20% for a group? $18.74/subscription + tax, Save 25% Some of his writings can be accessed at www.warpandwoof.org. The Theology of the Early Christians 10 Free Classics! I thought this was gonna be about different monsters from American folklore. In this way he resembles Frankenstein, who alienates himself by pursuing forbidden knowledge. By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy. $18.74/subscription + tax, Save 25% Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon, Baylor University Press (January 15, 2014). Then it is OBriens turn to present the defense of Steve. Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more! Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club thats right for you for free. 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. BUY . Free trial is available to new customers only. You can view our. )1980-present and discuss ways in which the monsters of the era are the products of historical change, conflict and context. [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. 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. I was pretty fascinated through this whole book. An unexpected guilty pleasure! It's a comprehensive look into ghoulish, weird, and woke world--10/10. The book won the John Cawelti prize from the Popular Culture Association for the best book published in pop culture history for 2011. The new edition extends this analysis to shed light on some of the darker developments in recent American political culture. All affiliate income is used to support the blog. When social conservatives oppose something, like - say -. Willa Cather Short Stories Five Superb Stories to Read for FREE! (Christopher James Blythe, Florida State University, (John W. Morehead, editor, www.TheoFantastique.com). damn good primer on monsters in America. Academic, yet very accessible, I was fascinated by this book, and it holds a very special distinction as the only book I was required to buy for a college class that has earned a permanent place on my bookshelf now that the class is over. Definitions of the monster, he adds, change over time and with each generation. Insightful and brilliant! In the end, though, I could easily see assigning parts of this book to undergraduates. Poole does justice to judgment; the focus of some horror films. He also makes notes about his movie and about details he observes in court. The kind of monsters depends on the era. 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. 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. Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2012. Here's where you'll find analysis of the main themes, motifs, and symbols in Monster. 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. Poole's examples are well-chosen and well-explicated. I seem to be having bad luck with books lately, but the writing style just didnt connect with me. Connect with him online at: C-Christopher-Smith.com, "This book will inspire, motivate and challenge anyone who cares a whit about the written word, the world of ideas, the shape of our communities. I have read Mr. Poole's work before, so I knew I was in for a treat and I was right. From our colonial past to the present, the monster in all its various forms has been a staple of American culture. 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. Societal values impact individuals only as much as we understand an individuals values. Indeed, the reader may struggle as I did with the leaps Poole makes between monster movies and American social ills. The little monsters who come to our doors for candy at Halloween are small reminders of our large problem. 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. He decides to make a movie about his experience. 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. Penn State folklorist Bill Ellis called the book "required reading for anyone who wants to understand the dark roots of America culture." Wasteland: The Great War and the Origins of Modern Horror, On Monsters: An Unnatural History of Our Worst Fears. Here we not only meet such monsters but also discover America's cultural monstrosity. Academic, yet very accessible, I was fascinated by this book, and it holds a very special distinction as the only book I was required to buy for a college class that has Poole's book is fantastic, a terrific look at what makes monsters in film resonate in American culture. The Monster feels completely alienated: "none among the myriads of men" will take pity on him. By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. You can find more scary stories from him on Twitter: @monstersamerica. Monsters refuse to be cordoned off in only one nationality, ethnicity, religion, or political mindset. 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. Salem witches, frontier wilderness beasts, freak show oddities, alien invasions, Freddie Krueger. SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. The history of America -- one fear, one monster, at a time. Evans states that King was his partner in the robbery and that Steve served as the lookout. Freedman, Jonathan. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading American Monsters: A History of Monster Lore, Legends, and Sightings in America. James King has his own lawyer, Asa Briggs. Monsters in America instead should acknowledge monsters exist in every culture, every tribe, every era. Written in an accessible, smart and entertaining way, this is a fantastic book. I. Poole is also a Professor of History at the College of Charleston where he teaches courses on monsters in American history, Satan in folk belief and pop culture and the history of religion and race in American life . Excellent study of the machinery of monsters and their meaning Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! From 19th century sea serpents to our current. Discount, Discount Code Want 100 or more? Well-researched and insightful, the writing of the text is also energetic and engaging. The book is rich in history, pop culture references, and analysis. I took copious notes in the margins, and will be using this book frequently as I continue to work on my own YA horror fiction (e.g. 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. 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. The different types of monsters, whether cultural, supernatural, or moral, all contribute to the meaning of American culture. | Free trial is available to new customers only. Reprinted by permission. Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! Poole states that, in actuality, that the Europeans saw the natives. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. The book's unusual range is one of its contributions; its freshness of juxtaposition is another. Steve also states that he was not at the drugstore on the day of the crime but was walking around thinking about his movie. