If specters of the past still haunt our present, they may yet invade our future. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. I want to start out by saying that I absolutely love the notion behind this book. Poole's connection of the monster to American history is a kind of Creature Features meets American cultural history. Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2012. Instead of representing the "us vs them" mentality, monsters are much closer so home: they are us. . It is not a book on actual monsters but how Americans find monsters in different eras on social constructs. Hes never less than canny on the pop culture angle: Dracula and Frankenstein are almost everywhere in the book, his insights into the fear of zombies are sharp, the comparison of Patrick Bateman and Dexter Morgan is inspired, and the analysis of fifties icons like Vampira and the Addams family are very good. "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 . Summary (final draft).docx - Name: Kim Hoan Tran Dr. Che She identifies James King as being one of the two young men. American Monsters: A History of Monster Lore, Legends, and Sightings in America - Kindle edition by Godfrey, Linda S.. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Steve is about to stand trial for felony homicide. Steve calls the movie Monster because that is what the prosecutor has called him. Read the chapter-by-chapter Summary & Analysis, a Full Book Summary, or Full Book Analysis of Monster. Steve writes about his fear, anger, and pain and his rising sense of panic about the outcome of his trial. Monsters in America has without a doubt earned a spot on my favorite books of 2011. The brother of Zeus and Poseidon, Hades rules the underworld, the realm of the dead, with his wife, Persephone. Scott - For All Who Hunger - Feature Review, Mattix & Thomas, Eds - Christian Poetry in America Since, Copyright 2023 The Englewood Review of Books. Regardless of the gruesome event, whether it's the Salem Witch Trials back in the 1600s or 9/11 just 10 years ago, one thing remains constant: Americans are obsessed with them. Insightful and brilliant! Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. Anything outside the norm brought about the birth of a monster, which can differ depending on the social, economic, cultural, or political influences of the time. He tells his story through handwritten notes and a typewritten screenplay. In Monster, Walter Dean Myers tells the story of Steve Harmon's trial. Edna St. Vincent Millay Five of our Favorite Poems ! Definitely would recommend it as a quick read and dive into monster history, as well as a great resource to find other books the author recommends to look into more! Fall 2022 Most Anticipated Books for Christian Readers! Poole brings to life American horror stories by framing them within folk belief, religion, and popular culture, broadly unraveling the idea of the monster. By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. American history from the past to the present. Steves parents are glad he is home, but the distance between Steve and his father is growing. From Victorian-era mad scientists to modern-day serial killers. Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes. But then, I dislike any historical book that loses its sense of historical relativity as well as any book about phenomena that automatically assumes a phenomenon is false and therefore ripe for being disproved and easily rationalized away. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Excellent study of the machinery of monsters and their meaning Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! Spring 2021 Most Anticipated Books for Christian Readers! The Monthly Kindle Ebook Sale March 2023, 5 Essential Ebook Deals for Church Leaders 23 February 2023, 5 Essential Ebook Deals for Church Leaders 16 February 2023, Rumi Poems Eight of Our Favorites by the Sufi Mystic, Walt Whitman Poems 8 of our Favorites from Leaves of Grass, Alexander Pushkin Five Poems by the Russian Poet, Against Christian Nationalism: Essential Books [A Reading Guide]. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. Monsters in America Summary (1).docx - Marshall1 Jenna Insightful and brilliant! Instead it's more about the social function of the monsterous and why people believe what they believe and how different folkloric monsters became popular at different times in history. Suppose someone wanted to trace American history through the common coffee cup. Review: Monsters in America by W. Scott Poole In her closing argument for the State, Petrocelli stresses the importance of the stolen cigarettes in proving who committed the crime. Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more! The tendency to view American monsters as primarily psychological archetypes ignores how closely they have reflected actual historical events and actual historical victims.". 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. If you're looking for an introductory book to the subject, it's a great resource. Sales Date: 2018-07-13. 