Grotesquerie

Grotesquerie is a literary form that became a popular genre in the early twentieth century. It is defined by its use of the grotesque, meaning people or animal forms that are distorted or misshapen, either for comedic effect or to repulse the reader. The form is often grouped alongside science fiction and horror, and writers who have worked in it include Ambrose Bierce, Fritz Leiber, H. P. Lovecraft, H. Russell Wakefield, Seabury Quinn, Mary Elizabeth Counselman, Margaret St. Clair, Stanton A. Coblentz, Lee Brown Coye and Katherine Anne Porter.