Nightmare: The birth of horror

Mary Shelley's creation, Frankenstein, who emerged from a dream by a young woman who had just lost her first child, has transformed itself into a warning about the dangers of tampering with nature. The vampire started life as a sexual fantasy, and Bram Stoker's tale became a metaphor for dominance and dependence in sexual relationships. "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde", perhaps the most psychological of all horror stories, examines the beast in man and the dark side of human nature. And "The Hound of the Baskervilles" is a tale of conflict between rationalism and folklore, and the skills of Sherlock Holmes. Exploring the world of the macabre and gothic in Victorian fantasy, this book examines why and how the great horror myths originated, and their popular appeal in the 19th century. It also investigates the way in which they have taken on new meanings and dimensions in our culture.