monsters in america sparknotes

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. Insightful and brilliant! 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. Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. (Gary Laderman, Professor of American Religious History and Cultures, Emory University), (J. Gordon Melton, Director, Institute for the Study of American Religion). Excellent study of the machinery of monsters and their meaning in American history. It's organized well also: a chapter on one specific type of monster and era makes for a really focused and easy to digest historical examination. Poole suggests monsters are created by America to mask its own monstrosities or monsters exist which interpret American culture. Wasteland: The Great War and the Origins of Modern Horror, On Monsters: An Unnatural History of Our Worst Fears. For Poole Halloween means more trick than treat; we discover that the monsters are us. This proven textbook also studies the social location of contemporary horror films, exploring, for example, how Get Out emerged from the context of the Black Lives Matter movement. Excerpt. Poole states that, in actuality, that the Europeans saw the natives. Steve is about to stand trial for felony homicide. Frankenstein (1931) happens when somebody tries to make a more perfect human. From early American ghost stories to Jordan Peeles Get Out (2017), Scott Poole expertly tracks the importance of monsters and monstrosity in American culture. However, this book was FABULOUS! Mark Eckel is Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Professor of Old Testament at Crossroads Bible College. Steve testifies that he did not take part in the drugstore robbery or discuss it with anyone before it happened. Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2014. The scary tales found in the classic texts remind usno matter our nationality, ethnicity, or political persuasionthe monster is us. The defense rests after Sawickis testimony. Through the two and a half weeks I took with this book, I have been citing it in conversation. 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. 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. Please try again. 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. 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. 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. W. Scott Poole is Professor of History at the College of Charleston, where he teaches courses on monsters, pop culture, and American history. Free trial is available to new customers only. "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 . OBrien tells Steve that her job is to make him a human being in the eyes of the jury. With Monsters in America, W. Scott Poole has given us a guidebook for a journey into nightmare territory. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading American Monsters: A History of Monster Lore, Legends, and Sightings in America. Detectives Karyl and Williams describe their arrival at the crime scene. The kind of monsters depends on the era. ", In 2014 he published _Vampira: Dark Goddess of Horror_ that looked at the life of 1950s horror host Maila Nurmi (a.k.a. Alien invasions prompt the authors apt comment, The otherness of the monster can embody the sum of all fears but also an escape from fear (131). Fall 2021 Most Anticipated Books for Christian Readers! new monsters appear as American society evolves, paralleling fluctuating challenges to the cultural status quo. This is an important book that Id recommend very highly. Poole agrees telling us early and often You are the main character in this terror-filled little tale (xviii). The Monster feels completely alienated: "none among the myriads of men" will take pity on him. Friedrich Nietzsche believed we are the monsters. IE- minorities = what we are anxious about / obsessed with = the monstrous = monsters. I want to start out by saying that I absolutely love the notion behind this book. At times in the book a movie director is taken at his word, the reason for his film given authorial intent. 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. A.The James River B.The, Which was NOT an attempted reform movement in antebellum Virginia? Subscribe now. Course Hero is not sponsored or endorsed by any college or university. Amazon has encountered an error. He is the author of several books, including a biography of H.P Lovecraft, which became a Bram Stoker award finalist, and. There he teaches courses on monsters, pop culture, and American history. is available now and can be read on any device with the free Kindle app. I love ghost stories and folklore because they reveal an aspect of history and popular thinking in an entertaining way. White Doe" disguised the true relationship between the European settlers and Native Americans. I suppose history could be read into just about any object. Poole presents his findings methodically through well-documented facts and similar studies. 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. 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. Hardback: Baylor University Press, 2011. Starting with the Puritan era and the fear of witches and ending with the modern-day fascination with the monsters within us, i.e. Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! 