[Ads-l] horror novel

[Jesse Sheidlower]

I did also add a relevant, but bracketed, 1869 reference to "the mysterious-horror novel of the
Radcliffe school", in a discussion of the evolution of genres of novel.

Jesse Sheidlower

On Tue, Oct 20, 2026 at 10:30:09AM -0400, Jesse Sheidlower 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

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