monsters in america sparknotes

It is lively and engaging and well researched. . From our colonial past to the present, the monster in all its various forms has been a staple of American culture. (254) 710-3164. Conflicting anxieties about race, class, gender, sexuality, religious beliefs, science, and politics manifest as haunting beings among the populace. There was a problem loading your book clubs. For my own part, I have been studying and writing about Gothic horror for some years. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of "Monster" by Walter Dean Myers. Steve testifies that he did not take part in the drugstore robbery or discuss it with anyone before it happened. Bolden testifies that he bought cigarettes from Bobo Evans and that Evans told him about the robbery. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. The image freezes as the screenplay ends. What is it that rumbles in the American unconscious that relates to the figures we see on the screen. Poole presents his findings methodically through well-documented facts and similar studies. 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. Steve calls the movie Monster because that is what the prosecutor has called him. All rights reserved. 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. 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. Monsters in America is lively and entertaining throughout. 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. Poole agrees telling us early and often You are the main character in this terror-filled little tale (xviii). "The American past reads like something of a horror movie, maybe even a low-budget slasher. 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. Monsters in America argues that historical, political and social conditions produce narratives of horror and create "monsters." Choose one of the following periods 1.) Howard Thurman Books An Introductory Reading Guide. Continue to start your free trial. A.The James River B.The, Which was NOT an attempted reform movement in antebellum Virginia? Poole seeks to undermine myths of American exceptionalism by locating monsters that he believes exist outside our psyche, in history. All opinions expressed are uniquely my own. 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. Please provide specific examples to support your answers. This book is a wonderful introduction to American history through the lens of monsters. In 2016, he wrote the Bram Stoker Finalist _In the Mountains of Madness: The Life and Extraordinary Afterlife of H.P. 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. 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. Steve tells his story through handwritten notes as in a journal and a typewritten screenplay. W. Scott Poole, Monsters arrived in 2011and now they are back. 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. In a nutshell, monsters for Poole are metaphors / stand-ins for whoever is loathed or feared in a certain historical context. Without cookies your experience may not be seamless. He tells his story through handwritten notes and a typewritten screenplay. Pooles excoriation of one homogenous grouping belies the essence of the problem which is our human nature. Well-written and engaging,Monsters in Americais a must-read for anyone fascinated by history or monsters or both. The book's unusual range is one of its contributions; its freshness of juxtaposition is another. 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. Want 100 or more? Visit the new website for more about the book, upcoming events, and to keep up with Scott Poole's blog. Free trial is available to new customers only. He tells his story through handwritten notes and a typewritten screenplay. Whats worse is how these monster images exist even until today. An unexpected guilty pleasure! 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. 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. The horrible treatment of indigenous peoples and slaverys practice is sin that stains Americas history. There he teaches courses on monsters, pop culture, and American history. Spring 2021 Most Anticipated Books for Christian Readers! W. Scott Poole is Professor of History at the College of Charleston. It's no secret that America is a little messed up. Insightful and brilliant! America, like all nations, is made up of monstrous human beings. A masterful survey of our grim and often disturbing past, Monsters in. Fifteen Important Theology Books of 2022!!! 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. If you're looking for an introductory book to the subject, it's a great resource. Free trial is available to new customers only. SparkNotes PLUS 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? Poole states that, in actuality, that the Europeans saw the natives as uncivilized people and even believed them to be monsters. Usually just called Athena, this goddess emerges from Zeus's head fully-grown and armed. Other times Poole relies too heavily on social interpreters for his connections. Monstrosities exist in us and therefore they are all around us. 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. Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2012. It's a comprehensive look into ghoulish, weird, and woke world--10/10. OBrien gathers her papers and moves away, leaving Steve standing with outstretched arms. In Virginia's sectional differences, what natural boundary marked the dividing line between the traditional thinkers and those desiring reforms to have greater representation? 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. Design by Booyah Creative. 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. 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. At the very end, Poole implies that for what has gone before, it could very well get worse. Wed love to have you back! Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership. Friedrich Nietzsche believed we are the monsters. 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. 