It's a comprehensive look into ghoulish, weird, and woke world--10/10. 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. Monsters arrived in 2011and now they are back. Sophfronia Scott - The Seeker and the Monk [Review], James Atwood - Collateral Damage - Brief Review, Emily M.D. Just watch any local news program and you'll see what I mean. I suppose history could be read into just about any object. We're sorry, SparkNotes Plus isn't available in your country. Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. Steve records suicidal thoughts and violent prison incidents. You can find more scary stories from him on Twitter: @monstersamerica. On Being with Krista Tippett Top 10 Best Episodes! What becomes disturbingly apparent is that most of Americas hatred of the Other is based in Christian religious belief. His footnotes have left me with a massive pile of additional books to read. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan! He argues that our myth of conquering the monster has made us particularly inclined to turn other groups of human beings into monsters and to justify their oppression or domination. It blends popular culture and American history to present a unique perspective oh why and how we create and perpetuate the monsters we fear most. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Our Historical Obsession with the Hideous and the Haunting. 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. It is not just about film and fiction, but the cultural events that mirrored the works on the screen and in our nightmares. The tendency to view American monsters as primarily psychological archetypes ignores how closely they have reflected actual historical events and actual historical victims.". You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. 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). He tells his story through handwritten notes and a typewritten screenplay. "Monsters in America" is a work that touches on the many facets of Horror in America. Poole states that, in actuality, that the Europeans saw the natives as uncivilized people and even believed them to be monsters. ", Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon. In his new preface and expanded conclusion, Pooles tale connects to the presentillustrating the relationship between current social movements and their historical antecedents. Without cookies your experience may not be seamless. Usually just called Athena, this goddess emerges from Zeus's head fully-grown and armed. Steves lawyer, Kathy OBrien, urges Steve to take his situation seriously because this crime could put him in jail for twenty years or more. Want 100 or more? Detectives Karyl and Williams describe their arrival at the crime scene. Willa Cather Short Stories Five Superb Stories to Read for FREE! Summary (final draft).docx - Name: Kim Hoan Tran Dr. Che Steve testifies that he did not take part in the drugstore robbery or discuss it with anyone before it happened. Steve is about to stand trial for felony homicide. You'll also receive an email with the link. Monsters in America Project chapter ( 2,3,4,5,6,7) The brother of Zeus and Poseidon, Hades rules the underworld, the realm of the dead, with his wife, Persephone. 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. Honoring authors by not reading other reviews ahead of time, I anticipated simple engagement with monstrous intrigue of the horrendous and hideous. Christopher Columbus came to the Americas searching for gold, slaves, and monsters. 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. Poole agrees telling us early and often You are the main character in this terror-filled little tale (xviii). Subscribe now. She continues to assert that Steve served as the lookout for the robbery and is as guilty as the others. (1 page) Students will compose a summary of the chapter, highlighting the key elements of Poole's text. Vampira) to explore the history of American sexuality, gender relations and the rebirth of the horror film in post-WW2 America. . Fyodor Dostoevsky Download all his Novels as Free Ebooks !!! He is at home with his parents and his brother Jerry. Forged from a partnership between a university press and a library, Project MUSE is a trusted part of the academic and scholarly community it serves. In fact, perhaps our own beliefs about monsters and their intractable nature help to produce the monsters we fear the most., I've had a question for a long time. Poole summarizes, Perhaps our own beliefs about monsters and their intractable nature help to produce the monsters we fear the most (164). The book made a few strong points, but ultimately it was a mediocre read. 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. I found the book interesting and informative, it's brief but gives you just enough to perhaps to look further on your own. 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 does a bang-up job of demonstrating how our culture helps us achieve some sort of understanding about our world and our lives. By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. The scary tales found in the classic texts remind usno matter our nationality, ethnicity, or political persuasionthe monster is us. Best Bob Dylan Books Biographies, Lyrics, and More! 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. It looks like WhatsApp is not installed on your phone. Name: Kim Hoan Tran Dr. Che 07/08/2019 Summary Paper Summary of Monstrous Beginning In Monster in America written by W. Scott Poole, especially the chapter called "Monstrous Beginnings". Contact us You can find more scary stories from him on Twitter: @monstersamerica. 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. Monsters In America 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. The evidence that Poole provides . Scott Poole's Monsters in America Examines Our Fears - Dread Central Read the chapter-by-chapter Summary & Analysis, a Full Book Summary, or Full Book Analysis of Monster. Petrocelli also calls an eyewitness, Mrs. Lorelle Henry, to the stand. I thought this was gonna be about different monsters from American folklore. However, this book was FABULOUS! Best Leonard Cohen Books Biographies and Books by the Songwriter. From our colonial past to the present, the monster in all its various forms has been a staple of American culture. Even fewer scholars do so as adeptly and as entertainingly as W. Scott Poole. 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. 1996-2023, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates, Select a location to see product availability. I am fiercely passionate about two things: History and Monsters. Poole brings to life American horror stories by framing them within folk belief, religion, and popular culture, broadly unraveling the idea of the monster. Filmmakers create celluloid illusions with that in mind. 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. 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 jail guards come in, and everyone lines up against the wall while they get rubber-gloved. 2023 Project MUSE. An unexpected guilty pleasure! Poole's book is fantastic, a terrific look at what makes monsters in film resonate in American culture. 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. After a minute elapses from the time David, Billy and Brent enter the store, a man, Jeff Miller, a local townsperson, flies into the market, bloodied and frantic. Dont have an account? Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. Often fascinating attempt to look at monsters through the lens of American history, Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2011. 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. Monsters In America 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. Continue to start your free trial. Well-researched and insightful, the writing of the text is also energetic and engaging. Study Guides, Friday afternoon, July 17th & December, 5 months later. Not only is America guilty of creating its own horrors, failure to acknowledge monsters also creates them (23). religious texts and newspaper accounts of "satanic panics" into a highly readable analysis of the concept of the devil in American cultural history. The Mist (2007) - Plot - IMDb Steve tells his story through handwritten notes as in a journal and a typewritten screenplay. Purchasing Monster was adapted into a movie of the same name in 2018. Subject I have a lot of interest in and the author seems to have done a lot of work/research. 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.". 62 reviews Salem witches, frontier wilderness beasts, freak show oddities, alien invasions, Freddie Krueger. Poole seeks to undermine myths of American exceptionalism by locating monsters that he believes exist outside our psyche, in history. 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. 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. This isnt a book for the squeamish as Poole details how a horror film like Candyman is based in fact to a great deal. is lively and entertaining throughout.
