Cohens Monster Thesis 4 J J Cohens 7

Cohen’s Monster Thesis #4

J. J. Cohen’s 7 Monster Theses • Cohen is a professor at George Washington University • Wrote a book about monster culture & monster literature • We will be using the introduction of this book to help ground some of

Group Activity • Visual representation of what Cohen’s thesis #4 is arguing • Bulleted main points • What are the most important things you took away from this thesis? • What would Cohen say

Thesis IV: The Monster Dwells at the Gates of Difference • Cohen argues, "the monster is an incorporation of the Outside, the Beyond--of all those loci that are rhetorically placed as distant and distinct but originate Within" (7). What does he mean by the terms "Outside" and "Beyond"? How can these concepts be said to "originate Within"? • What social categories does "monstrous difference" tend to involve? What power does labeling a group "monstrous" give to the group using the label?

Cohen: Thesis 4 • A monster is born through the difference of cultures • Political • Cultural • Economic • Sexual • Racial • Monsters are societal/cultural • Monsters are always an outsider, but that outsider is not always the same: depends on

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The Greatest Monster Iago has often been cited as “literature’s greatest monster” What do you think it would take to make a character

Warfare! Jealousy! Sex! Devious trickery! Manipulation! Critical exploration of the complex power dynamics in race and gender in our society! Beautiful Shakespearean Othello

Shakespeare & Interpretation Much of this unit will be structured around the concepts of perspective and interpretation Shakespeare is a playwright; his texts are intended to be acted, acted to be lived, lived and not to simply sit on the page. This is a major part of what makes his work so appealing. Literature that speaks to us, and can be shifted/interpreted to

Director’s Promptbooks

Director’s Promptbooks

Director’s Promptbooks

Director’s Promptbooks

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Previewing Othello: wait, what ? • Based on this very small section of text that have just looked at… what do you think it is that Othello is actually about? Use Shakespeare’s lines to try and help you. • Based on what it is that Iago is saying (as well as Branagh’s

Othello • Tragedy written by William Shakespeare (believed to be written in 1603) • Story revolves mainly around 4 characters • Othello • Moorish General, Venetian army • Desdemona • His new (white) wife • Cassio • Othello’s faithful lieutenant • Iago • Othello’s supposed right-hand man, turns out he’s not so great…. • Enduring themes: racism, love, jealousy, betrayal,

The Moor: Setting & Context • Setting • Venice (famous Italian city, the one with the canals) • Prosperous, civilized city (the height of law & order) • Cyprus (island in the Mediterranean) • Moor • North African Muslim • Othello’s race is often seen as Shakespeare’s way of isolating

Shakespeare’s value– value Brave New World "A man can smile and smile be a villain. Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain. What did the words exactly mean? He only half knew. But their magic was strong and went on rumbling in his head, and somehow it was as though he had never really hated Popé before; never really hated him because he had never been able to say how much he hated him. But now he had these words, these words like drums and singing and magic. These words and the strange, strange story out of