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Monstrous Children and Childish Monsters

Essays on Cinema's Holy Terrors

Sean Moreland editor Markus PJ Bohlmann editor

Format:Paperback

Publisher:McFarland & Co Inc

Published:30th Mar '15

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Monstrous Children and Childish Monsters cover

While at first glance it may seem strange that so many films portray children as monstrous characters, the essays in this collection begin by recognizing the pervasive popularity, and the wide variety, of such characterizations. Perhaps because of the wisdom received from our Romantic forebears about the purity of the child, fictional imaginings of children as monsters exercise a tremendous fascination for film audiences, and have for several decades.

These opposing, and yet co-dependent, tendencies are reflected in the modern connotations of the phrases child-like (innocent) and childish (selfish, perhaps even evil.) Yet unlike most previous scholarly work on this cultural phenomenon, the essays in this collection do not remain arrested by this reductive binary, but strive to unearth the many possibilities, meanings and forms that are hidden by the two-faced mask our imaginings of children all too often wear.

“a must read because of its breadth, scholarly approaches, and accessible language”—Albeit Journal; “a welcome addition to horror film studies”—Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts; “Instructs, entertains and provokes...exciting and substantial collection...witty and perceptive...rich cinematic detail, provocatively argued theories and solid historical grounding combine to make Bohlmann and Moreland’s substantial collection an inspiring source of reference on the monstrous child. It is crucial reading for scholars of fantasy and horror. A valuable resource on popular culture representations of otherness.”—Anna Powell, Research Fellow, Gothic Studies Centre, Manchester Metropolitan University

ISBN: 9780786494798

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

288 pages