monsters in america sparknotes

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. The book won the John Cawelti prize from the Popular Culture Association for the best book published in pop culture history for 2011. Even fewer scholars do so as adeptly and as entertainingly as W. Scott Poole. | Omer-Sherman, Ranen. 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. Another witness testifies that King is left-handed. Conflicting anxieties about race, class, gender, sexuality, religious beliefs, science, and politics manifest as haunting beings among the populace. Monster is told as a first-person account by Steve Harmon, a Black teenager on trial for felony murder in New York. 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. 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. 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. Steve is about to stand trial for felony homicide. 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. However, his interpretations and implications are nothing less than threatening to whatever status quo our authorities would prefer us to maintain. Briggs presents his defense of King. There was a problem loading your book clubs. Bolden testifies that he bought cigarettes from Bobo Evans and that Evans told him about the robbery. Bram Stoker Award finalist W. Scott Poole is the author of numerous books and articles on monsters and mayhem in popular culture. SparkNotes PLUS You can view our. 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). ! His transitions from movie metaphors to American social ills are often strained if not unconvincing. session with vampires and zombies, Poole plots America's past through its fears in this intriguing sociocultural history. Highly recommended. on 50-99 accounts. However, this book was not only as easy read, but incredibly enlightening, eye-opening, and thrilling. 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. What could we extrapolate on the ways we lived and what we believed during each era? History is horror. Friedrich Nietzsche believed we are the monsters. Whats worse is how these monster images exist even until today. Before you get all "He's Anti-American!" Steve is about to stand trial for felony homicide. I suppose history could be read into just about any object. 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. Renews March 11, 2023 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. The kind of monsters depends on the era. OBrien gathers her papers and moves away, leaving Steve standing with outstretched arms. Monster in America is a literature book by W. Scott Poole. 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. Excellent study of the machinery of monsters and their meaning in American history. 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. $24.99 But a third interpretive option exists. 2715 North Charles StreetBaltimore, Maryland, USA 21218. 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. 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. 1945-1960 2.) 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. 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). Here's where you'll find analysis of the main themes, motifs, and symbols in Monster. 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. Please provide specific examples to support your answers. She coaches Steve on how to answer questions on the witness stand. Suppose someone wanted to trace American history through the common coffee cup. I thought this was gonna be about different monsters from American folklore. Lovecraft in print. [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. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Wed love to have you back! Jacques Ellul Books An Introductory Reading Guide. The old newspaper adage still holds true today. A masterful survey of our grim and often disturbing past, Monsters in. Monsters in America is an important contribution, and it will be enjoyed by literary and cultural historians alike. Discount, Discount Code You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. 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. Conflicting anxieties about race, class, gender, sexuality, religious beliefs, science, and politics manifest as haunting beings among the populace. It felt more like I was reading a college midterm (not even open book), and less like strong literary criticism. Fall 2021 Most Anticipated Books for Christian Readers! After Steve hears the verdict, he turns to OBrien for a hug. For the record, I'm *not* well versed on the horror genre due to my fear of almost every popular culture monster. 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. Discount, Discount Code Dorothy Moore, a cousin of Kings, testifies that King was with her at the time of the robbery. 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. "Angels, Monsters, and Jews: Intersections of Queer and Jewish Identity in Kushner's "Angels in America."" PMLA 113, no. I was pretty fascinated through this whole book. 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. 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. Sophfronia Scott - The Seeker and the Monk [Review], James Atwood - Collateral Damage - Brief Review, Emily M.D. 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. For Professors: Exam Copies. Just about all the scarey things that crawl into popular media hail from the leaf-littered shadowy forests that haunt the American mind. new monsters appear as American society evolves, paralleling fluctuating challenges to the cultural status quo. | From our colonial past to the present, the monster in all its various forms has been a staple of American culture. 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. Detectives Karyl and Williams describe their arrival at the crime scene. I used this as a textbook for a themed English course: Monsters, Myths, and Magic. 