Better off dead : the evolution of the zombie as post-human / edited by Deborah Christie and Sarah Juliet Lauro.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Christie, Deborah.

Lauro, Sarah Juliet.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Zombies.

Zombies in literature.

Physical Description:

viii, 296 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Fordham University Press, 2011.

Summary:

The zombie is ubiquitous in popular culture: From comic books to video games, to mobile apps and homemade films, zombies are all around us. Investigating the zombie from an interdisciplinary perspective, Better Off Dead addresses some of the more unlikely venues where zombies are found and provides the reader with a classic overview of the monster's folkloric and cinematic history.

What has the zombie metaphor meant in the past? Why does it continue to be, so prevalent in our culture? This collection seeks to provide an archaeology of the zombietracing its lineage from Haiti, mapping its various cultural transformations, and suggesting the post-humanist direction in which the zombie is ultimately heading.

Though the contributors represent various theoretical perspectives, the volume makes a cohesive argument: The zombie has not just evolved within narratives; it has evolved in a way that transforms narrative. This collection announces a new post-zombie, even before the boundaries of this rich and mysterious myth have been completely charted. Book jacket.

Contents:

And the Dead Shall Rise Part introduction / Kevin Boon Boon, Kevin 5

1 "They are not men ... they are dead bodies": From Cannibal to Zombie and Back Again / Chera Kee Kee, Chera 9

2 "We are the mirror of your fears": Haitian Identity and Zombification / Franck Degoul (Translated by Elisabeth M. Lore) Degoul, Franck, (Translated by Elisabeth M. Lore) 24

3 Undead Radio: Zombies and the Living Dead on 1930s and 1940s Radio Drama / Richard Hand Hand, Richard 39

4 The Zombie as Other: Mortality and the Monstrous in the Post-Nuclear Age / Kevin Boon Boon, Kevin 50

And the Dead Shall Walk Part introduction / Deborah Christie Christie, Deborah 61

5 A Dead New World: Richard Matheson and the Modern Zombie / Deborah Christie Christie, Deborah 67

6 Nuclear Death and Radical Hope in Dawn of the Dead and On the Beach / Nick Muntean Muntean, Nick 81

7 Lucio Fulci and the Decaying Definition of Zombie Narratives / Steven Zani Zani, Steven, Kevin Meaux Meaux, Kevin 98

8 Imitations of Life: Zombies and the Suburban Gothic / Bernice Murphy Murphy, Bernice 116

9 All Dark Inside: Dehumanization and Zombification in Postmodern Cinema / Sorcha Ní Fhlainn Fhlainn, Sorcha Ní 139

And the Dead Shall Inherit the Earth Part introduction / Peter Dendle Dendle, Peter 159

10 Slacker Bites Back: Sbaun of the Dead Finds New Life for Deadbeats / Lynn Pifer Pifer, Lynn 163

11 Zombie Movies and the "Millennial Generation" / Peter Dendle Dendle, Peter 175

12 "Off the page and into your brains!": New Millennium Zombies and the Scourge of Hopeful Apocalypses / Margo Collins Collins, Margo, Elson Bond Bond, Elson 187

13 Playing Dead: Zombies Invade Performance Art and Your Neighborhood / Sarah Juliet Lauro Lauro, Sarah Juliet 205.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780823234462

0823234460

9780823234479

0823234479

9780823234486

0823234487

OCLC:

694832806