As for the reasoning for the pics, it's just my way of displaying some
of the "Gothic" genre in film. Specifically vampires...and I haveto say I am a huge fan of vampire stories. Apparently
they hold a certain "Enigma" for me, but more likely it's just how much I'm in love with DavidBoreanaz !!! ;D
Another week and another critique…sort of? Michael Davis’ critique of Carmilla in “Gothic’s Enigmatic Signifier” was not what I thought it would be. Although interesting and at some points seemingly plausible or sensible, for me, the critique places far too much emphasis on psychoanalysis, particularly psychosexual analysis. I clearly understand that there are definitely some overt sexuality issues being played out in Carmilla as evidenced by comments such as the following paragraphs,
“And when she had spoken such a rhapsody, she would press me more closely in her trembling embrace, and her lips in soft kisses gently glow upon my cheek.
Her agitations and her language were unintelligible to me.
From these foolish embraces, which were not of very frequent occurrence, I must allow, I used to wish to extricate myself; but my energies seemed to fail me. Her murmured words sounded like a lullaby in my ear, and soothed my resistance into a trance, from which I only seemed to recover myself when she withdrew her arms.
In these mysterious moods I did not like her. I experienced a strange tumultuous excitement that was pleasurable, ever and anon, mingled with a vague sense of fear and disgust. I had no distinct thoughts about her while such scenes lasted, but I was conscious of a love growing into adoration, and also of abhorrence. This I know is paradox, but I can make no other attempt to explain the feeling” (Le Fanu chpt IV).
In this passage, you can clearly see or feel the underlying sexuality being portrayed by Carmilla. You can also see that Laura does not understand the meanings of Carmilla’s advances; however, she seems unable to pull away and is left with mixed feelings and sensations of pleasure, excitement, disgust and fear.
In Davis’ critique, he pushes further into the meaning and potential theory behind these encounters. Davis discusses several famous psychoanalysts such as Freud, Lacan, and Laplanche. Interestingly, each of these men were almost like successors of each other; first came Freud in the development of psychoanalysis, then Lacan further expanded into works related to the unconscious, and finally Laplanche studied under Lacan and further developed and revised Freud’s “Seduction Theory”. It is this revision of the “Seduction Theory” that Davis uses to describe the sexual encounters and overall “enigma” of Gothic writing.
According to Davis it seems that the Gothic genre is characterized by the combination of fear and pleasure with an inexplicable desire to “figure it out”. In the case of Carmilla, the character Laura is seen as the “infant/child” from the “Seduction Theory” and Carmilla fills the role of the “adult/mother/other” who “inadvertently” exposes Laura to a sexual encounter at an age when she is unable to understand the experience and situation. This inability to understand is what leaves her with what Davis describes as,
“This alien thing (this horror without meaning) inside Laura, ‘put inside [her] by an alien’ (Otherness, 65) is precisely the untranslated residue of the earlier childhood experience, when the ‘seductive intrusion of the other’ (Intro., 9), freighted with unconscious sexual meaning, effected its violent (and incomprehensible) intromission” (Davis 230-231).
Essentially, this is stating that this initial trauma caused a lingering, although, unconscious effect within Laura which once “triggered” by secondary sexual traumas inflicted by Carmilla led Laura subconsciously to “repress” her understandings of the situation while still drawn to the “enigma” of Carmilla.
This is where I can clearly see how or why Davis feels that the "Seduction Theory" idea fits in this scenario, but I personally just don’t buy it. I think it is possible that this theory fits, but I don’t personally think that Le Fanu was specifically looking to address an issue of psychosexual analysis in his writing. Perhaps he was looking at subtly, or not so subtly, addressing sexuality but I don’t think he went so far as to discuss potential childhood sexual trauma leading to subsequent repression of unwanted feelings of “disgust” or “shame”. However, once again, the only one to know the true intentions behind the writing would be the author.
I did, however, really enjoy Davis’ last paragraph in discussing the Gothic text or genre. I find this to be an interesting twist on how we as observers or readers become engrossed and inexplicable drawn to the enigma found in the characters within the Gothic genre itself.
“Finally, if we, as readers of the Gothic, are in fact caught in the same ‘vortex of summons and repulsion’ (Powers, 1) as Laura, then our constant attempts to decipher the Gothic text, ‘to master, to translate, those enigmatic, traumatising messages’ (Otherness, 165), leave us all trapped in our own repetition compulsion, inexorably (but perhaps pleasurably) drawn to ‘the place where meaning collapses’ (Powers, 2); a place ‘very nearly dark’ (278).” (Davis 234).
Essentially, this is stating that this initial trauma caused a lingering, although, unconscious effect within Laura which once “triggered” by secondary sexual traumas inflicted by Carmilla led Laura subconsciously to “repress” her understandings of the situation while still drawn to the “enigma” of Carmilla.
This is where I can clearly see how or why Davis feels that the "Seduction Theory" idea fits in this scenario, but I personally just don’t buy it. I think it is possible that this theory fits, but I don’t personally think that Le Fanu was specifically looking to address an issue of psychosexual analysis in his writing. Perhaps he was looking at subtly, or not so subtly, addressing sexuality but I don’t think he went so far as to discuss potential childhood sexual trauma leading to subsequent repression of unwanted feelings of “disgust” or “shame”. However, once again, the only one to know the true intentions behind the writing would be the author.
I did, however, really enjoy Davis’ last paragraph in discussing the Gothic text or genre. I find this to be an interesting twist on how we as observers or readers become engrossed and inexplicable drawn to the enigma found in the characters within the Gothic genre itself.
“Finally, if we, as readers of the Gothic, are in fact caught in the same ‘vortex of summons and repulsion’ (Powers, 1) as Laura, then our constant attempts to decipher the Gothic text, ‘to master, to translate, those enigmatic, traumatising messages’ (Otherness, 165), leave us all trapped in our own repetition compulsion, inexorably (but perhaps pleasurably) drawn to ‘the place where meaning collapses’ (Powers, 2); a place ‘very nearly dark’ (278).” (Davis 234).
Hello!
ReplyDeleteFirst off I also agree with you on the fact that there was A LOT of emphasis on sexual references to Laura’s dreams in Michael Davis’ reading. But, he also backed it up with a lot of proof and research. I liked your quote, “In this passage, you can clearly see or feel the underlying sexuality being portrayed by Carmilla. You can also see that Laura does not understand the meanings of Carmilla’s advances; however, she seems unable to pull away and is left with mixed feelings and sensations of pleasure, excitement, disgust and fear.”
I think that you couldn’t have explained this better. There definitely is a curiosity in Laura but it is muddled by fear and disgust but this curiosity is also bringing about a sense of pleasure and excitement, like you said.
I also liked when you mentioned that the psychoanalysts and psychologists mentioned in Michael Davis’ reading were successors of one another, because I think that’s very true. Freud was the starting point followed by Lacan, and then Laplanche. It’s interesting how he explains their theories and the connection between them and the story of Carmilla. Reading Carmilla, I never really considered all of the psychology behind the story, I just read it as a story. Although I considered that there were hidden meanings behind it all (it’s a Gothic story, of course there are hidden meanings) but I’m surprised at how much Davis incorporated into this connection-making.
Celtic Dreamer, once again a pleasure to read and nice ending within an ending.
ReplyDeleteI'll give you credit for the David Boreanaz fandom, I'm a bigger fan of Joss Whedon (probably one of the best things to happened to Boreanaz and one hell of a gothic writer himself). Anyway however onto the matter at hand. I'm definitely with Lucky here on this one, it was very nice to see you bring up the breakdown of succession of the psychoanalyst.
"Interestingly, each of these men were almost like successors of each other; first came Freud in the development of psychoanalysis, then Lacan further expanded into works related to the unconscious, and finally Laplanche studied under Lacan and further developed and revised Freud’s “Seduction Theory”. It is this revision of the “Seduction Theory” that Davis uses to describe the sexual encounters and overall “enigma” of Gothic writing."
It's nice to see that the effort was put in to find out the relationship between these gentlemen no matter how bothersome their theories may be.
You also made the comment " However, once again, the only one to know the true intentions behind the writing would be the author," and I want to thank you for it. I made a note at the end of my blog this week about much the same thing and I'm just glad to see it reiterated somewhere else. No matter how much we can identify with the story, the author, or the culture, we can never be completely sure of the meanings.
WS
I loved that you put up those pictures! I was and still am I guess obsessed with vampire … a different level of unconscious meaning” (227) So bearing this, the fact that he was going at this novella with the ideas of psychology and that this was his one goal, in mind I seemed to find myself more accepting of the critique.
ReplyDeleteSo obviously one looks back at that novel that you just finished and find that undoubtedly there was something to this idea of repressed sexuality, an enigma that reader and narrator alike could not decipher but nonetheless these “enigmatic signifiers” coaxed both alike to continue on. stories. I got banned from doing book reports on Anne Rice books because I “abused the privilege.” Davis would probably say that it does hold an enigma!
Originally reading Carmilla I didn’t take the actions and feelings between Carmilla and Laura as signifiers of repressed lesbian tendencies at all and when I first started reading Davis I got a little irked at the idea of another critic picking apart the Freudian undertones of a story. But Davis does explain that he is not tring to read the story as that type of narrative or as a narrative at all but as “an allegory of the psychic processes identified by Laplanche
First of all, I agree with Ann that I enjoyed the pictures! It's always nice to have a little visual interest to break up the text :)
ReplyDeleteNext I have to say that I loved the paragraph where you said:
"This is where I can clearly see how or why Davis feels that the "Seduction Theory" idea fits in this scenario, but I personally just don’t buy it. I think it is possible that this theory fits, but I don’t personally think that Le Fanu was specifically looking to address an issue of psychosexual analysis in his writing. Perhaps he was looking at subtly, or not so subtly, addressing sexuality but I don’t think he went so far as to discuss potential childhood sexual trauma leading to subsequent repression of unwanted feelings of “disgust” or “shame”. However, once again, the only one to know the true intentions behind the writing would be the author."
I have felt the same thing- that the sexual nuances in this story have been WAY too overanalyzed! My personal theory (which I believe I ranted about on some poor recipient's blog last week!) is that this is not a story of repressed lesbianism at all, but more of (as another classmate put) "animalistic" predator luring their pray type situation. Carmilla was using whatever methods she could find to draw herself to the girls, and obviously, she was very sucessful!
I'm also a big fan of the quote of Davis's that you use to finish your blog concerning how our attemps to break down and analyze the gothic novel will "leave us all trapped in our own repetition compulsion, inexorably (but perhaps pleasurably) drawn to ‘the place where meaning collapses’"
I think that was the perfect way to end this blog and the discussions of Carmilla and he is definitely echoing my own thoughts!