The Cultural Imaginary of Terrorism in Public Discourse, Literature, and Film

This study investigates the overlaps between political discourse and literary and cinematic fiction, arguing that both are informed by, and contribute to, the cultural imaginary of terrorism. It explores the ways in which clandestine political violence stimulates the collective imagination, proposing that terror is a halfway house between the real and the imaginary. Supported by readings from The Dynamiter and The Secret Agent through late-Victorian science fiction to post-9/11 novels and films, it argues that literary scholarship can make a genuine contribution to the interdisciplinary field of terrorism studies.