The Bosom Serpent

The Author: Harold Schechter is Professor of English at Queens College of the City University of New York, where he teaches courses in American literature and culture. Among his more than twenty books are the true-crime volumes Deviant, Deranged, Depraved, and Bestial; the novels Outcry and Nevermore; and the textbooks Discoveries and American Voices.

"'The Bosom Serpent' [...] provides a thoughtful analysis of many of the more extreme manifestations of contemporary popular culture. It does so succinctly and with clarity. With 'The Bosom Serpent', Schechter makes a perceptive contribution to the interpretation of popular culture and urban folklore." (Review of First Edition in 'Academic Library Book Review')
"Schechter's book is original and informative. The folkloric nature of his study complements studies that focus on social criticism and the popular arts. For the student of popular culture, or those interested in this field, 'The Bosom Serpent' can serve as a fine introduction." (Review of First Edition in 'Folklore Forum')
"As a demonstration of the folkloric connections of modern horror, Schechter's book succeeds excellently and is a welcome (and readable) contribution."
(Review of First Edition in 'Film Quarterly')
"This is one of the few works of recent folklore scholarship that's a pleasure to read. I enjoyed the book tremendously and learned much from it." (Jan Harold Brunvand, University of Utah)
"The great value of this eminently sensible and delightful book is the way in which it reaffirms the creative linkages among literature, popular culture, and folklore as aspects of the human imagination. One comes away from 'The Bosom Serpent' with a renewed appreciation of human fictive creativity in its cruder, more perverse and schlockiest form." (John G. Cawelti, University of Kentucky)