American Literature’s Erotic Dimensions: The Erotics of Reading in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”

초록

This essay studies academic interpretations of female Gothic writers to examine how to bring out the erotic dimensions in American Literature through academic writing, focusing on our readings of female Gothic writers and our related literary criticism. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” serves as a prime example of the intertwining of erotic energies within American Gothic and the scholarly pursuit of these dimensions. Additionally, the essay discusses the tension between maintaining “good form” and erotic content in women’s fiction. This struggle mirrors the challenges faced in academic feminism, as scholars strive for acceptance in scholarly circles. Queer theory has sought to challenge conventional form-content dichotomies, bringing out the hidden queerness suppressed by societal norms. The essay aligns with this perspective, highlighting the paradoxical nature of norms that stifle queerness while exploring the erotic dimensions of Gilman’s work. It acknowledges the risk of commodifying Gilman’s queerness but underscores the importance of further exploring and reiterating these hidden dimensions through diverse queer agendas and writing forms. The essay aims to unlock the untapped potential of academic writing to stretch beyond conventional boundaries, allowing for deeper engagement with texts like “The Yellow Wallpaper” and their underlying erotic energies and female sexuality.

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