The roots of the thriller genre can be traced back to Gothic literature, which emerged in the 18th century. Horace Walpole's "The Castle of Otranto" (1764) is often cited as the first gothic novel and is considered a major influence on the thriller genre.
However, the "thriller" as a distinct genre really began to solidify in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with authors like:
* Arthur Conan Doyle: His Sherlock Holmes stories (starting in 1887) are known for their suspenseful plots and clever deductions.
* Edgar Allan Poe: Poe's short stories, especially "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" (1841), established the detective fiction subgenre and influenced thriller writing with its focus on suspense, mystery, and psychological terror.
* Mary Shelley: Her novel "Frankenstein" (1818), while not technically a thriller, explored themes of horror, science, and morality that continue to inspire the genre.
Therefore, it's more accurate to say that the thriller genre evolved gradually with contributions from various authors and literary movements.