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Article

Turning the Queer into Monster: Vampiric Queerness in Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla

  1. London School of Economics

Hacettepe University Journal of the Faculty of Letters, Volume 42, Issue 1 (2024) pp. 88–96

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Abstract

This article examines the intersection of queerness and monstrosity in Le Fanu’s 1872 novella Carmilla. This study argues that Carmilla’s simultaneous depiction as a vampire and a queer figure serves as a critique of Victorian societal norms regarding sexuality and gender. Unlike existing studies that primarily compare Carmilla with other Gothic vampire stories, this research focuses on how Carmilla’s queerness intensifies her monstrosity, thus reflecting and amplifying Victorian anxieties about non-conformity and social deviance. The paper is divided into two main sections. The first explores how Carmilla’s queerness and vampirehood symbolize deviance, arguing that her relationship with Laura disrupts the era’s rigid norms surrounding family and sexuality. This section emphasizes how Carmilla’s love for Laura, which excludes male dominance, challenges Victorian values of monogamy and heterosexuality. The second section explores societal reactions to Carmilla’s transgression, which illustrates how fear and allure towards her queerness and vampirehood escalate into hostility and rejection. The study concludes that Carmilla’s monstrosity is not rooted solely in her vampirism but in her queerness, which defies the societal framework of her time. This dual identity makes her an ultimate representation of the “other,” whom society seeks to exclude and eradicate. By decoding these elements, the paper sheds light on the historical mechanisms of othering and the cultural constructions of monstrosity. This research highlights the importance of examining cultural fears and societal impulses to alienate those who challenge normative structures.

Abstract (Turkish, translation)

Kuiri Canavara Dönüştürmek: Sheridan Le Fanu’nun Carmilla’sında Kuirlik ve Vampirlik

Bu çalışmanın temel amacı, Sheridan Le Fanu'nun 1872 yılında yayımladığı Carmilla eserinde yer alan kuirlik ve vampirlik kavramlarının kesişim noktalarını analiz etmektir. Carmilla karakterinin hem bir vampir hem de bir kuir olarak resmedilmesini, Viktorya dönemi toplumunun cinsiyet ve cinsellik meseleleri üzerine kurduğu normatif yapıya bir eleştiri olarak yorumlayan makale, bu eser üzerine yapılmış birçok araştırmadan farklılaşmaktadır. Çalışmanın ana argümanlarından biri, kuirliğin özünde bir canavarlık unsuru olarak kabul edilmesi ve vampirlikle birleştiğinde, Viktorya dönemi toplumunun normatif yapıdan sapmaya dair derin korkularını yansıtmasıdır. Bu çalışma iki bölüme ayrılmıştır. İlk bölüm Carmilla’nın kuirliğini ve vampirliğini bir sapma sembolü olarak ele alır. Carmilla ve Laura arasındaki dönemin erkek egemenliğini tamamen dışlayan ilişkinin heteroseksüellik, monogami ve benzeri Viktorya toplumu değerlerinden bir sapma olduğunu savunur. İkinci bölüm ise bu sapmanın toplumdaki karşılığını merkezine alır. Carmilla, eser içinde korku ve cazibenin vücut bulmuş hâli olarak Viktorya toplumunu bir bilinmezliğe sürükler. Bu bilinmezliği kaldıramayan normatif yapı, düşmanlık ve Carmilla’yı toplum dışına itme yoluyla çözüm arar. Sonuç olarak, Carmilla’yı canavar yapan şeyin sadece vampirliği değil, aynı zamanda dönemin sosyal yapısını yıkan kuirliği olduğu iddia edilmektedir. Bu çift yönlü karakterizasyon, onu toplum gözünde tamamen reddedilmesi gereken bir “öteki” yapar. Bu çalışma, ötekileştirme ve yabancılaştırma kavramlarının tarihsel ve kültürel arka planlarına ışık tutarak, normatif yapıya uymayanları dışlama üzerine kurulu kültürel korkuların ve sosyal dürtülerin incelenmesinin önemini vurgulamaktadır.

