Cohen 7 Thesis
Jeffrey Jerome Cohen presents seven theses at the beginning of his book "Monster Theory: Reading Culture." These theses serve as foundational concepts for understanding the nature of the monstrous and its significance in culture and literature. Here they are:
1. The Monster's Body is a Cultural Body:
"The monstrum...is etymologically 'that which reveals,' 'that which warns.'" [1]
Monsters are not simply scary creatures; they act as "hierophants", revealing hidden truths and prompting us to question our understanding. They function like a symbol, pointing beyond themselves to warn us of dangers or societal anxieties. These figures, derived from the Greek words for "sacred" and "to show or reveal," unveil hidden truths and prompt us to question our understanding. Monsters are also said to function as symbols, pointing beyond themselves to warn us of dangers or societal anxieties. [2]
Monsters defy capture. They exist in a perpetual state of flux, vanishing after stirring fear and reappearing in unexpected forms. [3] The monster can't be definitively categorized or destroyed, as its essence transcends the physical realm.
This elusiveness necessitates a dynamic approach to understanding the monstrous. Cohen suggests that "Monster theory must therefore concern itself with strings of cultural moments, connected by a logic that always threatens to shift". [4] Monsters, like elusive shadows, refuse to remain stagnant; they morph and transform in tandem with the fears they embody. With each reappearance, shrouded in new masks and guises, they compel us to confront our deepest anxieties and tumult. The quest for a definitive understanding, the desire to witness the "fall or death"[5] of the monster, proves a futile endeavor. Instead, delving into the study of the monstrous unfolds as an eternal ecstasy, fueled by the scattered remnants of meaning each monstrous bite leaves in their wake. These remnants act as signifiers, pointing towards the ever-shifting nature of the monstrous and the anxieties it embodies.
3. Monstrous Mosaic:
“And so the monster is dangerous, a form suspended between forms that threatens to smash distinctions.” [6]
Monsters challenge established systems of classification. Their bodies are "disturbing hybrids," defying attempts to force them into a single, easily understood group. [7] This disruption isn't accidental; monsters appear during times of crisis precisely because they challenge binary thinking, and from this, Monsters gain the power to resist confinement within any hierarchical or binary structure. Instead, they demand a more nuanced approach, a "polyphony" of interpretations that acknowledges the complexity of the emotions they evoke – repulsion and attraction existing simultaneously, a "difference in sameness". [8]
4. Difference Made Flesh: The monstrous form serves as a physical embodiment of "difference". [9]
It represents everything considered "Other" – cultural practices, ethnicities, or sexualities that deviate from the norm. Cohen argues that monsters function as a "dialectical Other" or a "third-term supplement," incorporating aspects of the "Outside" or the "Beyond". These "Others" are often geographically or culturally distant but ultimately originate from "Within" our own societies. [10] This tactic of "othering" is a powerful tool for marginalization. As Cohen demonstrates, portraying an unfamiliar culture as monstrous justifies its subjugation or even eradication, making the act seem heroic. [11] These processes create a false binary, labeling the dominant group as normal and the "Other" as monstrous. However, this "violent foreclosure" is inherently unstable. As Cohen argues, categories like gender, race, and sexuality are not fixed, and the lines between them can blur. Monsters, born from the fragmentation and recombination of marginalized identities, highlight the arbitrary nature of these classifications. [12] By embodying a multiplicity of "differences," the monster disrupts the comfortable categories that prop up societal power structures. This disruption holds the potential for resistance, as the seemingly fixed identities constructed by the dominant group are revealed to be "mutable rather than essential" [13]. Ultimately, the monstrous form serves as a powerful reminder that difference is not inherently monstrous, but rather a product of the cultural apparatus that seeks to marginalize and control.
5. Filthy Pleasure:
Drawing a clear line between "us" and "them," monsters act as enforcers of societal taboos, particularly regarding sexual boundaries. [14] Additionally, monsters are used to police racial mixing, enforcing limits on sexual encounters and safeguarding a perceived "purity" within a cultural group. This connection between the monstrous and interracial unions highlights the intersection of anxieties about gender roles and race, often operating within a patriarchal framework. [15]
6. Carnal Embrace:
Our relationship with the monstrous is a complex ritual between repulsion and attraction. [16] While we may distrust and loathe monsters, they also hold a strange allure. We might envy their freedom, their "sublime despair," or the transgressive possibilities they embody. [17] Monsters, often relegated to the margins – geographically, generically, or conceptually – can act as a kind of "shadow self," a forbidden but enticing part of ourselves. They awaken primal urges and desires, offering a glimpse into the pleasures of the body, the thrill of fear, or even the experience of mortality. This fascination is counterbalanced by the need for social order. Monsters can be scapegoats, figures onto whom we project our fears and anxieties. [18] Their destruction serves as a cathartic release, purging the community of its sins. Yet, even in their demise, monsters retain a strange charm. Monsters, then, exist in that liminal space between the thinkable and the unthinkable, simultaneously terrifying and oddly close. [19]
7. Children of Darkness:
Far from being external threats, monsters are ultimately "our children," dark reflections of humanity itself. We may try to banish them to the farthest corners of our world or repress them in the depths of our minds, but they inevitably return. This return is not merely a terrifying encounter; it carries with it a deeper understanding. Monsters illuminate our place in history, the history of how we came to understand that place, and ultimately, ourselves. They act as mirrors reflecting back the biases and limitations in our perception of the world. This self-knowledge is particularly potent because it arises from the "Outside," a perspective outside the dominant narrative. Monsters challenge our assumptions about race, gender, sexuality, and how we treat difference. They force us to confront the reasons behind their creation and question the validity of the boundaries we have established. [20]
Notes
[1] Cohen, Monster Theory, 4
[2] Ibid.
[3] Cohen, Monster Theory, 4
[4] Cohen, Monster Theory, 6
[5] Cohen, Monster Theory, 6
[6] Cohen, Monster Theory, 6
[7] Cohen, Monster Theory, 6
[8] Cohen, Monster Theory, 7
[9] Cohen, Monster Theory, 7
[10] Ibid.
[11] Cohen, Monster Theory, 8
[12] Cohen, Monster Theory, 11
[13] Cohen, Monster Theory, 12
[14] Cohen, Monster Theory, 14
[15] Cohen, Monster Theory, 15
[16] Cohen, Monster Theory, 17
[17] Cohen, Monster Theory, 17
[18] Cohen, Monster Theory, 18
[19] Cohen, Monster Theory, 20
[20] Cohen, Monster Theory, 20
