Getting Critical with Horror Nonfiction

Palgrave’s literary criticism texts are unparalleled, really. Just so good. The Palgrave Handbook to Horror Literature, specifically, is a fantastic in-depth examination of the horror genre. Each section explores the various origins and evolutions of the genre throughout its history, highlighting themes, digging deep into classic and modern texts, and considering horror through a variety of theoretical lenses. Many chapters discuss at length issues that we see the horror community grappling with daily: gender and sexuality, race, censorship and morality, disability, and more. For a deeper understanding of the horror genre, and as a jumping off point for future inquires into horror criticism, this handbook is where you want to start! It’s a but pricy, though, so reach out to your local librarian because I bet she can find a copy for you in a university library somewhere!

At this point, every knows about Monster, She Wrote, right? This book took the horror scene by storm when it was published and rightly so! Though the breadth of its a subject matter vs its length means that Anderson and Kröger’s history of women in the horror genre can sometimes feel a bit cursory in places, where this book really excels is in its role as an invitation to further study. Diving deeper than the known mothers of the genre, like Shelley and Jackson, Anderson and Kröger said “here are some incredible women you may or may not have heard of, and here are some incredible books they wrote, go forth!”. Monster, She Wrote, explores lesser known historical speculative fiction authors like Margaret Cavendish (The Blazing World) as well as modern paragons like Helen Oyeyemi (White is for Witching).

Brooks’ Searching for Sycorax provides an in-depth study of Black women creators and characters within in the horror genre. Examining the works of women across the African diaspora, Brooks presents a racially gendered critical analysis of the genre that is unparalleled among modern horror criticism. Looking at both “canonical” horror texts and those by modern authors like Nalo Hopkinson (Skin Folk), NK Jemisin (The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms), and Chesya Burke (Let’s Play White), Brook examines how these authors’ works interrogate and subvert the prejudices and anxieties of the modern horror genre.

Or maybe your interest in the genre lies more in its fascinating paperback history during the horror boom of the ’70s and ’80s. Mass market paperback horrors were an astounding phenomenon that, for being relatively short lived, nevertheless laid the groundwork for the modern genre, shaping horror as we know it today. Grady Hendrix’s Paperbacks from Hell is a beloved genre history (and an absolute stunner of a book, thanks to Quirk Books) that has not only draw attention to the lost titles of horror’s early heyday but has also lead to the rediscovery and republication of many of these incredible early authors and their works.