. For example, Howard Phillips Lovecraft may not have the best writer in terms of techniques, but his imagination made him the master of modern horror. Similarly, James Herbert's The Rats was criticized for its overt violence and writings, but the image of man-eating rats turned it into a memorable horror classics.
On the contrary, some horror stories may have stylized writing, but it does not deliver the gut punch people are expecting.
Also, when you examine the history of horror movies, many "classics" were regarded as pure garbages by the critiques but endured such attacks. In many cases, the imaginations of horror movies later inspired many talented writers and led to the blooming of quality works.
So I was wondering, what makes a great "horror" literature/movie/etc? It is a simple question but hard to answer. What makes certain horror more memorable and enduring? For example, Richard Marsh's The Beetle was said to be as popular as Dracula, but now it remains as one of forgotten works.
So what makes horror survive and prosper?
I think it's drastically different when it comes to horror literature and horror movies. A movie can be really horrifying merely because it's extremely gory and distorted and have really dark music going on the background - it does not necessarily have to be anything meaningful. However, since you only read a book by your eyes, all the horror has to be delivered by words, which is much harder. A writer has to know how to manipulate words to convey the horror to his/her readers. In addition, I think many people watch horror movies just for the excitement while the people who read horror books look for more than just the excitement. – JamesZhan959210 years ago
I may write on this topic; I want to write about Poe and Lovecraft and the horror genre in literature so this topic might fit well with that. I think a good horror story has to tap into our fears: fear of death, fear of the unknown, fear of pain, etc. In the original "Halloween" movie, which seems tame today in terms of sex and violence, one of the creepiest aspects of Michael Meyers is that we don't know why he is the way he is. There's no explanation for his behavior. – S.A. Takacs10 years ago
I appreciate this topic, nice one. Horror way back when Mary Shelley was doing work, was much different than what we have now. Saying that, the horror genre is pretty subjective. That said, many find Frankenstein to be a horror, many prefer to analyze it as a piece of science fiction. Even looking at the short story called "The Machine Stops", a piece written early 1900s describing the lives of people run by machines with nothing but buttons and screens (back when screens were just dream, crazy huh?), could be considered a horror when read- a horror of a possible future. So saying all of that, there isn't really a defined set of outlines for the horror genre, and so that's what brings us to the modern day movies, where there aren't really reoccuring guidelines that I can notice after each modern day horror film. A great horror plays on the fears that we all have, fear will always exist and thats why the horror genre exists- whether its a literal monster or a dystopia. – Arian10 years ago
This is a great topic. I think one way you could pump up this article, is perhaps adding several notes on the biology of the human psyche when exposed to horror, and the adrenaline thats released (many scholars have written on this). Also perhaps, examining what was considered scary in the 1940's, as opposed to which horror genre survives and thrives the most in 2015. Great idea, would love to read once its published. – Valeria Sharivker10 years ago
This is a good topic, and something I think about a lot. One interesting way to approach this may be looking at the way gore films seem to have become a larger point of focus in recent years, as suspense-centered films (like anything made by Hitchcock) have seemed to be made less often. Is this one of the ways horror is keeping up with audiences? Giving them something new? If so, what's the next stage? – KTPopielarz10 years ago
I am currently reading a book called "Mayumi and the Sea of Happiness" by Jennifer Tseng in which she writes about a middle aged woman who becomes involved with a high school boy. Of course this sounds sick, but the elegance of Tseng's words almost make you forget the strange nature of their relationship. It would be interesting if someone could explore the influence of writing and style on taboo topics that make readers less offended or that make it possible to sit through a book like this and enjoy it. I am a big fan of Jodi Picoult and I know she often tip toes on boundaries as well, if you wanted to explore more than one author.
