Fall 2026 OLLI Digital Catalog

MONSTER FOLKLORE (G551)

G – History

Required text: North American Monsters: A Contemporary Legend Casebook (Edited by David J. Puglia) Louisville, Colorado: University of Colorado Press, 2022. ISBN 978-1-64642-160-2. We focus on the study of North American monsters. These creatures, like the Jersey Devil, are frightening yet fascinating. Most of us are familiar with monsters through novels, short stories, comic books, television and film. These monsters menace. They threaten wayward travelers, amorous lovers and innocent campers alike. But monsters also amuse us. Their accounts delight listeners around wooded campfires, in campus dormitories and on dark country roads.

Click here to view a course syllabus or additional information for this class.

This offering meets for a total of 5 session(s).

INSTRUCTOR: Angus Gillespie

GILLESPIE, ANGUS — A graduate of Yale and a Fulbright scholar. Professor Emeritus of American Studies at Rutgers University. Has appeared on National Public Radio and Good Morning America as a recognized expert in the field of folklore.

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