monstercentric

Monstercentric is an adjective used in media criticism and cultural studies to describe works in which monsters are the central subjects, agents, or vantage points of the narrative, rather than merely antagonists or backdrop. The term signals a shift from human- or hero-centered storytelling to a focus on monster voices, motivations, and world-building, or on the ecological, ethical, and social dimensions surrounding monstrous beings.

Etymology and use: The word combines monster with centric, drawing on a family of terms such as eurocentric or anthropocentric. While not universal in linguistic usage, monstercentric has become common in contemporary discourse about horror, fantasy, and creature-focused media, where scholars analyze how monstrous characters illuminate questions of otherness, power, and collision between species or species and environment.

In media and culture: Monstercentric works may narrate from a monster’s perspective, grant nuance to a creature’s psychology, or explore the societal fears that give rise to monstrosity. In literature, film, and graphic novels, this approach often foregrounds nonhuman minds or legitimizes empathy for nonhuman agents. In games, monster-centric design can emphasize understanding creature behavior, ecosystems, and agency, sometimes positioning monsters as moral or functional partners rather than mere foes.

Academic context: The term aligns with broader critical frameworks such as monster theory, posthumanism, and studies of the grotesque and otherness. It is used to discuss how audiences encounter difference and how cultural productions encode ethical and ecological relations through monstrous entities.

See also: Monster theory, Monstrosity, Posthumanism, Creature studies, Grotesque, Anthropomorphism. Note: Closely related works include Jeffrey Jerome Cohen’s Monster Theory and related scholarly explorations of monstrosity in culture.