Halloween
(2016)

Nonfiction

eBook

Provider: hoopla

Details

PUBLISHED
[United States] : Dover Publications : Made available through hoopla, 2016
DESCRIPTION

1 online resource

ISBN/ISSN
9780486812823 (electronic bk.) MWT11659339, 0486812820 (electronic bk.) 11659339
LANGUAGE
English
NOTES

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

Mode of access: World Wide Web

Additional Credits