YOUR VIEWS
"I should venture that the fascination of the weird is through avaguely masochistic pleasure that derives delight from frighteningone's self! I believe the simile is ancient that our gaze will oftenreturn to the ugliest person in a room rather than the most handsome.Perhaps it is that constant saccharine palls. I claim it is untrue that'the beautiful, the good, is the aim of every true artist.'"
--R. H. Barlow
"The element of horror in a tale often makes the story; it gives youthat weird, creepy sensation and cold chills. Thus, the greater thosefeelings affect us after, or during, the reading of the yarn, thegreater we say the story is. Of course, if the horror part is of toointense a nature in that it causes a continued after-effect producingnervousness in the reader, then the virtue of the use of horror may bequestioned. However, strong horror can be read by strong minds, or byuncomprehending minds, without damage. It would appear, then, that itdepends equally upon the reader and the quality of horror used. Horrorhas a certain fascination to everyone; it is a thing that seems inbornin us--perhaps it is because we try to understand subconsciously,something mysterious, just beyond the conscious cognizance of thethings that are known."
--Kenneth B. Pritchard
"In the horror story, one can find true beauty--beauty that isglorified from tossing seas of blackness--shining beauty that comeswith cosmic fear, lurid silence, frightful death--all this and morefascinates one's appreciation of true art. 'When people read theseand say that they are distasteful to the well and normal mind' thenthese certain people should not read them. No one is compelling themto do such. And why do we wish to read a sinister tale of evil ormonstrosities? Listen, readers! Those of us who know life and havegrown tired of its futile strivings, its worries, its hard realities,(and most of us have by now) are able to forget it all by steepingourselves with the nameless terrors and evil spawns of that 'darknessvisible'."
--Robert Nelson
"As to the virtue of horror stories, one might ask what virtue there isin any yarn? What are we looking for in a story?--mental relaxation,thrills, morals, spine chills, or what have you. Certainly, they are_different_ from the usual run of blood and thunder, hero stuff. Theyare also something to think about _after reading_. We read them againto feel the effect of the words once more. I dare say that the averagestory one reads is enjoyed while being absorbed, then forgotten. I amprobably wrong, but pass over it. The point is, we read horror talesbecause we _like_ them."
--Duane W. Rimel
"Aren't most tales that are weird and fantastic a bithorrifying? Consider the strange beings around which the tale iswoven--incomprehensible monsters, neither animal nor reptile; strangeman-things bearing only a resemblance in bodily structure, but toowarped to be human. I can see no virtue in them, except that when Ifinish the story and come back to the normal world, I'm glad that I amwhat I am. It takes real intelligence to write something that is notknown to the general populace. I read weird tales for variety. I get abit tired of the general run of stories found in _sensible_ magazines."
--Gertrude Hemken
"Just what is a normal mind? This pertains, I think, to the commonlyaccepted _norms_ in vogue at any specified time in history. Even indifferent communities, what is considered normal in one is sometimesabnormal in others. This must be constantly kept in mind. On the otherhand, how many people are what you might call 'normal'? Not many, Iimagine. The ones that are probably the most utterly boring, stupid,lifeless creatures that roam this planet are the _normal_ ones. Also,please remember that when a person dislikes something he (or she)usually says it's distasteful to a 'normal' mind."
--Lester Anderson
Now, fans, write this department immediately and tell us who yourfavorite author is and what quality in his work puts him at the head ofyour list. Material received by us before April 22nd will be used inour May issue. Make your contributions brief and to the point--but besure to send in your entry!
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Transcriber's Notes
Minor corrections have been made to punctuation, otherwise the textis as in the original.
The "Your Views" section was split across "Supernatural Horror".The two sections have been joined.
Italics are represented thus _italics_.
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