For thousands of years, mankind has been creating myths and legends about unattainable lands, treacherous gods and invincible heroes. From century to century, art and literature developed, and took on new forms. However, something remains unchanged: humans who defeat monsters – and the monsters who are defeated by them. They could appear as attractive women or natural disasters, ferocious beasts or ethereal curses. In our lecture, we will discuss who and what could deserve to be called a monster in XX-XXI century American fiction, where they have come from and how perception of them has transformed. We will turn to Native American beliefs as a component of modern American culture, discover why this culture is so appealing for non-American audience, and figure out the place of European mythologies in it. How did the unicorn slowly become a symbol of love and grace? Why do shape shifters use their hind legs to walk? What is the secret behind vampires’ popularity? All of this shall be explored in the lecture “Monstrous in American fiction” On Thursday, May 23 at 7p.m. Led by Elizabeth Belousova, Russian State University for the Humanities student (in English)