Year of Award
2023
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
Master of Arts (MA)
Degree Name
English (Literature)
Other Degree Name/Area of Focus
Ecocriticism
Department or School/College
English
Committee Chair
Louise Economides
Committee Co-chair
Katie Kane
Commitee Members
Christopher Preston
Keywords
Energy Humanities, Petrocultural Studies, Ecocriticism, Monster Theory, Oil and Literature, Cultural Studies
Publisher
University of Montana
Subject Categories
Other English Language and Literature
Abstract
Petroleum, a primary global energy resource, serves as a foundation of our contemporary society. However, the pervasive influence of oil as substance, commodity, and industry in our petromodern lives often goes unrecognized. In the present moment of biogeocultural crisis surrounding fossil fuels, recognizing and understanding our multifaceted engagements with petroleum is critical. This thesis contributes to the growing field of Petrocultural Studies by considering the conceptualization of petroleum through the associated tropes and figure of the monster. Through the petromonstrous, a term that encapsulates the massive scale, haunting effects, and human-other entanglements of petroleum, cultural attitudes and anxieties about oil can be read. Looking to popular culture, literature, and film, I discuss appearances of monstrous embodiments of oil and primarily analyze three varied depictions of petromonstrosity in China Miéville’s short story “Covehithe,” Gracie Gardner’s absurdist play Pussy Sludge, and the South Korean creature feature Sector 7 (2011) directed by Kim Ji-hoon.
Recommended Citation
Madigar, Madalynn Lee, "Monstrous Oil: Theorizing Petromodernity's Monsters" (2023). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 12105.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/12105
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© Copyright 2023 Madalynn Lee Madigar