Spoiler alert* A mainstream example to use would be Game of Thrones. Reading about the Lannisters and hearing things from Cersei's POV makes people more understanding as to why her and Jaime resorted to incest (which is a highly taboo thing, made almost worse because they are twins). Not to mention characters who do awful things are not always punished, seen in the Mountain winning against the Dorne Prince in a duel, getting to kill the fan favorite fighter while admitting to raping his sister and slaughtering her children. It's awful but I'm sure some people were amused at how badass the execution of the death made the Mountain seem, and then he gets to be reborn through his injuries as a Frankenstein-like character. There are so many corrupt characters it's hard not to be compelled to favor some of them. – Slaidey10 years ago
I have found that not being too crass or graphic with the writing helps readers accept the taboo topic. – Nocturna3210 years ago
I can't help but think of Mortal Instruments, where it is briefly believed that the main character and the love interest are siblings... and they still love each other romantically. – SpectreWriter10 years ago
One of the prime examples I can think of is Middlesex, which has become a pretty high-profile book despite it discussing some very taboo topics in great detail (puberty, lesbian sex between minors, and incest, to name a few). To a certain extent I think these books become popular because readers are curious about the topics, but get embarrassed to read about them unless they're wrapped up in an artistic, literary package. – Grace Maich10 years ago
While more manga-based I read "Bunny Drop" which explored love between relatives, in this case a man and his young half-sister. In Japanese culture in general their is a trend of relationships like this (Ghibli's "From up on Poppy Hill" etc.) which like to straddle the line of "we could be brother/sister and lovers but there's a side way out!" and then find a way to avoid being completely controversial. A good side to explore is the public (whether American or international) opinion on literature with incest and other taboo subjects as part of a story of fiction. What is it that makes authors and editors so afraid to go the whole nine yards? Has this always been the case and which novels have shone through which have been far more controversial? Also are taboo topics used more as a source of generating interest? (Monty Python's "Life of Brian" used the taboo of poking fun at events from the bible to get notoriety and sell much better.) Anyways, just a few ideas that might help in looking at the topic. Interesting choice also of the words "of course this sounds sick", that very sentence sums up the generalisation being explored here. – smartstooge10 years ago
View of what is right and what is wrong in writing.
What an interesting idea! I feel like it needs to be narrowed a bit, though, because there are so many different kinds of writing (poetry vs. academic writing vs. screenplays, and so on), and they all have different sets of rules. What's "right" and what's "wrong" for writers to do in their work? Who came up with these rules and what gave them the authority to do so? Or did the rules evolve from something else? – Nicole Williams10 years ago
I like this a lot! Because what is right and wrong is constantly shifting across cultures and across time. What is "wrong" now might have been "right" 500 years ago. This is also translates into what is a "good" person and what is a "bad" person, because those staples are defined by the amount of "right" vs. "wrong" things we do on a day to day basis! – Thomas0110 years ago
Also, are we talking about what is right and wrong in terms of style? grammar? subject matter? plot and other elements? This could be a very interesting topic, looking at different standards of right and wrong, and how they are different across cultures and time. But It still needs to have a focus. Is this about taboo topics? Or is this from a more technical perspective? Or stylistic? – OddballGentleman10 years ago
It might be interesting to structure this as a case study in which response to a particular text across various regions or types of audiences has been divided because of differing values regarding what equates to "good" writing. – samfitzner10 years ago
I recently read an article about how the English language is drastically changing thanks to the internet. For example, we all know the "that moment when…" trend and how it's missing the independent clause. That being said, the article I read made the point that when we start our statement off with "that moment when" the people reading feel more a part of the story because "we've all been there." I thought it a really interesting topic! Because of the internet, the English language is changing rapidly and constantly. And not just written, it affects how we speak too. How do you feel about this? Personally, I think the changes give us more freedom to be creative with language than we ever have. Does anyone feel the same/have a different argument?
