Gothic Sexuality: Feminine Expression and Masculine Anxiety

Abstract

In this essay I will argue that Gothic fiction relies upon the distortion of gendered and sexual expectations in order to invoke fear and provocation in readers. Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury, Machen’s The Great God Pan and Le Fanu’s Carmilla are all Gothic texts that detail both feminine sexual expression and the masculine anxiety that is felt as a result of this. This thereby provides an enlightening insight into contemporary anxieties regarding acceptable gendered behaviours with regards to sex and the deep cultural shifts this may influence.