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Mathias Clasen | |
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 Publicity photo of Mathias Clasen (2012) | |
| Born | 1978 (age 47–48) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Horror studies,biocultural theory,recreational fear |
| Institutions | Aarhus University |
| Website | au |
Mathias Clasen (born 1978) is a Danish scholar ofhorror fiction andrecreational fear and the author/editor of several non-fiction books on the horror genre as well as two horror anthologies.[1] He is associate professor in literature and media atAarhus University, his alma mater, from where he received his PhD in 2012. He is also director of the Recreational Fear Lab at Aarhus University, a research unit dedicated to the scientific study of recreational fear and horror.[2]
Clasen’s research integrates horror study with the natural and social sciences, in particular human behavioral biology and evolutionary and cognitive psychology. His academic work builds on the evolutionary, or biocultural, approach of literary scholars such asJoseph Carroll,Brian Boyd, andJonathan Gottschall. His more recent work has applied empirical and quantitative methods to the study of recreational fear and horror.[3]
Clasen's bookWhy Horror Seduces was published on October 31, 2017 byOxford University Press.[4] The book is about the appeal and functions of horror, with a focus on modern American horror film and literature. His latest book,A Very Nervous Person's Guide to Horror Movies, also published by Oxford University Press (2021), addresses common concerns abouthorror movies with the aid of psychological research and is directed at a general audience.
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