Capitalism, a Horror Story

“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.”“An intellectual tour de force, a political manifesto for our moment, and a gothic page turner.”“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.”“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.”“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.”“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.”“Greenaway can see that the house we live in is haunted. He wants to forge a plan to leave—then burn it down together.”“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.”“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.”“Lethally sharp and bitterly pointed, a deconstruction of the decay consuming the modern world at an ever-accelerated pace.”

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.