Monsters
Second Edition ©2020 Andrew J. Hoffman Formats: E-book, Print
As low as $19.99
As low as $19.99
A brief and versatile reader at an affordable price
Monsters explores questions about the central concept of the monstrous: Why do we create monsters? Are they animal, human, both, or neither? Which of our fears and desires do monsters embody? What can monsters tell us about our cultural and historical moments? How do we cope with the monsters that haunt our imaginations—and our societies? Readings by classic poets, contemporary fiction writers, pop culture critics, philosophers, psychologists, occultists, veterinarians, ethicists, historians, and others take up these questions and more. Questions and assignments for each selection provide a range of activities for students to write about vampires, werewolves, zombies, mermaids, serial killers, classic horror movie monsters, and more strange things that go bump in the night.
The Bedford Spotlight Reader Series is an exciting line of single-theme readers, each reflecting Bedford’s trademark care and quality. An editorial board of a dozen compositionists at schools with courses focusing on specific themes assists in the development of the series. Each reader collects thoughtfully chosen selections sufficient for an entire writing course—about 35 pieces—to allow instructors to provide carefully developed, high-quality instruction at an affordable price. Bedford Spotlight Readers are designed to help students from all majors make sustained inquiries from multiple perspectives, opening up topics such as borders, food, gender, happiness, humor, language, music, science and technology, subcultures, and sustainability, to critical analysis. The readers are flexibly arranged in thematic chapters, with each chapter focusing in depth on a different facet of the central topic. Instructor support at macmillanlearning.com includes sample syllabi and additional teaching resources.
Related Titles
Authors
-
Andrew J. Hoffman
Andrew J. Hoffman is a Professor of English at San Diego Mesa College, where he teaches courses in grammar, composition, and British Literature. He received his B.A. in English from the University of California at Irvine and his M.A. from Syracuse University. He is the author of Monsters, part of the Bedford Spotlight series, and has contributed to The Arlington Reader, Fourth Edition. In addition, he has authored, edited, or otherwise contributed to numerous other textbooks of grammar, composition, and rhetoric, in both traditional and online formats.
Table of Contents
Introduction for Students
Chapter 1: Why Do We Create Monsters?
Stephen King, Why We Crave Horror Movies
Mary Shelley, from Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus
Susan Tyler Hitchcock, Conception
Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan, Why Vampires Never Die
Chuck Klosterman, My Zombie, Myself: Why Modern Life Feels Rather Undead
Peter H. Brothers, Japan’s Nuclear Nightmare: How the Bomb Became a Beast Called Godzilla
*Clarisse Loughrey, Slender Man: A Myth of the Digital Age
Stephen T. Asma, Monsters and the Moral Imagination
Chapter 2: How Do Monsters Reflect Their Times?
Ted Genoways, Here Be Monsters
Daniel Cohen, The Birth of Monsters
*Anonymous, from Beowulf [[*new translation]]
*Gerald Vizenor, Nannabozho and the Gambler
Matt Kaplan, Cursed by a Bite
W. Scott Poole, Monstrous Beginnings
*Nick Bostrom, Get Ready for the Dawn of Superintelligence
*Isaac Asimov, Robbie
*Chapter 3: How Does Gender Affect the Monster?
*Amy Fuller, The Evolving Legend of La Llorona
Homer, from The Odyssey
*Sophia Kingshill, Reclaiming the Mermaid
Ovid, Battle of the Lapiths and Centaurs
Karen Hollinger, The Monster as Woman: Two Generations of Cat People
*Carol J. Clover, Final Girl
*Judith Halberstam, Bodies that Splatter: Queers and Chainsaws
*Chapter 4: What is the Power of the Monster?
Jeffrey Jerome Cohen, Fear of the Monster Is Really a Kind of Desire
Bram Stoker, from Dracula
Karen Backstein, (Un)safe Sex: Romancing the Vampire
Elizabeth A. Lawrence, Werewolves in Psyche and Cinema
*Robert Louis Stevenson, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
*Erica McCrystal, Hyde as a Monster Villain
*Christian Jarrett, The Lure of Horror
Chapter 5: Is the Monster within Us?
Adolf Hitler, Nation and Race
Patrick McCormick, Why Modern Monsters Have Become Alien to Us
*Thomas Fahy, Hobbes, Human Nature, and the Culture of American Violence in Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood
Anne E. Schwartz, Inside a Murdering Mind
Richard Tithecott, The Horror in the Mirror: Average Joe and the Mechanical Monster
William Andrew Myers, Ethical Aliens: The Challenge of Extreme Perpetrators to Humanism
*Kevin Berger, Why We Still Need Monsters
Sentence Guides for Academic Writers
Product Updates
New and Diverse Reading Selections
13 of the readings (over a third) are new, and represent a broad and diverse range of genres, themes, and voices. The number of scholarly works has increased, reflecting the growing academic interest in monster studies. Notable new readings include:
- Clarisse Loughrey, “Slender Man: A Myth of the Digital Age”: A culture reporter explores how the collective imagination of the digital community has updated mythmaking for the modern age with the creation of Slender Man, a tall, faceless being, born in Photoshop.
- Carol J. Clover, “Final Girl”: A professor of film studies and language introduces the concept of the “Final Girl” — the lone female survivor at the end of a slasher movie — and explores how the character challenges and embodies stereotypes.
- Nick Bostrom, “Get Ready for the Dawn of Superintelligence”: A philosopher warns that artificial intelligence is inevitable and could become monstrous if humans do not take steps to ensure that the superintelligent programs remain benevolent.
New Chapter Themes and Topics
New themes and topics offer expanded opportunities for considering the monster:
- Two new chapter themes include Chapter 3: How Does Gender Affect the Monster? and Chapter 4: What is the Power of the Monster?
- New readings throughout the book provide new contexts for considering monsters including: mermaids, artificial intelligence, and monsters from other cultures.
Increased focus on rhetoric and composition
- “Understanding the Text” reading comprehension questions for every selection have been expanded to include a final prompt that asks students to consider the work’s rhetorical approach to the topic, focusing on language, structure, form, and purpose.
- A new appendix of “Sentence Guides for Academic Writers” offers a practical module to help students develop an academic writing voice by giving them templates to follow in a variety of composition situations.
Instructor Resources
Instructor Resources
Download Resources
You need to sign in to unlock your resources.
Additional Materials for Use With Monsters
Sample Syllabus
You've selected:
Click the E-mail Download Link button and we'll send you an e-mail at with links to download your instructor resources. Please note there may be a delay in delivering your e-mail depending on the size of the files.
Warning! These materials are owned by Macmillan Learning or its licensors and are protected by copyright laws in the United States and other jurisdictions. Such materials may include a digital watermark that is linked to your name and email address in your Macmillan Learning account to identify the source of any materials used in an unauthorised way and prevent online piracy. These materials are being provided solely for instructional use by instructors who have adopted Macmillan Learning’s accompanying textbooks or online products for use by students in their courses. These materials may not be copied, distributed, sold, shared, posted online, or used, in print or electronic format, except in the limited circumstances set forth in the Macmillan Learning Terms of Use and any other reproduction or distribution is illegal. These materials may not be made publicly available under any circumstances. All other rights reserved. For more information about the use of your personal data including for the purposes of anti-piracy enforcement, please refer to Macmillan Learning's.Privacy Notice
Thank you!
Your download request has been received and your download link will be sent to .
Please note you could wait up to 30 to 60 minutes to receive your download e-mail depending on the number and size of the files. We appreciate your patience while we process your request.
Check your inbox, trash, and spam folders for an e-mail from InstructorResources@macmillan.com.
If you do not receive your e-mail, please visit macmillanlearning.com/support.
Authors
-
Andrew J. Hoffman
Andrew J. Hoffman is a Professor of English at San Diego Mesa College, where he teaches courses in grammar, composition, and British Literature. He received his B.A. in English from the University of California at Irvine and his M.A. from Syracuse University. He is the author of Monsters, part of the Bedford Spotlight series, and has contributed to The Arlington Reader, Fourth Edition. In addition, he has authored, edited, or otherwise contributed to numerous other textbooks of grammar, composition, and rhetoric, in both traditional and online formats.
Table of Contents
Introduction for Students
Chapter 1: Why Do We Create Monsters?
