Whole Article
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"The anxiety that condenses into the form of the vampire can be ___________ temporarily, but the revenant, by definition, returns."
dispersed
What does exaggerating cultural differences into monstrousity allow people to justify?
"displacement or extermination" of the Monstrous Other
Do monsters punish or reward curiosity?
Punish
How does Halloween illustrate the element of fantasy in the role of a monster?
"a safe realm of expression and play" "everyone is a demon for a night" (temporary, contained)
Who is the author?
Jeffry Jerome Cohen
"Monster Theory" must therefore concern itself with strings of cultural moments, connected by a logic that always threatens to shift; invigorated by ______ and _______.
change and escape p2
Define "xenophobic misrepresentation"
What are the two horrifying possibilities if one chooses to go beyond the borders of what is acceptable/possible in a society?
1) Getting attacked by the Monster
2) Becoming like the Monster
What, according to Cohen, is a condition that must be met in order for the monstrous to be desirable, enticing, or entertaining?
MUST BE TEMPORARY/CONTAINED
What is the primary purpose of the article?
"reading cultures from the monsters they produce"
"Understanding cultures through the monsters they bear"
The too-precise laws of nature as set forth by science are __________ ___________ in the freakish compilation of the monster's body.
There is an example of an Englishman named Giraldus who observes Irish culture. What was his primary criticism of these people?
They did not adhere to (his) English gender norms.
Cohen says that every Monster is "a double narrative, living two stories" -- what are they?
one that describes how the monster came to be, and another detailing what cultural use the monster serves
How can the idea of a Monster provide an outlet for someone in a society?
fantasy of liberation contrasts with the restrictions of the social order
There are 4 things in the list at the end of this sentence. Give me 2. "The monster's body quite literally incorporates ________________"
fear, desire, anxiety, and fantasy
By refusing an easy compartmentalization of their monstrous bodies, that demand a radical rethinking of ___________ and _________.
Boundary and normality
How does the existence of the monster threaten the structural order of society?
By showing that it is weak, fragile, relative, changeable, and mortal.
Define "unholy miscegenation."
joining with a group that is considered Other, monstrous, or evil
In what way is the Monster a series of contradictions?
simultaneously embodies our fears and desires; close to us and yet completely different than us; we want it gone, but it always comes back
Cohen says in his conclusion that Monsters ask us 6 things. Name one.
how we perceive the world
how we have misrepresented what we have attempted to place
to reevaluate our cultural assumptions
our perception of difference
our tolerance toward its expression
why we have created them
The monster is a genus too large to be encapsulated in any __________ _________; the monster's very existence is a rebuke to boundary and enclosure.
conceptual system
If part of the Monster's essence is questioning/challenging the systems and norms of society, then for whom is the Monster most frightening?
Those who benefit from the system as it currently exists.
What is the fear of miscegenation rooted in?
The cultural threat occurs when a person leaves the dominant culture for the culture of the Other.
What does Cohen mean when he says "Monsters are our children"?
We create them, and they carry with them knowledge of us (our culture, and the individual)