Monsters in America is an important contribution, and it will be enjoyed by literary and cultural historians alike. Poole's connection of the monster to American history is a kind of Creature Features meets American cultural history. Willa Cather Short Stories Five Superb Stories to Read for FREE! Interesting as a surface-level exploration of "Monster Theory". From 19th century sea serpents to our current Publishers Weekly session with vampires and zombies, Poole plots America's past through its fears in this intriguing sociocultural history. Author W. Scott Poole takes a look at America's fascination with the macabre in his book. Steve tells his story through handwritten notes as in a journal and a typewritten screenplay. on 2-49 accounts, Save 30% 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. 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. The evidence that Poole provides . Please provide specific examples to support your answers. Poole brings to life American horror stories by framing them within folk belief, religion, and popular culture, broadly unraveling the idea of the monster. It is an alternative view of history through something that is not necessarily studied in such depth and over such a long period of time. Before you get all "He's Anti-American!" . Briggs establishes that the police had shown photos of King to Mrs. Henry before she picked him out of a lineup. You can find more scary stories from him on Twitter: @monstersamerica. Poole summarizes, Perhaps our own beliefs about monsters and their intractable nature help to produce the monsters we fear the most (164). Monsters in America. FABULOUS! 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.Pooles central argument in Monsters in America is that monster tales intertwine with Americas troubled history of racism, politics, class struggle, and gender inequality. Poole wants to tell a story and take his readers on a journey, and he definitely does so. The different types of monsters, whether cultural, supernatural, or moral, all contribute to the meaning of American culture. It's a comprehensive look into ghoulish, weird, and woke world--10/10. From early American ghost stories to Jordan Peeles Get Out (2017), Scott Poole expertly tracks the importance of monsters and monstrosity in American culture. I think that what makes the book riveting is that despite the particular social factors and grisly historical events, the book is about the Other in media. Friedrich Nietzsche believed we are the monsters. Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2017. But honestly, most folks go to horror films for what they would say is the hell of it. Some people enjoy being scared, period. Please wait while we process your payment. Societal values impact individuals only as much as we understand an individuals values. You can view our. During the robbery, Aguinaldo Nesbitt, the fifty-five-year-old owner of the store, was killed. All opinions expressed are uniquely my own. 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. Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership. Not only is it written in a fun, easy to relate to voice, but it is also chock full of info. When meeting the natives, he saw their way of life as barbaric and uncivilized. Some of his writings can be accessed at www.warpandwoof.org. Emily Dickinson Poems Seven of our Favorites! 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. This book is really good, a look at our monsters in a social conceptional way. Insightful and brilliant! Fall 2022 Most Anticipated Books for Christian Readers! He also makes notes about his movie and about details he observes in court. Human beings made him declare "war" by treating him like an enemy. on 50-99 accounts. (Christopher James Blythe, Florida State University, (John W. Morehead, editor, www.TheoFantastique.com). on me, relax. Monster is told as a first-person account by Steve Harmon, a Black teenager on trial for felony murder in New York. Title and sub-title encouraged my interest in securing a copy of Monsters in America for review. 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. (And as someone who lives with a history PhD and who briefly pursued graduate studies in history myself, I like to believe that I know from whence I speak.) Poole argues that "Monstrous metaphors in American historical life have a way of becoming realthey are intertwined with attitudes and social structures that make the monster possible. He wrote in his journal 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. Perhaps monsters are made in our society more purposefully than we realize. And I don't have to mention the meaning of all the zombie movies. March 4, 2023, SNPLUSROCKS20 "The American past reads like something of a horror movie, maybe even a low-budget slasher. Jacques Ellul Books An Introductory Reading Guide. Which one would you like to know more about and why? I am fiercely passionate about two things: History and Monsters. He wrote in his journal. 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. Discount, Discount Code Then it is OBriens turn to present the defense of Steve. 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March 4, 2023, SNPLUSROCKS20 You'll also receive an email with the link. 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. Wasteland: The Great War and the Origins of Modern Horror, On Monsters: An Unnatural History of Our Worst Fears. "Monsters in America" is a work that touches on the many facets of Horror in America. Especially enlightening is the the animistic portrayal and subsequent fear of African-Americans that has permeated society since they were first brought to the Americas on slave ships. Poole states that, in actuality, that the Europeans saw the natives. Good references in the book that I looked up to further read about horror movies and their importance to our sociological perspective. I suppose history could be read into just about any object. 2023 Project MUSE. Want 100 or more? The two defense counsels, OBrien and Briggs, establish that the witnesses are testifying for the State in return for reduced sentences. The opening chapter introduces several motifs that will be present throughout the story. IE- minorities = what we are anxious about / obsessed with = the monstrous = monsters. What is it that rumbles in the American unconscious that relates to the figures we see on the screen. 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. If you will, a shining city on hill built on the bodies of natives, blacks, women, and anyone else we dont like very much. