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Arachnomania: Spiders and the Cultural Work They Do for Us

byMaria Tatar

Maria Tatar traces the cultural life of spiders across mythology, folklore, literature, art, film, science, and everyday fear. From ancient weavers and tricksters to modern superheroes and domestic intruders, spiders become symbols of creativity, danger, patience, entrapment, and female power. The book considers why webs fascinate artists and storytellers and why the creatures themselves provoke such intense reactions. Tatar shows that human ideas about spiders reveal changing attitudes toward gender, labor, nature, and technology, making these small animals unusually powerful figures in the stories cultures tell about themselves.

Publisher

Princeton University Press

Publication date

2026-05-12

Format

Hardcover

Pages

288

ISBN

9780691281027