monsters in america sparknotes

That's What She Read by Monsters in America (2nd ed.) I was pretty fascinated through this whole book. America, like all nations, is made up of monstrous human beings. Monsters, he says, are "cultural constructions of the terrible that define what it is we subconsciously fear and what it is we're told to hate or love.". Omer-Sherman, Ranen. Sophfronia Scott - The Seeker and the Monk [Review], James Atwood - Collateral Damage - Brief Review, Emily M.D. but on the whole, an engaging and thought provoking read. Excellent study of the machinery of monsters and their meaning in American history. He also doesn't shy away from the role of the monstrous in helping maintain oppressive regimes and the status quo. In his new preface and expanded conclusion, Pooles tale connects to the presentillustrating the relationship between current social movements and their historical antecedents. Go to BN.com to get your copy of these helpful resources. Acknowledgements: Thank you to Kelly Hughes from Dechant-Hughes for my review copy! Frankenstein: The Monster Quotes | SparkNotes 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? Not only is it written in a fun, easy to relate to voice, but it is also chock full of info. 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. While some may believe that there was no conflict between the settlers and the natives, and that, they just coexisted peacefully. His footnotes have left me with a massive pile of additional books to read. We can anticipate either alien salvation or judgment from beyond. 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. Poole states that, in actuality, that the Europeans saw the natives as uncivilized people and even believed them to be monsters. The kind of monsters depends on the era. Pooles constant harangue against anything conservative is a thin criticism to begin, stretched beyond any semblance of recognition by the end of the book. Eastern Orthodoxy Essential Books [A Reading List]. 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. Mark Eckel is Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Professor of Old Testament at Crossroads Bible College. Monstrosity - Monstrous Beginnings 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. If you're looking for an introductory book to the subject, it's a great resource. Conflicting anxieties about race, class, gender, sexuality, religious beliefs, science, and politics manifest as haunting beings among the populace. Did you know you can highlight text to take a note? By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. on 50-99 accounts. The Monster feels completely alienated: "none among the myriads of men" will take pity on him. Buy now: [ Amazon ] [ Kindle ]. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. Wendell Berry Poems Seven of Our Favorites! Continue to start your free trial. Steve tells his story through handwritten notes as in a journal and a typewritten screenplay. The book is rich in history, pop culture references, and analysis. 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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. Insightful and brilliant! 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. 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. Monster presents through the obvious things, for example, krakens or werewolves. Antiracism Books for Christians A Reading Guide, Thomas Merton Books An Intro Reading Guide. summary of monstrous beginnings.docx - |1 Aayush Gada WRTG The horrible treatment of indigenous peoples and slaverys practice is sin that stains Americas history. Petrocelli refers to the defendants as monsters in the community. She then calls two witnesses. InMonsters in America,Scott Poole asks these thought-provoking questions while traveling through American history following the evolution of the monster over time. In a nutshell, monsters for Poole are metaphors / stand-ins for whoever is loathed or feared in a certain historical context. You'll be billed after your free trial ends. Friday afternoon, July 17th & December, 5 months later. It is not just about film and fiction, but the cultural events that mirrored the works on the screen and in our nightmares. 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. 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. OBrien follows and reminds the jury that the State has not proved any of its charges against Steve. Hes never less than canny on the pop culture angle: Dracula and Frankenstein are almost everywhere in the book, his insights into the fear of zombies are sharp, the comparison of Patrick Bateman and Dexter Morgan is inspired, and the analysis of fifties icons like Vampira and the Addams family are very good. 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. 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.Pooles central argument in Monsters in America is that monster tales intertwine with Americas troubled history of racism, politics, class struggle, and gender inequality. Victor sees the monster's point of view and agrees to create a mate for the monster. Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. 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. Please try again. Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan! Often fascinating attempt to look at monsters through the lens of American history, Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2011. Renews March 11, 2023 Not only that, but Sandra Petrocelli, the State prosecutor, is a very good lawyer. )1980-present and discuss ways in which the monsters of the era are the products of historical change, conflict and context. SparkNotes PLUS Dorothy Sayers Where to Start with her Mystery Novels? Conflicting anxieties about race, class, gender, sexuality, religious beliefs, science, and politics manifest as haunting beings among the populace. ! His transitions from movie metaphors to American social ills are often strained if not unconvincing. FREE Shipping on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon. But honestly, most folks go to horror films for what they would say is the hell of it. Some people enjoy being scared, period. Please wait while we process your payment. Produced by Johns Hopkins University Press in collaboration with The Sheridan Libraries. Poole invites us into an important and enlightening, if disturbing, conversation about the very real monsters that inhabit the dark spaces of America's past. 