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. A.Universal white male suffrage B.Public education C.Child labor D.Temperance. 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. Chapters three and four in my copy of the book, for instance, are littered with questions: How did we get here? This is a logical leap! and What??! Sales Date: 2018-07-13. Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan! 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? Monsters in America is W. Scott Pooles interpretive history. For Professors: Exam Copies. 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. I hated this book. That being said, however, if you are a teacher who needs to get a class full of barely literate college freshmen to understand what it means to read / think about things in historical context, Poole's introduction, "The Bloody chords of Memory," is readable and accessible even for a group of resistant and vaguely engaged (at best) 18 year olds. Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2017. 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. 1 (1998): 90-102. does a bang-up job of demonstrating how our culture helps us achieve some sort of understanding about our world and our lives. SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. He reveals how monster stories went west to Sand Creek and Wounded Knee, bringing the preoccupation with monsters into the twentieth century through the American Indian Movement. Consulting newspaper accounts, archival materials, personal papers, comic books, films, and oral histories, Poole adroitly illustrates how the creation of the monstrous "other" not only reflects society's fears but shapes actual historical behavior and becomes a cultural reminder of inhuman acts. Filmmakers create celluloid illusions with that in mind. You can view our. His new book, forthcoming this fall and available for pre-order, is _Wasteland: The Great War and the Roots of Modern Horror_. The atheist taught that inflicting suffering while enjoying the process is human nature. While Poole is an academic his book is anything but dry. It is super nasty, and blood ends up everywhere. She tells the jury that James King and Steve Harmon, along with two other criminals, robbed a drugstore. Steve worries about why OBrien turned away from him after winning the case. 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. new monsters appear as American society evolves, paralleling fluctuating challenges to the cultural status quo. Scott - For All Who Hunger - Feature Review, Mattix & Thomas, Eds - Christian Poetry in America Since, Copyright 2023 The Englewood Review of Books. 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). by W. Scott Poole. From our colonial past to the present, the monster in all its various forms has been a staple of American culture. 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. Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! Consulting newspaper accounts, archival materials, personal papers, comic books, films, and oral histories, Poole adroitly illustrates how the creation of the monstrous"other"not only reflects society's fears but shapes actual historical behavior and becomes a cultural reminder of inhuman acts.Monsters in America is now online at www.monstersinamerica.com. 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! 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 don't see it, please check your spam folder. Continue to start your free trial. Subject I have a lot of interest in and the author seems to have done a lot of work/research. The man immediately begins screaming about something hidden in the mist that is attacking and killing people. Sabbath Books Best Reads for Christians on Rest and Sabbath! The two defense counsels, OBrien and Briggs, establish that the witnesses are testifying for the State in return for reduced sentences. Conflicting anxieties about race, class, gender, sexuality, religious beliefs, science, and politics manifest as haunting beings among the populace. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. All content on this blog is protected under US copyright by Michelle Shannon. Monsters are here to stay. For him, this place is the opposite of realhe has to do everything in front of strangers. She identifies James King as being one of the two young men. For the next 7 days, you'll have access to awesome PLUS stuff like AP English test prep, No Fear Shakespeare translations and audio, a note-taking tool, personalized dashboard, & much more! Henri Nouwen Books An Introductory Reading Guide. Lewis Biography (And Other Biographies /Companion Guides)! Here we not only meet such monsters but also discover America's cultural monstrosity. Mary Oliver Essays 10 Prose Selections to Read for Free Online! In her closing argument for the State, Petrocelli stresses the importance of the stolen cigarettes in proving who committed the crime. Copyright 2023 That's What She Read. All content is original and cannot be copied without permission. He tells his story through handwritten notes and a typewritten screenplay. Fyodor Dostoevsky Download all his Novels as Free Ebooks !!! At the very end, Poole implies that for what has gone before, it could very well get worse. Best Johnny Cash Books Biographies and More! Study Guides, Friday afternoon, July 17th & December, 5 months later. I also think this could've used a second editor before being published as there are many typos and grammatical errors, as well as a few points that could've used some fact-checking. Novelist Sheri Holman calls the book "a subversive masterpiece.". Specifically, he discusses how the stories like "Pocahontas" and "The. The second edition of Monsters leads readers deeper into Americas tangled past to show how monsters continue to haunt contemporary American ideology. It's no secret that America is a little messed up. View all
