Abstract
This chapter positions the Slender Man as a monster character in the genre of horror by contextualizing him through a mix of pre- and post-digital anxieties and cultural connotations: fear of blankness and the uncanny, faceless monsters of pop culture, “men in black,” patriarchal father figures, fairies and child kidnapping creatures, and selfie culture. This chapter also notes that the Slender Man was born in a similar web space and culture as the Occupy social movement and the hacktivist group Anonymous, and identifies the mutual anxieties that spurred the creation of all three.
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© 2015 Shira Chess and Eric Newsom
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Chess, S., Newsom, E. (2015). Here There Be Monsters. In: Folklore, Horror Stories, and the Slender Man: The Development of an Internet Mythology. Palgrave Pivot, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137491138_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137491138_3
Publisher Name: Palgrave Pivot, New York
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-50522-7
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-49113-8
eBook Packages: Palgrave Media & Culture CollectionLiterature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)