Neil’s Reviews > Queer Others in Victorian Gothic: Transgressing Monstrosity > Status Update

<3 queer readings/monstrosity. one of the elements of my ill-fated diss project, "American Nightmares."

That sounds like a great project! What works were you going to discuss?

Wow, that really tests my memory after five years. ;) Part of the problem was a lack of a straightforward, clear focus, in terms of era - but I've always had difficulty limiting my thought like that. I always like to find philosophical/intellectual threads across era/culture.

Let's see, I'll give this a shot even though it's moldy oldy .. the attempt was to take an American Studies oriented, Cultural/Historical approach to queer monstrosity's modern, symbolic function in film and lit. Mainly horror films of the 30s and 70s/80s (Drac, Frank, Nightmare on Elm Street series, Carrie, Halloween, other 70s Wes Craven, etc), and the print/literary elements coming from early 20th century naturalist novelists (mainly Frank Norris's Vandover and the Brute and McTeague, and misc. Zola influence - La Bete Humaine, etc - and also a little Steinbeck (Wrath), a little London (The Sea Wolf). The focus was going to be honed from there. Some inspiration from Harry Benshoff and other related writers (Monsters in the Closet, Queer Images), Barbara Creed (Monstrous-Feminine), I'll stop there.

I'm happy to report: this actually was fun. Makes me want to pick it up again, for whatever reason!

I've never read Queer Others - tell me a bit about your reaction so far?