Description

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A horror-story history of capitalism and its relationship to the haunted and the gothic, and a manifesto of Gothic Marxism, which finds revolutionary hope in the nightmare of modernity.

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.

About the Author

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Jon Greenaway is a horror expert, with a PhD from the Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies. He is the co-host of the leftist film analysis podcast Horror Vanguard and his work has appeared in The Guardian, The New York Times, The Baffler and a host of other online publications. He lives and works in the North of England.

Praise For…

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"Horror is the zeitgeist of the capitalist age, and the Gothic Marxism posited here not only explains the economic determinants of contemporary culture but offers a paradoxical light in the darkness. We may all be monsters now – but in monstrosity new kinds of selves can be imagined and better worlds brought forth."
— Linnie Blake, Founder of the Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies

"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 writes with the syncretic precision and utopian zest that have become his trademarks. If you prefer your political theory served with a side of guts and ghouls, this book is for you.”
— Xavier Aldana Reyes, editor of Horror: A Literary History

"Capitalism: A Horror Story burns like a flame in the dark—inviting us to find warmth and solidarity with our monstrous comrades. If you’ve been feeling isolated or afraid, take up this book and find that the only thing hiding in the shadows is our hope for a better world that could yet be."
— Ashley Darrow, host of Horror Vanguard

"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 

"A rigorous study in dark red… At once scholarly and radical in its approach, it serves as a guide for a new necropolitical world in which horror becomes not mere genre, but lived mass experience."
— A.V. Marraccini, author of We The Parasites

"Greenaway lays out a Gothic Marxism that refuses to flee from the horrors of the present or to fall into despair. For if capitalism creates a class of those who have been “monstered” which it disavows, marginalizes, and fears, all hope lies with the monsters."
— Bill Peel, author of Tonight It’s A World We Bury: Black Metal, Red Politics

"Lethally sharp and bitterly pointed, a deconstruction of the decay consuming the modern world at an ever-accelerated pace."
— Gretchen Felker-Martin, author of Manhunt