HORROR YOU CAN LOVE

Last fall, I started a blog on Goodreads called “Horror You Can Love.” Since then, I’ve developed a decent following and blogged on a variety of topics from the loss of a pet to writing. My blog’s title is a tribute to genres I dearly love: horror and romance, particularly when they combine.

As I child, I was fascinated by the tales of Edgar Allan Poe. When you look closely at Poe, you can find romance, although 

often off-kilter, and, of course, the elements of horror, mystery and suspense that are so deftly woven into

his stories. Poe was a true master of the Gothic. As I progressed in my reading, I found that the books that fascinated me the most had similar elemental themes: They were sinister, dark, brooding and Byronic.

What appeal did these novels hold for me? I had to look no further than the Brontës or Flaubert to find the answer. Their works are filled with tension, suspense and they pushed the limits of convention at the time. Anne Brontë’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848) is a 500-page tour de force of romantic writing. Every budding romance writer would be wise to study Anne’s novel, which attacks the marriage laws of the time and the double standards that existed between men and women. Wildfell Hall keeps hero and heroine apart for nearly three times the length of the standard category romance.

The same can be said for Flaubert’s Madame Bovary, which appeared serially in the Revue de Paris in 1856 and promptly was taken to trial for “offenses against morality and religion.” Through Emma Bovary, Flaubert created one of the great literary characters of all time, a sad, doomed woman who could not bear the constrictions of her comfortable, yet unfulfilled life.

My writing flows from these literary antecedents. Believe me, I make no pretense to write as beautifully or be held in comparison to Poe, the Brontë sisters or Flaubert; however, I have taken their literature to heart. Their works speak to me on emotional levels that have propelled me forward. My other reading interests as a child lay in science fiction and action-adventure. So, I have gleaned what I loved from both – page-turning tales filled with emotion and suspense.

Much of horror today is devoted to graphic violence or what filmdom used to call “slice and dice.” And there’s nothing wrong with that if that’s the style you favor; in fact, I appreciate a great zombie movie like 28 Days Later as much as the next fan.

But when it comes to my own preference in horror, I practice a more subtle approach – one you can love if you’re more into goose bumps than blood letting. I love the creepy house, things that go bump in the night, the shadows caught out of the corner of the eye, the blurred distinction between good and evil, the terrible effects of tragic relationships. These things are scarier to me than the franchises that thrive on chainsaws and sharp knives, although I do admit that Halloween scared the hell out of me when I first saw it.

Poe, Shirley Jackson, Daphne du Maurier, H. P. Lovecraft, the Brontës, Flaubert, have added immensely to my understanding of literature. As far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing finer in this world than discovering an author – living or dead – who, through their work, inspires you to reach your creative potential. Keep searching for those authors who touch your soul and you will find your voice.

a Rafflecopter giveaway



 

Don’t forget to follow the tour, visit Jenn’s Book Reviews  tomorrow!

The post Guest Post – Why I Write What I Write – By Michael Meeske appeared first on Book'em Eric.