The Monstrous Fantastic Conference Paper Abstracts - International ...

61. (CYA) The Monster in Classic Children’s Books Captiva AChair: Kristina LareauSimmons CollegeThe Faceless MonsterPam WalshIndependent ScholarThe concept of the monster as it appears in works of science fiction and fantasy is intimately connected with physical appearance. Just ashuman identity is so often linked to form, the form of the monster can be the source of its capacity to inspire fear. In some cases, visualdepictions of the monstrous portray appearances which are perceived to be ugly, disfigured, or terrifying. In fact, the definition of the wordmonstrous refers specifically to something which is hideous in appearance, immense in size, and revolting to the beholder. These monstersprey upon our fear of the unknown because we do not recognize and empathize with their features, and we perceive them to be perversions ofour own selves. In other cases, the monstrous comes as a twisted form of beauty, embodying temptation and playing with themes of sexualityand desire. Certain monsters, however, appear in literature with no form at all. Such is the case with the mysterious being IT in MadelineL’Engle’s A Wrinkle In Time. IT is a formless mind, with no defining features or characteristics, yet able to control the entire planet Camazotzthrough powerful telepathic forces. Under the influence of IT, the inhabitants of Camazotz have succumbed to absolute conformity. Their veryactions occur in rhythm with IT and they display no outward freedom or desires. This utter loss of individuality serves to illustrate preciselywhat is terrifying about IT: the capacity to deprive people of their own free will and hence their very identity, rendering them in many ways asfaceless as the monster. This paper aims to explore how the link between physical form and identity is presented in L’Engle’s work, and howthe faceless monster exemplifies a fear not of an external evil, but from our own fundamental fear of losing our selves.Marks of the Beast: Fragmented Monstrosity in Narnia and Harry PotterMaria Sachiko CecireBard CollegeIn his ‘monster theory,’ Jeffrey Jerome Cohen refers to the monster as ‘difference made flesh, come to dwell among us.’ Visions of thisotherness incarnate are often impressionistic and incomplete, and Cohen admits that monster theory ‘must content itself with fragments(footprints, bones, talismans, teeth, shadows, obscured glimpses— signifiers of monstrous passing that stand in for the monstrous body itself).’Grendel’s arm hanging over Heorot in Beowulf – then later, his head – stand in for the whole monster. The monster, ‘kin of Cain,’ in turnrepresents the broad and complex challenge that the inhuman ‘enemies of mankind,’ the ‘enemies of the one God,’ pose to people. This dividetransmits not only Christian sentiments but also a stark worldview in which physical difference encodes the moral hierarchies that govern highfantasy. This worldview allows that enemies of God may also be (at least nominally) people, as with the Saracen foes of medieval crusaderomance. Drawing upon my research into the influence of medieval literature on British children’s fantasy, this paper explores the fragmentedrepresentations of monstrous humanity in C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia and J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. It focuses on the gaps in theline between the knowable “us” and the irreconcilable “them,” and argues that both Christian and secular images of monstrosity in these inworks rely upon a certain proximity. The texts take advantage of the genre’s potential for the fantastical, but monstrosity and evil never strayfar from the familiar. As Cohen reminds us, ‘fear of the monster is really a kind of desire.’ The sensual, heretical Orient in Lewis’s fantasyfunctions as ‘[t]he monster [that] awakens one to the pleasures of the body.’ Meanwhile the diffuseness of evil in the latter Harry Potter booksoffers a modern-day approach to the “inhuman” potential for monstrosity that underlies everyday life.Binding and Unbinding Female Monsters: Lilith and Eve in The Chronicles of NarniaJennifer TaylorHollins UniversityElizabeth Gillhouse’s insightful article, “’Eve was Framed’: Ideostory and (Mis)representation in Judeo-Christian Stories” explains how Edennarratives influence society’s treatment of women. Her work links Christian tradition to both oppression and a struggle for freedom throughstory. Surprisingly, she does not discuss The Chronicles of Narnia though they contain multiple fractured Eden narratives. Heroines in the storyare Daughters of Eve and heroes are Sons of Adam. Two major villains in the story, the White Witch and the Green Lady, play the part of Satan,with one of them tempting a boy with a stolen apple from Aslan’s garden. Interestingly, these villainesses play their parts not as fallen angels,but as monsters. Elizabeth Rose Gruner’s work, “Wrestling with Religion: Pullman, Pratchett, and the Uses of Story,” discusses how heroinesbreak paradigms set out for them in religious narratives. Once again, Gruner leaves out The Chronicles of Narnia. My essay will discuss how Eveand Lilith characters either conform to narrative paradigms in biblical and literary tradition or resist them. For example, I will discuss the roles ofSatan as villain or hero of the Eden story as he appears in works such as Paradise Lost and Prometheus Unbound and how the Witches conformto or deviate from common patterns. I am particularly interested in the link between their Satanic role in The Chronicles and their identificationwith monsters such as giants, the Lilith and the Lamia. Does Lewis trap these females into a particular narrative role? Or does he expand thescope of Satan figures in literature? I will also contrast the Witches’ role with that of Daughters of Eve. Is there a battle between passive angelwomenand active monster-women? Is Eve temptress, fool, or neither? Is agency treated as monstrous, natural, or both?Because C. S. Lewis became a Christian apologist, many assume he has no quarrel with tradition, including attitudes towards women. As aconsequence, his work as a satirist has largely been overlooked. I plan to demonstrate that in The Chronicles of Narnia, archetypal figures ofEve and Lilith challenge traditional Christian assumptions concerning the nature and role of women.