Karl J. Sherlock
Associate Professor, English
Email: karl.sherlock@gcccd.edu
Office Hours: 558A (inside Bldg. 52)
Phone: 619-644-7871
In this quote from Max Brooks's essay about our resurrected interest in zombies, what does Brooks mean by "safe"? Furthermore, what are the apocalyptical anxieties affecting 21st century U.S. Americans? (Don't limit your discussion to natural disasters and pandemics.)
It's been over a decade since Brooks predicted, "Perhaps, as...society returns to a semblance of stability, our macabre fascinations will return to more conventional monsters, forsaking flesh-eating ghouls...." What does Brooks mean by "semblance of stability"? Do you believe his prediction will come to pass? Do you see any evidence in the here and now that we are renewing our interest "conventional monsters"?
What, in your opinion, is the most effective supernatural / monster archetype right now in U.S. culture, and what kinds of "cultures" can you ascribe to it?
How many other supernatural archetypes (other than vampires and zombies) can be explained and examined using the same approach as Brooks and del Toro/Hogan? Select one fictional archetype (a recurring traditional character model) and discuss its current interpretation in popular culture or popular entertainment (e.g., comic books, anime, graphic novels, movies, popular serial novels, etc.). Then, using specific arguments made by Brooks and/or del Toro/Hogan, create a thesis statement about the way your selected archetype has evolved from previous iterations, and how it may be deconstructed to explain our current cultural, apocalyptic anxieties.
You're strongly urged to think about the moral, ethical, philosophical, or existential "problem" depicted by your selected character as well as the world in which that character exists.
Here's an example, in which the Frankenstein archetype has evolved. You don't have to make your own argument as long or as articulate as this:
Karl J. Sherlock
Associate Professor, English
Email: karl.sherlock@gcccd.edu
Office Hours: 558A (inside Bldg. 52)
Phone: 619-644-7871