The new edition extends this analysis to shed light on some of the darker developments in recent American political culture. on 2-49 accounts, Save 30% The pages are littered with characterizations which demonize only a conservative set of ideas. Classic Gratitude Poems Joy Harjo, Mary Oliver, MORE. Freedman, Jonathan. It is not a book on actual monsters but how Americans find monsters in different eras on social constructs. Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations. 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). Visit the new website for more about the book, upcoming events, and to keep up with Scott Poole's blog. Study Guides, Friday afternoon, July 17th & December, 5 months later. InMonsters in America,Scott Poole asks these thought-provoking questions while traveling through American history following the evolution of the monster over time. Hardback: Baylor University Press, 2011. It is not just about film and fiction, but the cultural events that mirrored the works on the screen and in our nightmares. religious texts and newspaper accounts of "satanic panics" into a highly readable analysis of the concept of the devil in American cultural history. Mark Eckel is Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Professor of Old Testament at Crossroads Bible College. By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy. Pooles book becomes a tired screed against those whose political-social viewpoints are antithetic to his own. Fall 2021 Most Anticipated Books for Christian Readers! He states that he knows James King and Osvaldo Cruz, but only casually. , W. Scott Poole has given us a guidebook for a journey into nightmare territory. 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. After Steve testifies, OBrien puts Mr. Sawicki, his film teacher, on the stand. Monsters are here to stay. Twelve Important Theology Books of 2020!!! The second edition of Monsters leads readers deeper into Americas tangled past to show how monsters continue to haunt contemporary American ideology. Yuckfest. Jos Delgado, an employee of the drugstore, tells how he found Mr. Nesbitts body and noticed that cash and cigarettes were missing. Dont have an account? From our colonial past to the present, the monster in all its various forms has been a staple of American culture. 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. Mrs. Henry testifies to being in the drugstore and seeing two young Black men arguing with the store owner. Good references in the book that I looked up to further read about horror movies and their importance to our sociological perspective. Dorothy Sayers Poems Five of Our Favorites! He wonders what OBrien saw. 2023 Project MUSE. This is such an interesting and compelling about our connection to the monstrous and the monstrous' role in expressing national anxieties in our popular media. | She tells the jury that James King and Steve Harmon, along with two other criminals, robbed a drugstore. Monsters in America is W. Scott Poole's interpretive history. Instead of representing the "us vs them" mentality, monsters are much closer so home: they are us. (Christopher James Blythe, Florida State University, (John W. Morehead, editor, www.TheoFantastique.com). Please use a different way to share. $24.99 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? Steve Harmon, a Black sixteen-year-old, sits in his jail cell and writes in his notebook. 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 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. The little monsters who come to our doors for candy at Halloween are small reminders of our large problem. You can find more scary stories from him on Twitter: @monstersamerica. The man immediately begins screaming about something hidden in the mist that is attacking and killing people. Poole's connection of the monster to American history is a kind of Creature Features meets American cultural history. 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. Excellent study of the machinery of monsters and their meaning Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! Salem witches, frontier wilderness beasts, freak show oddities, alien invasions, Freddie Krueger. From our colonial past to the present, the monster in all its various forms has been a staple of American culture. View all I used this as a textbook for a themed English course: Monsters, Myths, and Magic. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. on 2-49 accounts, Save 30% [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. (1 page) Students will compose a summary of the chapter, highlighting the key elements of Poole's text. [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. He also makes notes about his movie and about details he observes in court. Poole's connection of the monster to American history is a kind of Creature Features meets American cultural history. Date. In Monster, Walter Dean Myers tells the story of Steve Harmon's trial. On Being with Krista Tippett Top 10 Best Episodes! Purchasing Monsters in America is lively and entertaining throughout. If you're looking for an introductory book to the subject, it's a great resource. Novelist Sheri Holman calls the book "a subversive masterpiece.". All rights reserved. See a complete Character List for Monster, as well as in-depth analysis of its most important characters. Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2012. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. 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. 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. Name: Kim Hoan Tran Dr. Che 07/08/2019 Summary Paper Summary of Monstrous Beginning In Monster in America written by W. Scott Poole, especially the chapter called "Monstrous Beginnings". 