Stephen King, Why We Crave Horror Movies
Mary Shelley, from Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus
Susan Tyler Hitchcock, Conception
Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan, Why Vampires Never Die
Chuck Klosterman, My Zombie, Myself: Why Modern Life Feels Rather Undead
Peter H. Brothers, Japan’s Nuclear Nightmare: How the Bomb Became a Beast Called Godzilla
*Clarisse Loughrey, Slender Man: A Myth of the Digital Age
Stephen T. Asma, Monsters and the Moral Imagination
Chapter 2: How Do Monsters Reflect Their Times?
Ted Genoways, Here Be Monsters
Daniel Cohen, The Birth of Monsters
*Anonymous, from Beowulf [[*new translation]]
*Gerald Vizenor, Nannabozho and the Gambler
Matt Kaplan, Cursed by a Bite
W. Scott Poole, Monstrous Beginnings
*Nick Bostrom, Get Ready for the Dawn of Superintelligence
*Isaac Asimov, Robbie
*Chapter 3: How Does Gender Affect the Monster?
*Amy Fuller, The Evolving Legend of La Llorona
Homer, from The Odyssey
*Sophia Kingshill, Reclaiming the Mermaid
Ovid, Battle of the Lapiths and Centaurs
Karen Hollinger, The Monster as Woman: Two Generations of Cat People
*Carol J. Clover, Final Girl
*Judith Halberstam, Bodies that Splatter: Queers and Chainsaws
*Chapter 4: What is the Power of the Monster?
Jeffrey Jerome Cohen, Fear of the Monster Is Really a Kind of Desire
Bram Stoker, from Dracula
Karen Backstein, (Un)safe Sex: Romancing the Vampire
Elizabeth A. Lawrence, Werewolves in Psyche and Cinema
*Robert Louis Stevenson, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
*Erica McCrystal, Hyde as a Monster Villain
*Christian Jarrett, The Lure of Horror
Chapter 5: Is the Monster within Us?
Adolf Hitler, Nation and Race
Patrick McCormick, Why Modern Monsters Have Become Alien to Us
*Thomas Fahy, Hobbes, Human Nature, and the Culture of American Violence in Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood
Anne E. Schwartz, Inside a Murdering Mind
Richard Tithecott, The Horror in the Mirror: Average Joe and the Mechanical Monster
William Andrew Myers, Ethical Aliens: The Challenge of Extreme Perpetrators to Humanism
*Kevin Berger, Why We Still Need Monsters
Sentence Guides for Academic Writers
Product Updates
New and Diverse Reading Selections
13 of the readings (over a third) are new, and represent a broad and diverse range of genres, themes, and voices. The number of scholarly works has increased, reflecting the growing academic interest in monster studies. Notable new readings include:
- Clarisse Loughrey, “Slender Man: A Myth of the Digital Age”: A culture reporter explores how the collective imagination of the digital community has updated mythmaking for the modern age with the creation of Slender Man, a tall, faceless being, born in Photoshop.
- Carol J. Clover, “Final Girl”: A professor of film studies and language introduces the concept of the “Final Girl” — the lone female survivor at the end of a slasher movie — and explores how the character challenges and embodies stereotypes.
- Nick Bostrom, “Get Ready for the Dawn of Superintelligence”: A philosopher warns that artificial intelligence is inevitable and could become monstrous if humans do not take steps to ensure that the superintelligent programs remain benevolent.
New Chapter Themes and Topics
New themes and topics offer expanded opportunities for considering the monster:
- Two new chapter themes include Chapter 3: How Does Gender Affect the Monster? and Chapter 4: What is the Power of the Monster?
- New readings throughout the book provide new contexts for considering monsters including: mermaids, artificial intelligence, and monsters from other cultures.
Increased focus on rhetoric and composition
- “Understanding the Text” reading comprehension questions for every selection have been expanded to include a final prompt that asks students to consider the work’s rhetorical approach to the topic, focusing on language, structure, form, and purpose.
- A new appendix of “Sentence Guides for Academic Writers” offers a practical module to help students develop an academic writing voice by giving them templates to follow in a variety of composition situations.
FAQs
-
-
Are you a campus bookstore looking for ordering information?
MPS Order Search Tool (MOST) is a web-based purchase order tracking program that allows customers to view and track their purchases. No registration or special codes needed! Just enter your BILL-TO ACCT # and your ZIP CODE to track orders.
Canadian Stores: Please use only the first five digits/letters in your zip code on MOST.
