Det spökar på Manderley : En queerteoretisk närläsning av Daphne du Mauriers gotiska roman Rebecca

Sammanfattning: This essay is a reading of Daphne du Maurier’s 1938 novel Rebecca from a queer theoretical perspective. The analysis discusses the fluidity of the character Rebecca, who despite being dead haunts almost every page. She embodies both masculine and feminine traits and is suggested to have had a sexual relationship with her housekeeper. Furthermore, this same-sex desire plays an important part in the sexual awakening of the novel’s young protagonist, who develops an obsession with Rebecca. The essay also looks at Manderley, the gothic estate where most of the plot takes place. Manderley is a place for both heteronormative oppression and transgression. Rebecca is a modern gothic novel and the gothic will therefore be an important part of the analysis.