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. . A.The James River B.The, Which was NOT an attempted reform movement in antebellum Virginia? She identifies James King as being one of the two young men. Monster is usually used to reflect an individual's actions; especially, it shows for the wrong act of people. 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. Poole invites us into an important and enlightening, if disturbing, conversation about the very real monsters that inhabit the dark spaces of America's past. While Poole is an academic his book is anything but dry. Monsters in America: 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. Poole does justice to judgment; the focus of some horror films. By the end of the book, Poole cautions that Americas monsters arent going away anytime soon. 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. If you've got an interest in horror, this is definitely worth a read. Victor sees the monster's point of view and agrees to create a mate for the monster. But Africans were still human and had their morals, yet the Europeans saw them as a type of monster during the slave trade era. Best Leonard Cohen Books Biographies and Books by the Songwriter. Through the two and a half weeks I took with this book, I have been citing it in conversation. When, meeting the natives, he saw their way of life as barbaric and uncivilized. Salem witches, frontier wilderness beasts, freak show oddities, alien invasions, Freddie Krueger. Did you know you can highlight text to take a note? Our Historical Obsession with the Hideous and the Haunting. Enter your email below to sign up for our weekly newsletter& download your FREE copy of this ebook! Synopsis: From our colonial past to the present, the monster in all its various forms has been a staple of American culture. He tells his story through handwritten notes and a typewritten screenplay. Petrocelli, OBrien, and Briggs make opening statements on the first day of Steves trial. A lot of people gave it poor reviews, maybe because they didn't like what the author plainly demonstrated, that the real monsters in America are the Americans, mainly the white Americans. Salvatore Zinzi, a prisoner at the Rikers Island jail, testifies that another prisoner, Wendell Bolden, told him about the drugstore robbery. Component 2: Summary. He decides to make a movie about his experience. Steve spends his time making movies about himself, often with Jerrys help. session with vampires and zombies, Poole plots America's past through its fears in this intriguing sociocultural history. You can find more scary stories from him on Twitter: @monstersamerica. Reading this for research for a paper I am writing for a creative nonfiction class for college, but what an interesting book regardless! For the record, I'm *not* well versed on the horror genre due to my fear of almost every popular culture monster. Not only that, but Sandra Petrocelli, the State prosecutor, is a very good lawyer. She asks the jury to recall how Steve conducted himself on the witness stand and to compare Steve with Sal Zinzi, Bobo Evans, and Osvaldo Cruz before they decide who is believable. Bram Stoker Award finalist W. Scott Poole is the author of numerous books and articles on monsters and mayhem in popular culture. Specifically, he discusses how the stories like "Pocahontas" and "The. Pallas Athena Roman name: Minerva. The little monsters who come to our doors for candy at Halloween are small reminders of our large problem. 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. 20% 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. He is at home with his parents and his brother Jerry. I hoped to expand my interaction in the genre, albeit from an American point of view. 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. 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]. All Rights Reserved. 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! Petrocelli refers to the defendants as monsters in the community. She then calls two witnesses. 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). Poole suggests monsters are created by America to mask its own monstrosities or monsters exist which interpret American culture. Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! This book is a wonderful introduction to American history through the lens of monsters. 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. A must read for fans of horror and monsters! A.Slavery B.States' rights C.Internal improvements D.Westward expansion. OBrien reminds jurors of reasonable doubt and states firmly that Steves guilt has not been proven. 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. Not only is America guilty of creating its own horrors, failure to acknowledge monsters also creates them (23). Michelle Shannon is licensed under a 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. By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy. [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. [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. No historically reflective Christian would disagree with Pooles castigation of wrongdoings by some Americans. It looks like WhatsApp is not installed on your phone. Best Bob Dylan Books Biographies, Lyrics, and More! Lovecraft_. Please try again. I seem to be having bad luck with books lately, but the writing style just didnt connect with me. Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2021. Petrocelli presents the charges against the defendants. 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. Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2012. Component 2: Summary. The tendency to view American monsters as primarily psychological archetypes ignores how closely they have reflected actual historical events and actual historical victims.". She continues to assert that Steve served as the lookout for the robbery and is as guilty as the others. However, his interpretations and implications are nothing less than threatening to whatever status quo our authorities would prefer us to maintain. uniquely brings together history and culture studies to expose the dark obsessions that have helped create our national identity. You'll also receive an email with the link. Just watch any local news program and you'll see what I mean. 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.
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