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Dracula Book Cover 1916

Dracula (by Bram Stoker)

Horror is a genre of fiction which is intended to, or have the capacity to frighten, scare, or startle their readers by inducing feelings of fear and terror. It is one of three genres that make up Speculative Fiction, the others being Science-Fiction and Fantasy.

About this Genre[]

Literary historian J. A. Cuddon has defined the horror story as "a piece of fiction in prose of variable length... which shocks or even frightens the reader, or perhaps induces a feeling of repulsion or loathing". It creates an eerie and frightening atmosphere. Horror is usually supernatural, though it can be non-supernatural. Often the central menace of a work of horror fiction can be interpreted as a metaphor for the larger fears of a society.

List of Sub-Genres[]

Known Examples[]

Authors[]

  • Bram Stoker
  • Oscar Wilde
  • Robert Louis Stevenson
  • Edgar Allen Poe
  • H.P. Lovecraft
  • Stephen King
  • R.L. Stein

Literature[]

  • Dracula (by Bram Stoker)
  • Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (by Robert Louis Stevenson)
  • It (by Stephen King)
  • Pet Semetary (by Stephen King)
  • The Shining (by Stephen King)

Gallery[]

Author[]

Literature[]

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