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. Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more! 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. 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? An interesting and accessible overview of the link between American history and the monsters that fascinate them. 20% 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. Poole's examples are well-chosen and well-explicated. 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. Specifically, he discusses how the stories like "Pocahontas" and "The. This is an amazing book. A masterful survey of our grim and often disturbing past. 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. I have read Mr. Poole's work before, so I knew I was in for a treat and I was right. The jury returns verdicts of guilty for James King and not guilty for Steve Harmon. We've quickly looked at a wide variety of Native Cultures across the Americas. All opinions expressed are uniquely my own. The book takes you from the trenches at Ypres to the backlots of Universal Studios and introduces you to the artists, writers, and directors who shaped the world of horror we know today from their own encounter with the carnage of the Great War. Evans states that King was his partner in the robbery and that Steve served as the lookout. In 2016, he wrote the Bram Stoker Finalist _In the Mountains of Madness: The Life and Extraordinary Afterlife of H.P. We are led to believe that bloody movies portray the sinister seditions of social conservativismthe ultimate grim reaper. Henri Nouwen Books An Introductory Reading Guide. Produced by Johns Hopkins University Press in collaboration with The Sheridan Libraries. Hafez Poems Five of Our Favorites from the Divan of Hafez, N.T. Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan! 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 . He is at home with his parents and his brother Jerry. Hardback: Baylor University Press, 2011. A.Universal white male suffrage B.Public education C.Child labor D.Temperance. 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. With Monsters in America, W. Scott Poole has given us a guidebook for a journey into nightmare territory. Monster is told as a first-person account by Steve Harmon, a Black teenager on trial for felony murder in New York. The book's unusual range is one of its contributions; its freshness of juxtaposition is another. 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. 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. Monsters In America challenges, enlightens, and, quite honestly, frightens in its prescient view of American history, . does a bang-up job of demonstrating how our culture helps us achieve some sort of understanding about our world and our lives. Imprint: Baylor University Press. If you're looking for an introductory book to the subject, it's a great resource. 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. Anne Bradstreet Poems Five of our Favorites by the Puritan Poet! for a customized plan. Salem witches, frontier wilderness beasts, freak show oddities, alien invasions, Freddie Krueger. Poole's examples are well-chosen and well-explicated. 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. This book is quite well researched, makes a few interesting connections, and is very accessible. Monsters in America. 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. Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2014. Monsters arrived in 2011and now they are back. 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. Good references in the book that I looked up to further read about horror movies and their importance to our sociological perspective. Twelve Important Theology Books of 2020!!! Emily Dickinson Poems Seven of our Favorites! Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window), Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window), Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), When you get the opportunity to see your daughter, @muse and their #willofthepeopleworldtour was by f, @evanescenceofficial has been around for twenty ye, When you havent seen your favorite band live in, When your partner is obsessed with the Alex Murdau, Monsters in America: Our Historical Obsession with the Hideous and the Haunting, https://bookshop.org/shop/thatswhatsheread, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. for a customized plan. W. Scott Poole. (1 page) Students will compose a summary of the chapter, highlighting the key elements of Poole's text. W. Scott Poole is Professor of History at the College of Charleston, where he teaches courses on monsters, pop culture, and American history. She continues to assert that Steve served as the lookout for the robbery and is as guilty as the others. . Michelle Shannon is licensed under a In Virginia's sectional differences, what natural boundary marked the dividing line between the traditional thinkers and those desiring reforms to have greater representation? But honestly, most folks go to horror films for what they would say is the hell of it. Some people enjoy being scared, period. He is the author of several books, including a biography of H.P Lovecraft, which became a Bram Stoker award finalist, and. He also doesn't shy away from the role of the monstrous in helping maintain oppressive regimes and the status quo. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. 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. Monsters and American History W. Scott Poole offers many unique explanations for the creation and story telling of monsters in his essayMonsters in America.Poole examines the cultural history of the monster and how it intersects with American history. I highly recommend this for fans of the horror genre and anthropology. (Christopher James Blythe, Florida State University, (John W. Morehead, editor, www.TheoFantastique.com). James King has his own lawyer, Asa Briggs. 