ENGLISH 400: MONSTER THEORY
COURSE TEXTS
BEOWULF
Translated by Seamus Heaney
Beowulf is an ancient Anglo-Saxon poem, one of the oldest written texts we have from the 9-10th century in Old English. The story is a bildungsroman of our hero Beowulf as he fights three monsters; both Grendel and Grendel’s mother defending Hrothgar’s hall as a young man, and a dragon defending his own land as an old one. He gains fame and support ripping off Grendel’s arm and stabbing Grendel’s mother, and dies in the process of killing the dragon.
THE LAIS OF MARIE DE FRANCE
Written by Marie de France
Marie de France lived during the 12th century, and was either the queen of France or another noblewoman who could read and write. The Lais were a collection of stories, poems and songs she wrote or transcribed, popular among the French nobility’s courts. They have themes of courtly love, reputation and status, and transformative encounters, often with a mysterious being that is able to transform itself. In one, "Guigemar", a young knight must suffer and become a man after being struck and admonished by a hermaphroditic deer that makes him female, and another, "Bisclavret", features a werewolf exposed and exiled when his wife discovers his secret and hides his clothes.
THE BLOODY CHAMBER
Written by Angela Carter
The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter is a series of short stories written in 1979 during the second wave feminist movement. Through fairytale retellings, she focuses on bodily autonomy, transformation, and patriarchal violence. Monsters in the stories guard transformations of girls to women, mark the borders of sexuality, and oversee the loss or gain of autonomy.
GREEDY CHOKEPUPPY
Written by Nalo Hopkins
“Greedy Chokepuppy” by Nalo Hopkinson (2000) is a short story about soucouyants, vampires from Caribbean folklore that can slip out of their skin, turn into balls of fire, and suck the life-force from newborns. The story explores the dangers of consumption and desire, and the sentence pronounced for greedy women.
UNDERWORLD
Directed by Len Wiseman
Underworld (2003) is a dark action film that examines power, autonomy, and agency when making decisions that are restrained due to hierarchal structures. In a world where vampires and lycans (werewolves) are at war, this film highlights xenophobia and anti-miscenagation laws that reflect the geo-political climate of a post- 9/11 United States.
TALE OF TALES
Directed by Matteo Garrone
Tale of Tales (2015) is a fantasy film split into three different story lines: "The Enchanted Doe", "The Flea", "The Flayed Old Lady". In each story, the audience is implored to explore how certain bonds for love need to be broken in order for new space to be made. The audience is encouraged to explore the implications of this love and how it makes the characters feel trapped and suffocated.
THE DEVOURERS
Written by Indra Das
The Devourers by Indra Das is a shapeshifter story written in 2015 detailing the stories an Indian professor is transcribing, given to him by someone claiming to be half werewolf. We meet beings who eat humans and absorb their life experiences in order to change between first and second selves, and follow three werewolves through the Mughal empire as they change their skin, hunt, and break down the boundaries between the self in the other.
DRY SPELL
Written by Adam Golub
“Dry Spell” by Adam Golub (2015) is a horrific short story about metaphorphosis set in a modern west coast context. It explores the abject simultaneous danger and allure of online dating, as well as wealth accumulation in a time of great disparity driven by climate catastrophe. In a time of extreme drought, what can a drink cost you?
