The Metaphor of the Monster: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Understanding the Monstrous Other in Literature

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Description

The Metaphor of the Monster offers fresh perspectives and a variety of disciplinary approaches to the ever-broadening field of monster studies. The eclectic group of contributors to this volume represents areas of study not generally considered under the purview of monster studies, including world literature, classical studies, philosophy, ecocriticism, animal ethics, and gender studies. Combining historical overviews with contemporary and global outlooks, this volume recontextualizes the monstrous entities that have always haunted the human imagination in the age of the Anthropocene. It also invites reflection on new forms of monstrosity in an era epitomized by an unprecedented deluge of (mis)information. Uniting researchers from varied academic backgrounds in a common effort to challenge the monstrous labels that have historically been imposed upon "the Other," this book endeavors above all to bring the monster out of the shadows and into the light of moral consideration.

Reviews

As they draw our gaze toward them, monsters, as Nietzsche observed, also force us to look within. This wide-ranging volume engages literary studies across numerous disciplines to explore urgent questions about encounters with monstrosity, rendered in narrative form, that challenge us to account for who we are and what we fear we might become. * Roland Racevskis, Associate Dean for Arts and Humanities, University of Iowa, USA, and author of Tragic Passages: Jean Racine's Art of the Threshold (2008) *
Written by researchers from various disciplines, The Metaphor of the Monster opens the way to new perspectives on theories of the Other. This brilliant and original collection of essays is essential to understand better what is at stake now in our societies. * Louise Dupr, Associate Professor of Literary Studies, Universit du Qubec Montral, Canada *
Through its multidisciplinary exploration of the myriad forms that monsters have taken across time and space, this edited collection presents an engaging and thought-provoking glimpse into the varied applications and effects of the notion of monstrosity. * The Journal of Critical Studies in Language and Literature *

Author Bio

Keith Moser is Professor of French and Francophone Studies at Mississippi State University, USA. He is the author of five full-length book projects, the latest of which is entitled The Encyclopedic Philosophy of Michel Serres: Writing the Modern World and Anticipating the Future (2016). Karina Zelaya is Assistant Professor of Spanish (Latin American Cultural Studies) at Mississippi State University, USA.