monsters in america sparknotes monsters in america sparknotes

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. What could we extrapolate on the ways we lived and what we believed during each era? Monster presents through the obvious things, for example, krakens or werewolves. 335 Pages, 6.00 x 9.00 in. Conflicting anxieties about race, class, gender, sexuality, religious beliefs, science, and politics manifest as haunting beings among the populace. 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. March 4, 2023, SNPLUSROCKS20 "Rue Morgue" magazine called it "the best biography of H.P. After Steve hears the verdict, he turns to OBrien for a hug. Monsters are here to stay. 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. Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2017. Bolden testifies that he bought cigarettes from Bobo Evans and that Evans told him about the robbery. Poole presents his findings methodically through well-documented facts and similar studies. The atheist taught that inflicting suffering while enjoying the process is human nature. 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??! W. Scott Poole is Professor of History at the College of Charleston. In fact, perhaps our own beliefs about monsters and their intractable nature help to produce the monsters we fear the most., I've had a question for a long time. "Monsters in America" is a work that touches on the many facets of Horror in America. Our main man wonders how anyone can get used to the slammer. Five months later, Steve is again writing in his notebook. 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. SparkNotes PLUS 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. Social commentary may drive sub-text but money drives the movie. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. IE- minorities = what we are anxious about / obsessed with = the monstrous = monsters. Monsters in America has without a doubt earned a spot on my favorite books of 2011. "The American past reads like something of a horror movie, maybe even a low-budget slasher. They are created to explain racism, cover up worse monstrosities and signal changes and the state of the nation at the time. From our colonial past to the present, the monster in all its various forms has been a staple of American culture. For the record, I'm *not* well versed on the horror genre due to my fear of almost every popular culture monster. creating and saving your own notes as you read. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window), Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window), Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), When you get the opportunity to see your daughter, @muse and their #willofthepeopleworldtour was by f, @evanescenceofficial has been around for twenty ye, When you havent seen your favorite band live in, When your partner is obsessed with the Alex Murdau, Monsters in America: Our Historical Obsession with the Hideous and the Haunting, https://bookshop.org/shop/thatswhatsheread, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. that Poole have used to describe the events of . OBrien follows and reminds the jury that the State has not proved any of its charges against Steve. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. The author radically departs from the notion that monsters are a metaphor for our fears through the ages. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. 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 The man immediately begins screaming about something hidden in the mist that is attacking and killing people. Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2021. At the very end, Poole implies that for what has gone before, it could very well get worse. America, like all nations, is made up of monstrous human beings. Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership. An unexpected guilty pleasure! The little monsters who come to our doors for candy at Halloween are small reminders of our large problem. However, his interpretations and implications are nothing less than threatening to whatever status quo our authorities would prefer us to maintain. 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. March 4, 2023, SNPLUSROCKS20 It's a comprehensive look into ghoulish, weird, and woke world--10/10. , W. Scott Poole has given us a guidebook for a journey into nightmare territory. 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. From early American ghost stories to Jordan Peeles Get Out (2017), Scott Poole expertly tracks the importance of monsters and monstrosity in American culture. The medical examiner states the time of Mr. Nesbitts death. (The medical examiners evidence suggests that the shooter was probably right-handed.) Monsters in America is W. Scott Poole's interpretive history. This book is quite well researched, makes a few interesting connections, and is very accessible. Study Guides, Friday afternoon, July 17th & December, 5 months later. 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! , Poole has now turned his attention to the monsters that inhabit American cinema and American imaginations. He states that he knows James King and Osvaldo Cruz, but only casually. 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. 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. Produced by Johns Hopkins University Press in collaboration with The Sheridan Libraries. It looks like WhatsApp is not installed on your phone. Petrocelli presents the charges against the defendants. A must read for fans of horror and monsters! This book is a wonderful introduction to American history through the lens of monsters. