Horror As Pleasure: The Aesthetics of Horror Fiction

by Yvonne Leffler

Horror has been one of the most popular forms of entertainment for centuries. Stephen King's horror novels are among the most widely-read fiction of our time. At the cinema, horror films are popular box office hits and they are always in demand as home videos. What is it then that makes us voluntarily expose ourselves to fictional accounts of horror and violence? Is there some element in the representational form of the horror story that transforms the normally unpleasant horror sensation into enjoyable entertainment?

In this study, Yvonne Leffler examines why we find fictional horror stories entertaining. She analyses the nature and narrative technique of the horror genre, dealing with both novels and films. In order to explain the popularity of horror, Leffler shows how the aesthetic premises of the horror story transform normally unpleasant feelings into pleasurable horror and aesthetic enjoyment.

Genres: Nonfiction

302 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2000

Reviews

[Farah Mendlesohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly the best book I have read on horror fiction it goes beyond tropes to affect and structures.

[zack · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I don't agree with all of Leffler's theories and conclusions, this was an interesting read. There was a lot of good reflections and summaries of the history of horror. It would've been interesting to see what Leffler would've made of the last 25 years of horror, though.