What are the oldest narrative fiction works you would class as, generically, horror or weird or just ‘scary stories’? The first nightmare the first time someone fell asleep, yeah. I’m sure it goes all the way back. But preserved tales that aim to entertain by inspiring fear?
‘Entertain’ is not it but you get it: I’m trying to distinguish, say, religion, although obviously that’s problematic.
Ancient China is famous for being full of ghost stories. I should know more about that.
Further thought: the lateness of literary horror is surely attributable to the lateness of the attempt to generate the fear effect with printed words only - without masks, performances, other promising props and devices. Like reaching out and grabbing you!
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