Gothic Metis : Cunning Monstrosity, Shapeshifting and Subversion linking the Nineteenth Century to the Present

Exhuming and reanimating an obscure ancient cunning associated with the monstrous, the hybrid, the feminine and the nonhuman, this study proposes a novel transdisciplinary framework for analysing Gothic media and discourse through the lens of metis. Metis denotes a wily, adaptive intelligence shared by tricksters, humans, nonhumans and objects, characterised by shapeshifting, twists and duplicity – it is also an artful praxis for blurring categories, embracing multiplicity, navigating difference and subverting authority. Using metis as both theme and method, Gothic Metis weaves together myth, literature, rhetorical theory and critical posthumanism, to analyse Gothic character and narration from the nineteenth century to the present while developing a post-anthropocentric praxis for representing, navigating and ultimately subverting the Anthropocene. Reading Gothic alongside and through metis—and metis alongside and through Gothic—this book highlights the Gothic mode as a timely, artful response to the rise of the Anthropocene, rendering a post-anthropocentric world beyond Man.

A rare book-length study of metis, the art of cunning, and the first-ever examination of metis in the context of Gothic studies.

Exhuming and reanimating an ancient cunning associated with the monstrous, the hybrid, the feminine, and the nonhuman, Gothic Metis offers a novel transdisciplinary framework for analyzing Gothic media and discourse through the lens of metis. Metis denotes a wily, adaptive intelligence shared by tricksters, humans, nonhumans, and objects, that is characterized by shapeshifting, twists, and duplicity. It is also an artful praxis for blurring categories, embracing multiplicity, navigating differences, and subverting authority. 

Gothic Metis weaves together myth, literature, rhetorical theory, and critical posthumanism to analyze Gothic renditions of metis in character and narration from the nineteenth century to the present. Reading Gothic works through the lens of metis, this book highlights the Gothic mode as a timely, artful response to the rise of the Anthropocene, rendering a post-anthropocentric world beyond Man and illuminating the rhetorical and ethical value of monstrosity, divergence, liminality, and hybridity.