Download or read book Monsters Gender and Sexuality in Medieval English Literature written by Dana Oswald and published by Boydell & Brewer. This book was released on 2010 with total page 245 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A gendered reading of monster and the monstrous body in medieval literature. Monsters abound in Old and Middle English literature, from Grendel and his mother in Beowulf to those found in medieval romances such as Sir Gowther. Through a close examination of the way in which their bodies are sexed and gendered, and drawing from postmodern theories of gender, identity, and subjectivity, this book interrogates medieval notions of the body and the boundaries of human identity. Case studies of Wonders of the East, Beowulf, Mandeville's Travels, the Alliterative Morte Arthure, and Sir Gowther reveal a shift in attitudes toward the gendered and sexed body, and thus toward identity, between the two periods: while Old English authors and artists respond to the threat of the gendered, monstrous form by erasing it, Middle English writers allow transgressive and monstrous bodies to transform and therefore integrate into society. This metamorphosis enables redemption for some monsters, while other monstrous bodies become dangerously flexible and invisible, threatening the communities they infiltrate. These changing cultural reactions to monstrous bodies demonstrate the precarious relationship between body and identity in medieval literature. DANA M. OSWALD is Assistant Professor of English, University of Wisconsin-Parkside.

Download or read book Monsters and Monstrosity in Augustan Poetry written by Dunstan Lowe and published by University of Michigan Press. This book was released on 2015-04-10 with total page 285 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An important contribution to the growing interdisciplinary field of monster studies

Download or read book English Monsters written by James Scudamore and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2021-03-04 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'James Scudamore is now a force in the English novel' Hilary Mantel 'A very impressive novel' Sarah Moss When ten-year-old Max is sent to boarding school, his idyllic childhood comes to an abrupt end. Away from the freedom of his grandfather's farm, a world of rules and punishment awaits. But so too does the companionship of a close-knit group of classmates. Years later, as Max and his friends face down adulthood, a dark secret from their schooldays is revealed, drawing them together in unforeseen ways. Who knew what, and when? And who now wants to see justice done? 'Breathtakingly good' Observer 'Dark, tender, troubling' Guardian

Download or read book Basilisks and Beowulf written by Tim Flight and published by Reaktion Books. This book was released on 2023-07-25 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An eye-opening, engrossing look at the central role of monsters in the Anglo-Saxon worldview—now in paperback. This book addresses a simple question: why were the Anglo-Saxons obsessed with monsters, many of which did not exist? Drawing on literature and art, theology, and a wealth of firsthand evidence, Basilisks and Beowulf reveals a people huddled at the edge of the known map, using the fantastic and the grotesque as a way of understanding the world around them and their place within it. For the Anglo-Saxons, monsters helped to distinguish the sacred and the profane; they carried God’s message to mankind, exposing His divine hand in creation itself. At the same time, monsters were agents of disorder, seeking to kill people, conquer their lands, and even challenge what it meant to be human. Learning about where monsters lived and how they behaved allowed the Anglo-Saxons to situate themselves in the world, as well as to apprehend something of the divine plan. It is for these reasons that monsters were at the very center of their worldview. From map monsters to demons, dragons to Leviathan, we neglect these beasts at our peril.

Download or read book Monsters of Film Fiction and Fable written by Lisa Wenger Bro and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2018-07-27 with total page 412 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Monsters are a part of every society, and ours is no exception. They are deeply embedded in our history, our mythos, and our culture. However, treating them as simply a facet of children’s stories or escapist entertainment belittles their importance. When examined closely, we see that monsters have always represented the things we fear: that which is different, which we can’t understand, which is dangerous, which is Other. But in many ways, monsters also represent our growing awareness of ourselves and our changing place in a continually shrinking world. Contemporary portrayals of the monstrous often have less to do with what we fear in others than with what we fear about ourselves, what we fear we might be capable of. The nineteen essays in this volume explore the place and function of the monstrous in a variety of media – stories and novels like Baum’s Oz books or Gibson’s Neuromancer; television series and feature films like The Walking Dead or Edward Scissorhands; and myths and legends like Beowulf and The Loch Ness Monster – in order to provide a closer understanding of not just who we are and who we have been, but also who we believe we can be – for better or worse.

Download or read book Monsters written by B. J. Hollars and published by . This book was released on 2012-02-01 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Collected here are monster stories by some of America's best writers, including Bonnie Jo Campbell, Ben Percy, and Aimee Bender. Starring Mud Men and mummies and MothMan, this book brings our collective fears and fascinations to life.

