Speculative F(r)ictions: A Youth Restorying Horror and Monstrosity

Abstract

This case study examined how a 14-year-old youth and eighth-grade student named Kendra (pseudonym) mobilized restorying to (re)center her experiences in horror fiction. I asked how she conceptualized horror and monstrosity in a 6-week English language arts unit, and how she (re)centered her life experiences within horror fiction through restorying “The Price” by Neil Gaiman. Focusing on two forms of her restorying practices—counter-storytelling and transmedia storytelling—I analyzed how she composed an original, personalized horror story. The findings illustrated how the composition reflected her conceptualizations of monstrosity and subverted problematic horror tropes. I also discussed how her horror story functioned as sociopolitical critique, a (re)interpretation of source material, and a method of composing for audiences.