Bloodshed and hatred are universals in human nature and Pooles book is a very unsettling history of its American manifestation. I appreciated that in this second edition he shows how our language of the monstrous has played a role in instances like the police shootings of unarmed black people and how visions of dread play into Donald Trump's rhetoric. uniquely brings together history and culture studies to expose the dark obsessions that have helped create our national identity. 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. 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. W. Scott Poole is Professor of History at the College of Charleston, where he teaches courses on monsters, pop culture, and American history. It's also a great way of introducing the idea that you can use different lenses/ways of writing to introduce and discuss topics. Monster is told as a first-person account by Steve Harmon, a Black teenager on trial for felony murder in New York. Excellent examination of horror movies evolution through the years and also how societal happenings influence the movies at the time they are made. ", Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Sometimes it can end up there. Poole agrees telling us early and often You are the main character in this terror-filled little tale (xviii). From our colonial past to the present, the monster in all its various forms has been a staple of American culture. 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. Steve tells his story through handwritten notes as in a journal and a typewritten screenplay. Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2017. In a nutshell, monsters for Poole are metaphors / stand-ins for whoever is loathed or feared in a certain historical context. More importantly, what is the definition of a monster? Go to BN.com to get your copy of these helpful resources. Insightful and brilliant! 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. The atheist taught that inflicting suffering while enjoying the process is human nature. Monsters in America (2nd ed.) The brother of Zeus and Poseidon, Hades rules the underworld, the realm of the dead, with his wife, Persephone. 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. Monster was adapted into a movie of the same name in 2018. 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. Lovecraft_. SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. 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. Omer-Sherman, Ranen. $18.74/subscription + tax, Save 25% 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. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. The Monster argues that his murderousness is not his fault. This book is quite well researched, makes a few interesting connections, and is very accessible. 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. 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. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. But real monsters collect different trophies; they are no laughing matter. 62 reviews Salem witches, frontier wilderness beasts, freak show oddities, alien invasions, Freddie Krueger. to start your free trial of SparkNotes Plus. Poole states that, in actuality, that the Europeans saw the natives. Enter your email below to sign up for our weekly newsletter& download your FREE copy of this ebook! 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. The book reflects on the. Even fewer scholars do so as adeptly and as entertainingly as W. Scott Poole. 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. Wed love to have you back! View all The defense rests after Sawickis testimony. 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. | You can find more scary stories from him on Twitter: @monstersamerica. Spring 2021 Most Anticipated Books for Christian Readers! Michelangelo Biographies Best Books on the Renaissance Artist! Conflicting anxieties about race, class, gender, sexuality, religious beliefs, science, and politics manifest as haunting beings among the populace. When social conservatives oppose something, like - say -. is available now and can be read on any device with the free Kindle app. The scary tales found in the classic texts remind usno matter our nationality, ethnicity, or political persuasionthe monster is us. The strongest witness for the State is Richard Bobo Evans, who admits that he took part in the robbery. From our colonial past to the present, the monster in all its various forms has been a staple of American culture. Best Leonard Cohen Books Biographies and Books by the Songwriter. Bram Stoker Award finalist W. Scott Poole is the author of numerous books and articles on monsters and mayhem in popular culture. The horrible treatment of indigenous peoples and slaverys practice is sin that stains Americas history. Salem witches, frontier wilderness beasts, freak show oddities, alien invasions, Freddie Krueger. Excellent study of the machinery of monsters and their meaning in American history. One wishes for a consistency in commentary. Thanks to Poole's insights we see the ubiquity of the monster lurking in and around us. By the end of the book, Poole cautions that Americas monsters arent going away anytime soon. Without cookies your experience may not be seamless. See a complete Character List for Monster, as well as in-depth analysis of its most important characters. In this way he resembles Frankenstein, who alienates himself by pursuing forbidden knowledge. The two defense counsels, OBrien and Briggs, establish that the witnesses are testifying for the State in return for reduced sentences. Regardless of the gruesome event, whether it's the Salem Witch Trials back in the 1600s or 9/11 just 10 years ago, one thing remains constant: Americans are obsessed with them. (Gary Laderman, Professor of American Religious History and Cultures, Emory University), (J. Gordon Melton, Director, Institute for the Study of American Religion). By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. (one code per order). Learn how your comment data is processed. Mary Oliver Essays 10 Prose Selections to Read for Free Online! We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Fyodor Dostoevsky Download all his Novels as Free Ebooks !!! (Christopher James Blythe, Florida State University, (John W. Morehead, editor, www.TheoFantastique.com). I used this as a textbook for a themed English course: Monsters, Myths, and