Monsters and horror

A broad category that covers a number of types, forms, and natures, monsters defy easy classification. The word ‘monster’ has an interesting double etymology, derived from the Latin words monstrare, meaning ‘to show’ or ‘point out’, and monere, meaning ‘to warn’, which gives a clue to the complex cultural work they partake in and the significance they are given both in academic and popular discourses. This entry takes this ambiguity as a starting point for a broad definition of monsters and discusses such beings as they emerge in cultural systems, social relations, religious texts, and practices as well as in the social science discourses from horror and beyond