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. Best Bob Dylan Books Biographies, Lyrics, and More! Best Leonard Cohen Books Biographies and Books by the Songwriter. The fear of anything not considered normal or not well-understood e.g. 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. Project MUSE promotes the creation and dissemination of essential humanities and social science resources through collaboration with libraries, publishers, and scholars worldwide. 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. It is lively and engaging and well researched. 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. Newer movies like "Terminator," shows what happens when we place our trust in machines. American Monsters: A History of Monster Lore, Legends, and Sightings in creating and saving your own notes as you read. Loading interface - Goodreads Starting with the Puritan era and the fear of witches and ending with the modern-day fascination with the monsters within us, i.e. 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. 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. 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. is available now and can be read on any device with the free Kindle app. March 4, 2023, SNPLUSROCKS20 Monsters in America is lively and entertaining throughout. 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. 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). Not only is it written in a fun, easy to relate to voice, but it is also chock full of info. I seem to be having bad luck with books lately, but the writing style just didnt connect with me. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. Petrocelli, OBrien, and Briggs make opening statements on the first day of Steves trial. Honoring authors by not reading other reviews ahead of time, I anticipated simple engagement with monstrous intrigue of the horrendous and hideous. Poole stays far away from polemic and sticks to the facts. 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. He decides to make a movie about his experience. 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. Steves lawyer, Kathy OBrien, urges Steve to take his situation seriously because this crime could put him in jail for twenty years or more. The State rests its case. 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. 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. It looks like WhatsApp is not installed on your phone. Unless specifically stated in the review, I have purchased all books reviewed. No historically reflective Christian would disagree with Pooles castigation of wrongdoings by some Americans. Anne Bradstreet Poems Five of our Favorites by the Puritan Poet! I want to start out by saying that I absolutely love the notion behind this book. He reminds the jury of the witnesses criminal records and contends that their unreliability casts reasonable doubt on Kings guilt. 1960-1980 3. 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. Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club thats right for you for free. 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. 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. Component 2: Summary. These summaries should not . Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading American Monsters: A History of Monster Lore, Legends, and Sightings in America. Youve successfully purchased a group discount. FABULOUS! A masterful survey of our grim and often disturbing past. that Poole have used to describe the events of . (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.) Purchasing Perhaps monsters are made in our society more purposefully than we realize. This was a great concept, but I struggled to even make it through the introduction. You'll also receive an email with the link. Judging from the verbiage, Pooles sub-text for the American monster is conservative-Christian-white-heterosexual-Republican. Both belief about the supernatural and the supernatural itself creates creatures which slither into our thinking-being-behaving. Steve spends his time making movies about himself, often with Jerrys help. I was thrilled to find a book that went with that mindset. You can find more scary stories from him on Twitter: @monstersamerica. Monsters arrived in 2011and now they are back. However, this book was not only as easy read, but incredibly enlightening, eye-opening, and thrilling. $24.99 You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership. 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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). 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. He wrote in his journal 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. Monsters in America : W. Scott Poole : 9781481308823 - Book Depository Author W. Scott Poole takes a look at America's fascination with the macabre in his book. Copyright 2023 That's What She Read. Harmon explains that in his cell. Satan in America tells the story of America's complicated relationship with the devil. In 2016, he wrote the Bram Stoker Finalist _In the Mountains of Madness: The Life and Extraordinary Afterlife of H.P. 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. Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2021. Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2012. Briggs establishes that the police had shown photos of King to Mrs. Henry before she picked him out of a lineup. He wrote in his journal. He is the author of several books, including a biography of H.P Lovecraft, which became a Bram Stoker award finalist, and. With Monsters in America, W. Scott Poole has given us a guidebook for a journey into nightmare territory. Then it is OBriens turn to present the defense of Steve. Monster is a 1999 young adult novel by Walter Dean Myers. Simplistic and not incredibly thoughtful, but useful for my purposes, Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2012. For Professors: Exam Copies. Sex and violence are the recurring themes of the book, but Poole always provides context for why they recur so often. More than mere metaphors, they are creations of human fears and human ignorance. And I don't have to mention the meaning of all the zombie movies. Some of his writings can be accessed at www.warpandwoof.org. He also makes notes about his movie and about details he observes in court. When meeting the natives, he saw their way of life as barbaric and uncivilized. Bolden testifies that he bought cigarettes from Bobo Evans and that Evans told him about the robbery. Sometimes it can end up there. But too often he ascribes American injustices with little more than a metaphorical connection to monster movies. 