“Carmilla” continued and “Gothic’s Enigmatic Signifier: The Case of J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s ‘Carmilla’” by Michael Davis

“Carmilla” continued and “Gothic’s Enigmatic Signifier: The Case of J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s ‘Carmilla’”

Once again, don’t feel as if you need to follow the questions below. You can use this week’s blog to expand upon a previous discussion or to respond to another student’s blog. These questions are merely to serve as a guide.

• Michael Davis uses a lot of major psychoanalysts and key terms to help him argue his essay. For this blog, do some background research on one or more of these figures or terms and explain how a more thorough understanding of these figures or terms can help us better understand Le Fanu’s story. Some figures you might want to research are Freud, Lacan, Laplanche, Melanie Klein, etc. Some key terms you could research are manifest and latent content (in reference to dreams), the Other, intromission, and perhaps most significantly—THE GOTHIC!
• Michael Davis draws a great deal from psychoanalyst Jean Laplanche for his essay. What are Laplanche’s major theories and how does Davis apply them to the story? What do you think of Davis’s use of Laplanche and subsequent analysis? Use examples from both the essay and “Carmilla” to support your answer.
• Davis spends a great deal of time analyzing three of Laura’s “dreams.” What is Davis’s reading of those dreams? Do you agree with his analysis of Laura’s dreams? Why or why not? What might you add to his analysis? Are there alternative interpretations of these key moments in the story?
• On page 233, Davis provides an interpretation of Carmilla’s demise. What is his argument about the symbolic meaning behind Carmilla’s death and how would you respond to Davis’s interpretation? Use examples from the text to support your argument.