Date of Award
Spring 6-2-2023
Document Type
Honors Project
University Scholars Director
Dr. Christine Chaney
First Advisor/Committee Member
Dr. Leland Saunders
Keywords
Dante, Catharsis, Horror, Inferno, Divine Comedy, Monster
Abstract
This paper serves to analyze and explain why audiences are attracted to stories with elements of Horror in them, using Dante’s Inferno as the vehicle for this conversation, as the Inferno’s setting is in the worse possible place imaginable. Horror narratives arise feelings of fear and disgust in its audiences through the use of monsters, as audiences relate to the fear and disgust the positive characters in the narratives are feeling because of the monster’s presence. Since these emotions arise in a safe space, such as in literature or film, where the source of the emotions is not endangering the audiences, the audience is able to safely purge or purify these emotions within them, in a process known as Catharsis. Thus, it is this desire to have these heightened emotions without any of the risks that causes audience members to seek out Horror narratives.
Recommended Citation
Marquez, Ketzalt E., "WHAT OUR HEARTS CRAVE FOR: AN EXAMINATION OF THE PARADOXICAL ATTRACTION TO DANTE’S INFERNO" (2023). Honors Projects. 200.
https://digitalcommons.spu.edu/honorsprojects/200
Copyright Status
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Additional Rights Information
Copyright held by author.
Included in
Classical Literature and Philology Commons, Italian Literature Commons, Medieval Studies Commons, Other Religion Commons, Philosophy Commons
