Abject queer monsters: A queer examination of 19th-century British Gothic fiction

Date

2025-4

Author

Kara, Emre

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This study explores the intersection of queerness and monstrosity in nineteenth-century British Gothic fiction, by analysing five seminal works: Frankenstein, The Vampyre, Carmilla, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and The Picture of Dorian Gray. By combining psychoanalytical concepts of the uncanny and the abject with queer theory, it argues that these texts depict queer identities as marginalized others, reflecting the heteronormativity and homophobia of nineteenth-century British society. By presenting monsters as allegories for queerness and as embodiments of the uncanny and the abject, these narratives expose societal repression and mechanisms of exclusion. The study contends that, rather than endorsing homophobia, these works subvert normative sexual and social codes, positioning Gothic monstrosity as a means of queer representation and empowerment. By confronting societal anxieties surrounding queer identity and desire, these Gothic texts critique oppression while suggesting possibilities for transgressive queer affirmation.

Subject Keywords

Gothic fiction, Monstrosity, Queer theory, Uncanny, Abject

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/114093

Collections

Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis