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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. He rightly frets over our technology which ineffectively obscures the divine and so Americans create vampire stories which take Gods place (59): Americans are still attempting to apprehend mystery in the midst of supernatural confusion (11). After Steve testifies, OBrien puts Mr. Sawicki, his film teacher, on the stand. His new book, forthcoming this fall and available for pre-order, is _Wasteland: The Great War and the Roots of Modern Horror_. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. 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. Ten Important Women Theologians To Start Reading. Steve tells his story through handwritten notes as in a journal and a typewritten screenplay. Anne Bradstreet Poems Five of our Favorites by the Puritan Poet! InMonsters in America,Scott Poole asks these thought-provoking questions while traveling through American history following the evolution of the monster over time. Salem witches, frontier wilderness beasts, freak show oddities, alien invasions, Freddie Krueger. Perhaps monsters are made in our society more purposefully than we realize. Wendell Berry Poems Seven of Our Favorites! I have read Mr. Poole's work before, so I knew I was in for a treat and I was right. 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. Poole summarizes, Perhaps our own beliefs about monsters and their intractable nature help to produce the monsters we fear the most (164). For him, this place is the opposite of realhe has to do everything in front of strangers. Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2014. Amazon has encountered an error. In Monster, Walter Dean Myers tells the story of Steve Harmon's trial. Imprint: Baylor University Press. I hated this book. We're sorry, SparkNotes Plus isn't available in your country. She continues to assert that Steve served as the lookout for the robbery and is as guilty as the others. 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. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. For me, there are intertwined. Freedman, Jonathan. These monsters are created by multiple aspects of society and give meaning to the culture as well. Monsters in America is lively and entertaining throughout. The author radically departs from the notion that monsters are a metaphor for our fears through the ages. 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. Sex and violence are the recurring themes of the book, but Poole always provides context for why they recur so often. Edna St. Vincent Millay Five of our Favorite Poems ! Honoring authors by not reading other reviews ahead of time, I anticipated simple engagement with monstrous intrigue of the horrendous and hideous. , Poole has now turned his attention to the monsters that inhabit American cinema and American imaginations. Insightful and brilliant! Hades Roman name: Pluto. 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. Petrocelli refers to the defendants as monsters in the community. She then calls two witnesses. Detectives Karyl and Williams describe their arrival at the crime scene. 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. 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. This book is a wonderful introduction to American history through the lens of monsters. 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? on 2-49 accounts, Save 30% These summaries should not exceed one page in length. Flashbacks in Steves screenplay show Steve playing on the streets, listening to Mr. Sawicki, his film club mentor, and hanging out with James King and Osvaldo Cruz. The new edition extends this analysis to shed light on some of the darker developments in recent American political culture. 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. Five months later, Steve is again writing in his notebook. Stamped on American culture, the phrase brings to mind images of costumes, plastic masks, and parents holding the hands of little monsters as they collect candy calories. (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. Wed love to have you back! If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Produced by Johns Hopkins University Press in collaboration with The Sheridan Libraries. He states that he knows James King and Osvaldo Cruz, but only casually. The brother of Zeus and Poseidon, Hades rules the underworld, the realm of the dead, with his wife, Persephone. However, this book was FABULOUS! Henri Nouwen Books An Introductory Reading Guide. In Virginia's sectional differences, what natural boundary marked the dividing line between the traditional thinkers and those desiring reforms to have greater representation? It is not a book on actual monsters but how Americans find monsters in different eras on social constructs. For my own part, I have been studying and writing about Gothic horror for some years. 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 in America: Here's where you'll find important quotesfrom Monsterand explanations of them. He also doesn't shy away from the role of the monstrous in helping maintain oppressive regimes and the status quo. An excellent study for any student of history or media but also fun and accessible for any fan of monsters and the movies. 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.' TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. Component 2: Summary. Books About Race in America; Coretta Scott . OBrien tells Steve that her job is to make him a human being in the eyes of the jury. Asa Briggs, Kings attorney, establishes that the police have no fingerprint evidence. His footnotes have left me with a massive pile of additional books to read. incredibly rewarding and fulfilling reading. Monsters in America has without a doubt earned a spot on my favorite books of 2011. 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. Monsters in America instead should acknowledge monsters exist in every culture, every tribe, every era. Pallas Athena Roman name: Minerva. She identifies James King as being one of the two young men. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Monster was adapted into a movie of the same name in 2018. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. We're sorry, SparkNotes Plus isn't available in your country. This well-written and thought provoking book examines what scares us and what monsters in popular entertainment have to say about our fears and values in society. Free trial is available to new customers only. Monster is a 1999 young adult novel by Walter Dean Myers. Usually just called Athena, this goddess emerges from Zeus's head fully-grown and armed. By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes. The defense rests after Sawickis testimony. All Rights Reserved. | He is at home with his parents and his brother Jerry. Dont have an account? She tells the jury that James King and Steve Harmon, along with two other criminals, robbed a drugstore. The strongest witness for the State is Richard Bobo Evans, who admits that he took part in the robbery. Steve records suicidal thoughts and violent prison incidents. 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. Insightful and brilliant! View all Reading this for research for a paper I am writing for a creative nonfiction class for college, but what an interesting book regardless! An unexpected guilty pleasure! He compares himself with the other prisoners. Students will maintain a list of unfamiliar words they come across in the chapter. 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. But real monsters collect different trophies; they are no laughing matter. Penn State folklorist Bill Ellis called the book "required reading for . The little monsters who come to our doors for candy at Halloween are small reminders of our large problem. $24.99 $24.99 Enter your email address to subscribe to That's What She Read and receive notifications of new posts by email. Without cookies your experience may not be seamless. This book is a wonderful introduction to American history through the lens of monsters. Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2021. I hoped to expand my interaction in the genre, albeit from an American point of view. (1 page) Students will compose a summary of the chapter, highlighting the key elements of Poole's text. Mrs. Henry testifies to being in the drugstore and seeing two young Black men arguing with the store owner. OBrien reminds jurors of reasonable doubt and states firmly that Steves guilt has not been proven. 2023 Project MUSE. 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. Read the chapter-by-chapter Summary & Analysis, a Full Book Summary, or Full Book Analysis of Monster. Social commentary may drive sub-text but money drives the movie. Please provide specific examples to support your answers. The old newspaper adage still holds true today. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. 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. Pooles excoriation of one homogenous grouping belies the essence of the problem which is our human nature. Dallas Willard Books Seven Essential Titles to Read! Interesting as a surface-level exploration of "Monster Theory". Renews March 11, 2023 Buy now: [ Amazon ] [ Kindle ]. 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. Course Hero is not sponsored or endorsed by any college or university. Satan in America tells the story of America's complicated relationship with the devil. 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. The fear of anything not considered normal or not well-understood e.g. He wonders what OBrien saw. Subject I have a lot of interest in and the author seems to have done a lot of work/research. Academic, yet very accessible, I was fascinated by this book, and it holds a very special distinction as the only book I was required to buy for a college class that has earned a permanent place on my bookshelf now that the class is over. 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. Often fascinating attempt to look at monsters through the lens of American history, Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2011. Penn State folklorist Bill Ellis called the book "required reading for anyone who wants to understand the dark roots of America culture." Briggs makes the first closing argument in the case. Steve testifies that he did not take part in the drugstore robbery or discuss it with anyone before it happened. If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Vampira) to explore the history of American sexuality, gender relations and the rebirth of the horror film in post-WW2 America. Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan! He is the author of several books, including a biography of H.P Lovecraft, which became a Bram Stoker award finalist, and. OBrien gathers her papers and moves away, leaving Steve standing with outstretched arms. In this way he resembles Frankenstein, who alienates himself by pursuing forbidden knowledge. Monsters in America has without a doubt earned a spot on my favorite books of 2011. Foregrounding the racism and injustice of the legal system, the novel is a crime story, a courtroom drama, and an account of a young teens search for identity. In his new preface and expanded conclusion, Pooles tale connects to the presentillustrating the relationship between current social movements and their historical antecedents. 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. For Poole Halloween means more trick than treat; we discover that the monsters are us. Best Leonard Cohen Books Biographies and Books by the Songwriter. 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". Even fewer scholars do so as adeptly and as entertainingly as W. Scott Poole. You can find more scary stories from him on Twitter: @monstersamerica. 