“Horrifying Discourses”: A Historical Inquiry into America’s Passion for Monsters

W. Scott Poole, Associate Professor of History at the College of Charleston

• Thursday, Nov. 17; 4:30 p.m.
• Lurie Conference Room, Higgins University Center
• Free and open to the public

Scholars in media and film studies have examined the American monster by focusing primarily on popular culture. They have generally concluded that creatures of the night are representations of individual anxieties, angst about human existence or even rites of adolescent initiation. “Horrifying Discourses” will reflect on how narratives of horror have intersected with American historical experience and how attitudes toward class, religion, politics, the medicalization of the body have manifested as terrifying creatures. The lecture will look specifically at the 19th century fascination with sea serpents, the early twentieth century interest in freak shows and the more recent obsession with zombies and vampires to suggest ways monsters can and should prompt historical inquiry.

W. Scott Poole is an Associate Professor of History at the College of Charleston, in Charleston, S.C. He is the author of a number of books on the history of the South, religion, and popular culture including most recently Satan in America: The Devil We Know and Monsters in America:
Our Historical Obsession with the Hideous and the Haunting. Professor Poole is a regular contributor to www.popmatters.com, an international magazine of cultural criticism.

Presented by the Departments of History, English, Screen Studies, and the Higgins School for the Humanities.