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. The kind of monsters depends on the era. Poole brings to life American horror stories by framing them within folk belief, religion, and popular culture, broadly unraveling the idea of the monster. By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. Friedrich Nietzsche believed we are the monsters. Scholars will argue over interpretation because that is what scholars do. If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. OBrien gathers her papers and moves away, leaving Steve standing with outstretched arms. In 2016, he wrote the Bram Stoker Finalist _In the Mountains of Madness: The Life and Extraordinary Afterlife of H.P. You'll also receive an email with the link. Newer movies like "Terminator," shows what happens when we place our trust in machines. These monsters are created by multiple aspects of society and give meaning to the culture as well. on 50-99 accounts. Excellent examination of horror movies evolution through the years and also how societal happenings influence the movies at the time they are made. Victor sees the monster's point of view and agrees to create a mate for the monster. 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. on 50-99 accounts. on 2-49 accounts, Save 30% He compares himself with the other prisoners. Go to BN.com to get your copy of these helpful resources. Highly recommended. Fall 2022 Most Anticipated Books for Christian Readers! For him, this place is the opposite of realhe has to do everything in front of strangers. W. Scott Poole, Monsters arrived in 2011and now they are back. One wishes for a consistency in commentary. 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. "Sick," published by Abrams/Amulet). "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 . It's rarely happy news being reported. Novelist Sheri Holman calls the book "a subversive masterpiece.". Poole's examples are well-chosen and well-explicated. The Monster argues that his murderousness is not his fault. Classic Gratitude Poems Joy Harjo, Mary Oliver, MORE. Books About Race in America; Coretta Scott . 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. Poole offers an insight on America's fascination with monsters. Steve worries about why OBrien turned away from him after winning the case. I often use this in my Freshman Writing courses to show that writing doesn't have to be boring. 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! This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. Poole's connection of the monster to American history is a kind of Creature Features meets American cultural history. 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. In her closing argument for the State, Petrocelli stresses the importance of the stolen cigarettes in proving who committed the crime. This book is really good, a look at our monsters in a social conceptional way. Here's where you'll find important quotesfrom Monsterand explanations of them. Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! 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. For Poole Halloween means more trick than treat; we discover that the monsters are us. I have read Mr. Poole's work before, so I knew I was in for a treat and I was right. 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. Please use a different way to share. Monsters in America is an important contribution, and it will be enjoyed by literary and cultural historians alike. 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. (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! Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading American Monsters: A History of Monster Lore, Legends, and Sightings in America. They Poole offers an insight on America's fascination with monsters. In this way he resembles Frankenstein, who alienates himself by pursuing forbidden knowledge. Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. More than mere metaphors, they are creations of human fears and human ignorance. Insightful and brilliant! The book's unusual range is one of its contributions; its freshness of juxtaposition is another. [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. The new edition extends this analysis to shed light on some of the darker developments in recent American political culture. Frankenstein (1931) happens when somebody tries to make a more perfect human. Thoughts: What makes a monster a monster? What is it that rumbles in the American unconscious that relates to the figures we see on the screen. 1996-2023, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates, Select a location to see product availability. Poole's examples are well-chosen and well-explicated. The scary tales found in the classic texts remind usno matter our nationality, ethnicity, or political persuasionthe monster is us. Poole states that, in actuality, that the Europeans saw the natives. 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. Salvatore Zinzi, a prisoner at the Rikers Island jail, testifies that another prisoner, Wendell Bolden, told him about the drugstore robbery. Pooles book becomes a tired screed against those whose political-social viewpoints are antithetic to his own. Anne Bradstreet Poems Five of our Favorites by the Puritan Poet! 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. new monsters appear as American society evolves, paralleling fluctuating challenges to the cultural status quo. Mrs. Henry testifies to being in the drugstore and seeing two young Black men arguing with the store owner. Some of his writings can be accessed at www.warpandwoof.org. The different types of monsters, whether cultural, supernatural, or moral, all contribute to the meaning of American culture. They are manifestations of our society. However, this book was not only as easy read, but incredibly enlightening, eye-opening, and thrilling. 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.