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. Christopher Columbus came to the Americas searching for gold, slaves, and monsters. Mr. Pooles evidence is as intriguing as it is informative. In the end, though, I could easily see assigning parts of this book to undergraduates. Unless specifically stated in the review, I have purchased all books reviewed. Monster is usually used to reflect an individual's actions; especially, it shows for the wrong act of people. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. Monsters in America. (And as someone who lives with a history PhD and who briefly pursued graduate studies in history myself, I like to believe that I know from whence I speak.) 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. Component 3: Vocabulary. An unexpected guilty pleasure! Dorothy Sayers Poems Five of Our Favorites! 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. Monsters in America Our Historical Obsession with the Hideous and the Haunting. Please wait while we process your payment. That being said, however, if you are a teacher who needs to get a class full of barely literate college freshmen to understand what it means to read / think about things in historical context, Poole's introduction, "The Bloody chords of Memory," is readable and accessible even for a group of resistant and vaguely engaged (at best) 18 year olds. 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. Specifically, he discusses how the stories like "Pocahontas" and "The. 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. 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! by W. Scott Poole. 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. Twelve Important Theology Books of 2020!!! 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. 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). for a customized plan. Suppose someone wanted to trace American history through the common coffee cup. He reminds the jury of the witnesses criminal records and contends that their unreliability casts reasonable doubt on Kings guilt. Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! Poole agrees telling us early and often You are the main character in this terror-filled little tale (xviii). Just about all the scarey things that crawl into popular media hail from the leaf-littered shadowy forests that haunt the American mind. Available Monsters in America is an important contribution, and it will be enjoyed by literary and cultural historians alike. 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. on me, relax. A.Slavery B.States' rights C.Internal improvements D.Westward expansion. Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations. Author W. Scott Poole takes a look at America's fascination with the macabre in his book. 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??! Continue to start your free trial. Thoughts on books, family, and life in one impressive package. 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. I found it informative, fascinating, thought-provoking and well-written. 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. All content is original and cannot be copied without permission. 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. The atheist taught that inflicting suffering while enjoying the process is human nature. 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. Simplistic and not incredibly thoughtful, but useful for my purposes, Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2012. The Monthly Kindle Ebook Sale March 2023, 5 Essential Ebook Deals for Church Leaders 23 February 2023, 5 Essential Ebook Deals for Church Leaders 16 February 2023, Rumi Poems Eight of Our Favorites by the Sufi Mystic, Walt Whitman Poems 8 of our Favorites from Leaves of Grass, Alexander Pushkin Five Poems by the Russian Poet, Against Christian Nationalism: Essential Books [A Reading Guide]. for a group? 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. W. Scott Poole is Professor of History at the College of Charleston, where he teaches courses on monsters, pop culture, and American history. 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. Petrocelli, OBrien, and Briggs make opening statements on the first day of Steves trial. You can view our. 2715 North Charles StreetBaltimore, Maryland, USA 21218. Poole's examples are well-chosen and well-explicated. 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. He is also the author of _Monsters in America_ from Baylor University Press (2011)._Monsters_ explores the American fascination with vampires, zombies, serial killers and even sea serpents, showing how these creatures of our dark obsessions help us to understand the dark and foreboding places in American history. All opinions expressed are uniquely my own. Please wait while we process your payment. While some may believe that there was no conflict between the settlers and the natives, and that, they just coexisted peacefully. wish it felt more american- some of the trends were too broad, and I wish thered been more emphasis on early America (e.g. Jacques Ellul Books An Introductory Reading Guide. to start your free trial of SparkNotes Plus. You can find more scary stories from him on Twitter: @monstersamerica. The kind of monsters depends on the era. I want to start out by saying that I absolutely love the notion behind this book. The two defense counsels, OBrien and Briggs, establish that the witnesses are testifying for the State in return for reduced sentences. Poole's examples are well-chosen and well-explicated. ", In 2014 he published _Vampira: Dark Goddess of Horror_ that looked at the life of 1950s horror host Maila Nurmi (a.k.a. By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. Friday afternoon, July 17th & December, 5 months later. religious texts and newspaper accounts of "satanic panics" into a highly readable analysis of the concept of the devil in American cultural history. Excellent examination of horror movies evolution through the years and also how societal happenings influence the movies at the time they are made.

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