"Filmmaker David Cronenberg's challenging and provocative work has stimulated impassioned debate, inspired major retrospectives, and been the subject of spirited, international inquiry, with books published in French, German, and Italian, as well as English. William Beard's The Artist as Monster, however, is the first systematic examination in English of Cronenberg's feature films, from Stereo (1969) to Crash (1996).

Through extensive close reading of each film, and, where appropriate, consideration of the literary originals that inspired them, this impressive study traces the development of the themes, attitudes, and cinematic approaches that have characterized Cronenberg's cinema."--BOOK JACKET.