Monsters reshape themselves to fit each era’s dominant fears

Evidence

Presently monsters seem to be everywhere, featured in children’s cartoons and movies, in vampire and zombie films and television series, even invoked by Lady Gaga’s “Little Monsters,” the pet name for her legions of fans. Classifying this large category of characters—as humans, freaks, or creatures—is challenging. Monsters have a “protean” character, “changing from period to period as society’s basic fears clothe themselves in fashionable or immediately accessible garments.” — Sophia Rose Arjana, Muslims in the Western Imagination, 57

Categorization

• DEFINE: The ‘protean’ formulation gives a clean definitional handle for the monster category the whole book navigates.
• SHARE: The Lady Gaga ‘Little Monsters’ invocation plus the protean definition could delight someone interested in monster theory or fan culture.
• XREF: connects to: A people’s monster myths reveal their deepest values and fears — Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom,…, 1117