Section I
1. In David Schmid’s Natural Born Celebrities, the author argues that early Puritans control the narrative of the killers in their midst, while modern storytellers and filmmakers have lost control of the narrative. Explain. Historically, the early Puritans used serial killer tales to create a better audience versus our own serial regular films and stories. Use specific examples of past and present to achieve full points on this question.
2. Also in Natural Born Celebrities, Schmid argues that there is a complex structure of blame regarding the sexuality of killers and victims alike. Construct a series of examples that showcases and explains how sexuality plays into our fascination with serial killers– and how we shift blame because of it. Why does the sexuality of killer or victim matter?
Section II
1. Re-read chapter 48 of Perfume. After Grenouille is captured, the village crowd does not believe that it can be him– even though the evidence is laid out right before their eyes. Comparing use examples from perfume and other media (film or novels) in the class, to show why this idea of what we’d expect from a serial killer versus how he/she really looks/exists is important.
2. As we discussed in class, the novel you ask us to fall in love with the serial killer at the heart of the story. Comparing use examples from you and other media (film or novels) in the class, to showcase and explain how these stories assess to identify or “have feelings for” the serial killers themselves. And more importantly, what is the “real world” effect of asking us to identify with the serial killer?
Section III
1. In the popular culture forms of Frankenstein, much of the time is spent on the construction of the monster, the films often leave out the more questions of how society created him after his escape from Dr. Frankenstein’s laboratory. Rectify this error by explaining how human society construct the monster through their own actions– rather than dealing with how Dr. Frankenstein scientifically did it. Using specific examples from the text, show us how you believe the monster came into being– once he left the lab. How does your answer address the larger “real-world” question of where serial killers come from?
2. Mary Shelley uses a reference text in another work, Paradise Lost, quite often in the novel. The epic poem tells the tale of Satan’s fall from heaven, and the forthcoming rise of Adam and Christ as heroes. Initially, though, the poem asks us to identify with Satan– a fallen and imperfect creature. Does Frankenstein assess to side with the monster or with society in general? How does this more question about where our sympathies lie, construct a real one answer about how serial killer stories changes after reading them? Are we really better for having read/seen them?
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