Download or read book The Ashgate Encyclopedia of Literary and Cinematic Monsters written by Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-04-01 with total page 640 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From vampires and demons to ghosts and zombies, interest in monsters in literature, film, and popular culture has never been stronger. This concise Encyclopedia provides scholars and students with a comprehensive and authoritative A-Z of monsters throughout the ages. It is the first major reference book on monsters for the scholarly market. Over 200 entries written by experts in the field are accompanied by an overview introduction by the editor. Generic entries such as 'ghost' and 'vampire' are cross-listed with important specific manifestations of that monster. In addition to monsters appearing in English-language literature and film, the Encyclopedia also includes significant monsters in Spanish, French, Italian, German, Russian, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, African and Middle Eastern traditions. Alphabetically organized, the entries each feature suggestions for further reading. The Ashgate Encyclopedia of Literary and Cinematic Monsters is an invaluable resource for all students and scholars and an essential addition to library reference shelves.

Download or read book Mythical Monsters in Classical Literature written by Paul Murgatroyd and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2013-11-20 with total page 211 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This engaging, readable yet impeccably scholarly investigation of monsters in Classical literature will entertain and stimulate as well as inform. It covers all the major mythical monsters mentioned by Greek and Roman authors (Medusa, Hydra, Polyphemus, the Minotaur, Sphinx, Harpies, Sirens, Cerberus, Chimaera, Centaurs, and many more) along with Classical precursors of vampires, werewolves and the living dead. Versions of these creatures that appear in later literature and film are also discussed. Mythical Monsters is original in considering monsters squarely from a literary standpoint, introducing elements of literary analysis gradually as the work progresses, and building up to quite a sophisticated approach. This will increase readers' critical appreciation and plain enjoyment of these stories, which continue to fascinate today. To facilitate browsing, each chapter can be read independently. There is a useful bibliography, and the book is enlivened by illustrations from ancient and more recent art.

Download or read book Hey That s MY Monster written by Amanda Noll and published by Flashlight Press. This book was released on 2018-03-21 with total page 37 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This enhanced eBook features read-along narration. Winner: CLC Seal of Approval 2017 Literary Classics Book Awards, Silver, Preschool/Early Reader Fantasy Finalist: 2017 Literary Classics Book Awards 2017 PNBA Long-List When Ethan looks under the bed for his monster, he finds this note instead: "So long, kid. Gotta go. Someone needs me more than you do. –Gabe" How will Ethan ever get to sleep without his monster's familiar, comforting snorts? And who could need Gabe more than Ethan does? Gabe must have gone to Ethan's little sister's room! She has been climbing out of bed every night to play, and obviously needs a monster to help her get to sleep – but not HIS monster! Ethan tries to help his sister find her own monster, but none are the perfect blend of cute and creepy. Just when it seems that Ethan will lose his monster forever, an uninvited, tutu-toting little monster full of frightening fun appears. Following in the spooky-silly tradition of I Need My Monster, here's another irresistible monster-under-the-bed story with the perfect balance of giggles and shivers.

Download or read book Frankenstein s Monster written by Susan Heyboer O'Keefe and published by Crown. This book was released on 2010-10-05 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A gothic horror story that imagines what happens to Frnkenstein's monster after the death of his creator, Victor. What becomes of a monster without its maker? At the end of Mary Shelley’s classic novel, the creator dies but his creation still lives, cursed to a life of isolation and hatred. Frankenstein’s Monster continues the creature’s story as he’s compelled to discover his humanity, to escape the ship captain who vowed to the dying Frankenstein to hunt him down—and to resist the woman who would destroy them all. This is a tale of passion, revenge, violence, and madness—and the desperate search for meaning in an often meaningless world.

Download or read book The Monsters written by Dorothy Hoobler and published by Little, Brown. This book was released on 2009-05-30 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The authors of the award-winning In Darkness, Death share the remarkable true story of Frankenstein's origins and the curse on its creators.

Download or read book The Unnameable Monster in Literature and Film written by Maria Beville and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-10-30 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book visits the 'Thing' in its various manifestations as an unnameable monster in literature and film, reinforcing the idea that the very essence of the monster is its excess and its indeterminacy. Tied primarily to the artistic modes of the gothic, science fiction, and horror, the unnameable monster retains a persistent presence in literary forms as a reminder of the sublime object that exceeds our worst fears. Beville examines various representations of this elusive monster and argues that we must looks at the monster, rather than through it, at ourselves. As such, this book responds to the obsessive manner in which the monsters of literature and culture are ‘managed’ in processes of classification and in claims that they serve a social function by embodying all that is horrible in the human imagination. The book primarily considers literature from the Romantic period to the present, and film that leans toward postmodernism. Incorporating disciplines such as cultural theory, film theory, literary criticism, and continental philosophy, it focuses on that most difficult but interesting quality of the monster, its unnameability, in order to transform and accelerate current readings of not only the monsters of literature and film, but also those that are the focus of contemporary theoretical discussion.

