Alicia and Sarah embrace their darker side to discuss all things zombie with a particular focus on the feature film Zombieland. At the end of the discussion, they talk about the things they've been reading, watching, and analyzing outside of the classroom.
Literary terms of the week: monstered other, zombie, satire
Sign up for the newsletter and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.
Music by Craig Harmann
Cover art by Matt Holman
Show notes:
30-second summary
You can buy or rent through YouTube and Amazon Prime.
Literary terms of the week:
Monstered Other
From Beowulf on, every single piece of historical monster literature talks about those who do not fit cultural norms as monsters.
Our cultural monster myths speak to our deepest fears
Beowulf = fear of outsiders
Frankenstein = fear of science
Dracula= fear of independent women
Jekyll & Hyde = fear of morality, mental health
Zombies = fear of mindless consumerism
Zombies
From West African “zumbi” (meaning fetish)
Obsessions that prevent us from living
Zombies themselves are a deeper commentary on how we define life and value...people who mindlessly feed on the able-bodied? Who have no concern for wealth or property (because they don't have any)?
Satire
World War Z = commentary on disease
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies = commentary on classism
Warm Bodies = commentary on tech dependence
What are we enjoying right now?
Alicia: Respect (movie), How to Raise a Feminist Son (Sonora Jha)
Sarah: The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White (book), House of the Dragon (television)
Please “like” by clicking on the ❤ and share this post with your friends, colleagues, and fellow lit thinkers.
Share this post