Excellent study of the machinery of monsters and their meaning Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! Lovecraft in print. What would be made of the differences of the heavy, utilitarian coffee cups of the 1940s compared to the cups featuring Gary Larson cartoons so popular in the 1990s? OBrien gathers her papers and moves away, leaving Steve standing with outstretched arms. Poole wants to tell a story and take his readers on a journey, and he definitely does so. Frontier wilderness beasts, Freddie Krueger, witches of Salem, alien invasions, and freak show oddities are some of the monstrous creatures. The brother of Zeus and Poseidon, Hades rules the underworld, the realm of the dead, with his wife, Persephone. Pallas Athena Roman name: Minerva. Yuckfest. . Monsters are not just fears of the individual psyche, historian Scott Poole explains, but are concoctions of the public imagination, reactions to cultural influences, social change, and historical events. The author radically departs from the notion that monsters are a metaphor for our fears through the ages. on me, relax. Pooles bibliography is an additional treat as it includes many excellent books for further reading or study - "1973 Nervous Breakdown: Watergate, Warhol, and the Birth of Post-Sixties America" and "Sacred Terror: Religion and Horror on the Silver Screen" were two titles that jumped out at me thats so full that one could even write their own treatment on the subject. This is such an interesting and compelling about our connection to the monstrous and the monstrous' role in expressing national anxieties in our popular media. I had to read this for a class (one I wasn't too stoked about, if I'm being honest) and went into it with a pretty closed mind. I used this as a textbook for a themed English course: Monsters, Myths, and Magic. Wed love to have you back! Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes. session with vampires and zombies, Poole plots America's past through its fears in this intriguing sociocultural history. W. Scott Poole is Professor of History at the College of Charleston, where he teaches courses on monsters, pop culture, and American history. Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. Probably more 3.5 stars. The book's unusual range is one of its contributions; its freshness of juxtaposition is another. but on the whole, an engaging and thought provoking read. He is also author of a number of books, including most recently How the Body of Christ Talks: Recovering the Practice of Conversation in the Church (Brazos Press, 2019). Poole offers an insight on America's fascination with monsters. He compares himself with the other prisoners. Poole seeks to undermine myths of American exceptionalism by locating monsters that he believes exist outside our psyche, in history. "New light" evangelists of the eighteenth century, enslaved African Americans, demagogic politicians, and modern American film-makers have used the devil to damn their enemies, explain the nature of evil and injustice, mount social crusades, construct a national identity, and express anxiety about matters as . A masterful survey of our grim and often disturbing past, Monsters in America uniquely brings together history and culture studies to expose the dark obsessions that have helped create our national identity. Emily Dickinson Poems Seven of our Favorites! Excerpt. to start your free trial of SparkNotes Plus. 1 (1998): 90-102. If you, like me, are both a person that loves old monster movies and cares about history, you'll find this book to be a fun read. Component 2: Summary. For Poole Halloween means more trick than treat; we discover that the monsters are us. He decides to make a movie about his experience. Get help and learn more about the design. Friedrich Nietzsche believed we are the monsters. Steve spends his time making movies about himself, often with Jerrys help. Historian W. Scott Poole distinguishes himself by focusing on the American context, providing a history told through the personified expressions of our anxieties and fears. [Pooles] book is sufficiently clear and engaging for general readers to enjoy and would make a worthwhile addition to undergraduate course in American history or culture. They are manifestations of our society. Available You'll also receive an email with the link. The two defense counsels, OBrien and Briggs, establish that the witnesses are testifying for the State in return for reduced sentences. uniquely brings together history and culture studies to expose the dark obsessions that have helped create our national identity. I often use this in my Freshman Writing courses to show that writing doesn't have to be boring. