LunAurea

The lady who we watched do the smoothest parking job backing into a tiny space with a truly massive car and when I complimented her skills the guy with her was ecstatic and added, “She drives that beast like it’s a sport car, she’s incredible!”

The man on the beach who watched my beloved and I emerge triumphant from our first foray snorkeling and went, “Was it fun?” and then laughed in delight when we enthusiastically told him it was incredible.

The queer taco truck worker who told us the nearest bathroom was at Burger King and sarcastically drawled, “Have it your way,” and then absolutely lost it when I echoed, “Shit it your way.”

The lady and her friend with a Californian surfer drawl who stopped to hear our dissertation on the chicken drama who fell in love with the scrungly hen with us.

The couple at the musubi truck who passed their table to us and excitedly asked if we’d tried the slushy. When we dejectedly said they were all out the guy slowly lowered his cup and said, “They’re awful, you’re not missing out,” and we all laughed at his absurd attempt to spare our feelings.

i. the monster's body is a cultural body

ii. the monster always escapes

iii. the monster is the harbinger of category crisis

iv. the monster dwells at the gates of difference

v. the monster polices the borders of the possible

vi. fear of the monster is really a kind of desire

these are all direct quotes from jeffrey jerome cohen's "monster culture (seven theses)" (full pdf linked) i highly encourage you to read it yourself!

that said, while i think cohen's writing is evocative, it can be a little dense, so while i'm here, here's my capsule summary (you can also hear me talk about this in the first episode of my podcast) (listen to @ghostswerepeopletoo)

i. the monster's body is a cultural body - The monster is a work of fiction to be analyzed through tools of literary and sociological theory.

ii. the monster always escapes - As long as the cultural fear from which the monster stems persists, the monster will reappear in retellings, reimaginings, and sequels.

iii. the monster is the harbinger of category crisis - Monsters defy binaries and challenge easy comprehension or categorization.

iv. the monster dwells at the gates of difference - The monster represents the Other.

v. the monster polices the borders of the possible - Tales of the monster exist to discourage unacceptable or taboo behaviors.

vi. fear of the monster is really a kind of desire - Subjects can vicariously participate in the disruption of the social order through the monster.

Made this post about 15 minutes after the repair guy who fixed the pump on my dishwasher packed up his tools and left, as the dishwasher was whirring along doing my dishes from that morning.

of critters in clover

Read something else

Bitch PRIVATELY to friends

Write your own take on the premise (strongly recommend!)

All of the above