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. I want to start out by saying that I absolutely love the notion behind this book. C. Christopher Smith is the founding editor of The Englewood Review of Books. The author radically departs from the notion that monsters are a metaphor for our fears through the ages. Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more! Filmmakers create celluloid illusions with that in mind. Pallas Athena Roman name: Minerva. Monsters in America: IE- minorities = what we are anxious about / obsessed with = the monstrous = monsters. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. It is not just about film and fiction, but the cultural events that mirrored the works on the screen and in our nightmares. From 19th century sea serpents to our current. Date. Steves lawyer, Kathy OBrien, urges Steve to take his situation seriously because this crime could put him in jail for twenty years or more. Fifteen Important Theology Books of 2022!!! (Greg Garrett, Faithful Citizenship blogger and author of, One Fine Potion: The Literary Magic of Harry Potter, (John David Smith, Charles H. Stone Distinguished Professor of American History, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte), W. Scott Poole is Professor of History at the College of Charleston. Steve Harmon, a Black sixteen-year-old, sits in his jail cell and writes in his notebook. 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. Title and sub-title encouraged my interest in securing a copy of Monsters in America for review. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Steve worries about why OBrien turned away from him after winning the case. 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 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. 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. Contact us Evil brutes exist inside and outside American neighborhoods. Evenhandedness exists in the books last sentence suggesting that liberal visions of social justice could create something worse (228). Just watch any local news program and you'll see what I mean. Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2021. It's no secret that America is a little messed up. Highly recommended." Jenn's Bookshelves "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. Eastern Orthodoxy Essential Books [A Reading List]. It's rarely happy news being reported. 335 Pages, 6.00 x 9.00 in. What I discovered is that Poole should have written two books: his perspective on American history, another on monsters. Wasteland: The Great War and the Origins of Modern Horror, On Monsters: An Unnatural History of Our Worst Fears. SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. 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. Then it is OBriens turn to present the defense of Steve. 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. I suppose history could be read into just about any object. Reprinted by permission. While Poole is an academic his book is anything but dry. Poole states that, in actuality, that the Europeans saw the natives. Often fascinating attempt to look at monsters through the lens of American history, Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2011. Reading this for research for a paper I am writing for a creative nonfiction class for college, but what an interesting book regardless! 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. Poole states that, in actuality, that the Europeans saw the natives as uncivilized people and even believed them to be monsters. 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. Howard Thurman Books An Introductory Reading Guide. The book's unusual range is one of its contributions; its freshness of juxtaposition is another. 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). Steve calls the movie Monster because that is what the prosecutor has called him. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. 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. Freedman, Jonathan. (1 page) Students will compose a summary of the chapter, highlighting the key elements of Poole's text. Please wait while we process your payment. Novelist Sheri Holman calls the book "a subversive masterpiece.". Instead of representing the "us vs them" mentality, monsters are much closer so home: they are us. 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. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. Would that Poole could have written a chapter on one of the liberal American horror shows: 50 million babies slaughtered through this countrys abortion industry. [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. The tendency to view American monsters as primarily psychological archetypes ignores how closely they have reflected actual historical events and actual historical victims.". damn good primer on monsters in America. This book is really good, a look at our monsters in a social conceptional way. He decides to make a movie about his experience. Learn how your comment data is processed. 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. When social conservatives oppose something, like - say -. You'll also receive an email with the link. 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? I am fiercely passionate about two things: History and Monsters. Briggs makes the first closing argument in the case. Please try again. FREE Shipping on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon. "Sick," published by Abrams/Amulet). 1996-2023, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates, Select a location to see product availability. Books About Race in America; Coretta Scott . (one code per order). From Victorian-era mad scientists to modern-day serial killers.

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