Adding the link to the article would be great. The more inlets of information, the more comprehensive the article can be. As for the actual topic itself, I think it'd be wise to consider slang vs. language. Your example with the "that moment when" phrase isn't necessarily representative of a changing language. The core of English is still the same; we still recognize that "that moment when" is grammatically insufficient. – Austin10 years ago
Building off what Austin said, I think you could almost look at how the internet is changing slang... because in many ways, it's very much slang and not the English language at large. I wouldn't use things like "all the feels" in a paper or an article or a formal meeting, but I certainly have and continue to do so in casual settings. It's an important distinction to consider. – Helen Parshall10 years ago
I think it depends on the audience. It's necessary to break the rules sometimes. I'd love to write a story using my local accent and dialect including some of the strange idiomatic language and slang we use in the North East of England. mickymoo15 – mickymoo1510 years ago
Language is not quantifiable, but we try to put order to it anyway. How does banning words, ideas, and dictating specific rules of communication hinder our language development and expression?
It would also be good to look at this from the other perspective; how do we use the rules of language to reuse language in new and creative ways? How do we break the rules to make statements that the words themselves cannot convey? How do writers express themselves through their selective obedience to the rules? The truth is that without strict rules, it would be impossible for language to function. Without standard definitions, rules of grammar, and rules of style, there would be no possibility for creativity. To quote Phil Hansen, “embracing limitation can actually drive creativity.” Personally, this is the direction I would take on this article. – OddballGentleman10 years ago
"How does banning words, ideas, and dictating specific rules of communication hinder our language development and expression?" is basically the essence of 1984. Orwell proposed that without language or words to express something we will have troubles processing our emotions or acting on them which is part of the way Big Brother oppresses society. Without language to express rebellious thoughts how can they collectively start the movement? Communication is integral to people's ability to understand and grow, it's not wonder humans are more complex being than other species due to our language skills alone. – Slaidey10 years ago
With film adaptations of novels on the rise and a consistent genre to bring in money, have authors begun to tailor their writing to aid a future screenwriter who is adapting their novel? That is, are authors sacrificing the art of language to create literary worlds in order to create a "safe" cinematic novel?
I'd agree this is happening to some authors. I'm sure new writers like myself are too worried about being accepted that they tailor their writing so it's easier to accept, in this case for screenplays. I'd say it almost goes farther than that as I commented on another article that writers are dumbing down their word play so the average reader won't lose interest. Readers and screenplay adapters alike don't want to spend a lot of time sitting there trying to figure out what it all really means, they just want to get to the end... Authors are pressured to be accessible to the less literary to maximize profit. – Slaidey10 years ago
I would agree that this does happen, but I do not know if it is entirely a bad thing. One example that comes to mind is the film/book My Sister's Keeper. The ending in the book changes when the plot is put to film drastically, where the opposite sister lives. I feel as if the author could have made this choice to offer her readers of the story an alternate ending, so that those who preferred the "other" sister that passed in the novel can have her live, too. – kathleensumpton10 years ago
I agree as well that literature's structure has changed after the arrival of film and not necessarily for the better. At least from the twentieth century onward, the majority of books are no longer full of lengthy prose and have instead become clipped or "dumbed down" for the sake of directness towards the reader. As was the case with Ernest Hemingway, writers who embody this style are more likely to be considered movie-friendly by directors and producers since their work resembles that of a screenplay and thus easier to market as a product; even at the expense of another writer's own creativity who might have preferred writing in that lengthiness if they weren't pressured to attract film prospects. – dsoumilas10 years ago
I do believe that is the case for present writers. they make sure to edit, rewrite or exclude from their novels, brilliant ideas. This is causing for a deterioration and standardization of novels, a.k.a "We already know how it ends". Plot twists are becoming more predictable by trying to become more unpredictable. All writers ought to remember, they are artists first. – Priskiller10 years ago
