[Ads-l] horror novel

[Jesse Sheidlower]

Yes, it's a messy unrevised entry; I have to assume that this will be radically updated in due course.

Jesse Sheidlower

On Tue, Oct 20, 2026 at 10:36:58AM -0400, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> Those attribs. might better be moved to the subentries "horror movie,"
> etc., since these have become such very important modern genres.
> 
> Jon
> 
> On Tue, Oct 20, 2026 at 10:30 AM Jesse Sheidlower <jester at panix.com> wrote:
> 
> > OED does have _horror_ attrib. in reference to films or plays, but not
> > novels; first quote from 1929.
> >
> > HDSF has _horror_ in reference to genre from 1898 (cite found by Bill
> > Mullins); I've added yours and given you credit:
> >
> > https://sfdictionary.com/view/1533/horror
> >
> > Jesse Sheidlower
> >
> > On Tue, Oct 20, 2026 at 09:23:10AM -0400, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> > > Not in OED
> > >
> > > 1892  Times-Picayune (N.O.)  (Apr. 10) 15:  THE PEER AND THE WOMAN, by E.
> > > Phillips Oppenheim. One of the horror novels this, that tries to heap
> > > horror on horror, suicides, mysteries, secrets, but somehow one's hair
> > > refuses to stand on end,...the frightened chill won't crawl down his
> > back,
> > > and he puts it down in disappointed disgust.
> > >
> > > Evidently the genre was already full-blown, but this is the earliest
> > > "horror novel" I've seen.
> > >
> > > JL
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> > truth."
> > >
> > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
> 
> 
> -- 
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org