Visit MOST, our online ordering system for booksellers: https://tracking.mpsvirginia.com/Login.aspx
Learn more about our Bookstore programs here: https://www.macmillanlearning.com/college/us/contact-us/booksellers
-
-
-
Our courses currently integrate with Canvas, Blackboard (Learn and Ultra), Brightspace, D2L, and Moodle. Click on the support documentation below to find out more details about the integration with each LMS.
Integrate Macmillan courses with Blackboard
Integrate Macmillan courses with Canvas
-
-
-
If you’re a verified instructor, you can request a free sample of our courseware, e-book, or print textbook to consider for use in your courses. Only registered and verified instructors can receive free print and digital samples, and they should not be sold to bookstores or book resellers. If you don't yet have an existing account with Macmillan Learning, it can take up to two business days to verify your status as an instructor. You can request a free sample from the right side of this product page by clicking on the "Request Instructor Sample" button or by contacting your rep. Learn more.
-
-
-
Sometimes also referred to as a spiral-bound or binder-ready textbook, loose-leaf textbooks are available to purchase. This three-hole punched, unbound version of the book costs less than a hardcover or paperback book.
-
-
-
We can help! Contact your representative to discuss your specific needs for your course. If our off-the-shelf course materials don’t quite hit the mark, we also offer custom solutions made to fit your needs.
-
FAQs
-
-
Are you a campus bookstore looking for ordering information?
MPS Order Search Tool (MOST) is a web-based purchase order tracking program that allows customers to view and track their purchases. No registration or special codes needed! Just enter your BILL-TO ACCT # and your ZIP CODE to track orders.
Canadian Stores: Please use only the first five digits/letters in your zip code on MOST.
Visit MOST, our online ordering system for booksellers: https://tracking.mpsvirginia.com/Login.aspx
Learn more about our Bookstore programs here: https://www.macmillanlearning.com/college/us/contact-us/booksellers
-
-
-
Our courses currently integrate with Canvas, Blackboard (Learn and Ultra), Brightspace, D2L, and Moodle. Click on the support documentation below to find out more details about the integration with each LMS.
Integrate Macmillan courses with Blackboard
Integrate Macmillan courses with Canvas
-
-
-
If you’re a verified instructor, you can request a free sample of our courseware, e-book, or print textbook to consider for use in your courses. Only registered and verified instructors can receive free print and digital samples, and they should not be sold to bookstores or book resellers. If you don't yet have an existing account with Macmillan Learning, it can take up to two business days to verify your status as an instructor. You can request a free sample from the right side of this product page by clicking on the "Request Instructor Sample" button or by contacting your rep. Learn more.
-
-
-
Sometimes also referred to as a spiral-bound or binder-ready textbook, loose-leaf textbooks are available to purchase. This three-hole punched, unbound version of the book costs less than a hardcover or paperback book.
-
-
-
We can help! Contact your representative to discuss your specific needs for your course. If our off-the-shelf course materials don’t quite hit the mark, we also offer custom solutions made to fit your needs.
-
Monsters
Monsters explores questions about the central concept of the monstrous: Why do we create monsters? Are they animal, human, both, or neither? Which of our fears and desires do monsters embody? What can monsters tell us about our cultural and historical moments? How do we cope with the monsters that haunt our imaginations—and our societies? Readings by classic poets, contemporary fiction writers, pop culture critics, philosophers, psychologists, occultists, veterinarians, ethicists, historians, and others take up these questions and more. Questions and assignments for each selection provide a range of activities for students to write about vampires, werewolves, zombies, mermaids, serial killers, classic horror movie monsters, and more strange things that go bump in the night.
The Bedford Spotlight Reader Series is an exciting line of single-theme readers, each reflecting Bedford’s trademark care and quality. An editorial board of a dozen compositionists at schools with courses focusing on specific themes assists in the development of the series. Each reader collects thoughtfully chosen selections sufficient for an entire writing course—about 35 pieces—to allow instructors to provide carefully developed, high-quality instruction at an affordable price. Bedford Spotlight Readers are designed to help students from all majors make sustained inquiries from multiple perspectives, opening up topics such as borders, food, gender, happiness, humor, language, music, science and technology, subcultures, and sustainability, to critical analysis. The readers are flexibly arranged in thematic chapters, with each chapter focusing in depth on a different facet of the central topic. Instructor support at macmillanlearning.com includes sample syllabi and additional teaching resources.
Select a demo to view:
Sample Achieve