Evil and the Demonic: A New Theory of Monstrous Behavior

By Paul Oppenheimer

Book Overview

In this powerfully original work, Paul Oppenheimer analyzes the phenomenon of evil in light of a startling new theory. He proposes that evil can be understood empirically, as a type of physical and mental behavior that emerges in particular landscapes. Evil, Oppenheimer argues, contains specific, predictable ingredients and is, as such, a demonstrable fact. By understanding its nature - its diabolical self-consciousness and its impersonal selection of victims - we can diagnose its specific manifestations in mass murder, genocide, and serial killings. Crisscrossing a variety of cinematic and literary genres in developing its evidence, the book considers such familiar films as The Silence of the Lambs and Brazil and draws upon such literary works as Richard III, Oedipus the King and The Picture of Dorian Gray. Written in a style intended for both general reader and specialist, Evil and the Demonic provides a framework in which we can place the horrors of human existence.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0814761968
• ISBN13: 9780814761960
• Release Date: March 1999
• Publisher: New York University Press
• Length: 1 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Read the book!! (not demonically deranged reviews about it)

To begin with, I'd like to say I for one am not an English professor, although I see nothing inherently bad (or in fact evil) in being one. The previous reviewer unfortunately mistook Oppenheimer's blatant genius for tedious pedantry (two words I'm sure he learnt from some professor to whom these terms applied much more closely than to the author at hand), which is a shame because it shows he must've read the book with something else on his (or her?) mind - supper on the stove, an unsolved mystery in his neighbor's life, or ....??? Oppenheimer's book for those who have read it (and I know quite a few, since I keep recommending it and sharing it with people) is a revelatory experience which provides a deep insight not only into the author's intellectual and linguistic abilities (which are both exceedingly stunning to say the least) but also into the nature of (yes, moral) evil. In expounding his theories, the author draws on a mind-boggling array of cinematographic, literary and political sources, which make the book one of the two most convincing books I have ever read. It is written in quite an entertaining style and is a great read even for those who may not be quite so familiar with academic discourse about evil (although it might be better if you first removed the supper from your stove). So, forget other books on evil. If you're only going to read one book this year (or next), get this one. It's worth it!