Monsters: A Companion (Genre Fiction and Film Companions)

What are Monsters? Monsters are everywhere, from cyberbullies online to vampires onscreen: the twenty-first century is a monstrous age. The root of the word «monster» means «omen» or «warning», and if monsters frighten us, it’s because they are here to warn us about something amiss in ourselves and in our society. Humanity has given birth to these monsters, and they grow and change with us, carrying the scars of their birth with them. This collection of original and accessible essays looks at a variety of contemporary monsters from literature, film, television, music and the internet within their respective historical and cultural contexts. Beginning with a critical introduction that explores the concept of the monster in the work of Jeffrey Jerome Cohen, Jack Halberstam, Elaine Showalter and more, the book takes a broad approach to the monster, including not only classic slasher films, serial killers ( Bates Motel ), the living dead ( Game of Thrones ) and aliens ( District 9 ), but also hyper-contemporary examples like clones ( Orphan Black ), cyberbullies ( Cyberbully ), viral outbreaks ( The Strain ) and celebrities (Lady Gaga). Gender and culture are especially emphasized in the volume, with essays on the role of gender and sexuality in defining the monster ( AHS Apocalypse ) and global monsters ( Cleverman , La Llorona). This compact guide to the monster in contemporary culture will be useful to teachers, students and fans looking to expand their understanding of this important cultural figure. Contents 6 Acknowledgements 10 Sherry C. M. Lindquist • Foreword: Culture’s Monsters: Monster Marks (Lindquist 2018) 12 Simon Bacon • Introduction 22 Part I: Home 34 Angela M. Smith • Madness: The Babadook (Kent, 2014) – Monsters of Mental Illness 36 Simon Bacon • Domestic Abuse: The Invisible Man (Whannell, 2020) – Domestic Monsters 44 Phil Fitzsimmons • Paedophilia: The Nightingale (Kent, 2018) – Monsters of Abuse 52 Agnieszka Kotwasińska • Immigrants: The Lure (Smoczyńska, 2015) – Monstrous Outsiders 62 Part II: Society 70 John Edgar Browning • The Mask: Slasher Cinema (1978–1998) – Teaching the Monster 72 Lauren Rosewarne • The Cyberbully: Cyberbully (Binamé, 2011) – Monsters of Cyberspace 90 Anthony Curtis Adler • Lady Gaga: Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (1986–present) – Monsters of Celebrity 98 Alexandra Heller-Nicholas • The Slit-Mouthed Woman: Carved (Shiraishi, 2007) – Monsters of Urban Legend 106 W. Scott Poole • Melmoth: Melmoth (Perry, 2018) – Monsters of War 114 Part III: Cultural Intersections 120 Benjamin BaumannPhi Krasue: Inhuman Kiss (Mongkolsiri, 2019) – Thai Monsters 122 Inés Ordiz • La habitación del desahogo (2012) – Mexican Monsters 132 Gail de Vos • Baba Yaga: Hellboy (Mignola, 1997–2004) – Russian Monsters 140 Partha Mitter • Deumo: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Spielberg, 1984) – Monsters of Colonialism 150 Yasmine Musharbash • The Hairies: Cleverman (Griffen, 2016–2017) – Aboriginal Monsters 158 Part IV: Gender 168 Eddie Falvey • Satan: The Witch (Eggers, 2015) – Patriarchal Monsters 170 Emily Brick • Warlocks: AHS Apocalypse (Murphy and Falchuk, 2011–present) – Monsters of Masculinity 178 Craig Ian Mann • She-Wolves: When Animals Dream (Arnby, 2014) – Monsters of Femininity 188 Daniel Sheppard • Serial Killers: Bates Motel (Ehrin, 2013–2017) – The Queer Monster 196 Murray Leeder • The Skeleton: Game of Thrones (Benioff, 2011–2019) – Monsters of Death 204 Part V: Futures 212 Leah Richards • Clones: Orphan Black (Manson and Fawcett, 2013–2017) – Monsters of Reproduction 214 Dahlia Schweitzer • The Master: The Strain (del Toro and Hogan, 2014–2017) – Monsters of Contagion 222 Carl H. Sederholm • The Ecomonster: Megalohydrothalassophobia (Abhorrence, 2018) – Monsters of the Anthropocene 230 Gerry Canavan • Aliens: District 9 (Blomkamp, 2009) – Monsters of Hybridity 238 Elana Gomel • Zombie: The Girl with All the Gifts (Carey, 2014) – Posthuman Monsters 246 Patricia MacCormack • Afterword: Becoming Monstrous and the Monster Becoming: Hannibal (Fuller: 2013–2015) 254 Bibliography 266 Notes on Contributors 288 Index 296 "What are Monsters? Monsters are everywhere, from cyberbullies online to vampires onscreen: the twenty-first century is a monstrous age. The root of the word 'monster' means 'omen' or 'warning', and if monsters frighten us, it's because they are here to warn us about something amiss in ourselves and in our society.Humanity has given birth to these monsters, and they grow and change with us, carrying the scars of their birth with them. This collection of original and accessible essays looks at a variety of contemporary monsters from literature, film, television, music and the internet within their respective historical and cultural contexts. Beginning with a critical introduction that explores the concept of the monster in the work of Jeffrey Jerome Cohen, Jack Halberstam, Elaine Showalter and more, the book takes a broad approach to the monster, including not only classic slasher films, serial killers (Bates Motel), the living dead (Game of Thrones) and aliens (District 9), but also hyper-contemporary examples like clones (Orphan Black), cyberbullies (Cyberbully), viral outbreaks (The Strain) and celebrities (Lady Gaga). Gender and culture are especially emphasized in the volume, with essays on the role of gender and sexuality in defining the monster (AHS Apocalypse) and global monsters (Cleverman, La Llorona). This compact guide to the monster in contemporary culture will be useful to teachers, students and fans looking to expand their understanding of this important cultural figure"-- Provided by publisher What are Monsters? Monsters serve as a warning about something amiss in our surroundings. This collection of original and accessible essays looks at a variety of contemporary monsters from literature, film, television, music and the internet in their respective cultural contexts. Texts range from District 9 to Cleverman to Lady Gaga.