Name

Ms. Breen

Date:
English

Monster Mash
Monsters, they lurk in the darkness and at the borders of society. They exist in all
cultures; Anglo-Saxons had Grendel, Algonquian had Wendigo, Romanian had Dracula.
The monster inspires paradoxical feelings; we are compelled and repulsed simultaneously
by this creature. In Jeffrey Jerome Cohens article, Monster Culture (Seven Theses) he
postulates that the monster, regardless of culture, tale, or identity, operate under seven
theses.
Thesis One:
The Monsters Body is a Cultural Body
1.

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Thesis Two:
The Monster Always Escapes
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Thesis Three:
The Monster is the Harbinger of Category Crisis
3.

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Thesis Four:
The Monster Dwells at the Gates of Difference
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Thesis Five:
The Monster Polices the Borders of the Possible
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Thesis Six:
Fear of the Monster is Really a Kind of Desire
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Thesis Seven:
The Monster Stands at the Threshold of Becoming
7.

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