ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an account of the way metaphors grow into monsters. This transition is further divided into a series of developmental stages starting with an initial growth stage during which the metaphor seeks to evade detection, followed by a defense stage during which it is forced to confront competitors, followed then by a regnant stage during which it attains its full strength and dominates all around, and finishing with a waning stage during which it fades away. The monster life cycle can extend over periods from 10 to 10,000 years and a series of examples are provided to illustrate different aspects of their development. The examples are organized around attempts to address age-old questions such as how diseases spread and why people act badly. The examples will also introduce the sectional divisions—configuring, bolstering, languaging and wreaking havoc—that will be used for the in-depth case studies presented in the following chapters.