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. 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. Continue to start your free trial. Monsters in America does a phenomenal job examining American history through the lens of monsters and the monstrous. 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. Conflicting anxieties about race, class, gender, sexuality, religious beliefs, science, and politics manifest as haunting beings among the populace. James King has his own lawyer, Asa Briggs. Monster was adapted into a movie of the same name in 2018. Another witness testifies that King is left-handed. Bloodshed and hatred are universals in human nature and Pooles book is a very unsettling history of its American manifestation. It looks like WhatsApp is not installed on your phone. 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! Not only is it written in a fun, easy to relate to voice, but it is also chock full of info. 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. (The medical examiners evidence suggests that the shooter was probably right-handed.) In Virginia's sectional differences, what natural boundary marked the dividing line between the traditional thinkers and those desiring reforms to have greater representation? Amazon has encountered an error. Conflicting anxieties about race, class, gender, sexuality, religious beliefs, science, and politics manifest as haunting beings among the populace. Trick-or-treat! can only mean one thingHalloween. There was a problem loading your book clubs. Marshall1 Jenna Marshall Prof. Goff Writing 1010 12 September 2021 Summary Final In Scott Poole's essay Monsters in America Poole's main claim is that stories of monsters are associated with the troubled history of American history of racism, politics, class prejudice, gender disparity, and how society's fears can be equally showing of our divides. March 4, 2023, SNPLUSROCKS20 new monsters appear as American society evolves, paralleling fluctuating challenges to the cultural status quo. If it bleeds, it reads. serial killers, each generation faced its own challenges and highlighted its fear within its own monsters. Monsters in America is W. Scott Pooles interpretive history. 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. Petrocelli presents the charges against the defendants. Salem witches, frontier wilderness beasts, freak show oddities, alien invasions, Freddie Krueger. 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. Wendell Berry Poems Seven of Our Favorites! Go to BN.com to get your copy of these helpful resources. We are led to believe that bloody movies portray the sinister seditions of social conservativismthe ultimate grim reaper. White Doe" disguised the true relationship between the European settlers and Native Americans. For my own part, I have been studying and writing about Gothic horror for some years. Wed love to have you back! OBrien follows and reminds the jury that the State has not proved any of its charges against Steve. Penn State folklorist Bill Ellis called the book "required reading for . Please try again. The history of the United States offers a chamber of horrors, with clergy transforming the Native American other into demonic beings, mad scientists turning state-funded laboratories into torture chambers, and the photographic revolution of the Victorian era turning toward a morbid fascination with the bodies of the dead and the creation of the category of 'gore.' 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. His footnotes have left me with a massive pile of additional books to read. Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. The old newspaper adage still holds true today. We can anticipate either alien salvation or judgment from beyond. 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. Which one would you like to know more about and why? The kind of monsters depends on the era. Synopsis: From our colonial past to the present, the monster in all its various forms has been a staple of American culture. 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. Before you get all "He's Anti-American!" A.The James River B.The, Which was NOT an attempted reform movement in antebellum Virginia? Howard Thurman Books An Introductory Reading Guide. Another problem for Steve is that James King, a young Black hood, is Steves co-defendant. They are manifestations of our society. 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. For Poole Halloween means more trick than treat; we discover that the monsters are us. You'll be billed after your free trial ends. Copyright Thats What She Read 2009-2013. He is at home with his parents and his brother Jerry. 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. on 50-99 accounts. FABULOUS! We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. The history of America -- one fear, one monster, at a time. the bell witch, the roanaoke colony, etc.) Renews March 11, 2023 Friedrich Nietzsche believed we are the monsters. A must read for fans of horror and monsters! Our main man wonders how anyone can get used to the slammer. I have an affiliate relationship with several bookstores, including Powells Books and IndieBound. Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon, Baylor University Press (January 15, 2014). Lovecraft_. 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. I highly recommend this for fans of the horror genre and anthropology. Title and sub-title encouraged my interest in securing a copy of Monsters in America for review. Want 100 or more? Monsters In America challenges, enlightens, and, quite honestly, frightens in its prescient view of American history, .