Anna Barbauld, born in 1743, wrote her essay, "On the Pleasure Derived from Objects of Terror" in 1773. This essay on the terrifying genre of horror in Gothic literature, argues that the strange and terrifying often thrills the reader and makes them unaware of any pain or horror. Barbuald writes, "Passion and fancy cooperating elevate the soul to its highest pitch; and the pain of terror is lost in amazement." (Barbauld) However, we are not always enjoying the process of experiencing the terrifying, Barbauld writes, but the terror leads us to want to know and discover more. She says a child who is entranced while listening to a horror story is like "a poor bird which is dropping into the mouth of the rattlesnake." (Barbauld) Furthermore, all readers of horror stories are like these children who have no choice but to be curious of what may happen next.