Angst - Fanlore

(n.) A feeling of anxiety or apprehension often accompanied by depression.^[1]

Often used in fandom to characterize stories which are intended to provoke the feeling of angst in readers. Generally signifies that the story will be primarily dramatic in nature (rather than comedic or light-hearted). The poorly executed angstfic may be melodramatic, and feature a character who spends a great deal of time reflecting on the difficulties they experience.

1. ↑ American Heritage Dictionary, 4th Ed., (c) 2006, Houghton Mifflin.