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). What becomes disturbingly apparent is that most of Americas hatred of the Other is based in Christian religious belief. The opening chapter introduces several motifs that will be present throughout the story. This is an amazing book. You can find more scary stories from him on Twitter: @monstersamerica. "Monsters in America" is a work that touches on the many facets of Horror in America. There he teaches courses on monsters, pop culture, and American history. for a group? Get help and learn more about the design. After Steve testifies, OBrien puts Mr. Sawicki, his film teacher, on the stand. FABULOUS! Willa Cather Short Stories Five Superb Stories to Read for FREE! From our colonial past to the present, the monster in all its various forms has been a staple of American culture. See a complete Character List for Monster, as well as in-depth analysis of its most important characters. Marilynne Robinson 10 Freely Available Essays! Trick-or-treat! can only mean one thingHalloween. Books About Race in America; Coretta Scott . During the robbery, Aguinaldo Nesbitt, the fifty-five-year-old owner of the store, was killed. Continue to start your free trial. I found it informative, fascinating, thought-provoking and well-written. Monster is told as a first-person account by Steve Harmon, a Black teenager on trial for felony murder in New York. Lovecraft_. 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. 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We are sorry. Before you get all "He's Anti-American!" Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2012. The little monsters who come to our doors for candy at Halloween are small reminders of our large problem. Pooles excoriation of one homogenous grouping belies the essence of the problem which is our human nature. By the end of the book, Poole cautions that Americas monsters arent going away anytime soon. The book's unusual range is one of its contributions; its freshness of juxtaposition is another. Monster is a 1999 young adult novel by Walter Dean Myers. A Midsummer Night's Dream (No Fear Shakespeare) by SparkNotes QUICK ADD Macbeth (No Fear Shakespeare) by SparkNotes QUICK ADD Hamlet (No Fear Shakespeare) by SparkNotes QUICK ADD Julius Caesar (No Fear Shakespeare) by SparkNotes QUICK ADD Othello (No Fear Shakespeare) by SparkNotes QUICK ADD Twelfth Night (No Fear Shakespeare) by SparkNotes When meeting the natives, he saw their way of life as barbaric and uncivilized. Best Johnny Cash Books Biographies and More! for a customized plan. Fifteen Important Theology Books of 2022!!! Monsters In America challenges, enlightens, and, quite honestly, frightens in its prescient view of American history, . Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more! 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. Design by Booyah Creative. As W. Scott Poole's text will serve as the conceptual framework for the course, this assignment seeks to promote regular critical engagement with the text. Project MUSE promotes the creation and dissemination of essential humanities and social science resources through collaboration with libraries, publishers, and scholars worldwide. Copyright 2023 That's What She Read. After readingMonsters in America, a reader will view monsters in a completely different light. | [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. Poole seeks to undermine myths of American exceptionalism by locating monsters that he believes exist outside our psyche, in history. I had trouble finding a consistent narrative in a book that talked about sea monsters, Bigfoot, Universal Movie Monsters, Freak-shows, and several other topics, and never spending enough time on any of them to feel like I was more informed after reading. Sales Date: 2018-07-13. (one code per order). 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. Steves lawyer, Kathy OBrien, urges Steve to take his situation seriously because this crime could put him in jail for twenty years or more. on me, relax. 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. Steve Harmon, a Black sixteen-year-old, sits in his jail cell and writes in his notebook. In the follow-up to his first book. The Best C.S. Fyodor Dostoevsky Download all his Novels as Free Ebooks !!! Monsters in America is lively and entertaining throughout. Lovecraft in print. Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. 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. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Friedrich Nietzsche believed we are the monsters. by W. Scott Poole. This book is a wonderful introduction to American history through the lens of monsters. Study Guides, Friday afternoon, July 17th & December, 5 months later. Enter your email below to sign up for our weekly newsletter& download your FREE copy of this ebook! (1 page) Students will compose a summary of the chapter, highlighting the key elements of Poole's text. 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. SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. Penn State folklorist Bill Ellis called the book "required reading for . Frontier wilderness beasts, Freddie Krueger, witches of Salem, alien invasions, and freak show oddities are some of the monstrous creatures. In Monster, Walter Dean Myers tells the story of Steve Harmon's trial. Imprint: Baylor University Press. While some may believe that there was no conflict between the settlers and the natives, and that, they just coexisted peacefully. Pooles constant harangue against anything conservative is a thin criticism to begin, stretched beyond any semblance of recognition by the end of the book. In this way he resembles Frankenstein, who alienates himself by pursuing forbidden knowledge. Now and Always,The Trusted Content Your Research Requires, Now and Always, The Trusted Content Your Research Requires, Built on the Johns Hopkins University Campus. as uncivilized people and even believed them to be monsters. 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. 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? 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. (1 page) Students will compose a summary of the chapter, highlighting the key elements of Poole's text. Without cookies your experience may not be seamless. 