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. But real monsters collect different trophies; they are no laughing matter. Its cohesive, cursory, and has a smattering of typos. What becomes disturbingly apparent is that most of Americas hatred of the Other is based in Christian religious belief. He decides to make a movie about his experience. Salem witches, frontier wilderness beasts, freak show oddities, alien invasions, Freddie Krueger. Please use a different way to share. This is an important book that Id recommend very highly. Even fewer scholars do so as adeptly and as entertainingly as W. Scott Poole. Before you get all "He's Anti-American!" IE- minorities = what we are anxious about / obsessed with = the monstrous = monsters. Contact us Mark Eckel is Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Professor of Old Testament at Crossroads Bible College. Read the chapter-by-chapter Summary & Analysis, a Full Book Summary, or Full Book Analysis of Monster. Friday afternoon, July 17th & December, 5 months later. by W. Scott Poole. The tendency to view American monsters as primarily psychological archetypes ignores how closely they have reflected actual historical events and actual historical victims.". John Wesley Sermons - The 7 Best Sermons from the Founder of Methodism. What is it that rumbles in the American unconscious that relates to the figures we see on the screen. Suppose someone wanted to trace American history through the common coffee cup. But he also shows that the monstrous can be sympathetic, that it can also be used by the oppressed to speak back to the mainstream. Our Historical Obsession with the Hideous and the Haunting. She identifies James King as being one of the two young men. We can anticipate either alien salvation or judgment from beyond. Hades Roman name: Pluto. The book won the John Cawelti prize from the Popular Culture Association for the best book published in pop culture history for 2011. A.They would back the federal government against another state B.They would support, What issue was at the root of the nullification crisis of 1832, which turned many Virginia Republicans against Andrew Jackson? Continue to start your free trial. on 2-49 accounts, Save 30% Whether your interest is literature, American history, popular culture, race and ethnicity, women's studies, or religion, you would be happy reading this book. Dorothy Sayers Where to Start with her Mystery Novels? The atheist taught that inflicting suffering while enjoying the process is human nature. as uncivilized people and even believed them to be monsters. Just about all the scarey things that crawl into popular media hail from the leaf-littered shadowy forests that haunt the American mind. You can find more scary stories from him on Twitter: @monstersamerica. Which one would you like to know more about and why? Wed love to have you back! | Monster presents through the obvious things, for example, krakens or werewolves. Penn State folklorist Bill Ellis called the book "required reading for anyone who wants to understand the dark roots of America culture." Reprinted by permission. for a group? From our colonial past to the present, the monster in all its various forms has been a staple of American culture. Produced by Johns Hopkins University Press in collaboration with The Sheridan Libraries. That's What She Read by In Monster, Walter Dean Myers tells the story of Steve Harmon's trial. Indians, the physically disabled, African-Americans, deep-sea animals or mammals, science is a powerful motivator and caused society to vilify those that do not fit the acceptable mold. Steve calls the movie Monster because that is what the prosecutor has called him. In "Monstrous beginnings," the introductory chapter of "Monsters in America: Our Historical, Obsession with the Hideous and the Haunting" by W. Scott Poole, the author makes an argument, about how monsters were not only used as entertainment, but were also used as an excuse to, justify the offenses done to the Native Americans as well as the slaves brought from Africa by, the European settlers. In the follow-up to his first book. All rights reserved. Poole agrees telling us early and often You are the main character in this terror-filled little tale (xviii). Sabbath Books Best Reads for Christians on Rest and Sabbath! American history comes at us dripping with gore, victims lying scattered on the ground, eldritch moonlight revealing creeping horrors you never learned from your eighth grade history textbook. Free trial is available to new customers only. "Monsters in America" is a work that touches on the many facets of Horror in America. Fyodor Dostoevsky Download all his Novels as Free Ebooks !!! is lively and entertaining throughout. A must read for fans of horror and monsters! I heard the author on Coast to Coast, and even though he had that dry, flat Midwestern accent (sort of like Margaret Hamilton in "The Wizard of Oz") I knew I had to get the book. If you view everything that has happened in the last ten thousand years as an atrocity committed by (American) White Anglo-Saxon Protestant men against the wide-eyed, helpless, innocent (and rather stupid) non-male/non-white world in a concerted race (or gender where convenient) war and stolidly ignore all contrary evidence, the world is full of monsters. Amazon has encountered an error. The Monster feels completely alienated: "none among the myriads of men" will take pity on him. , Poole has now turned his attention to the monsters that inhabit American cinema and American imaginations. Separated by significant eras in American history, a reader gets a clear picture of how the definition of a monster changes depending on the cultural and political events of an era. Steves parents are glad he is home, but the distance between Steve and his father is growing. Steve testifies that he did not take part in the drugstore robbery or discuss it with anyone before it happened. ! His transitions from movie metaphors to American social ills are often strained if not unconvincing. 