This was a course that really pushed me to think about how I perceive the world around me. The first thing Dr. Tracy taught us is that there is no such thing as monsters, that monsters only exist when people make a monster out of something. Throughout history and literature monsters have been created as stand-ins for enemies, caricatures of marginalized groups, or as manifestations of society’s fears. The interconnectivity between subjects and areas of study was bewildering: we studied feminism in werewolf literature, 19th century orientalism in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Ancient Greek hospitality customs in The Odyssey, and necromancy as a gauge of morality in Kingdom of the Crescent Moon.
I never thought I would reference this class in other courses, so I was thoroughly surprised to find myself citing orientalism and the Arthurian legend in my Chilean course on Latin American literature! It’s amazing how connections can be formed.
Below are samples of my work in Monsters in World Literature
Hesiod’s Theogony: The Selfish Rats You Spawned to Replace Yourself
In the beginning there was chaos, and from chaos there came the gods, and from the gods there came hatred, betrayal, and treachery. Children hidden beneath the earth rise to kill their father only to send their children to the very abyss from which they arose. Their children rise to kill them. The cycle of paternal and filial violence continues with each generation being more tyrannical than the last. Such violence is carried out almost instinctively, as if it were inherited from the preceding generation; it is in their nature to be violent and cruel. In its account of the creation of the gods, Hesiod’s Theogony criticizes the destructive and violent nature of tyrannical rulers through the cycle of violence perpetuated by each generation to illustrate the inherent cruelty of humanity.
Throughoutthe Theogony human cruelty appears and reappears in the form of violence. The criticism Hesiod levies focuses on the perpetual cycle of intergenerational violence within the pantheon of Greek gods. This begins with Gaea, the mother of the earth, and Uranus, the god of the sky. Uranus fathers many children with Gaea, such as the Cyclopes and the Titans, all terrifying in appearance and all “hated by their own father from the very beginning” (155). As such, he hides them within Gaea to prevent them from rising up against him. With Gaea’s encouragement the youngest of the Titans, Cronus, castrates Uranus (180) to prevent him from fathering more hated children. Through this action Cronus comes to be the supreme ruler of the cosmos. It is the nature by which Cronus castrates his father that calls to light Hesiod’s criticism of violence. Cronus “eagerly cut off his own father’s genitals” (180) and had previously volunteered to do so, stating “I don’t care at all about our father” (171). Cronus and his ardent hatred for his father can be viewed as representative for humanity’s eagerness to fight itself. Just as Cronus turns on his own flesh and blood, societies turn on each other to engage in violence.
The violence reappears and continues through Cronus’ generation. Fearing that his own children will overthrow him, Cronus devours them much to the distress of his wife Rhea. Much like Gaea did before, Rhea spares her youngest, Zeus, who rises against Cronus. In yet another example of familial violence Zeus launches a ten year long war pitting the Olympian gods against the Titans and Cronus (641-650). Zeus emerges victorious only to continue the cycle of violence against his own family. He imprisons his Titan uncles in Tartaros (728-730) and slays Typhoeus in battle (855). After defeating Cronus and the Titans Zeus’ first course of action is to cruelly punish them, a decision inherent in his family. Once again Hesiod uses this inter-generational violence to stand in for violence in humanity. The victor zealously wields the power of punishment with the same cruel intent that has been seen throughout the ancient world.
The inherent violence and cruelty of humanity is illustrated through generational violence. Since Uranus locked his children away Cronus was motivated to eat his children who were in turn motivated to wage war and imprison their own father. Imprisonment was used as convenient solution rather than a traumatic response. These actions are mirrored in humanity whose own tyrannical rulers see fit to perpetuate violence and oppression against those they feel have wronged them. Though these real life tyrants do not devour their opponents, their vilification and imprisonment of them is reflected in the vilification and imprisonment of the Titans and the gods. As such, Hesiod’s Theogony paints a grim image of humanity as an inherently violent race built on the hatred, betrayal, and treachery of their forefathers.
Boys Will be Wolves: Themes of Abuse and Corruption in Bisclavret
Marie de France’s Bisclavret is the short tale of a knight who can transform into a wolf, an act he takes great pride in. His wife, horrified by the revelation of his transformative ability, plots with a rival knight to trick Bisclavret into remaining in his wolf form. Eventually their ruse is uncovered and Bisclavret is joyously returned to his human form. In the time since its writing Bisclavret has often been viewed as the victim of his cunning wife and her lover. The idea that his wife and a co-conspirator trick him leads to the conclusion that he is the story’s victim, yet his actions belay this theory: despite appearing to be the victim, Bisclavret exhibits behavior characteristic of an abuser. In Bisclavret, Marie criticizes the court’s corruptness for protecting abusers and promoting a climate of violence in defending the knights no matter what acts they commit.
The criticism begins with Bisclavret’s abusive behavior. Bisclavret is well-liked by all who had met him and did not know the hidden details of his life. One such hidden detail concerns the treatment of his wife. Bisclavret often leaves home for “three full days” without anyone knowing where he goes or what he does (90). His wife questions him, “fearing nothing more than his anger”, and Bisclavret refuses to answer as he would face “[great harm and destroy himself]” (90). The first of many red flags is her statement that she fears nothing more than his anger. It would stand to reason that there are unmentioned incidents which prompt her fear of Bisclavret, some instances in which he became violent or angered towards her. Furthermore Bisclavret’s response exhibits two more abusive characteristics. Bisclavret says that if he reveals his secret to her he will be harmed in order to manipulate his wife into fearing for him. His threat of destroying himself is another manipulative effort to maintain his control over her. Bisclavret’s behavior is indicative of an abusive side, terrorizing his wife and threatening her, hidden beneath a noble and likeable façade.
Bisclavret escapes punishment for his abuse by appealing to the members of the royal court. In his wolf form he charms the court into welcoming him as a sort of pet. The king’s men were “happy to look after the creature” and “it was loved by everyone” (91). Bisclavret’s attack on the knight who betrayed him is met with remarks that he must have a good reason to attack the knight. When Bisclavret savages his wife and tears off her nose a wise man of the court steps in on his behalf, reasoning that the usually violent beast likely has “some grudge against her and also her husband” (91). Through torture the wife reveals how she and the knight tricked Bisclavret. He is returned to his human form and joyously received by the king who “embraces him and kisses him” (91). The abusive Bisclavret is kept under the protection of a court whose dismissal of his violent behavior serves as a defense against any sort of deserved retribution.
Bisclavret serves as a condemnation of the cliquish behavior of the royal court. So long as Bisclavret is good to them he is free to behave however he wants. Any attack is met with reasoning and attempts to justify the violence. It fosters a climate of violence which subjects women to torture and banishment. It criticizes the selfishness of a king who chooses to protect his cronies rather than seeking justice for a wronged party. Human or werewolf, Marie de France aptly sums up Bisclavret and the court in her words at the beginning: they are ferocious beasts who cause great damage.