ENGLISH 400: MONSTER THEORY
Taron Lilly
Research Abstract
"Unspeakable Grief in Tale of Tales"
In Tale of Tales, we see a king who gives more love and attention to his pet flea than his daughter and heir. Scholars argue that because the king cannot speak of this unspeakable love, he never has a chance to confront his grief when the flea dies. Using J. Halberstam’s "Skin Shows: Gothic Horror and the Technology of Monsters," I will argue that the flea can be seen as an alternate child and direct competition to the king’s human heir, the princess. I will also be arguing that since the king cannot name the grief of his flea, he causes pain for others.
Throughout the film, we explore the question of how love and grief gives birth to monstrosity. I will use Judith Butler’s Precarious Life to explain the king’s inability to grieve the death of his monstrously sized pet flea. Butler is correct about the need for, and power of, grieving if we are ever to break the cycles of cultural trauma.
Capstone Presentation
"Monsters Stand at the Border of Social Change"
Monsters exist at the border and boundaries of social change according to J. J. Cohen’s "Monster Theory." We can see that in The Devourers by Indra Das, which was written to challenge anti-gay and anti-queer ideologies in Modi’s India. Gévudan and Fenrir, the main monsters in the novel, are inhabiting spaces on the outskirts of communities. By doing so, they represent the monstrous underground existence of gay and queer people in India.