Monsters in the Library
Posted by Admin.October 3rd, 2005
The Dominion Post Oct. 3, 2005
Eric Slagle, Reporter
WVU library opens monster-themed display in time for Halloween
WVU students considering creepy costumes for the quickly approaching Halloween season can visit the ground floor of the university’s downtown library for suggestions.
That’s where library staff has assembled four display cases of horror-related reading.
The theme of the exhibits actually is monsters, both in literature and film. Titles in the arrangement include classics such as “Jaws,” “Frankenstein,” and the “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde.”
“I’m a horror fan and I’ve got a master’s in English so I decided to do monsters in literature,” Librarian Beth Toren said. Toren developed the display.
Toren said she actually began working on the display during the summer.
The display has been up for about two weeks and will run through the end of October.
In addition to gathering the requisite materials, such as books, DVDs and small figurines related to monster lit, Toren said she also tried to include controversial facts about all of the featured films and novels.
For instance, one case asks observers to consider how Disney’s film version of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” may have promoted negative perceptions of people with disabilities.
Other portions of the exhibit point people to gender-oriented criticisms of the Hitchcock film “Psycho,” and literature examining communistic themes in Jekyl and Hyde.
Displays on other floors of the downtown library are currently dedicated to Albert Einstein, banned books and insects.
An exhibit promoting the works of Appalachian poets should be up in time for Mountaineer Week, which begins the final weekend in October.