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. From Victorian-era mad scientists to modern-day serial killers, new monsters appear as American society evolves, paralleling fluctuating challenges to the cultural status quo. Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership. Whats worse is how these monster images exist even until today. W. Scott Poole is Professor of History at the College of Charleston. Monsters in America argues that historical, political and social conditions produce narratives of horror and create "monsters." Choose one of the following periods 1.) An excellent history of the American obsession with monsters, Poole analyzes our religious and nationalist beliefs to see how we have dealt with the Other in our long, horrifying existence as a nation. Steve spends his time making movies about himself, often with Jerrys help. Visit the new website for more about the book, upcoming events, and to keep up with Scott Poole's blog. C. Christopher Smith is the founding editor of The Englewood Review of Books. Penn State folklorist Bill Ellis called the book "required reading for . March 4, 2023, SNPLUSROCKS20 by Michelle | Nov 30, 2011 | Books Read in 2011, P Author | 0 comments, Title: Monsters in America: Our Historical Obsession with the Hideous and the Haunting, 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. on me, relax. Sophfronia Scott - The Seeker and the Monk [Review], James Atwood - Collateral Damage - Brief Review, Emily M.D. It was the first-ever Michael L. Printz Award recipient, an ALA Best Book, a Coretta Scott King Honor selection, and a National Book Award finalist. Monsters in America is W. Scott Poole's interpretive history. Satan in America: The Devil We Know by W. Scott Poole - Goodreads Copyright 2023 That's What She Read. You can view our. View all for a customized plan. There was a problem loading your book clubs. It felt more like I was reading a college midterm (not even open book), and less like strong literary criticism. Often fascinating attempt to look at monsters through the lens of American history, Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2011. Steves lawyer, Kathy OBrien, urges Steve to take his situation seriously because this crime could put him in jail for twenty years or more. They are created to explain racism, cover up worse monstrosities and signal changes and the state of the nation at the time. He also makes notes about his movie and about details he observes in court. Emily Dickinson Poems Seven of our Favorites! , W. Scott Poole has given us a guidebook for a journey into nightmare territory. does a bang-up job of demonstrating how our culture helps us achieve some sort of understanding about our world and our lives. 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. Would that Poole could have written a chapter on one of the liberal American horror shows: 50 million babies slaughtered through this countrys abortion industry. Monsters in America Our Historical Obsession with the Hideous and the Haunting. Definitions of the monster, he adds, change over time and with each generation. In the end, though, I could easily see assigning parts of this book to undergraduates. Monsters in America is an important contribution, and it will be enjoyed by literary and cultural historians alike. Evans states that King was his partner in the robbery and that Steve served as the lookout. 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. For Poole Halloween means more trick than treat; we discover that the monsters are us. Michelangelo Biographies Best Books on the Renaissance Artist! Which one would you like to know more about and why? Not only is America guilty of creating its own horrors, failure to acknowledge monsters also creates them (23). (254) 710-3164. You can find more scary stories from him on Twitter: @monstersamerica. Detectives Karyl and Williams describe their arrival at the crime scene. I highly recommend this for fans of the horror genre and anthropology. In his comments on the 1931 "Frankenstein" W. Scott Poole, relates that the idea of the "abnormal brain" that Fritz grabs for Henry Frankenstein being the cause of the monster's murderous mentality being a reflection of the "scientific rascism" of the day. I would love something like this for the UK. Christopher Columbus came to the Americas searching for gold, slaves, and monsters. 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. Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2017. This book is a wonderful introduction to American history through the lens of monsters. Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. Filmmakers create celluloid illusions with that in mind. Perhaps monsters are made in our society more purposefully than we realize. Antiracism Books for Christians A Reading Guide, Thomas Merton Books An Intro Reading Guide. It is lively and engaging and well researched. for a customized plan. While I appreciate and agree with his argument that monsters are "real" because their effects on history / on people's lives have been real, I dislike his assumption that people in the past were the obvious victims of prejudice and misplaced fear and that they were not insightful or intelligent enough to realize what they were truly afraid of.