monsters in america sparknotes monsters in america sparknotes

Monsters in America argues that historical, political and social conditions produce narratives of horror and create "monsters." Choose one of the following periods 1.) This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. is lively and entertaining throughout. "Angels, Monsters, and Jews: Intersections of Queer and Jewish Identity in Kushner's "Angels in America."" PMLA 113, no. A well informed, thoughtful, and indeed frightening angle of vision to a persistent and compelling American desire to be entertained by the grotesque and the horrific. 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. Conflicting anxieties about race, class, gender, sexuality, religious beliefs, science, and politics manifest as haunting beings among the populace. Friedrich Nietzsche believed we are the monsters. Poole seeks to undermine myths of American exceptionalism by locating monsters that he believes exist outside our psyche, in history. Poole suggests monsters are created by America to mask its own monstrosities or monsters exist which interpret American culture. Poole's examples are well-chosen and well-explicated. He wrote in his journal. A monster, in most cases, is something that challenges human morality or customs, or rather, a single group of people's moralities. Through the two and a half weeks I took with this book, I have been citing it in conversation. Best Johnny Cash Books Biographies and More! 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. 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. Monsters in America Project. Monsters are here to stay. 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). 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. 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??! I suppose history could be read into just about any object. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of "Monster" by Walter Dean Myers. 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. Monsters refuse to be cordoned off in only one nationality, ethnicity, religion, or political mindset. 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 . Dorothy Sayers Where to Start with her Mystery Novels? 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. 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 societys fears but shapes actual historical behavior and becomes a cultural reminder of inhuman acts.. Hardback: Baylor University Press, 2011. During the robbery, Aguinaldo Nesbitt, the fifty-five-year-old owner of the store, was killed. Michelle Shannon is licensed under a 2023 Baylor University Press. Excellent examination of horror movies evolution through the years and also how societal happenings influence the movies at the time they are made. It's also a great way of introducing the idea that you can use different lenses/ways of writing to introduce and discuss topics. For Poole Halloween means more trick than treat; we discover that the monsters are us. He also doesn't shy away from the role of the monstrous in helping maintain oppressive regimes and the status quo. 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. The history of America -- one fear, one monster, at a time. I found the book interesting and informative, it's brief but gives you just enough to perhaps to look further on your own. Youve successfully purchased a group discount. For him, this place is the opposite of realhe has to do everything in front of strangers. (The medical examiners evidence suggests that the shooter was probably right-handed.) Steve tells his story through handwritten notes as in a journal and a typewritten screenplay. 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. 1960-1980 3. 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. as uncivilized people and even believed them to be monsters. This isnt a book for the squeamish as Poole details how a horror film like Candyman is based in fact to a great deal. 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]. | Please wait while we process your payment. (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.) The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. Well-researched and insightful, the writing of the text is also energetic and engaging. Hafez Poems Five of Our Favorites from the Divan of Hafez, N.T. SparkNotes PLUS From our colonial past to the present, the monster in all its various forms has been a staple of American culture. I thought this was gonna be about different monsters from American folklore. If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. 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. Another witness testifies that King is left-handed. It is lively and engaging and well researched. 1945-1960 2.) However, his interpretations and implications are nothing less than threatening to whatever status quo our authorities would prefer us to maintain. on me, relax. Just about all the scarey things that crawl into popular media hail from the leaf-littered shadowy forests that haunt the American mind. The guards take the bleeding dude away. 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. Salem witches, frontier wilderness beasts, freak show oddities, alien invasions, Freddie Krueger. Well-written and engaging,Monsters in Americais a must-read for anyone fascinated by history or monsters or both. 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. Dallas Willard Books Seven Essential Titles to Read! The pages are littered with characterizations which demonize only a conservative set of ideas. 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. And I don't have to mention the meaning of all the zombie movies. But too often he ascribes American injustices with little more than a metaphorical connection to monster movies. 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. Wasteland: The Great War and the Origins of Modern Horror, On Monsters: An Unnatural History of Our Worst Fears. