Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Killing the Queer? Narrative Closure, Desire and Erasure in Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla (1872)

Mowitz, Ella LU (2026) ENGK70 20261
Division of English Studies
English Studies
Abstract
Discussions surrounding Victorian author Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla (1872) have explored many of the novella’s themes, including but not limited to the Gothic vampire, queer representation and historical significance. This thesis endeavours to expand the lesser developed discourse on the novella’s ending and narration by analysing Carmilla’s ending through the lens of the “bury your gays” trope, examining how the death of both queer characters attempts to restore order while the retrospective narration undermines this closure by preserving traces of their relationship. In doing so, it argues that Carmilla is a text that occupies the liminal space between conservative values and Gothic transgression, revealing the instability of... (More)
Discussions surrounding Victorian author Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla (1872) have explored many of the novella’s themes, including but not limited to the Gothic vampire, queer representation and historical significance. This thesis endeavours to expand the lesser developed discourse on the novella’s ending and narration by analysing Carmilla’s ending through the lens of the “bury your gays” trope, examining how the death of both queer characters attempts to restore order while the retrospective narration undermines this closure by preserving traces of their relationship. In doing so, it argues that Carmilla is a text that occupies the liminal space between conservative values and Gothic transgression, revealing the instability of patriarchal control and heteronormative structures. To accomplish this, the paper is divided into four sections; a theoretical background, an exploration of Carmilla as a lesbian and a vampire, an analysis of Laura’s narrative and desire, and finally a discussion of the characters’ deaths and the novella’s failed containment of queer desire. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Mowitz, Ella LU
supervisor
organization
course
ENGK70 20261
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
language
English
id
9240540
date added to LUP
2026-06-17 15:17:12
date last changed
2026-06-17 15:17:12
@misc{9240540,
  abstract     = {{Discussions surrounding Victorian author Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla (1872) have explored many of the novella’s themes, including but not limited to the Gothic vampire, queer representation and historical significance. This thesis endeavours to expand the lesser developed discourse on the novella’s ending and narration by analysing Carmilla’s ending through the lens of the “bury your gays” trope, examining how the death of both queer characters attempts to restore order while the retrospective narration undermines this closure by preserving traces of their relationship. In doing so, it argues that Carmilla is a text that occupies the liminal space between conservative values and Gothic transgression, revealing the instability of patriarchal control and heteronormative structures. To accomplish this, the paper is divided into four sections; a theoretical background, an exploration of Carmilla as a lesbian and a vampire, an analysis of Laura’s narrative and desire, and finally a discussion of the characters’ deaths and the novella’s failed containment of queer desire.}},
  author       = {{Mowitz, Ella}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Killing the Queer? Narrative Closure, Desire and Erasure in Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla (1872)}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}