Steve is about to stand trial for felony homicide. Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! 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. Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more! Available 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. Steve is about to stand trial for felony homicide. It was just way too "all over the place" for me. The book's unusual range is one of its contributions; its freshness of juxtaposition is another. Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon, Baylor University Press (January 15, 2014). Petrocelli presents the charges against the defendants. Dont have an account? 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. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. Without cookies your experience may not be seamless. Specifically, he discusses how the stories like "Pocahontas" and "The. 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! "Angels, Monsters, and Jews: Intersections of Queer and Jewish Identity in Kushner's "Angels in America."" PMLA 113, no. Briggs makes the first closing argument in the case. Study Guides, Friday afternoon, July 17th & December, 5 months later. What I discovered is that Poole should have written two books: his perspective on American history, another on monsters. 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. Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2014. Acknowledgements: Thank you to Kelly Hughes from Dechant-Hughes for my review copy! 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. 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. Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. No historically reflective Christian would disagree with Pooles castigation of wrongdoings by some Americans. is available now and can be read on any device with the free Kindle app. [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. for a customized plan. 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. I suppose history could be read into just about any object. Suppose someone wanted to trace American history through the common coffee cup. Please wait while we process your payment. However, this book was FABULOUS! 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. See a complete Character List for Monster, as well as in-depth analysis of its most important characters. White Doe" disguised the true relationship between the European settlers and Native Americans. 2023 Baylor University Press. 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. is an important contribution, and it will be enjoyed by literary and cultural historians alike. Salem witches, frontier wilderness beasts, freak show oddities, alien invasions, Freddie Krueger. 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. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. It's rarely happy news being reported. Briggs presents his defense of King. This is an amazing book. In his new preface and expanded conclusion, Pooles tale connects to the presentillustrating the relationship between current social movements and their historical antecedents. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. 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. Conflicting anxieties about race, class, gender, sexuality, religious beliefs, science, and politics manifest as haunting beings among the populace. While Poole is an academic his book is anything but dry. Steve spends his time making movies about himself, often with Jerrys help. 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. ", Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon. Simplistic and not incredibly thoughtful, but useful for my purposes, Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2012. Excellent study of the machinery of monsters and their meaning Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! 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. 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. Steve Harmon, a Black sixteen-year-old, sits in his jail cell and writes in his notebook. If one would like to get into the spirit of monster mania during Halloween, no better place to begin is with the books that generated monster madness: Dracula, Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and The Island of Dr. Moreau. A masterful survey of our grim and often disturbing past. 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. What could we extrapolate on the ways we lived and what we believed during each era? Just watch any local news program and you'll see what I mean. Friedrich Nietzsche believed we are the monsters. Did you know you can highlight text to take a note? 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. Societal values impact individuals only as much as we understand an individuals values. Fyodor Dostoevsky Download all his Novels as Free Ebooks !!! History is horror. Monster is a 1999 young adult novel by Walter Dean Myers. The two defense counsels, OBrien and Briggs, establish that the witnesses are testifying for the State in return for reduced sentences. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. In the follow-up to his first book. 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. on 50-99 accounts. During the robbery, Aguinaldo Nesbitt, the fifty-five-year-old owner of the store, was killed. SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. 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. Classic Gratitude Poems Joy Harjo, Mary Oliver, MORE. Lewis Biography (And Other Biographies /Companion Guides)! , W. Scott Poole has given us a guidebook for a journey into nightmare territory. For the record, I'm *not* well versed on the horror genre due to my fear of almost every popular culture monster. The State rests its case. 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. All content is original and cannot be copied without permission. 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. 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. 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. The strongest witness for the State is Richard Bobo Evans, who admits that he took part in the robbery. When, meeting the natives, he saw their way of life as barbaric and uncivilized. Instead of representing the "us vs them" mentality, monsters are much closer so home: they are us. We're sorry, SparkNotes Plus isn't available in your country. Poole wants to tell a story and take his readers on a journey, and he definitely does so. Sex and violence are the recurring themes of the book, but Poole always provides context for why they recur so often. Perhaps monsters are made in our society more purposefully than we realize. Poole states that, in actuality, that the Europeans saw the natives. Twelve Important Theology Books of 2020!!! Dont have an account? What becomes disturbingly apparent is that most of Americas hatred of the Other is based in Christian religious belief. Separated by significant eras in American history, a reader gets a clear picture of how the definition of a monster changes depending on the cultural and political events of an era. A.Slavery B.States' rights C.Internal improvements D.Westward expansion. 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. Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes. on me, relax. Steve Harmon, a Black sixteen-year-old, sits in his jail cell and writes in his notebook. I was pretty fascinated through this whole book. (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.) Renews March 11, 2023 Produced by Johns Hopkins University Press in collaboration with The Sheridan Libraries. Poole's examples are well-chosen and well-explicated. 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. Best Leonard Cohen Books Biographies and Books by the Songwriter. I love ghost stories and folklore because they reveal an aspect of history and popular thinking in an entertaining way. W. Scott Poole is Professor of History at the College of Charleston, where he teaches courses on monsters, pop culture, and American history. Jos Delgado, an employee of the drugstore, tells how he found Mr. Nesbitts body and noticed that cash and cigarettes were missing. This book is a wonderful introduction to American history through the lens of monsters. The book won the John Cawelti prize from the Popular Culture Association for the best book published in pop culture history for 2011. Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2014. Social commentary may drive sub-text but money drives the movie. Some of his writings can be accessed at www.warpandwoof.org. Sometimes it can end up there. 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. An interesting and accessible overview of the link between American history and the monsters that fascinate them. OBrien follows and reminds the jury that the State has not proved any of its charges against Steve. Steve testifies that he did not take part in the drugstore robbery or discuss it with anyone before it happened. Now and Always,The Trusted Content Your Research Requires, Now and Always, The Trusted Content Your Research Requires, Built on the Johns Hopkins University Campus. In a nutshell, monsters for Poole are metaphors / stand-ins for whoever is loathed or feared in a certain historical context. 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. Enter your email address to subscribe to That's What She Read and receive notifications of new posts by email. Monsters in America does a phenomenal job examining American history through the lens of monsters and the monstrous. Monster is a 1999 young adult novel by Walter Dean Myers. Excellent study of the machinery of monsters and their meaning in American history. (Christopher James Blythe, Florida State University, (John W. Morehead, editor, www.TheoFantastique.com). 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. Purchasing OBrien tells Steve that her job is to make him a human being in the eyes of the jury. March 4, 2023, SNPLUSROCKS20 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? An excellent study for any student of history or media but also fun and accessible for any fan of monsters and the movies. The pages are littered with characterizations which demonize only a conservative set of ideas. These monsters are created by multiple aspects of society and give meaning to the culture as well. He is the author of several books, including a biography of H.P Lovecraft, which became a Bram Stoker award finalist, and. 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