2 Some students of this genre find that the best way to examine it is to deal with the way horror fiction is organized or structured. Examining the organization of a horror story shows that it shares certain traits with other types of fiction. Horror stories share the use of suspense as a tactic with many other kinds of literature. The tension we feel when a character goes into the attic, down into the basement, or just into the abandoned house is partially a result of suspense. We don't know what is going to happen. But that suspense is intensified by our knowledge of the genre. We know that characters involved in the world of horror always meet something awful when they go where they shouldn't. Part of the tension is created because they are doing something we know is going to get them in trouble. Stephen King refers directly to our anticipation of horror. In Salem's Lot Susan approaches the house which is the source of evil. "She found herself thinking of those drive-in horror movie epics where the heroine goes venturing up the narrow attic stairs...or down into some dark, cobwebby cellar...and she...thinking.... I'd never do that!" Of course Susan's fears are justified. She does end up dead in the basement, a victim of the vampire

Question

Scary stories are fun because the characters are in a world unlike the one we live in.

Suspense is created by setting up scenes in which readers know bad things can take place.
Which answer is the best central idea for the paragraph
We are surprised by familiar characters because they often think and act in innocent ways.

Answer 1

The best central idea for the paragraph is how horror fiction uses suspense and the anticipation of danger to create tension, particularly when characters venture into threatening situations. The mention of Stephen King's work illustrates this, emphasizing that readers are aware of the risks characters face in horror settings, which heightens the overall suspense of the narrative. The focus is on the relationship between the reader's knowledge of the genre and the characters' actions in that context.

Your suggestion about familiar characters acting innocently does not directly align with the main focus of the paragraph, which is about the genre's structure and the use of suspense.