Best Johnny Cash Books Biographies and More! for a group? Baylor Univ, $29.95 (296p) ISBN 978-1-60258-314-6 From 19th century sea serpents to our current obsession with vampires and zombies, history professor Poole (Satan in America) plots America's. Briggs makes the first closing argument in the case. Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! Friedrich Nietzsche believed we are the monsters. White Doe" disguised the true relationship between the European settlers and Native Americans. Monsters in America: Our Historical Obsession with the Hideous and the In the follow-up to his first book. There he teaches courses on monsters, pop culture, and American history. Monster Culture - University at Buffalo Monster is a 1999 young adult novel by Walter Dean Myers. 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. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Not only do they continue to live in our midst, but, as historian Scott Poole shows, these monsters are an important part of our pasta hideous obsession America cannot seem to escape. For Professors: Exam Copies. . Poole's examples are well-chosen and well-explicated. Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon, Baylor University Press (January 15, 2014). (Gary Laderman, Professor of American Religious History and Cultures, Emory University), (J. Gordon Melton, Director, Institute for the Study of American Religion). for a customized plan. I want to start out by saying that I absolutely love the notion behind this book. Sawicki states that he believes in Steves honesty as a filmmaker and as a person. Twelve Important Theology Books of 2021!!! 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. Free trial is available to new customers only. Monsters in America: Our Historical Obsession with the Hideous and the Pallas Athena Roman name: Minerva. Ten Important Women Theologians To Start Reading. While Poole is an academic his book is anything but dry. It's rarely happy news being reported. 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. James King has his own lawyer, Asa Briggs. Why are we scared of this person? is always a question behind each chapter and Poole is careful to never reduce it purely to matters of sociology or psychology while still using those tools of analysis. For me, there are intertwined. The horrible treatment of indigenous peoples and slaverys practice is sin that stains Americas history. Monsters in America Project. 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. Monsters in America does a phenomenal job examining American history through the lens of monsters and the monstrous. Thanks to Poole's insights we see the ubiquity of the monster lurking in and around us. Monsters in America - Baylor University Press From our colonial past to the present, the monster in all its various forms has been a staple of American culture. Contact us on 50-99 accounts. Jos Delgado, an employee of the drugstore, tells how he found Mr. Nesbitts body and noticed that cash and cigarettes were missing. Starting with the Puritan era and the fear of witches and ending with the modern-day fascination with the monsters within us, i.e. FABULOUS! Picked up on a whim, I certainly got the expected analysis of horror movies as a way for Americans to understand and react to their culture, but the author also makes the (very strong and well supported) argument that far from being a way to understand the world around us, monsters are also used by those in power to crush those without under their heel while also ignoring and excusing the fact that they're doing so. In 2009, Poole published _Satan in America: The Devil We Know__ (Rowman and Littlefield), a cultural history of the image of Satan in American religion, history and popular culture. Suppose someone wanted to trace American history through the common coffee cup. Poole does justice to judgment; the focus of some horror films. Excerpt. Monster and Poole.pdf - WRTG1010 . Monsters and American Written in an accessible, smart and entertaining way, this is a fantastic book. 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. Sex and violence are the recurring themes of the book, but Poole always provides context for why they recur so often. Hardback: Baylor University Press, 2011. 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. Buy now: [ Amazon ] [ Kindle ]. Title and sub-title encouraged my interest in securing a copy of Monsters in America for review. Monsters in America: Our Historical Obsession with the Hideous and the Haunting, Review, Title Page, Copyright, Dedication, Epigraph, Preface: With a Warning to the Unsuspecting Reader, Introduction: The Bloody Chords of Memory. Poole stays far away from polemic and sticks to the facts. Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. No longer just something that goes bump in the night, Mr. Poole showcases that monsters have more meaning and shed more insight into society than one might have previously suspected.