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. She coaches Steve on how to answer questions on the witness stand. Emily Dickinson Poems Seven of our Favorites! for a group? The brother of Zeus and Poseidon, Hades rules the underworld, the realm of the dead, with his wife, Persephone. new monsters appear as American society evolves, paralleling fluctuating challenges to the cultural status quo. By the end of the book, Poole cautions that Americas monsters arent going away anytime soon. Lovecraft in print. SparkNotes PLUS Wed love to have you back! All rights reserved. W. Scott Poole. He is at home with his parents and his brother Jerry. At the very end, Poole implies that for what has gone before, it could very well get worse. 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. Monster is told as a first-person account by Steve Harmon, a Black teenager on trial for felony murder in New York. Definitions of the monster, he adds, change over time and with each generation. A.Universal white male suffrage B.Public education C.Child labor D.Temperance. Here's where you'll find important quotesfrom Monsterand explanations of them. March 4, 2023, SNPLUSROCKS20 Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2012. religious texts and newspaper accounts of "satanic panics" into a highly readable analysis of the concept of the devil in American cultural history. Everything from Communists, feminists, and foreigners to Candyman, Dracula, and The Exorcist are examined for the social attitudes to evil that they illuminate (and that we may believe, consciously or subconsciously). Friedrich Nietzsche believed we are the monsters. 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. Thanks to Poole's insights we see the ubiquity of the monster lurking in and around us. I took copious notes in the margins, and will be using this book frequently as I continue to work on my own YA horror fiction (e.g. We're sorry, SparkNotes Plus isn't available in your country. Monster Culture - University at Buffalo (1 page) Students will compose a summary of the chapter, highlighting the key elements of Poole's text. 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. . The book's unusual range is one of its contributions; its freshness of juxtaposition is another. by W. Scott Poole. I hated this book. The little monsters who come to our doors for candy at Halloween are small reminders of our large problem. 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. While Poole is an academic his book is anything but dry. This is an amazing book. Monsters in America: Our Historical Obsession with the Hideous and the Its not a salacious book, either. Hardback: Baylor University Press, 2011. 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. 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. incredibly rewarding and fulfilling reading. Monsters in America has without a doubt earned a spot on my favorite books of 2011. All rights reserved. Poole's examples are well-chosen and well-explicated. Which one would you like to know more about and why? Suppose someone wanted to trace American history through the common coffee cup. Pooles book becomes a tired screed against those whose political-social viewpoints are antithetic to his own. OBrien tells Steve that her job is to make him a human being in the eyes of the jury. Monsters in America is an important contribution, and it will be enjoyed by literary and cultural historians alike. 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 societys fears but shapes actual historical behavior and becomes a cultural reminder of inhuman acts.. 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. OBrien gathers her papers and moves away, leaving Steve standing with outstretched arms. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Monsters refuse to be cordoned off in only one nationality, ethnicity, religion, or political mindset. Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more! Monsters in America is W. Scott Pooles interpretive history. 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 Summary and Study Guide | SuperSummary Another problem for Steve is that James King, a young Black hood, is Steves co-defendant. Steves parents are glad he is home, but the distance between Steve and his father is growing. Monsters in America does a phenomenal job examining American history through the lens of monsters and the monstrous. Briggs makes the first closing argument in the case. Social commentary may drive sub-text but money drives the movie. Monsters in America: Please provide specific examples to support your answers. 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? Howard Thurman Books An Introductory Reading Guide. Steve testifies that he did not take part in the drugstore robbery or discuss it with anyone before it happened. Indeed, Poole interprets the meaning of the meaning, reinterpreting historical narratives infusing past story with present perception: history is horror (22). The second edition of Monsters leads readers deeper into Americas tangled past to show how monsters continue to haunt contemporary American ideology. . 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. Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. 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. All affiliate income is used to support the blog. Highly recommended. Discount, Discount Code 2023 Baylor University Press. For him, this place is the opposite of realhe has to do everything in front of strangers. Twelve Important Theology Books of 2021!!! Academic, yet very accessible, I was fascinated by this book, and it holds a very special distinction as the only book I was required to buy for a college class that has Poole's book is fantastic, a terrific look at what makes monsters in film resonate in American culture. 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. Mrs. Henry testifies to being in the drugstore and seeing two young Black men arguing with the store owner. All content on this blog is protected under US copyright by Michelle Shannon.