Yes some writers dumb down their work, but I wouldn't blame movies. I'd blame the desire to be rich and famous and "follow the heard" mentality. Some write but some just want to make money. And then there's the creative writing workshops and some of the "writers" that come out and say one should cut practically everything out of the story. Those fancy irrelevant details? Cut them out. Purple prose? Exterminate it. Keep it short and simple. And these are workshops for writers. Naturally I disagree. If that were the standard, Chaucer's books as well as the Beowulf manuscript should be burned because they're too playful with language. Clearly Dickens and Dostoyevsky are shlekht writers because they don't cut enough out of their prose. Too extravagant, too long and dull. And this attitude I've seen from fellow writers who come out of workshops. Not 100% of the time but still. I hear the underlining message. We must also remember however, we are not the Victorians whose vocabulary utilized way too many Latin-root words. One kan be artistick and still be kreativ. See what I mean. One kan still play with language. I'm doing it reight now, by changing die spelling of serten words. My main belief is it is the desire to be wealthy and the fact that we do not educate vocabulary well enough. But then again I'd rather use more stronge Germanic words, than Latin root words. I believ that secretly people want to be challenged. Not socially but linguistically. If a person complains about a book having to many big words, install on their phone Merriam Webster dictionary for them, so that way they kan't put a book down because it hath too many big and groB words. Blame not Film and Video games. They are merely other forms of telling brilliant stories. Our attentions are spread out all over the place. We have never in human history had so many fun things to doen. Books should be fun and exciting and that is a value that teachers and parents should instill in readers. – Starvix Draxon10 years ago
Is it a sacrifice or just a marketing decision? – T. Palomino1 year ago
There are so many majors for prospective college students to choose from in our society, but it is generally the areas of study that fall under the "Humanities" label that focus on the multifarious modes of the "accepted" written word. The "accepted" standard is, obviously, the academic level which professors expect students to meet. But this standard depends upon the major. A History essay differs from an English paper, while an argument posed in a Philosophy essay often takes a different stance on the human psyche as opposed to a Psychology paper. After considering all of the popular majors under the Humanities umbrella, these distinctions become even clearer, yet every student still chases after that elusive academic standard.
Yes, it is certainly controversial when considering the marking systems for humanities and essay-based subjects! Applying stringent rules to such varied pieces can be difficult. I think the humanities have been suffering due to the privileging of work that can produce quicker 'results' based on controlled experiments and statistics (something more suited to hard science subjects). In consequence, from the science side of things the expectations for quick results & need for funding can have a huge effect on the style of experiment undertaken (for example, longitudinal studies may be overlooked, or studies with less obvious and immediate results sadly abandoned) and on the humanities side of things the abilities to be critical, think deeply, and take a holistic approach are unfairly downgraded. This is a huge issue, and I think there is an interesting political angle to be considered in a piece such as this. – Camille Brouard10 years ago
I think this is a very interesting topic that should be explored further! It is super important to understand the distinction between writing for different audiences and genres. – Morgan Muller10 years ago
I think this is a very relevant topic, especially for the people writing on this cite, or for other outlets. It's important to know how to write for what audience, which will make someone more marketable in the future when looking for jobs in a particular field. – Samantha Brandbergh10 years ago
This is an interesting topic. I guess an important aspect to think about when Writing on the differences in academic writing within the humanities is not only the topic of discussion, but also the intended audience and most importantly of all the sources used to prove any one argument. – CheesyJ10 years ago
A good example is why Anime series sometimes leave the ending open and unexplained, if not outright inconclusive in an attempt to garner more reaction and raise demand for a second season which always fails. A fair example of this would be Pandora Hearts and Darker than Black, one of which was inconclusive and another which was not coherent, both of which became completely ridiculous. That said, as I am more familiar with Anime having to come back into circulation, I would put this topic as an Anime topic, not writing. – SpectreWriter10 years ago
Another example is Invader Zim, the Nickelodeon television series that was cancelled in the early 2000s but was slowly brought back through the memories of children who loved it at the time and powerful lobbying groups such as Operation Head Pigeons (a Facebook community that has held multiple letter writing and video campaigns, established a convention--InvaderCon--to demonstrate the scope of the IZ fanbase, and worked with the creators to bring back the series in a comic form, which will be released tomorrow!) For that, it took a team of leaders and a brilliant social media campaign to rally together artists and show fans alike who all agreed the series was too good to remain unfinished. – LavenderNotebook10 years ago
Maybe look into whether there have been change.org or indiegogo (or similar) campaigns about bringing stuff back? I heard that recently a group of fans raised enough money for three episodes of Thunderbirds (with puppets and all) using a fundraising campaign online. – Camille Brouard10 years ago
