The Signature and the Sigil: Fortean Biography, Chaos Magick, and a Metabiographical Approach to Proper Names in Jonathan Downes's The Owlman and Others
Biography 2024 DOI: 10.1353/bio.2024.a981419 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Chaos magick |
| Keywords | Scholarship Signature topology Ideology Uncanny Paranormal Epistemology Linguistics Embodied cognition |
| Key points | Argues that Jonathan Downes uses paranormal concepts to enact a theory of the biographical signature that foregrounds the uncanny dynamics of how biographical texts invest proper names with meaning. |
Abstract
Abstract: Drawing on recent scholarship on metabiography, the article examines how cryptozoologist Jonathan Downes draws on subcultural ideological values to develop strategies to stabilize or destabilize the proper name in biographical discourse. Ultimately, the article argues that through paranormal concepts, Downes enacts a theory of the biographical signature that foregrounds the uncanny dynamics of how biographical texts invest proper names with meaning.