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. However, this book was not only as easy read, but incredibly enlightening, eye-opening, and thrilling. to start your free trial of SparkNotes Plus. but on the whole, an engaging and thought provoking read. Available When, meeting the natives, he saw their way of life as barbaric and uncivilized. With Monsters in America, W. Scott Poole has given us a guidebook for a journey into nightmare territory. Analysis The monster tells Victor:"You must create a female for me with whom I can live in the interchange of those sympathies necessary for my being." Victor refuses and then later relents to the monster's wishes. Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! "Sick," published by Abrams/Amulet). Highly recommended. Mark Eckel is Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Professor of Old Testament at Crossroads Bible College. Renews March 11, 2023 Another problem for Steve is that James King, a young Black hood, is Steves co-defendant. A.The James River B.The, Which was NOT an attempted reform movement in antebellum Virginia? I hated this book. Good references in the book that I looked up to further read about horror movies and their importance to our sociological perspective. Students will maintain a list of unfamiliar words they come across in the chapter. He is the author of several books, including a biography of H.P Lovecraft, which became a Bram Stoker award finalist, and. 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. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. ! His transitions from movie metaphors to American social ills are often strained if not unconvincing. Study Guides, Friday afternoon, July 17th & December, 5 months later. Acknowledgements: Thank you to Kelly Hughes from Dechant-Hughes for my review copy! 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. In the follow-up to his first book, Satan in America, Poole has now turned his attention to the monsters that inhabit American cinema and American imaginations. Ten Important Women Theologians To Start Reading. Definitions of the monster, he adds, change over time and with each generation. Petrocelli refers to the defendants as monsters in the community. She then calls two witnesses. It is not a book on actual monsters but how Americans find monsters in different eras on social constructs. Martin Luther King, Jr. His Prophetic Faith in 15 Quotes, Important Discipleship and Formation Books A Reading Guide Fall 2020, Frederick Buechner Books An Introductory Reading Guide. The book's unusual range is one of its contributions; its freshness of juxtaposition is another. For Poole Halloween means more trick than treat; we discover that the monsters are us. Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan! 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. Enter your email address to subscribe to That's What She Read and receive notifications of new posts by email. Pooles book becomes a tired screed against those whose political-social viewpoints are antithetic to his own. Indeed, the reader may struggle as I did with the leaps Poole makes between monster movies and American social ills. Monsters in America has without a doubt earned a spot on my favorite books of 2011. You'll also receive an email with the link. Renews March 11, 2023 Our Historical Obsession with the Hideous and the Haunting. 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 19th century sea serpents to our current. Starting with the Puritan era and the fear of witches and ending with the modern-day fascination with the monsters within us, i.e. Poole's connection of the monster to American history is a kind of Creature Features meets American cultural history. Twelve Important Theology Books of 2020!!! Evil brutes exist inside and outside American neighborhoods. (Gary Laderman, Professor of American Religious History and Cultures, Emory University), (J. Gordon Melton, Director, Institute for the Study of American Religion). Five months later, Steve is again writing in his notebook. The medical examiner states the time of Mr. Nesbitts death. They Poole offers an insight on America's fascination with monsters. 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. 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. Whether your interest is literature, American history, popular culture, race and ethnicity, women's studies, or religion, you would be happy reading this book. Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2014. It is super nasty, and blood ends up everywhere. From Victorian-era mad scientists to modern-day serial killers. [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. If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. In his new preface and expanded conclusion, Pooles tale connects to the presentillustrating the relationship between current social movements and their historical antecedents. 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. What could we extrapolate on the ways we lived and what we believed during each era? The book is rich in history, pop culture references, and analysis. The Monster argues that his murderousness is not his fault. Petrocelli, OBrien, and Briggs make opening statements on the first day of Steves trial. The book reflects on the. Author: W. Scott Poole Synopsis (Courtesy of Powell's Books ): "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. 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. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. Even fewer scholars do so as adeptly and as entertainingly as W. Scott Poole. By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy. The book won the John Cawelti prize from the Popular Culture Association for the best book published in pop culture history for 2011. IE- minorities = what we are anxious about / obsessed with = the monstrous = monsters. 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. There he teaches courses on monsters, pop culture, and American history. From our colonial past to the present, the monster in all its various forms has been a staple of American culture. Vampira) to explore the history of American sexuality, gender relations and the rebirth of the horror film in post-WW2 America. See a complete Character List for Monster, as well as in-depth analysis of its most important characters. 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. Get help and learn more about the design. Want 100 or more? White Doe" disguised the true relationship between the European settlers and Native Americans. Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership. Mr. Pooles evidence is as intriguing as it is informative. 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. No historically reflective Christian would disagree with Pooles castigation of wrongdoings by some Americans. I feel like the author did a great job at deconstructing America's social issues and how they connect to the monsters/fears/entertainment of the time. 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. 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. 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. 2023 Project MUSE. Lewis Biography (And Other Biographies /Companion Guides)! 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. Insightful and brilliant! Penn State folklorist Bill Ellis called the book "required reading for . After readingMonsters in America, a reader will view monsters in a completely different light. Steve is about to stand trial for felony homicide. Satan in America tells the story of America's complicated relationship with the devil. 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. For my own part, I have been studying and writing about Gothic horror for some years. Poole stays far away from polemic and sticks to the facts. You can view our. Suppose someone wanted to trace American history through the common coffee cup. All content is original and cannot be copied without permission. These summaries should not . Scott - For All Who Hunger - Feature Review, Mattix & Thomas, Eds - Christian Poetry in America Since, Copyright 2023 The Englewood Review of Books. Friedrich Nietzsche believed we are the monsters. (1 page) Students will compose a summary of the chapter, highlighting the key elements of Poole's text. "The American past reads like something of a horror movie, maybe even a low-budget slasher. 62 reviews Salem witches, frontier wilderness beasts, freak show oddities, alien invasions, Freddie Krueger. Did you know you can highlight text to take a note? A masterful survey of our grim and often disturbing past, Monsters in. 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. serial killers, each generation faced its own challenges and highlighted its fear within its own monsters. In some ways, this felt more like a book about racism and sexism on celluloid and in politics than a book about "Monsters." The evidence that Poole provides . This book is quite well researched, makes a few interesting connections, and is very accessible. He also makes notes about his movie and about details he observes in court. All Rights Reserved. Discount, Discount Code "Rue Morgue" magazine called it "the best biography of H.P. 2715 North Charles StreetBaltimore, Maryland, USA 21218. Subscribe now. (254) 710-3164. 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. 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. I found it informative, fascinating, thought-provoking and well-written. Unless specifically stated in the review, I have purchased all books reviewed. Freedman, Jonathan. I highly recommend this for fans of the horror genre and anthropology. Author W. Scott Poole takes a look at America's fascination with the macabre in his book. Conflicting anxieties about race, class, gender, sexuality, religious beliefs, science, and politics manifest as haunting beings among the populace. Poole offers an insight on America's fascination with monsters. She explains that some jurors have decided against him just because he is young and Black, so Steve has to make the jury see him as different from the other defendants. Some of his writings can be accessed at www.warpandwoof.org. Fifteen Important Theology Books of 2022!!! All rights reserved. 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). Monster is a 1999 young adult novel by Walter Dean Myers. In Monster, Walter Dean Myers tells the story of Steve Harmon's trial. Monster was adapted into a movie of the same name in 2018. 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. 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? His footnotes have left me with a massive pile of additional books to read. If you've got an interest in horror, this is definitely worth a read. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Spring 2022 Most Anticipated Books for Christian Readers! Briggs presents his defense of King. 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. It's rarely happy news being reported. Lovecraft_. OBrien reminds jurors of reasonable doubt and states firmly that Steves guilt has not been proven. I loved this book. Petrocelli presents the charges against the defendants. on 50-99 accounts. Interesting as a surface-level exploration of "Monster Theory". Imprint: Baylor University Press. I feel like three stars is generous for a book that did not bring me any new insights, but it was neither especially good nor especially bad. | 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. 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! 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. Learn how your comment data is processed. Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2017. You can find more scary stories from him on Twitter: @monstersamerica. Omer-Sherman, Ranen. In a nutshell, monsters for Poole are metaphors / stand-ins for whoever is loathed or feared in a certain historical context. 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. on 50-99 accounts. 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. 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's examples are well-chosen and well-explicated. Free trial is available to new customers only. They are created to explain racism, cover up worse monstrosities and signal changes and the state of the nation at the time. 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). Not only is it written in a fun, easy to relate to voice, but it is also chock full of info. He decides to make a movie about his experience. I do wish the author would've delved into certain subjects more as he did the last half of the book which was very compelling. A.Slavery B.States' rights C.Internal improvements D.Westward expansion. In her closing argument for the State, Petrocelli stresses the importance of the stolen cigarettes in proving who committed the crime.