Monster Theory

Monsters must be examined within the intricate matrix of relations (social, cultural, and literary ­historical) that generate them.

Growing up watching Disney the villains are obvious. The Evil Stepmother and her two terrible daughters, the evil Jafar, A witch tricking the innocent mermaid. There are no shades of grey. One of the first things that I thought of when I read the Monster Theory essay was how difference is often villainized. Humans are notorious for ostracizing something that is different. Ursula is shown to be a greedy witch coveting Tritan’s power. What is that but the midwives of the past being burned for witchcraft because they weren’t doctors. Rewatching things I grew up on as a child with the perspective of an adult it is easy to see the ableism, the racism, the sexism that goes into the villains.