A Dark Mirror
Ledezma, Beatriz
Prof. Ileana Molina
LM- 1358 Mystery and Suspense Literature
June 14, 2011
A Dark Mirror Criticism of Victorian notion of women’s sexuality is a remarkable theme of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s novella “Carmilla.” Even though sexuality is seen as an essential element in an individual’s life, throughout history, it has continually been conceived as a taboo topic; indeed, for many conservative cultures around the world, to talk openly about it is still considered offensive. Therefore, sexuality has been constantly associated to repression because, in human history, there have been many societies in which people have been deprived of their right to enjoy their sexuality, and women have been the most affected. As a matter of fact, this can be easily noticed in the Victorian era. During this period that goes from 1837 to 1901, British women were prisoners of an extremely close-minded culture that did not allow them to live their own sexuality. Women were not supposed to experience pleasure of any kind, and they were just seen as social representatives of their husbands. As a result of this, Victorian society has been object of constant criticism, and literature has been an exquisite means to expose people’s disapproval in regard to women’s sexual repression. In fact, the novella “Carmilla,” work written by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu during the Victorian age, is a perfect example that shows how a writer uses his texts to denounce the oppression of female individuals, and he actually does so by raising the topic of lesbianism in the Victorian context. Indeed, Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu condemns the narrow-minded conception of women’s sexuality during the Victorian age through the use of three typical characters of Gothic literature: a femme fatale, a persecuted maiden, and a hero. By presenting Carmilla as the typical femme fatale of Gothic literature, Le Fanu portrays the image of the liberal woman of the Victorian era. To begin with, Carmilla
Prof. Ileana Molina
LM- 1358 Mystery and Suspense Literature
June 14, 2011
A Dark Mirror Criticism of Victorian notion of women’s sexuality is a remarkable theme of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s novella “Carmilla.” Even though sexuality is seen as an essential element in an individual’s life, throughout history, it has continually been conceived as a taboo topic; indeed, for many conservative cultures around the world, to talk openly about it is still considered offensive. Therefore, sexuality has been constantly associated to repression because, in human history, there have been many societies in which people have been deprived of their right to enjoy their sexuality, and women have been the most affected. As a matter of fact, this can be easily noticed in the Victorian era. During this period that goes from 1837 to 1901, British women were prisoners of an extremely close-minded culture that did not allow them to live their own sexuality. Women were not supposed to experience pleasure of any kind, and they were just seen as social representatives of their husbands. As a result of this, Victorian society has been object of constant criticism, and literature has been an exquisite means to expose people’s disapproval in regard to women’s sexual repression. In fact, the novella “Carmilla,” work written by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu during the Victorian age, is a perfect example that shows how a writer uses his texts to denounce the oppression of female individuals, and he actually does so by raising the topic of lesbianism in the Victorian context. Indeed, Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu condemns the narrow-minded conception of women’s sexuality during the Victorian age through the use of three typical characters of Gothic literature: a femme fatale, a persecuted maiden, and a hero. By presenting Carmilla as the typical femme fatale of Gothic literature, Le Fanu portrays the image of the liberal woman of the Victorian era. To begin with, Carmilla