These monsters are created by multiple aspects of society and give meaning to the culture as well. Evenhandedness exists in the books last sentence suggesting that liberal visions of social justice could create something worse (228). Steve writes about his fear, anger, and pain and his rising sense of panic about the outcome of his trial. Reading this for research for a paper I am writing for a creative nonfiction class for college, but what an interesting book regardless! (1 page) Students will compose a summary of the chapter, highlighting the key elements of Poole's text. Poole suggests monsters are created by America to mask its own monstrosities or monsters exist which interpret American culture. I was thrilled to find a book that went with that mindset. 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.". Suppose someone wanted to trace American history through the common coffee cup. Unless specifically stated in the review, I have purchased all books reviewed. Poole brings to life American horror stories by framing them within folk belief, religion, and popular culture, broadly unraveling the idea of the monster. Wed love to have you back! American history from the past to the present. I'm just saying that throughout the country's history, there have been some pretty dark times. 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. I want to start out by saying that I absolutely love the notion behind this book. St. Augustine Best Books on His Life and Work, Holy Sonnets John Donne Complete Text. 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. Monsters arrived in 2011and now they are back. Harmon explains that in his cell. Steve testifies that he did not take part in the drugstore robbery or discuss it with anyone before it happened. One Bear Place 97363, Waco, TX 76798-7363
wish it felt more american- some of the trends were too broad, and I wish thered been more emphasis on early America (e.g. Steves lawyer, Kathy OBrien, urges Steve to take his situation seriously because this crime could put him in jail for twenty years or more. Youve successfully purchased a group discount. "Sick," published by Abrams/Amulet). 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. Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. What could we extrapolate on the ways we lived and what we believed during each era? 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. Poole offers an insight on America's fascination with monsters. Steve Harmon, a Black sixteen-year-old, sits in his jail cell and writes in his notebook. We can anticipate either alien salvation or judgment from beyond. March 4, 2023, SNPLUSROCKS20 Steve spends his time making movies about himself, often with Jerrys help. More importantly, what is the definition of a monster? We are sorry. Visit the new website for more about the book, upcoming events, and to keep up with Scott Poole's blog. 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. , W. Scott Poole has given us a guidebook for a journey into nightmare territory. religious texts and newspaper accounts of "satanic panics" into a highly readable analysis of the concept of the devil in American cultural history. It's rarely happy news being reported. OBrien follows and reminds the jury that the State has not proved any of its charges against Steve. Michelle Shannon is licensed under a
John Wesley Sermons - The 7 Best Sermons from the Founder of Methodism. Christopher Columbus came to the Americas searching for gold, slaves, and monsters. Monsters in America is lively and entertaining throughout. There he teaches courses on monsters, pop culture, and American history. What is it that rumbles in the American unconscious that relates to the figures we see on the screen. It was just way too "all over the place" for me. Poole agrees telling us early and often You are the main character in this terror-filled little tale (xviii). SparkNotes PLUS
Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan! Highly recommended for horror or monster fans with an interest in American history; slightly less so for American history buffs with a hobby in monster entertainments. History is horror. Monsters in America Our Historical Obsession with the Hideous and the Haunting. Hardback: Baylor University Press, 2011. Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2021. The image freezes as the screenplay ends. His footnotes have left me with a massive pile Poole walks readers through the American history of monsters, matching horror trends to American epochs, where it turns out our sociopolitical climate influences the monsters we laud and follow in fiction, film, and the media. Numerous scholars explore the cultural and political implications of monster and horror films for the times from which they emerge. Few scholars connect such implications across broader expanses of time to reveal how intrinsically monsters and the horrific have been bound up in the history of America. for a customized plan. 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 summaries should not . An unexpected guilty pleasure! Excellent examination of horror movies evolution through the years and also how societal happenings influence the movies at the time they are made. Thanks to Poole's insights we see the ubiquity of the monster lurking in and around us. She continues to assert that Steve served as the lookout for the robbery and is as guilty as the others. Wendell Berry Poems Seven of Our Favorites! The pages are littered with characterizations which demonize only a conservative set of ideas. Sometimes it can end up there. Monster in America is a literature book by W. Scott Poole. uniquely brings together history and culture studies to expose the dark obsessions that have helped create our national identity. 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. But a third interpretive option exists. incredibly rewarding and fulfilling reading. Monsters in America has without a doubt earned a spot on my favorite books of 2011. 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. Based on new findings and bursting with new interpretations, it offers newcomers and old fans of the America's great horror writer new insight into his life, work, and continuing influence. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. ", 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. Learn how your comment data is processed. We've quickly looked at a wide variety of Native Cultures across the Americas. This is an amazing book. I found it to be a perfect model for critical thinking about the social representations of various popular monsters, and the book led to wonderful class discussions. Stamped on American culture, the phrase brings to mind images of costumes, plastic masks, and parents holding the hands of little monsters as they collect candy calories. session with vampires and zombies, Poole plots America's past through its fears in this intriguing sociocultural history. Fall 2022 Most Anticipated Books for Christian Readers! Continue to start your free trial. While real monsters do exist, the reality of our own monstrosities mirrors not a national heritage as much as our human heritage. In his new preface and expanded conclusion, Pooles tale connects to the presentillustrating the relationship between current social movements and their historical antecedents. 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. Excellent study of the machinery of monsters and their meaning in American history. 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. 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.
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