Download or read book Grendel written by John Gardner and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2010-06-02 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This classic and much lauded retelling of Beowulf follows the monster Grendel as he learns about humans and fights the war at the center of the Anglo Saxon classic epic. "An extraordinary achievement."—New York Times The first and most terrifying monster in English literature, from the great early epic Beowulf, tells his own side of the story in this frequently banned book. This is the novel William Gass called "one of the finest of our contemporary fictions."

Download or read book A Monster Calls written by Patrick Ness and published by Candlewick Press. This book was released on 2013-08-27 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NOW A #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! An unflinching, darkly funny, and deeply moving story of a boy, his seriously ill mother, and an unexpected monstrous visitor. At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting-- he’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments. The monster in his backyard is different. It’s ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth. From the final idea of award-winning author Siobhan Dowd-- whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself-- Patrick Ness has spun a haunting and darkly funny novel of mischief, loss, and monsters both real and imagined.

Download or read book Monsters and Monstrosity from the Fin de Siecle to the Millennium written by Sharla Hutchison and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2015-10-23 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Zombies, vampires and ghosts feature prominently in nearly all forms of entertainment in the 21st century, including popular fiction, film, comics, television and computer games. But these creatures have been vital to the entertainment industry since the best-seller books of a century and half ago. Monsters don't just invade popular culture, they help sell popular culture. This collection of new essays covers 150 years of enduringly popular Gothic monsters who have shocked and horrified audiences in literature, film and comics. The contributors unearth forgotten monsters and reconsider familiar ones, examining the audience taboos and fears they embody.

Download or read book How I Met My Monster written by Amanda Noll and published by Flashlight Press. This book was released on 2019-11-03 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One night, when Ethan reaches under his bed for a toy truck, he finds this note instead: "Monsters! Meet here for final test." Ethan is sure his parents are trying to trick him into staying under the covers, until he sees five colorful sets of eyes blinking at him from beneath the bed. Soon, a colorful parade of quirky, squeaky little monsters compete to become Ethan's monster. But only the little green monster, Gabe, has the perfect blend of stomach-rumbling and snorting needed to get Ethan into bed and keep him there so he falls asleep—which as everyone knows, is the real reason for monsters under beds. With its perfect balance of giggles and shivers, this silly-spooky prequel to the award-winning I Need My Monster and Hey, That's MY Monster! will keep young readers entertained.

Download or read book Unnatural Reproductions and Monstrosity The Birth of the Monster in Literature Film and Media written by Andrea Wood and published by Cambria Press. This book was released on 2014-08-28 with total page 397 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Much has been written about gender and the monstrous, but sustained engagement with textual manifestations of cultural and unconscious fears and anxieties about "unnatural" reproduction has been limited. This book expands the current discourse on the monstrous reproductive potential of bodies-as well as minds-from a more interdisciplinary and transhistorical framework. While scholarly interest in monsters and the monstrous is certainly not new, studies on monstrous reproduction and birth have tended to be either discipline or period specific, and many are now dated. Drawing from diverse interdisciplinary perspectives in film and media studies, literary studies, history, medicine and women's and gender studies, Unnatural Reproductions and Monstrosity builds upon pre-existing work while engaging more directly with monstrous progeny, as well as with unnatural reproduction(s), which threaten to eclipse the future, cast uncertainty on the present, and reimagine the past. Ultimately, then, the primary contribution of this book lies not only with its extensive treatment of reproductive monstrosity and unnatural parturition, but with the breadth and intriguing continuity that only a wide lens can provide. This book does not attempt to provide a complete historical assessment or catalog of the enduring cultural fascination with the reproductive origins and potential of monsters. Rather, it provides diverse interdisciplinary and transhistorical perspectives with single unifying theme of unnatural reproduction(s), which is unique to the collection, remaining central to the concept of monstrosity and its evolving narrative incarnations. This interdisciplinary collection spanning the areas of history, literature, medical humanities, and film and media studies explores the transhistorical textual fascination with reproductive monstrosity and unnatural parturition. The collection's four sections provide perspective on hyperbolic and monstrous representations of reproduction and birth that speak to anxieties and fears about gender and sexuality, codified through "unnatural" manifestations and their progeny. By focusing not only on the effect of the monstrous, but also on its reproduction in a variety of genres and modes from science to cinema, the essays in this collection offer critical insight into enduring questions about the genesis of monsters and their reproductive potential that have long haunted the world and continue to shape many fears about the future. This book analyzes how fears about unnatural reproduction and monstrous offspring-and their frequent connections to the feminine-have proliferated and propagated across the very texts which are repetitively created and consumed. Unnatural Reproductions and Monstrosity is an important interdisciplinary book for university library collections and scholars working in women's and gender studies, film and media studies, history, literature, and medical humanities.