Sleeping With the Lights On

The Unsettling Story of Horror

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Sociology, Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism
Cover of the book Sleeping With the Lights On by Darryl Jones, OUP Oxford
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Darryl Jones ISBN: 9780192561060
Publisher: OUP Oxford Publication: October 4, 2018
Imprint: OUP Oxford Language: English
Author: Darryl Jones
ISBN: 9780192561060
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Publication: October 4, 2018
Imprint: OUP Oxford
Language: English

Four o'clock in the morning, and the lights are on and still there's no way we're going to sleep, not after the film we just saw. The book we just read. Fear is one of the most primal human emotions, and one of the hardest to reason with and dispel. So why do we scare ourselves? It seems almost mad that we would frighten ourselves for fun, and yet there are thousands of books, films, games, and other forms of entertainment designed to do exactly that. As Darryl Jones shows, the horror genre is huge. Ranging from vampires, ghosts, and werewolves to mad scientists, Satanists, and deranged serial killers, the cathartic release of scaring ourselves has made its appearance in everything from Shakespearean tragedies to internet memes. Exploring the key tropes of the genre, including its monsters, its psychological chills, and its love affair with the macabre, Darryl Jones discusses why horror stories disturb us, and how society responds to literary and film representations of the gruesome and taboo. Should the enjoyment of horror be regarded with suspicion? Are there different levels of the horrific, and should we distinguish between the commonly reviled carnage of contemporary torture porn and the culturally acceptable bloodbaths of ancient Greek tragedies? Analysing the way in which horror manifests multiple personalities, and has been used throughout history to articulate the fears and taboos of the current generation, Jones considers the continuing evolution of the genre today. As horror is mass marketed to mainstream society in the form of romantic vampires and blockbuster hits, it also continues to maintain its former shadowy presence on the edges of respectability, as banned films and violent internet phenomena push us to question both our own preconceptions and the terrifying capacity of human nature.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Four o'clock in the morning, and the lights are on and still there's no way we're going to sleep, not after the film we just saw. The book we just read. Fear is one of the most primal human emotions, and one of the hardest to reason with and dispel. So why do we scare ourselves? It seems almost mad that we would frighten ourselves for fun, and yet there are thousands of books, films, games, and other forms of entertainment designed to do exactly that. As Darryl Jones shows, the horror genre is huge. Ranging from vampires, ghosts, and werewolves to mad scientists, Satanists, and deranged serial killers, the cathartic release of scaring ourselves has made its appearance in everything from Shakespearean tragedies to internet memes. Exploring the key tropes of the genre, including its monsters, its psychological chills, and its love affair with the macabre, Darryl Jones discusses why horror stories disturb us, and how society responds to literary and film representations of the gruesome and taboo. Should the enjoyment of horror be regarded with suspicion? Are there different levels of the horrific, and should we distinguish between the commonly reviled carnage of contemporary torture porn and the culturally acceptable bloodbaths of ancient Greek tragedies? Analysing the way in which horror manifests multiple personalities, and has been used throughout history to articulate the fears and taboos of the current generation, Jones considers the continuing evolution of the genre today. As horror is mass marketed to mainstream society in the form of romantic vampires and blockbuster hits, it also continues to maintain its former shadowy presence on the edges of respectability, as banned films and violent internet phenomena push us to question both our own preconceptions and the terrifying capacity of human nature.

More books from OUP Oxford

Cover of the book Materials: A Very Short Introduction by Darryl Jones
Cover of the book The Misery of International Law by Darryl Jones
Cover of the book The Liberation of Jerusalem by Darryl Jones
Cover of the book EU Competition Law and Economics by Darryl Jones
Cover of the book Living Longer, Living Better by Darryl Jones
Cover of the book Cyrano de Bergerac by Darryl Jones
Cover of the book The Contract of Employment by Darryl Jones
Cover of the book Purity, Community, and Ritual in Early Christian Literature by Darryl Jones
Cover of the book Shakespeare and the Middle Ages by Darryl Jones
Cover of the book Global Tax Fairness by Darryl Jones
Cover of the book Walter Scott and Fame by Darryl Jones
Cover of the book Burning Planet by Darryl Jones
Cover of the book Second Treatise of Government and A Letter Concerning Toleration by Darryl Jones
Cover of the book Radical Enlightenment by Darryl Jones
Cover of the book Of Minds and Language by Darryl Jones
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy