Monsters: Fictional Representations of Cultural Anxieties
Translated title
Author
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2011
Submitted on
2011-06-21
Pages
77
Abstract
This study deals with monsters of the fin-de-siécle (i.e. the late C19) and their function as uncanny doubles of the fears and anxieties embedded within a particular society. Furthermore, the study investigates monsters as scapegoats meant to be ousted in order for society to reach some degree of cleansing. The main theorists are Sigmund Freud (using his terms "uncanny", "projection" and "repression" in my reading of monsters as psychological entities) and René Girard (using his view of the scapegoat), but other theorists, such as Noël Carroll, are used as well, particularly in connection with the theory and history of the monster.
Keywords
Gothic ; fin-de-siécle ; Monsters ; Sigmund Freud ; Rene Girard ; Scapegoat
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