What is it about?
Although they emerged from the minds of the ancient Greeks and Romans, classical monsters continue to thrive in our culture, particularly in books, films and television. My book explores trends behind how we have used monsters since the 1950s to the present day, and considers why they have remained such a powerful presence in our shared cultural imagination. I take examples from the much-loved creations of Ray Harryhausen in Clash of the Titans to the monster of the week in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, and look in detail at the afterlives of Medusa and the Minotaur.
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Why is it important?
This book is the first full-length study of classical monsters, rather than just looking at heroes. It offers a starting point for thinking about how monsters interact with modern ideas about gender and race, and how genre affects where classical monsters appear in contemporary media.
Perspectives
I wanted to write about monsters after getting fed up of how they always seemed to disappear from the conversation in favour of heroes! There's some really important information about how our cultures respond to differences by making certain characteristics monstrous, and also how people reclaim the parts of themselves that others have said are monstrous - classical monsters are an important part of this process, and deserve more attention.
Dr Liz Gloyn
Royal Holloway University of London
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Tracking Classical Monsters in Popular Culture, January 2020, Bloomsbury Academic,
DOI: 10.5040/9781350122581.
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