pickI really enjoyed this exploration of monsters & their psychological & cultural roles. Lawrence takes a chronological overview, from prehistoric cave paintings & sweeping through the classical, medieval, early modern & modern eras, ending with Godzilla.
The focus is mainly European & Near Eastern & when she does range further afield she uses a European lens, however, this is acknowledged within the text: Other Mythologies & Cultures Are Available!
"The 'Woke T.Rex' debacle in April 2022: one episode of Prehistoric Planet featured a male T.Rex taking care of his offspring - going for a swim and hanging out together. This was based on cutting-edge scientific findings, but tabloids such as The S*n sneered about 'PC-Rex'. To The S*n's readership a male on babysitting duty - especially a male of the most macho of dinosaurs - looked like the 'woke' agenda pushing progressive gender roles. ⬇️
"When a fragile civility is inside [borders] and all else is wilderness, these boundaries have to be defended to reinforce the image of a safe and ordered space, where danger and brutality are suppressed. But that made the wild an even darker and more dangerous place, where Grendel and other 'border-steppers' existed"
- From Chapter 5, Grendel
Beowulf: 1000 (at least) years old, and still psycho-politically relevant. I'm really enjoying this book
"Have you ever been scared by a monster?"
- Introduction
"Two years before the outbreak of the First World War, brothers Max and Louis were on an autumn adventure together."
- Chapter 1
#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl
Next up, an examination of how mythical monsters have sublimated, symbolised and expressed human existential angst across history and culture.
Much as I love Classical and Scandinavian mythology, I'm hoping the author also ranges further afield for her examples.
Enchanted Creatures: Our Monsters and Their Meaning | 
Having written a chapter on how Europeans 'monsterfied' the distant lands, animals and people they colonized, I think Lawrence could have written an interesting chapter on how native cultures 'monsterfied' European invaders, though I don't know whether that process occurred: I bet it did, but there's no way the UK school curriculum I went through could have dealt with that! 4.25 🧌 2w