Tracking Classical Monsters in Popular Culture

Description

What is it about ancient monsters that popular culture still finds so enthralling? Why do the monsters of antiquity continue to stride across the modern world? In this book, the first in-depth study of how post-classical societies use the creatures from ancient myth, Liz Gloyn reveals the trends behind how we have used monsters since the 1950s to the present day, and considers why they have remained such a powerful presence in our shared cultural imagination. She presents a new model for interpreting the extraordinary vitality that classical monsters have shown, and their enormous adaptability in finding places to dwell in popular culture without sacrificing their connection to the ancient world. Her argument takes her readers through a comprehensive tour of monsters on film and television, from the much-loved creations of Ray Harryhausen in Clash of the Titans to the monster of the week in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, before looking in detail at the afterlives of the Medusa and the Minotaur. She develops a broad theory of the ancient monster and its life after antiquity, investigating its relation to gender, genre and space to offer a bold and novel exploration of what keeps drawing us back to these mythical beasts. From the siren to the centaur, all monster lovers will find something to enjoy in this stimulating and accessible book. Cover page Halftitle page Series page Title page Copyright page Dedication Contents Figures Acknowledgements Introduction 1 What Makes a Monster? Catalogues and cryptozoology Basic monster theory Historical trends Anthropology Psychoanalysis Foucault Feminist monsters 2 Classical Monsters and Where to Find Them Lurking at the edges Genre as place Monsters in the basement The message is the medium 3 Monsters on Film in the Harryhausen Era The impact of Harryhausen Some interim monsters 4 Muscles and Imagination Back to the peplum A different approach to monsters 5 Monsters and Mythologies in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys Monsters as adversaries Hercules , Phase Two Hercules , Phase Three 6 Tripping the Telefantastic in Xena: Warrior Princess and Doctor Who Changing the channel 7 Thoroughly Modern Medusa Medusa on film Medusa’s head: Decapitation, representation and viewing Reclaiming the narrative Medusa in space Reclaiming Rihanna 8 Lost in the Minotaur’s Maze Minotaurs in London A myth in the modern world Technological minotaurs Minotaurs and misunderstanding Epilogue Notes Filmography Bibliography Index