Horror and the holy : wisdom-teachings of the monster tale / Kirk J. Schneider.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Schneider, Kirk J.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Horror tales--History and criticism.

Horror tales.

Holy, The, in literature.

Literature--Psychology.

Literature.

Physical Description:

xiii, 150 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Chicago, Ill. : Open Court, [1993]

Summary:

Throughout history, human beings have been strangely fascinated by the monstrous and the macabre. In Horror and the Holy, a study of the classic horror story, Kirk Schneider explains the compelling power of such tales as a result of our thirst for the sacred, and identifies elements of the holy in familiar bloodcurdling yarns.

True horror arises when the mundane becomes unexpected and when the contained breaks free of its confining chains to become unlimited. Anything boundless tends to become terrifying, argues Schneider. It is infinitude which draws us to the unsavory, infinitude that lurks behind dread. Sheer bliss, paradise, or Nirvana therefore always has the potential to turn into horror, as limits fall away and the boundless expanses of infinity open up. While ecstasy is a glimpse of the infinite, terror is full disclosure.

Drawing upon a detailed and telling analysis of eleven well-known horror stories, Dr. Schneider finds that a spiritual understanding of life can be attained through horror. Classic horror steers a middle path between fanaticism and despair: the path of wonderment. Horror teaches us that the human personality is paradoxical, that revulsion and disgust are the obverse of excitement and freedom, and that both poles are vital to individual, social, and ecological well-being.

Contents:

Introduction

Ecstasy, Terror, and Infinity 1

I The Structure of Horror: Chaos and Obliteration 5

Freudian and Jungian Perspectives 9

II Wisdom-Horror: Dracula and Frankenstein 13

Dracula: A Study in Hyperconstriction 17

Frankenstein: A Study in Hyperexpansion 33

III Further Inquiries into Wisdom-Horror 43

Further Studies in Hyperconstriction 45

The Phantom of the Opera 45

"The Fall of the House of Usher" 50

The Invisible Man 55

The Incredible Shrinking Man 58

Further Studies in Hyperexpansion 65

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 65

The Birds 70

Forbidden Planet 77

Studies in Bipolar Horror 85

Vertigo 85

Alien 93

IV Horror as a Worldview 99

Between Fanaticism and Despair: Toward a Worldview of Wonderment 101

Wonderment in Psychology 103

Wonderment in Science 115

Wonderment in Religion 121

Epilogue: A Comment on Evil 129.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0812692241

081269225X

OCLC:

27895686