Holy Terror

This short but profound study sets the idea and ideology of 'terror' in a richly historical, metaphysical, theological, and literary context. Terry Eagleton traces a genealogy from ancient rites and rituals, as notably articulated in classical drama, through medieval theology and the eighteenth-century sublime, to the Freudian unconscious. -;Holy Terror is a profound and timely investigation of the idea of terror, drawing upon political, philosophical, literary, and theological sources...
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This short but profound study sets the idea and ideology of 'terror' in a richly historical, metaphysical, theological, and literary context. Terry Eagleton traces a genealogy from ancient rites and rituals, as notably articulated in classical drama, through medieval theology and the eighteenth-century sublime, to the Freudian unconscious. -;Holy Terror is a profound and timely investigation of the idea of terror, drawing upon political, philosophical, literary, and theological sources to trace a genealogy from the ancient world to the modern day.Rather than add to the mounting pile of political studies of terrorism, Terry Eagleton offers here a metaphysics of terror with a serious historical perspective. Writing with remarkable clarity and persuasive insight he examines a concept whose cultural impact predates 9/11 by millennia. From its earliest manifestations in rite and ritual, through the French Revolution to the 'War on Terror' of today, terror has been regarded with both horror and fascination. Eagleton examines the duality ofthe sacred (both life-giving and death-dealing) and relates it, via current and past ideas of freedom, to the idea of terror itself.Stretching from the cult of Dionysus to the thought of Jacques Lacan, the book takes in en route ideas of God, freedom, the sublime, and the unconscious. It also examines the problem of evil, and devotes a concluding chapter to the idea of tragic sacrifice and the scapegoat.Written by one of the world's foremost cultural critics, Holy Terror is a provocative and ambitious examination of one of the most urgent issues of our time. -;A quirky, provocative look at the metaphysics of political violence over the centuries. - Financial Times Politics Books of the Year, 2005;There have been plenty of rather hastily written books about terrorism in the wake of the appalling events of recent months, but for me the best was beyond question Terry Eagleton's little gem 'Holy Terror'... it offers one of the best guides I know to what matters most in Christianity. - Rowan Williams, Books of the Year, TLS;Its central argument is right and, more to the point, welcome. - Bryan Appleyard, Sunday Times;The literature on terrorism grows by the shelf-load, but Eagleton's is a genuinely fresh take. This is a politics book in the widest sense, and it is all the better for it. - Aditya Chakrabortty, New Statesman;A sprightly set of essays. - Steven Poole, The Guardian;Terry Eagleton's intriguing study is admirably free from short-sightedness. A rich and finely wrought essay, which fully displays the bleakness of the human condition, yet offers, in the end, an elusive ray of hope. - John Cottingham, The Tablet;This is Eagleton at his most interesting. Provocative, startling, and always relevant to politics. - Bill McSweeney, Irish Times;With luck, though, Holy Terror is the opening in what could become a useful debate. - Michael Moorcock, Daily Telegraph