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. It is super nasty, and blood ends up everywhere. Often fascinating attempt to look at monsters through the lens of American history, Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2011. If you will, a shining city on hill built on the bodies of natives, blacks, women, and anyone else we dont like very much. Then it is OBriens turn to present the defense of Steve. Even fewer scholars do so as adeptly and as entertainingly as W. Scott Poole. We've quickly looked at a wide variety of Native Cultures across the Americas. From our colonial past to the present, the monster in all its various forms has been a staple of American culture. Pooles bibliography is an additional treat as it includes many excellent books for further reading or study - "1973 Nervous Breakdown: Watergate, Warhol, and the Birth of Post-Sixties America" and "Sacred Terror: Religion and Horror on the Silver Screen" were two titles that jumped out at me thats so full that one could even write their own treatment on the subject. Poole states that, in actuality, that the Europeans saw the natives. Conflicting anxieties about race, class, gender, sexuality, religious beliefs, science, and politics manifest as haunting beings among the populace. 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! Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Scholars will argue over interpretation because that is what scholars do. Which one would you like to know more about and why? Social commentary may drive sub-text but money drives the movie. $24.99 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. 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. A monster, in most cases, is something that challenges human morality or customs, or rather, a single group of people's moralities. Some of his writings can be accessed at www.warpandwoof.org. ", In 2014 he published _Vampira: Dark Goddess of Horror_ that looked at the life of 1950s horror host Maila Nurmi (a.k.a. Copyright Thats What She Read 2009-2013. If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. See a complete Character List for Monster, as well as in-depth analysis of its most important characters. 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. If specters of the past still haunt our present, they may yet invade our future. , W. Scott Poole has given us a guidebook for a journey into nightmare territory. This was a great concept, but I struggled to even make it through the introduction. Youve successfully purchased a group discount. Did you know you can highlight text to take a note? I hoped to expand my interaction in the genre, albeit from an American point of view. (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.) 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. 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! Filmmakers create celluloid illusions with that in mind. Bram Stoker Award finalist W. Scott Poole is the author of numerous books and articles on monsters and mayhem in popular culture. Monster presents through the obvious things, for example, krakens or werewolves. I thought this was gonna be about different monsters from American folklore. Indeed, Poole interprets the meaning of the meaning, reinterpreting historical narratives infusing past story with present perception: history is horror (22). 1945-1960 2.) The new edition extends this analysis to shed light on some of the darker developments in recent American political culture. Associated with war, cleverness, and wit, it is no surprise that she favors Odysseus. 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. but on the whole, an engaging and thought provoking read. The opening chapter introduces several motifs that will be present throughout the story. (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. Here we not only meet such monsters but also discover America's cultural monstrosity. Excellent examination of horror movies evolution through the years and also how societal happenings influence the movies at the time they are made. This is an amazing book. Synopsis: From our colonial past to the present, the monster in all its various forms has been a staple of American culture. The old newspaper adage still holds true today. Subscribe now. 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. History is horror. Penn State folklorist Bill Ellis called the book "required reading for . This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. I feel like three stars is generous for a book that did not bring me any new insights, but it was neither especially good nor especially bad. There he teaches courses on monsters, pop culture, and American history. Purchasing Briggs makes the first closing argument in the case. Steve is about to stand trial for felony homicide. 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. Another problem for Steve is that James King, a young Black hood, is Steves co-defendant. Perhaps monsters are made in our society more purposefully than we realize. W. Scott Poole is Professor of History at the College of Charleston, where he teaches courses on monsters, pop culture, and American history. The two defense counsels, OBrien and Briggs, establish that the witnesses are testifying for the State in return for reduced sentences. Sex and violence are the recurring themes of the book, but Poole always provides context for why they recur so often. 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. I hated this book. View all The pages are littered with characterizations which demonize only a conservative set of ideas. 