Holy Monsters, Sacred Grotesques: Monstrosity and Religion in Europe and the United States

(Hardback)

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Holy Monsters, Sacred Grotesques examines the intersection of religion and monstrosity in a variety of different time periods in the hopes of addressing two gaps in scholarship within the field of monster studies. The first part of the volumerunning from the medieval to the Early Modern periodfocuses upon the view of the monster through non-majority voices and accounts from those who were themselves branded as monsters. Overlapping partially with the Early Modern and proceeding to the present day, the contributions of the second part of the volume attempt to problematize the dichotomy of secular/religious through a close look at the monsters this period has wrought.

Reviews

This ambitious volume questions the nature of religion and secularity in relation to and embodied by the figure of the monster, addressing gaps in current conversation both in its attention to the sacred, and in its range from the medieval to the modern. -- Dana M. Oswald, University of Wisconsin-Parkside
Grotesques and cynocephali, hermaphrodites and the headless horsemen. This daring and eclectic bestiary expands the way we think about the function of monsters and the nature of monstrosity. -- Joseph Laycock, Texas State University
Heyes cadre of burgeoning and seasoned academics in English, the Humanities, History, Art History, Religion, and Medieval Studies offers lucidly written studies at the intersections of the sacred and the horrific with an eye for both the scholar and general public. Explorations of modern monstrosity and religiosity, monstrous wombs, hermaphrodites, architectural grotesqueries in sacred spaces, Catholic monstrosity in antebellum America fiction, as well as more recent forays into the sacred monstrous with H. P. Lovecraft, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (19972003), and Sleepy Hollow (20132017), together comprise a volume that is intellectually invaluable and much needed for the niche it fills. -- John Edgar Browning, Georgia Institute of Technology
This wide-ranging collection brings together numerous cutting-edge essays on the rapidly growing field of Monster Studies. Drawing from the work of noted academics, this engaging anthology covers an eclectic range from Shakespeare to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In providing thoughtful analysis of traditional and contemporary materials from a variety of critical approaches, this represents an important contribution. -- Peter J. Dendle, Pennsylvania State University, Mont Alto

Author Bio

Michael E. Heyes is assistant professor of religion at Lycoming College.