The 60's Monster Craze was ramping up to full speed when editor Cele G. Lalli handed the reins over to Fritz Leiber in the March 1965 issue of FANTASTIC and allowed him to express his opinion about the matter. Leiber delivered a lengthy treatise on the types of monsters in literature and popular culture and their role in shaping society.
He cites many noted authors such as H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allen Poe, Arthur Machen, Ray Bradbury, Robert Bloch and many more to make his case that monsters hold a special and important place in literature and history.
Leiber also discusses the rising trend of science and science-fiction and their potential effects of diminishing the supernatural element of monsters, replacing them with robots and other mechanical menaces. Good news for us Monsterologists -- Leiber assured us that the good old-fashioned bogeyman is here to stay!
[NOTE: Photo of Fritz Leiber above is from FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND #53, January 1969.]
Great post! I am going to link folks here this week on my blog and podcast.
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