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. Antiracism Books for Christians A Reading Guide, Thomas Merton Books An Intro Reading Guide. ! His transitions from movie metaphors to American social ills are often strained if not unconvincing. Scholars will argue over interpretation because that is what scholars do. 62 reviews Salem witches, frontier wilderness beasts, freak show oddities, alien invasions, Freddie Krueger. 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. Poole's connection of the monster to American history is a kind of Creature Features meets American cultural history. Bloodshed and hatred are universals in human nature and Pooles book is a very unsettling history of its American manifestation. 2715 North Charles StreetBaltimore, Maryland, USA 21218. Excellent study of the machinery of monsters and their meaning in American history. Yuckfest. March 4, 2023, SNPLUSROCKS20 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.". Well-written and engaging,Monsters in Americais a must-read for anyone fascinated by history or monsters or both. | Contact us 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. Reprinted by permission. Monster was adapted into a movie of the same name in 2018. Sex and violence are the recurring themes of the book, but Poole always provides context for why they recur so often. OBrien gathers her papers and moves away, leaving Steve standing with outstretched arms. Dont have an account? We can anticipate either alien salvation or judgment from beyond. In his new preface and expanded conclusion, Pooles tale connects to the presentillustrating the relationship between current social movements and their historical antecedents. Date. An excellent study for any student of history or media but also fun and accessible for any fan of monsters and the movies. 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. John Wesley Sermons - The 7 Best Sermons from the Founder of Methodism. 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 blends popular culture and American history to present a unique perspective oh why and how we create and perpetuate the monsters we fear most. Mary Oliver Essays 10 Prose Selections to Read for Free Online! This item: Monsters in America: Our Historical Obsession with the Hideous and the Haunting by W. Scott Poole Paperback $34.99 The Monster Theory Reader by Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock Paperback $45.11 On Monsters: An Unnatural History of Our Worst Fears by Stephen T. Asma Paperback $28.95 What other items do customers buy after viewing this item? Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2012. 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. This book is a wonderful introduction to American history through the lens of monsters. 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. Here we not only meet such monsters but also discover America's cultural monstrosity. The book made a few strong points, but ultimately it was a mediocre read. Thoughts: What makes a monster a monster? The history of America -- one fear, one monster, at a time. Please try again. 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. Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership. 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). All opinions expressed are uniquely my own. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. 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. You can find more scary stories from him on Twitter: @monstersamerica. Another witness testifies that King is left-handed. Youve successfully purchased a group discount. C. Christopher Smith is the founding editor of The Englewood Review of Books. I have an affiliate relationship with several bookstores, including Powells Books and IndieBound. Eastern Orthodoxy Essential Books [A Reading List]. "Rue Morgue" magazine called it "the best biography of H.P. Novelist Sheri Holman calls the book "a subversive masterpiece.". The State rests its case. 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. Suppose someone wanted to trace American history through the common coffee cup. I highly recommend this for fans of the horror genre and anthropology. He reminds the jury of the witnesses criminal records and contends that their unreliability casts reasonable doubt on Kings guilt. They Poole offers an insight on America's fascination with monsters. Poole never assumes a 1-1 metaphor, but he does show how common themes (the reemergence of the vampire at different points in American history, for example) are useful shorthand for working through these anxieties. 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. Victor sees the monster's point of view and agrees to create a mate for the monster. 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. Copyright Thats What She Read 2009-2013. 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. It is lively and engaging and well researched. Mr. Pooles evidence is as intriguing as it is informative. 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! 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. Poole offers an insight on America's fascination with monsters. Dorothy Moore, a cousin of Kings, testifies that King was with her at the time of the robbery. OBrien follows and reminds the jury that the State has not proved any of its charges against Steve. Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more! Suppose someone wanted to trace American history through the common coffee cup. Best Bob Dylan Books Biographies, Lyrics, and More! Lewis Biography (And Other Biographies /Companion Guides)! By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. Evenhandedness exists in the books last sentence suggesting that liberal visions of social justice could create something worse (228). wish it felt more american- some of the trends were too broad, and I wish thered been more emphasis on early America (e.g. Conflicting anxieties about race, class, gender, sexuality, religious beliefs, science, and politics manifest as haunting beings among the populace.