The Monstrous Mother Toolkit

The representation of monstrous mothers across literature, film, and visual arts provides a rich framework for examining cultural anxieties and social power structures surrounding women’s bodies and representations in different cultures and genres. From gothic maternal figures to immigrant mothers, from suburban matrons to sex worker mothers, these varied portrayals show how different societies construct, challenge, and reimagine maternal identity in relation to the various concepts of monstrosit(ies). This chapter provides a concluding guide to the volume, formulating key questions that teachers and students may address together, while also clarifying the principal foci of the preceding chapters.