Capitalism: A Horror Story
Gothic Marxism and the Dark Side of the Radical Imagination
by Jon Greenaway
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Pub Date 9 Jul 2024 | Archive Date 27 Aug 2024
Repeater Books | Repeater
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Description
What does it mean to see horror in capitalism? What can horror tell us about the state and nature of capitalism?
Blending film criticism, cultural theory, and philosophy, Capitalism: A Horror Story examines literature, film, and philosophy, from Frankenstein to contemporary cinema, delving into the socio-political function of the monster, the haunted nature of the digital world, and the inescapable horror of contemporary capitalist politics.
Revitalizing the tradition of Romantic anticapitalism and offering a “dark way of being red”, Capitalism: A Horror Story argues for a Gothic Marxism, showing how we can find revolutionary hope in horror- a site of monstrous becoming that opens the door to a Utopian future.
Advance Praise
"An intellectual tour de force, a political manifesto for our moment, and a gothic page turner."
Johanna Isaacson, author of Stepford Daughters: Weapons for Feminists in Contemporary Horror
"In our age of monsters, hope for the future lies in the ruthlessly critical encounter with the monstrous at all levels of culture, and Capitalism: A Horror Story is an exemplary study of such a critical theory and practice."
Robert T. Tally Jr., Texas State University, author of The Fiction of Dread: Dystopia, Monstrosity, and Apocalypse
"This wonderful book uncovers the revolutionary complexities at the heart of some of our most famous pop-cultural monsters, allowing them to speak to us anew. We would be wise to listen.”
Matt Colquhoun, author of Narcissus in Bloom
"Greenaway can see that the house we live in is haunted. He wants to forge a plan to leave—then burn it down together."
Claire Cronin, author of The Blue Light of the Screen
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781914420887 |
| PRICE | US$14.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 207 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Chad G, Reviewer
Here’s something I didn’t know I needed: critical analysis of capitalism from a Marxist perspective with an emphasis on how horror can both explain the nature of capitalism and offer hope for a better future. Very well done and engaging throughout…even doubles at times as film / literature critique as well.
Aimee T, Reviewer
Capitalism: A Horror Story discusses the ways in which the horror genre and the horror of capitalism through Marxism overlap, intersect, and produce affect for populations. A truly exciting read which explores film, literature, queerness, monstrosity, and fascism. Having both an interest in Marxist theory as well as the emergence of gothic and horror discourses and theories this truly brought together these topics with explanations and analyses that were rich with thought and academic resources. A must read for the readers of horror who also recognise the inherent horror of capitalism!
Gemma M, Educator
This book is so great! I'm a total wuss when it comes to horror movies and books, but I've had this desire to 'get over it' so I could appreciate what it's all about for a long time - I therefore went into this book hoping it might give me another angle with which to approach the genre, and it did so much more! It's a mix of literary criticism, cultural analysis, political economy and - wonderfully - polemic. It manages to have a whimsy about it whilst also being deadly (ha!) serious, and I felt both cleverer and happier having read it. Will it get me to watch more horror movies and read more gothic novels? Maybe. Has it totally transformed how I think about the genre and the imagination-disruption potential it has / role it plays in our capitalist realist culture? 100%.
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