Images of Fear: How Horror Stories Helped Shape Modern Culture

by Martin Tropp

On the Western Front in World War I, a generation faced a horrifying reality that ushered in the modern age. But in the previous century, many of the fears we still face were first given form in the pages of popular fiction. Books such as Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Dracula became modern myths because they gave people a safe way to confront modern fears also taking shape at that time. By looking at such varied subjects as Victorian architecture, urban crime, women's rights, and the impact of new technology, we can come to understand the peculiar relationship between horror in literature and the horror of daily life. World War I made it clear that the images of horror in popular fiction had not been an escape from the world around us, but a way of seeing deeper into it, as well as revealing the shape of things to come.

251 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1990

Reviews

[Peter]

At parts a bit dry and academic we learn about the art of fear and how the public became hooked on horror: Reading and the Gothic Revival, Monsters and Machines, Reading the Landscape (1851-60), the city imagined, beneath the Crystal Palace, Myths and Mysteries (1886-97), Jekyll and Jack the Ripper, Dracula and the liberation of women (!), Shaping the Darkness (1900-1918), Transformation of the Dead. The author included some fine photos and drawings in his book. It was a highly interesting read with still another angle on horror I didn't read about so far (the historical context). Really recommended!

[Stephen]

I am not much of a non-fiction reader, but I do love my horror movies and this book by this media historian (?) helped put some things in perspective for me. A darn fine book.

[Bookshire Cat]

I have read only one chapter relevant for my research.