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??! Spring 2022 Most Anticipated Books for Christian Readers! The tendency to view American monsters as primarily psychological archetypes ignores how closely they have reflected actual historical events and actual historical victims.". St. Augustine Best Books on His Life and Work, Holy Sonnets John Donne Complete Text. Enter your email below to sign up for our weekly newsletter& download your FREE copy of this ebook! Especially enlightening is the the animistic portrayal and subsequent fear of African-Americans that has permeated society since they were first brought to the Americas on slave ships. This book is quite well researched, makes a few interesting connections, and is very accessible. From our colonial past to the present, the monster in all its various forms has been a staple of American culture. 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? Poole's connection of the monster to American history is a kind of Creature Features meets American cultural history. Petrocelli refers to the defendants as monsters in the community. She then calls two witnesses. He is the author of several books, including a biography of H.P Lovecraft, which became a Bram Stoker award finalist, and. Thoughts: What makes a monster a monster? wish it felt more american- some of the trends were too broad, and I wish thered been more emphasis on early America (e.g. "New light" evangelists of the eighteenth century, enslaved African Americans, demagogic politicians, and modern American film-makers have used the devil to damn their enemies, explain the nature of evil and injustice, mount social crusades, construct a national identity, and express anxiety about matters as . Penn State folklorist Bill Ellis called the book "required reading for anyone who wants to understand the dark roots of America culture." 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. You can view our. For Poole Halloween means more trick than treat; we discover that the monsters are us. Produced by Johns Hopkins University Press in collaboration with The Sheridan Libraries. You can find more scary stories from him on Twitter: @monstersamerica. Get help and learn more about the design. The book won the John Cawelti prize from the Popular Culture Association for the best book published in pop culture history for 2011. While real monsters do exist, the reality of our own monstrosities mirrors not a national heritage as much as our human heritage. For Poole Halloween means more trick than treat; we discover that the monsters are us. While some may believe that there was no conflict between the settlers and the natives, and that, they just coexisted peacefully. From our colonial past to the present, the monster in all its various forms has been a staple of American culture. 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. $18.74/subscription + tax, Save 25% Petrocelli, the State prosecutor, calls more witnesses to establish the facts of the crime. Wed love to have you back! More than mere metaphors, they are creations of human fears and human ignorance. Study Guides, Friday afternoon, July 17th & December, 5 months later. It is not a book on actual monsters but how Americans find monsters in different eras on social constructs. Dallas Willard Books Seven Essential Titles to Read! By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy. Definitions of the monster, he adds, change over time and with each generation. However, at times the overt political messages can be more aggressive than effective, the book frequently covers more breadth than depth, and I was left without a clear sense of how monsters in America (US, presumably, rather than hemispheric) differed from those in international nightmares--or how the globalization of monster culture influenced American culture. Monsters In America challenges, enlightens, and, quite honestly, frightens in its prescient view of American history, . Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more! Analysis The monster tells Victor:"You must create a female for me with whom I can live in the interchange of those sympathies necessary for my being." Victor refuses and then later relents to the monster's wishes. 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. 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. Evans states that King was his partner in the robbery and that Steve served as the lookout. Before you get all "He's Anti-American!" Monsters in America is W. Scott Pooles interpretive history. A masterful survey of our grim and often disturbing past, Monsters in America uniquely brings together history and culture studies to expose the dark obsessions that have helped create our national identity. (1 page) Students will compose a summary of the chapter, highlighting the key elements of Poole's text. 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. If you've got an interest in horror, this is definitely worth a read. She asks the jury to recall how Steve conducted himself on the witness stand and to compare Steve with Sal Zinzi, Bobo Evans, and Osvaldo Cruz before they decide who is believable. Component 2: Summary. A Midsummer Night's Dream (No Fear Shakespeare) by SparkNotes QUICK ADD Macbeth (No Fear Shakespeare) by SparkNotes QUICK ADD Hamlet (No Fear Shakespeare) by SparkNotes QUICK ADD Julius Caesar (No Fear Shakespeare) by SparkNotes QUICK ADD Othello (No Fear Shakespeare) by SparkNotes QUICK ADD Twelfth Night (No Fear Shakespeare) by SparkNotes Satan in America tells the story of America's complicated relationship with the devil. Whether your interest is literature, American history, popular culture, race and ethnicity, women's studies, or religion, you would be happy reading this book. Contact us All content on this blog is protected under US copyright by Michelle Shannon. She coaches Steve on how to answer questions on the witness stand. (one code per order). 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. Fall 2022 Most Anticipated Books for Christian Readers! By adding new discussions of the American West, Poole focuses intently on the Native American experience. When meeting the natives, he saw their way of life as barbaric and uncivilized. Anything outside the norm brought about the birth of a monster, which can differ depending on the social, economic, cultural, or political influences of the time.