5 ms·

How horror changed after WW1

61 points by Insanity 8y ago

goto11 8y ago
> Commentators called this taste Gothic because the interest in ruins and castles called to mind the Gothic architecture of the Middle Ages. This is somewhat backwards. Gothic is an old word for "medieval" (named for the Goths, a tribe which was considered to be the cause of the fall of Rome). This is why the medieval architectural style is called "Gothic style". The Castle of Otranto had the subtitle "A Gothic Story" because it claims to be be a found manuscript which is literally from the middle ages. The middle ages were the perfect setting for romantic horror, since it was considered a particularly brutal, romantic and superstitious time, in contrast to more rational ages before and after. Later the genre transcended the historical period, but this is the origin of the name. Modern Goth subculture is inspired by romantic horror, but the connection to the middle ages is only in name.
picsao 8y ago
A balrogs description comes to mind- a demon in the image of a verdun artillery barrage.
blacksqr 8y ago
_The Great War and Modern Memory_ by Paul Fussel is a great book about the changes wrought on society at every level by WWI. Both a work of scholarship and a scream from the heart (Fussel lost his best friend in combat during WWII). The movie _Gods and Monsters_ makes this connection wrt James Whale, director of _Frankenstein_.
- blacksqr 8y ago
  _Lipstick Traces_ by Greil Marcus relates how after WWI photo collections of wounded soldiers were passed around like pornography, showing disfigurements so bizarre they approached the abstractions of modern art. The book traces a line of underground artistic influence from WWI to punk rock.
tdrgabi 8y ago
I was curious to see how horror changed after WW1. But got a long article with a lot of fluff that didn't really tell me what it was supposed to. At the end I realised it was an excerpt from an upcoming book...
- lujim 8y ago
  I tried several times to get through this article. I thought it was just me.
agumonkey 8y ago
ww1 was horribly mechanized and amplified. But if you want earlier horror, read wikipedia page about torture devices. Also the recent article about maroons and slaves has its share of large scale horror. A Million caribeans killed quite rapidly.

61 points by Insanity 8y ago

> Commentators called this taste Gothic because the interest in ruins and castles called to mind the Gothic architecture of the Middle Ages. This is somewhat backwards. Gothic is an old word for "medieval" (named for the Goths, a tribe which was considered to be the cause of the fall of Rome). This is why the medieval architectural style is called "Gothic style". The Castle of Otranto had the subtitle "A Gothic Story" because it claims to be be a found manuscript which is literally from the middle ages. The middle ages were the perfect setting for romantic horror, since it was considered a particularly brutal, romantic and superstitious time, in contrast to more rational ages before and after. Later the genre transcended the historical period, but this is the origin of the name. Modern Goth subculture is inspired by romantic horror, but the connection to the middle ages is only in name.

picsao 8y ago

A balrogs description comes to mind- a demon in the image of a verdun artillery barrage.

blacksqr 8y ago

_The Great War and Modern Memory_ by Paul Fussel is a great book about the changes wrought on society at every level by WWI. Both a work of scholarship and a scream from the heart (Fussel lost his best friend in combat during WWII). The movie _Gods and Monsters_ makes this connection wrt James Whale, director of _Frankenstein_.

blacksqr 8y ago
_Lipstick Traces_ by Greil Marcus relates how after WWI photo collections of wounded soldiers were passed around like pornography, showing disfigurements so bizarre they approached the abstractions of modern art. The book traces a line of underground artistic influence from WWI to punk rock.

tdrgabi 8y ago

I was curious to see how horror changed after WW1. But got a long article with a lot of fluff that didn't really tell me what it was supposed to. At the end I realised it was an excerpt from an upcoming book...

lujim 8y ago
I tried several times to get through this article. I thought it was just me.

agumonkey 8y ago

ww1 was horribly mechanized and amplified. But if you want earlier horror, read wikipedia page about torture devices. Also the recent article about maroons and slaves has its share of large scale horror. A Million caribeans killed quite rapidly.