phob –
fear
Examples:
(Greek)
phobia – intense, abnormal, or irrational fear
chiroptophobia – fear of bats
arachnophobia – fear of spiders
ailurophobia – fear of cats
placophobia – fear of tombstones
sanguivoriphobia – fear of vampires
pneumatiphobia – fear of spirits
wiccaphobia – fear of witches
taphephobia – fear of cemeteries
suriphobia – fear of mice
selenophobia – fear of the moon
scotophobia – fear of darkness
melanophobia – fear of the color black
sciophobia – fear of shadows
samhainophobia: fear of Halloween
necrophobia – fear of death
hemophobia – fear of blood
phasmophobia – fear of ghosts
oclophobia – fear of owls
ranidophobia – fear of frogs
claustrophobia – fear of enclosed spaces
triskaidekaphobia – fear of the number 13
paraskevidekatriaphobia – fear of Friday the 13th
sesquipedalophobia – fear of long words
Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849), an American
poet and author of many short stories, is
best known for his tales of the macabre,
with themes that returned again and
again to horror, being buried alive, grief,
decomposition, mourning, reanimation of
the dead, and the cruelty of people
toward each other. Even his comedic
stories had a dark slant.
There are so many phobias, it’s
hard to keep track of them all.
But here’s a start:
www.phobialist.com
It’s no wonder his writing was filled with
terror and heartache. His own short life
was plagued by abandonment and the
terrible and frequent losses of loved ones
from debilitating diseases. Financial
difficulties hounded him all his life (he was
one of the first to try to earn a living
through writing), and he died penniless
under mysterious circumstances.
Mary Shelley (1797-1851) was best known
for her gothic novel, Frankenstein, which
portrayed Dr. Victor Frankenstein as a
scientist who created life. His creation
was given no name, but rather was
described as “monster,” “creature,” or
“it,” with giant stature, yellow eyes, and
translucent complexion that produced
fear and repulsion.
The book played on the fears of people
toward the newly harnessed power of
electricity and its effects on humans.
Some scientists at the time were using a
process called galvanism (in which
electrical probes were used to produce
muscle contractions in dead animals and
even humans) to present electricity as the
power with the potential to reanimate
dead tissue. This concept caused great
anxiety among the public.
Hollywood’s depictions further sealed the
creature’s fate in the minds of the public
as a hideous wretch who was terrifying,
unlovable, and unloved.
For a fascinating History Channel
program on Mary Shelley’s
Frankenstein and galvanism, go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=jwEOrF-WuWo&safe=active