Magic. If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! With Monsters in America, W. Scott Poole has given us a guidebook for a journey into nightmare territory. Steve is about to stand trial for felony homicide. Poole's connection of the monster to American history is a kind of Creature Features meets American cultural history. It's no secret that America is a little messed up. Please use a different way to share. Detectives Karyl and Williams describe their arrival at the crime scene. While some may believe that there was no conflict between the settlers and the natives, and that, they just coexisted peacefully. Perhaps monsters are made in our society more purposefully than we realize. Here we not only meet such monsters but also discover America's cultural monstrosity. He states that he knows James King and Osvaldo Cruz, but only casually. Browning's research, including extensive field work in New Orleans, has uncovered a subculture of . "Angels, Monsters, and Jews: Intersections of Queer and Jewish Identity in Kushner's "Angels in America."" PMLA 113, no. In a nutshell, monsters for Poole are metaphors / stand-ins for whoever is loathed or feared in a certain historical context. Sales Date: 2018-07-13. 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. 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. 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. 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. Free trial is available to new customers only. You'll also receive an email with the link. For me, there are intertwined. The second edition of Monsters leads readers deeper into Americas tangled past to show how monsters continue to haunt contemporary American ideology. 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. Steve also states that he was not at the drugstore on the day of the crime but was walking around thinking about his movie. 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. 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. We are sorry. Friedrich Nietzsche believed we are the monsters. Steve calls the movie Monster because that is what the prosecutor has called him. Poole's connection of the monster to American history is a kind of Creature Features meets American cultural history. If specters of the past still haunt our present, they may yet invade our future. His new book, forthcoming this fall and available for pre-order, is _Wasteland: The Great War and the Roots of Modern Horror_. OBrien tells Steve that her job is to make him a human being in the eyes of the jury. An interesting and accessible overview of the link between American history and the monsters that fascinate them. 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. From early American ghost stories to Jordan Peeles Get Out (2017), Scott Poole expertly tracks the importance of monsters and monstrosity in American culture. Dont have an account? For Poole Halloween means more trick than treat; we discover that the monsters are us. I suppose history could be read into just about any object. A.Universal white male suffrage B.Public education C.Child labor D.Temperance. 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. Monster in America is a literature book by W. Scott Poole. There was a problem loading your book clubs. Lewis Biography (And Other Biographies /Companion Guides)! $18.74/subscription + tax, Save 25% Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. IE- minorities = what we are anxious about / obsessed with = the monstrous = monsters. Satan in America tells the story of America's complicated relationship with the devil. 20% 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. Poole brings to life American horror stories by framing them within folk belief, religion, and popular culture, broadly unraveling the idea of the monster. They are manifestations of our society. Excellent study of the machinery of monsters and their meaning Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! You can view our. Unfortunately, however, the writing just reads as super amateurish and unnatural--to the point where your brain feels exhausted after slogging through only a couple pages. 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. The little monsters who come to our doors for candy at Halloween are small reminders of our large problem. "Sick," published by Abrams/Amulet). incredibly rewarding and fulfilling reading. Monsters in America has without a doubt earned a spot on my favorite books of 2011. Subscribe now. Author W. Scott Poole takes a look at America's fascination with the macabre in his book. However, his interpretations and implications are nothing less than threatening to whatever status quo our authorities would prefer us to maintain. 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. Mark Eckel is Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Professor of Old Testament at Crossroads Bible College. Amazon has encountered an error. 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. Penn State folklorist Bill Ellis called the book "required reading for anyone who wants to understand the dark roots of America culture." 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. Purchasing John Wesley Sermons - The 7 Best Sermons from the Founder of Methodism. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 2013. All rights reserved. I seem to be having bad luck with books lately, but the writing style just didnt connect with me. He is the author of several books, including a biography of H.P Lovecraft, which became a Bram Stoker award finalist, and. This book is really good, a look at our monsters in a social conceptional way. Some of his writings can be accessed at www.warpandwoof.org. A.Slavery B.States' rights C.Internal improvements D.Westward expansion. From our colonial past to the present, the monster in all its various forms has been a staple of American culture. Dorothy Sayers Poems Five of Our Favorites! Friedrich Nietzsche believed we are the monsters. It is lively and engaging and well researched. Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. What is it that rumbles in the American unconscious that relates to the figures we see on the screen. 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. 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. 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??! 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! Monster is told as a first-person account by Steve Harmon, a Black teenager on trial for felony murder in New York. Paperback; 9781481308823; Published: July 2018; $34.99. Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2012. Monsters in America is an important contribution, and it will be enjoyed by literary and cultural historians alike. What I discovered is that Poole should have written two books: his perspective on American history, another on monsters. Poole brings to life American horror stories by framing them within folk belief, religion, and popular culture, broadly unraveling the idea of the monster. 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. She identifies James King as being one of the two young men. The history of America -- one fear, one monster, at a time. 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). History is horror. session with vampires and zombies, Poole plots America's past through its fears in this intriguing sociocultural history. The book won the John Cawelti prize from the Popular Culture Association for the best book published in pop culture history for 2011. Christopher Columbus came to the Americas searching for gold, slaves, and monsters. I wasn't ready for the overtly sociological approach of the book, and was expecting a history, as alluded to in the title of the book. You can view our. America, like all nations, is made up of monstrous human beings. Not only that, but Sandra Petrocelli, the State prosecutor, is a very good lawyer. The author radically departs from the notion that monsters are a metaphor for our fears through the ages. Dorothy Sayers Where to Start with her Mystery Novels? 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. Want 100 or more? on 50-99 accounts. Component 2: Summary. He is at home with his parents and his brother Jerry. Edna St. Vincent Millay Five of our Favorite Poems ! Good references in the book that I looked up to further read about horror movies and their importance to our sociological perspective. Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations. Please wait while we process your payment. A must read for fans of horror and monsters! Briggs presents his defense of King. Briggs establishes that the police had shown photos of King to Mrs. Henry before she picked him out of a lineup. By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. Through the two and a half weeks I took with this book, I have been citing it in conversation. 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. 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. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading American Monsters: A History of Monster Lore, Legends, and Sightings in America. 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. What would be made of the differences of the heavy, utilitarian coffee cups of the 1940s compared to the cups featuring Gary Larson cartoons so popular in the 1990s? Component 3: Vocabulary. Indeed, the reader may struggle as I did with the leaps Poole makes between monster movies and American social ills. 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. to start your free trial of SparkNotes Plus. I often use this in my Freshman Writing courses to show that writing doesn't have to be boring. Penn State folklorist Bill Ellis called the book "required reading for . Connect with him online at: C-Christopher-Smith.com, "This book will inspire, motivate and challenge anyone who cares a whit about the written word, the world of ideas, the shape of our communities. I 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. The kind of monsters depends on the era. for a customized plan. Sex and violence are the recurring themes of the book, but Poole always provides context for why they recur so often. the bell witch, the roanaoke colony, etc.) Contact us Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2012. Human beings made him declare "war" by treating him like an enemy. When, meeting the natives, he saw their way of life as barbaric and uncivilized. Instead it's more about the social function of the monsterous and why people believe what they believe and how different folkloric monsters became popular at different times in history. Monsters in America is lively and entertaining throughout. Twelve Important Theology Books of 2020!!! Discount, Discount Code Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership. Thoughts: What makes a monster a monster? An excellent study for any student of history or media but also fun and accessible for any fan of monsters and the movies. Mrs. Henry testifies to being in the drugstore and seeing two young Black men arguing with the store owner. The new edition extends this analysis to shed light on some of the darker developments in recent American political culture. St. Augustine Best Books on His Life and Work, Holy Sonnets John Donne Complete Text. Monsters are here to stay. (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. Did you know you can highlight text to take a note? OBrien gathers her papers and moves away, leaving Steve standing with outstretched arms. 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. Monsters refuse to be cordoned off in only one nationality, ethnicity, religion, or political mindset. 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. Other times Poole relies too heavily on social interpreters for his connections. ", In 2014 he published _Vampira: Dark Goddess of Horror_ that looked at the life of 1950s horror host Maila Nurmi (a.k.a. Youve successfully purchased a group discount. This book is a wonderful introduction to American history through the lens of monsters. We can anticipate either alien salvation or judgment from beyond. Wasteland: The Great War and the Origins of Modern Horror, On Monsters: An Unnatural History of Our Worst Fears. Monster is usually used to reflect an individual's actions; especially, it shows for the wrong act of people. For Poole Halloween means more trick than treat; we discover that the monsters are us. Antiracism Books for Christians A Reading Guide, Thomas Merton Books An Intro Reading Guide. They Poole offers an insight on America's fascination with monsters. 2715 North Charles StreetBaltimore, Maryland, USA 21218. Briggs makes the first closing argument in the case. 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. 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. 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.

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