Monster in the Mirror

4.8 (25)
BOOKS
UPDATED WEEKLY

Monster in the Mirror is a spinoff series by Straight White American Jesus - written and created by Lucas Kwong. This series examines how narratives perfected in novels like Dracula and War of the Worlds, prototyped the conspiratorial blend of fact, fiction, and faith that has become “all the rage” on the contemporary American Right–in more ways than one. With its millenarian fantasies of “taking America back for God,” U.S. Christian nationalism has received analysis as a spur to extremist violence, a political theology birthed in the Reagan era, and the latest iteration of an American preoccupation with manifest destiny. But the narrative of heroic white Christians rallying against a foreign and sexually ambiguous threat also finds precedent in an unexpected source: the vampires, mummies, and aliens of late Victorian fiction.

2 Episodes

4.8

out of 5

25 Ratings

Amazing show!

02/15/2023

Mark Donahue

So well made and told. Very creative. So glad SWAJ highlighted it. I’d like to hear more from Lucas. Great job!
Very interesting....

04/10/2023

Eylyis

Very interesting hypotheses on historical roots in literature for some of the current thinking among the Christian Right. At times the correlations are too forced and a bit tedious. Less audio distractions of music, sound effects and voice distortion would have been a plus.
A brilliant, creative, artistic and entertaining audio dissertation

02/04/2023

Sunroom Desk

Every episode is filled with audio surprises, fascinating connections, and personal insights. Establishes a clear connection between Victorian horror lit and the apocalyptic scenarios of white supremacy.
academic and creative protest

12/31/2022

dannyhouk

This was an amazing series that brings together legit scholarship about famous monster stories from the end of the 19th century and their relevance with white Christian nationalism. But if that sounds too dry, it’s not! There’s creative narrations, journalistic audio excerpts, sound design, original music, the works. Give it your attention.

Monster in the Mirror is a spinoff series by Straight White American Jesus - written and created by Lucas Kwong. This series examines how narratives perfected in novels like Dracula and War of the Worlds, prototyped the conspiratorial blend of fact, fiction, and faith that has become “all the rage” on the contemporary American Right–in more ways than one. With its millenarian fantasies of “taking America back for God,” U.S. Christian nationalism has received analysis as a spur to extremist violence, a political theology birthed in the Reagan era, and the latest iteration of an American preoccupation with manifest destiny. But the narrative of heroic white Christians rallying against a foreign and sexually ambiguous threat also finds precedent in an unexpected source: the vampires, mummies, and aliens of late Victorian fiction.