Haunted: On Ghosts, Witches, Vampires, Zombies, and Other Monsters of the Natural and Supernatural Worlds

Haunted: On Ghosts, Witches, Vampires, Zombies, and Other Monsters of the Natural and Supernatural Worlds

by Leo Braudy (Author)

Synopsis

An award-winning scholar and author charts four hundred years of monsters and how they reflect the culture that created them

Leo Braudy, a finalist for both the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award, has won accolades for revealing the complex and constantly shifting history behind seemingly unchanging ideas of fame, war, and masculinity.

Continuing his interest in the history of emotion, this book explores how fear has been shaped into images of monsters and monstrosity. From the Protestant Reformation to contemporary horror films and fiction, he explores four major types: the monster from nature (King Kong), the created monster (Frankenstein), the monster from within (Mr. Hyde), and the monster from the past (Dracula). Drawing upon deep historical and literary research, Braudy discusses the lasting presence of fearful imaginings in an age of scientific progress, viewing the detective genre as a rational riposte to the irrational world of the monstrous. Haunted is a compelling and incisive work by a writer at the height of his powers.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 336
Edition: Reprint
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: 02 Oct 2018

ISBN 10: 0300239998
ISBN 13: 9780300239997

Media Reviews
Mr. Braudy's narrative spans centuries, continents and genres high and low, from the Sirens that tempted Odysseus to the demons Sarah Michelle Gellar faced down in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. --Andrew Hazlett, Wall Street Journal
Braudy is deft and comprehensive, a veritable Linnaeus of the underworldly oversoul. . . . He also has a kangaroo capacity for crossing huge distances at a bound, moving with equal zest and confidence among biblical, classical, medieval, Enlightenment and Hollywood figures and conceits. --Gregory Maguire, New York Times Book Review
[Displays] an impressive depth of knowledge . . . thanks to the way Braudy has reframed the vast canvas on which stories of horror and terror are depicted, I don't think I will ever watch a horror movie quite the same way again. --Jonathan Kirsch, Jewish Journal
Finalist for the 2016 Bram Stoker Award in the Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction category
Author Bio
Leo Braudy is University Professor and Bing Chair in English and American Literature at the University of Southern California. His many books include The Frenzy of Renown and From Chivalry to Terrorism.