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References

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Cite this publication

APA 7

Altun, A. E. (2024). Turning the Queer into Monster: Vampiric Queerness in Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla. Hacettepe University Journal of the Faculty of Letters, 42(1), 88–96. https://doi.org/10.32600/huefd.1489699

BibTeX

@article{altun2024turning,
  author = {Altun, Ali Erdem},
  title = {{Turning the Queer into Monster: Vampiric Queerness in Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla}},
  journal = {Hacettepe University Journal of the Faculty of Letters},
  volume = {42},
  number = {1},
  pages = {88--96},
  publisher = {Hacettepe {\"U}niversitesi},
  year = {2024},
  month = {5},
  issn = {1301-5737},
  doi = {10.32600/huefd.1489699},
  url = {https://hacettepe.hbtech.com.tr/en/publication/turning-the-queer-into-monster-vampiric-queerness-in-sheridan-le-fanus-carmilla},
  language = {en},
  keywords = {{\.I}ngiliz ve {\.I}rlanda Dili, Edebiyat{\i} ve K{\"u}lt{\"u}r{\"u}},
  abstract = {This article examines the intersection of queerness and monstrosity in Le Fanu's 1872 novella Carmilla. This study argues that Carmilla's simultaneous depiction as a vampire and a queer figure serves as a critique of Victorian societal norms regarding sexuality and gender. Unlike existing studies that primarily compare Carmilla with other Gothic vampire stories, this research focuses on how Carmilla's queerness intensifies her monstrosity, thus reflecting and amplifying Victorian anxieties about non-conformity and social deviance. The paper is divided into two main sections. The first explores how Carmilla's queerness and vampirehood symbolize deviance, arguing that her relationship with Laura disrupts the era's rigid norms surrounding family and sexuality. This section emphasizes how Carmilla's love for Laura, which excludes male dominance, challenges Victorian values of monogamy and heterosexuality. The second section explores societal reactions to Carmilla's transgression, which illustrates how fear and allure towards her queerness and vampirehood escalate into hostility and rejection. The study concludes that Carmilla's monstrosity is not rooted solely in her vampirism but in her queerness, which defies the societal framework of her time. This dual identity makes her an ultimate representation of the ``other,'' whom society seeks to exclude and eradicate. By decoding these elements, the paper sheds light on the historical mechanisms of othering and the cultural constructions of monstrosity. This research highlights the importance of examining cultural fears and societal impulses to alienate those who challenge normative structures.},
  affiliation = {London School of Economics}
}
.bib

RIS

TY  - JOUR
AU  - Altun, Ali Erdem
TI  - Turning the Queer into Monster: Vampiric Queerness in Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla
T2  - Hacettepe University Journal of the Faculty of Letters
VL  - 42
IS  - 1
PY  - 2024
DA  - 2024/05/25/
SP  - 88
EP  - 96
PB  - Hacettepe Üniversitesi
SN  - 1301-5737
DO  - 10.32600/huefd.1489699
UR  - https://hacettepe.hbtech.com.tr/en/publication/turning-the-queer-into-monster-vampiric-queerness-in-sheridan-le-fanus-carmilla
AB  - This article examines the intersection of queerness and monstrosity in Le Fanu’s 1872 novella Carmilla. This study argues that Carmilla’s simultaneous depiction as a vampire and a queer figure serves as a critique of Victorian societal norms regarding sexuality and gender. Unlike existing studies that primarily compare Carmilla with other Gothic vampire stories, this research focuses on how Carmilla’s queerness intensifies her monstrosity, thus reflecting and amplifying Victorian anxieties about non-conformity and social deviance. The paper is divided into two main sections. The first explores how Carmilla’s queerness and vampirehood symbolize deviance, arguing that her relationship with Laura disrupts the era’s rigid norms surrounding family and sexuality. This section emphasizes how Carmilla’s love for Laura, which excludes male dominance, challenges Victorian values of monogamy and heterosexuality. The second section explores societal reactions to Carmilla’s transgression, which illustrates how fear and allure towards her queerness and vampirehood escalate into hostility and rejection. The study concludes that Carmilla’s monstrosity is not rooted solely in her vampirism but in her queerness, which defies the societal framework of her time. This dual identity makes her an ultimate representation of the “other,” whom society seeks to exclude and eradicate. By decoding these elements, the paper sheds light on the historical mechanisms of othering and the cultural constructions of monstrosity. This research highlights the importance of examining cultural fears and societal impulses to alienate those who challenge normative structures.
KW  - İngiliz ve İrlanda Dili
KW  - Edebiyatı ve Kültürü
LA  - en
AD  - London School of Economics
ER  -
.ris