Episode 20: Monster Mash

“The Monster” and “The Monster Hunter” may be among the oldest figures in popular culture. It is the most basic of stories. Some great evil is threatening the community. Someone go kill it! It is a theme that has played out in countless books, movies, tv shows, comics and video games. The monster is a metaphor for Othering — dehumanizing individuals based on race, gender or ideology that goes against the norms of the society or culture in which they live. There have been many variations over the years. Monsters have been brutal, scary, mystical, scientific male, female, frightening and sympathetic and lately…. sexy! How did we get there? On this week’s show, Wayne and Mav are joined by two experts in the field — Dr. Michael Chemers of University of California, Santa Cruz and Dr. Heather Duda of University of Rio Grande — to discuss the evolution of the monster and monster hunter, from Beowulf to Frankenstein to Dracula to Buffy to Bella and everything in between.

Citations and Links:

• This episode’s Call for Comments
• The Monster in Theatre History by Michael Chemers
• The Monster Hunter in Popular Culture by Heather Duda
• Men, Women and Chainsaws by Carolyn Clover
• The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell
• Metamorphoses of the Vampire in Literature and Film by Erik Butler
• The Stress of Her Regard by Tim Powers
• The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice
• Beowulf translated by Seaums Heaney
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer
• Blade
• The Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer
• Dracula by Bram Stroker
• Frankenstein by Mary Wollstoncraft Shelley
• Van Helsing

• Thank you to Maximilian’s thoughtForm Music for our theme
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