Here Be Monsters is an intriguing title. Its gothic overtones imply a world fractured by the disruptive, violent and horrific. This is the world that Wildermuth takes us into, the grim and fearsome world of the identitarian left. The title is inspired by a quote from Gramsci, and the monsters that come to light are the cyborg, the vampire, the zombie and the werewolf. From this you can already sense that Wildermuth’s critique is not the standard attack on the so called “woke” (a term he eschews, preferring “social justice identitarianism”) but a subtle and gripping account of how an alternative reality has been cobbled together by the contemporary left and the confronting denizens who inhabit it.
Just as confronting are the ideologies that Wildermuth draws our attention to. This is where the book transcends its nominal genre of social critique to engage in an intellectually thrilling exploration of a fantastical alternate reality. But he also knows his theory. The discussion is grounded in solid understanding of theorists who have influenced leftist thinking. As a reader you will have no doubt experienced that frisson when you are excited by the words on the page, you know that what you are reading is crucially important, mind-altering stuff. It’s here.
This is Wildermuth’s achievement. He takes you into a gothic netherworld, a place where he explores the strange mutations of ideology, the irruptions of these into everyday life, and the consequences for individuals and society. Wildermuth is well placed to be our guide. He has a firm grasp of theory, and demonstrates how this has been appropriated and corrupted by the identitarian left. His sensitivity to language, understanding of history and subtle exposition of mythology makes this book an intellectual feast. The cultural formation of current leftist practice is lucidly explained then ruthlessly deconstructed. We see how such practice is true to its gothic antecedents, inverting ‘normality’, re-combining into new relations, creating something strange and different, familiar yet ‘other’, and monstrous. The book’s opening sentence, “I once went on a date with a bat”, signals that the reader, like Alice, is about to enter a strange place.
But he is no mere theoriser, content to comment from a place of objectivity and privileged insight. Wildermuth has been a committed leftist for many years and has the “lived experience” of the transformation of the left as it has directly impacted on him. The autobiographical sections of the book dramatise the often disturbing personal consequences of the left’s metamorphosis, and are powerful statements of estrangement and personal rupture, a classic gothic trope.
The gothic serves to subvert and interrogate, particularly the nominal unities which society at large, or groups within society, have normalised. But there are dark areas, spaces, gaps and silences, the unseen and repressed, right there at the heart of social justice identitarianism. Here Be Monsters takes us there, and it is a formidable but exhilarating journey.
Good morning or afternoon!
Sorry to hear about this, Douglas, but not surprising. I was hoping you could access some of the pieces I've written through a PDF file. I can.
So if you would provide me your email address, I'll try to email you a select few, ones I can access myself. Mine is: lfmiron@gmail.com
--Luis
I believe that Wildermuth also writes the following, both exact quote and a shuffled word here and there: (left and right) ... " transcends divisions of class and race, gender and sexuality..."
So, to exclusively vilify the Left it would seem serves only to exacerbate, not shorten, these deep divisions you and he call our attention. My "leftists" position--a 'radical' ideological perspective--derives not from privilege. Even as a successful academic and scholar, few people ever get my name right.
The latest iteration is fashioned with the innovative spelling, "Lu."
It seems that for over seven decades since emigrating from Guatemala, I'm perennially stuck with French (or creole) names--"Louie."
I would suggest a more humanistic, empathetic, tone of critique to "ordinary"leftists (citizens) who, despite all odds, continue to struggle for human and civil rights.
I agree wholeheartedly with the notion that what I would call the "professional left" (lower case L), or its counterparts on the Right, as oftentimes self serving. To occupy the more moderate space in the political center, we need dialogue. Hopefully Substack as well as other platforms like Medium can use their considerable resources to broker dialogue in hopes of mediating non-civility.