Tappeleva rapuhirviö : kauhun estetiikka lastenkulttuurissa

Abstract

Horror in picture books aimed at children appears in many forms and may be interpreted in multiple ways. It may include ghosts and monsters, nightmares and existential fears, or, violence and content labelled as “difficult”. These elements may be portrayed and interpreted as intellectually challenging and up- lifting, as cute, normal and ”not really frightening”, or as something violent and harmful or possibly empowering. In other words, cultural horror and the ways in which we discuss or use it may aim to shock, to reassure, or to entertain. The chosen way of meaning making depends on and reflects the social positioning and performative aims of the producer or interpreter. In this study, the aesthetic field of horror is discussed through a grid that combines aesthetic and discursive choices. Methodologically, the study proceeds through a conceptual mapping of the aesthetic field of horror, as well as semiotic close readings of three picture books and a discourse analytical examination of a small set of interview data. The aesthetics of horror are discussed through a three-part topography that includes an uplifting approach termed “aesthetic sublimation”, a beautifying approach called “aestheticizing” and a degrading or comical approach termed “aesthetic sublation”. Combined with a sensitivity to discourses such as “risk talk”, “peer cultural meaning making”, “psychologizing” and “cutification”, this topography provides us with a grid that deepens our understanding of the phenomenon of cultural horror in general, and its manifestations in children’s culture, in particular.