In On Monsters: An Unnatural History of Our Worst Fears, Stephen T. Asma takes a historical, religious, and psychological approach to discussing monsters. Based on the title, readers may expect to read a text that discusses the different types and origins of particular creatures, but Asma spends a great deal of time focused on human perception of such creatures. From ancient monsters to future monsters, Asma’s text provides a complex and thorough history of frightening creatures and how humankind has dealt with such fears.
Overall, the text is well organized, accessible, and appealing. Following the acknowledgements and an introductory chapter, the book’s fifteen chapters are logically divided into four parts. Part One discusses ancient monsters and is comprised of four chapters, the first of which focuses on Alexander the Great fighting monsters in India. Somehow, the chapter concludes with a brief discussion of Cormac McCarthy’s apocalyptic novel The Road. In the middle of this chapter, a number of recent movies are discussed, including Signs, War of the Worlds, and I Am Legend. While this progression may seem a bit odd, in the context of reading the text, it actually makes a great deal of sense and allows the reader to connect current cultural examples to a historical ancestor. Asma takes great pains throughout the text to present a historical basis and progression, but that does not prevent him from applying more modern examples to help solidify his points.
Part Two, “Medieval Monsters: Messages from God,” was the most interesting section of the text. It too is comprised of four chapters and includes a number of biblical and cultural references. Chapter 7, “The Monster Killer,” focuses largely on Beowulf and includes a brief discussion of J.R.R. Tolkien. Chapter 8, “Possessing Demons and Witches,” is remarkably devoid of obvious popular culture references. Certainly, with all of the other movie references, one could reasonably expect a discussion of a film like The Exorcist. Yet Asma seems to know when to use such references to make a point. More importantly, in this case he knows when not to use them, as the discussion makes sense without its inclusion.
The final two sections move away from the religious influences and focus on a much more modern, scientific approach. Part Three, “Scientific Monsters: The Book of Nature is Riddled with Typos,” deals with, among other things, freaks, mutants, and mutations. The fourth section, “Inner Monsters: The Psychological Aspects,” touches on a number of intriguing subjects. The discussion focuses on a number of physical threats, including terrorists, zombies, and cyborgs, to cognitive ideas like xenophobia, angst, and fear. Chapter 15, “Future Monsters: Robots, Mutants, and Posthuman Cyborgs,” on the surface does not really seem to fit under the general topic of psychological aspects, but the way the chapter is presented, its inclusion here is logical. Imagining monsters that do not yet exists says quite a bit about the human psyche.
A brief epilogue is followed by a lengthy section of notes that are organized by chapter. A detailed index completes the text. The book contains numerous black and white images and includes a mixture of artwork, photographs, and movie stills integrated throughout. All of the images are logically placed and relevant to the discussion.
Asma’s book is a thoroughly entertaining and informative discussion of human fear and monsters. It consistently takes the reader in unexpected directions and makes complex connections that are not readily apparent. The mixture of history, religion, psychology, and philosophy, infused with periodic doses of popular culture references, makes this book much more than simply a bestiary of monsters.
--------
[Review length: 600 words • Review posted on November 28, 2012]