The Literary Horror Archive

Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge is often portrayed as either a brilliant genius or half-mad addict, but who was he really? And what's the story behind his unfinished, haunting poem "Christabel?"

Edith Wharton is best known for her Gilded Age society novels, but did you know she also wrote several famous ghost stories? We examine one of her most unique ghost stories, "Afterward" and explore how the societal restrictions she endured shaped her experience as a writer.

Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is one of the most well known works of American horror literature, but did you know that Irving drew on his own real-world experiences when writing the story? Join us as we untangle the threads of fiction from reality, seeking the truth of what really inspired "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow."

A short pre-season episode to set some ground rules as to how we'll be defining 'literary historic horror.'