Telling an American Horror Story

<p> <I>Telling an</I> <u>American Horror Story</u> collects essays from new and established critics looking at the many ways the horror anthology series intersects with and comments on contemporary American social political and popular culture. Divided into three sections the chapters apply a cultural criticism framework to examine how the first eight seasons of <I>AHS</I> engage with American history our contemporary ideologies and social policies. </p><p> Part I explores the historical context and the uniquely-American folklore that <I>AHS</I> evokes from the Southern Gothic themes of <I>Coven</I> to connections between <I>Apocalypse</I>and anxieties of modern American youth. Part II contains interpretations of place and setting that mark the various seasons of the anthology. Finally Part III examines how the series confronts notions of individual and social identity like the portrayals of destructive leadership in <I>Cult</I> and lesbian representation in <I>Asylum</I> and <I>Hotel</I>.</p>