Halloween The History of America’s Darkest Holiday

by Skal, David J.

• ISBN13: 9780486805214
• ISBN10: 0486805212
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2016-06-20
• Publisher: Dover Publications

Summary

"Wonderfully well-written, outrageous, and provocative." — Booklist

Acclaimed cultural critic David J. Skal explores one of America's most perplexingly popular holidays in this original mix of personal anecdotes and social analysis. Skal traces Halloween's evolution from its dark Celtic history and quaint, small-scale celebrations to its emergence as mammoth seasonal marketing event.
Skal takes readers on a cross-country survey that covers remarkably divergent perspectives, from the merchants who welcome a money-making opportunity that's second only to Christmas to fundamentalists who decry Halloween a form of blasphemy and practicing witches who embrace it as a holy day. He also profiles individuals who revel in this once-a-year occasion to participate in elaborate fantasies. Their narratives, combined with the author's cultural analysis, offer a revealing look at an intriguing aspect of our national psyche.

"Entertaining … and scholarly … Like a bag of Halloween candy, the book is a lot of fun." — Boston Globe

"Fans of cultural history will devour each chapter … like a toothsome treat." — Christian Science Monitor

Author Biography

David J. Skal is the author of Hollywood Gothic and The Monster Show and co-editor of the Norton Critical Edition of Bram Stoker's Dracula. A longtime New Yorker, he now lives in Los Angeles.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Introduction: The Candy Man's Tale

1. The Halloween Machine

2. The Witch's Teat

3. Home is Where the Hearse is o, How to Haunt a House

4. The Devil on Castro Street and Other Skirmished in the Culture War

5. Halloween on Screen

Epilogue: September 11 and October 31

Afterword

Notes

Acknowledgments

Index