Making Monsters: A Speculative and Classical Anthology
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- 49,00 kr
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- 49,00 kr
Utgivarens beskrivning
We have always made monsters: in art, in myth, in religion; out of clay or bronze, pixels or hybrid flesh; from the stuff of human nightmares; by cursing women with bestial traits. This anthology brings together fiction and accessible academic writing in conversation about monsters and their roles in our lives—and ours in theirs.
Twelve short stories, three flash fiction, three poems, and six essays from a broad field of authors, scholars and practitioners cover a range of approaches to and reimaginings of ancient monsters both familiar and less-known. These are not the monsters you found in Homer or Ovid—they make look like them, but these have much louder voices.
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In this low-key anthology, Bridges and al-Ayad collect poetry, essays, and short fiction dealing with the questions of what a monster is, how monsters come to be, the cultural roles served by monsters, and so on, involving traditional folkloric monsters from around the world. The vast majority of the works deal with Greek mythology, including the book's standout piece, Maria Anastasiadou's "The Origin of the Different," an archaeological essay examining the evolution of the forms of Medusa and the Minotaur in early Greek art. Valentine Wheeler's "Justice Is a Noose" looks questioningly at the feelings of one of the Furies during the Oresteia, and Rachel Bender's "The Tengu's Tongue" is an atmospheric clash between the titular tengu and the forces of human society. The poetry selections are, unfortunately, weak, poised in an odd valley between formalism and free verse that winds up producing poor scansion. Overall, the collection doesn't produce any new or innovative answers to the questions it poses, but it consistently addresses those questions with erudition and grace. Fans of monster stories will find these worthwhile.