2715 North Charles StreetBaltimore, Maryland, USA 21218. A masterful survey of our grim and often disturbing past, Monsters in America uniquely brings together history and culture studies to expose the dark obsessions that have helped create our national identity. If you're looking for an introductory book to the subject, it's a great resource. While some may believe that there was no conflict between the settlers and the natives, and that, they just coexisted peacefully. The opening chapter introduces several motifs that will be present throughout the story. (Christopher James Blythe, Florida State University, (John W. Morehead, editor, www.TheoFantastique.com). From early American ghost stories to Jordan Peeles Get Out (2017), Scott Poole expertly tracks the importance of monsters and monstrosity in American culture. In Virginia's sectional differences, what natural boundary marked the dividing line between the traditional thinkers and those desiring reforms to have greater representation? Even fewer scholars do so as adeptly and as entertainingly as W. Scott Poole. For Professors: Exam Copies. Insightful and brilliant! Christopher Columbus came to the Americas searching for gold, slaves, and monsters. Salem witches, frontier wilderness beasts, freak show oddities, alien invasions, Freddie Krueger. Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. These summaries should not exceed one page in length. Best Leonard Cohen Books Biographies and Books by the Songwriter. By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy. Monsters in America instead should acknowledge monsters exist in every culture, every tribe, every era. An unexpected guilty pleasure! Evans states that King was his partner in the robbery and that Steve served as the lookout. (one code per order). Mr. Pooles evidence is as intriguing as it is informative. Paperback; 9781481308823; Published: July 2018; $34.99. Specifically, he discusses how the stories like "Pocahontas" and "The. Trick-or-treat! can only mean one thingHalloween. At times in the book a movie director is taken at his word, the reason for his film given authorial intent. Purchasing March 4, 2023, SNPLUSROCKS20 America, like all nations, is made up of monstrous human beings. Not only is America guilty of creating its own horrors, failure to acknowledge monsters also creates them (23). Finally, in the new section "American Carnage," Poole challenges readers to assess what their own monster tales might be and how our sordid past horrors express themselves in our present cultural anxieties. Monsters, he says, are "cultural constructions of the terrible that define what it is we subconsciously fear and what it is we're told to hate or love.". It is a frightening world we live in, yet the horrific things in our literature and culture play a vital part in helping us reach some understanding, and even some peace about them. Learn how your comment data is processed. Poole explains his parameters of a monsters nature from the outside, in: monsters are a product of our collective hatreds outside the human psyche. By so delimiting his interpretation, Poole mirrors his stated concern for other theories that monster interpretations are reductive and overdeterminative (13-18). Conflicting anxieties about race, class, gender, sexuality, religious beliefs, science, and politics manifest as haunting beings among the populace. Excellent examination of horror movies evolution through the years and also how societal happenings influence the movies at the time they are made. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of "Monster" by Walter Dean Myers. Monsters in America. I have an affiliate relationship with several bookstores, including Powells Books and IndieBound. Ten Important Women Theologians To Start Reading. Call me crazy, but I don't think a historian's role ought to be the reaffirmation of modern feelings of superiority over everyone else who has ever lived. for a customized plan. Fifteen Important Theology Books of 2022!!! Its a story that begins with the history of the dark lady of late night horror and branches out into a discussion of the Beats, Bebop Jazz, the birth of rock and roll and the social protest movements of the 1960s. These monsters are created by multiple aspects of society and give meaning to the culture as well. I appreciated that in this second edition he shows how our language of the monstrous has played a role in instances like the police shootings of unarmed black people and how visions of dread play into Donald Trump's rhetoric. I am fiercely passionate about two things: History and Monsters. Hardback: Baylor University Press, 2011. