Advisory Committee Chair
Daniel Siegal
Advisory Committee Members
Margaret Jay Jessee
Kerry Madden-Lunsford
Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
2022
Degree Name by School
Master of Arts (MA) College of Arts and Sciences
Abstract
Research into the children’s horror genre is, currently, quite limited in that it is often only tangentially related to the history and qualities of the genre itself. This research is typically focused on horror at large, horror films for children, or children in horror. This thesis seeks to analyze the history of the genre and categorize the shifting purposes and intentions that, in turn, reflect larger social fears. It defines these purposes as moving from that of control, to entertainment, to empowerment, with transitionary periods in between. The thesis is also formatted chronologically, beginning in the late 1600s and continuing to present day. This further reflects the changing social significances revealed in the texts. It focuses on both American and European stories, constructing a look specifically into Western attitudes toward children, childhood, and fear.
Recommended Citation
Latham, Camrie Ann, "We'll Eat You Up, We Love You So: On the Changes of the Children's Horror Genre from the 17th Century Onward" (2022). All ETDs from UAB. 599.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/599