A Gathering of Horrors, Terrors, and Monstrosities--Panel at PAMLA
Dark times call for dark and demonic stories. Deep and dark works and our fixation on them provide apocalyptic, devastating, and shocking revelations about individuals, society, and nature. While works of horror tear audiences away from realistic norms and social acceptability, they confront us with extreme embodiment, emotion, and intellectual crisis. Norms of decency, sensitivity, and reason are in decline but simultaneously acquire added value. This session investigates the meaning and importance of horror, terror, and monstrosity through the study of film, graphic fiction, and literature. What do these works demand from us?