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window), Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window), Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), When you get the opportunity to see your daughter, @muse and their #willofthepeopleworldtour was by f, @evanescenceofficial has been around for twenty ye, When you havent seen your favorite band live in, When your partner is obsessed with the Alex Murdau, Monsters in America: Our Historical Obsession with the Hideous and the Haunting, https://bookshop.org/shop/thatswhatsheread, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Bloodshed and hatred are universals in human nature and Pooles book is a very unsettling history of its American manifestation. By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. In Monsters in America, Scott Poole expertly weaves together folklore, media studies, and some of the more disturbing moments in American history to remind us of the vital roles monsters play in our culture. He is also the author of _Monsters in America_ from Baylor University Press (2011)._Monsters_ explores the American fascination with vampires, zombies, serial killers and even sea serpents, showing how these creatures of our dark obsessions help us to understand the dark and foreboding places in American history. He rightly frets over our technology which ineffectively obscures the divine and so Americans create vampire stories which take Gods place (59): Americans are still attempting to apprehend mystery in the midst of supernatural confusion (11). Petrocelli presents the charges against the defendants. ", In 2014 he published _Vampira: Dark Goddess of Horror_ that looked at the life of 1950s horror host Maila Nurmi (a.k.a. Societal values impact individuals only as much as we understand an individuals values. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. A monster, in most cases, is something that challenges human morality or customs, or rather, a single group of people's moralities. If one would like to get into the spirit of monster mania during Halloween, no better place to begin is with the books that generated monster madness: Dracula, Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and The Island of Dr. Moreau. The defense rests after Sawickis testimony. Poole presents his findings methodically through well-documented facts and similar studies. Everything from Communists, feminists, and foreigners to Candyman, Dracula, and The Exorcist are examined for the social attitudes to evil that they illuminate (and that we may believe, consciously or subconsciously). Monsters highlight both the positives and negatives in any society, and as such, require the reader to open ones mind and accept that the history taught in history books may not be the truth. Now and Always,The Trusted Content Your Research Requires, Now and Always, The Trusted Content Your Research Requires, Built on the Johns Hopkins University Campus. He wrote in his journal. 62 reviews Salem witches, frontier wilderness beasts, freak show oddities, alien invasions, Freddie Krueger. They are created to explain racism, cover up worse monstrosities and signal changes and the state of the nation at the time. Sometimes it can end up there. You can find more scary stories from him on Twitter: @monstersamerica. I wasn't ready for the overtly sociological approach of the book, and was expecting a history, as alluded to in the title of the book. Sometimes it can end up there. Flashbacks in Steves screenplay show Steve playing on the streets, listening to Mr. Sawicki, his film club mentor, and hanging out with James King and Osvaldo Cruz. Alien invasions prompt the authors apt comment, The otherness of the monster can embody the sum of all fears but also an escape from fear (131). )1980-present and discuss ways in which the monsters of the era are the products of historical change, conflict and context. Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2014. The author explores American History and how people's fears and reactions to changes in society both affected and were affected by monsters in print and film. Contact us Antiracism Books for Christians A Reading Guide, Thomas Merton Books An Intro Reading Guide. You'll be billed after your free trial ends. An unexpected guilty pleasure! The history of the United States offers a chamber of horrors, with clergy transforming the Native American other into demonic beings, mad scientists turning state-funded laboratories into torture chambers, and the photographic revolution of the Victorian era turning toward a morbid fascination with the bodies of the dead and the creation of the category of 'gore.' For my own part, I have been studying and writing about Gothic horror for some years. Purchasing He is the author of several books, including a biography of H.P Lovecraft, which became a Bram Stoker award finalist, and Wasteland: The Great War and the Origins of Modern Horror. The book's unusual range is one of its contributions; its freshness of juxtaposition is another. Briggs presents his defense of King. I had trouble finding a consistent narrative in a book that talked about sea monsters, Bigfoot, Universal Movie Monsters, Freak-shows, and several other topics, and never spending enough time on any of them to feel like I was more informed after reading. Pooles excoriation of one homogenous grouping belies the essence of the problem which is our human nature. Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more! No historically reflective Christian would disagree with Pooles castigation of wrongdoings by some Americans. A masterful survey of our grim and often disturbing past, Monsters in America uniquely brings together history and culture studies to expose the dark obsessions that have helped create our national identity.Monsters are not just fears of the individual psyche, historian Scott Poole explains, but are concoctions of the public imagination, reactions to cultural influences, social change, and historical events. The book takes you from the trenches at Ypres to the backlots of Universal Studios and introduces you to the artists, writers, and directors who shaped the world of horror we know today from their own encounter with the carnage of the Great War. And I don't have to mention the meaning of all the zombie movies. Suppose someone wanted to trace American history through the common coffee cup. Discount, Discount Code He also makes notes about his movie and about details he observes in court. Insightful and brilliant! All opinions expressed are uniquely my own. He is the author of several books, including a biography of H.P Lovecraft, which became a Bram Stoker award finalist, and. It's also a great way of introducing the idea that you can use different lenses/ways of writing to introduce and discuss topics. Both belief about the supernatural and the supernatural itself creates creatures which slither into our thinking-being-behaving. For him, this place is the opposite of realhe has to do everything in front of strangers. Monster is a 1999 young adult novel by Walter Dean Myers. Howard Thurman Books An Introductory Reading Guide. Steve calls the movie Monster because that is what the prosecutor has called him. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. FABULOUS! This exciting work blends the study of horror films, comic books, religious texts and newspaper accounts of "satanic panics" into a highly readable analysis of the concept of the devil in American cultural history. This well-written and thought provoking book examines what scares us and what monsters in popular entertainment have to say about our fears and values in society. However, this book was FABULOUS! This book is a wonderful introduction to American history through the lens of monsters. Associated with war, cleverness, and wit, it is no surprise that she favors Odysseus. If it bleeds, it reads. Wright Books An Introductory Reading Guide to The Theologians Work, Joy Harjo Poems Five of the Best Poems by the US Poet Laureate, John ODonohue Poems Four of our Favorites. Poole has set the bar ridiculously high for any future research exploring the locus of historical and cultural studies, particularly as it pertains to the horrific. challenges, enlightens, and, quite honestly, frightens in its prescient view of American history, as well as the seeming ubiquity of the monsters of our past and probable future. Starting with the Puritan era and the fear of witches and ending with the modern-day fascination with the monsters within us, i.e. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. But too often he ascribes American injustices with little more than a metaphorical connection to monster movies. Solely focused on the horrors, readers would think that no Christian or church stood against the aberration of Scriptural teaching; but such was the case with missionaries and abolitionists. Monsters in America Our Historical Obsession with the Hideous and the Haunting. In a nutshell, monsters for Poole are metaphors / stand-ins for whoever is loathed or feared in a certain historical context. , W. Scott Poole has given us a guidebook for a journey into nightmare territory. Interesting as a surface-level exploration of "Monster Theory". The evidence that Poole provides . Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading American Monsters: A History of Monster Lore, Legends, and Sightings in America. OBrien reminds jurors of reasonable doubt and states firmly that Steves guilt has not been proven. Unfortunately, however, the writing just reads as super amateurish and unnatural--to the point where your brain feels exhausted after slogging through only a couple pages. Omer-Sherman, Ranen. However, at times the overt political messages can be more aggressive than effective, the book frequently covers more breadth than depth, and I was left without a clear sense of how monsters in America (US, presumably, rather than hemispheric) differed from those in international nightmares--or how the globalization of monster culture influenced American culture.