THE THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE. JEFFREY DAHMER AND CANNIBAL LOVE CULTURE

The article explores the romantic face of cannibalism, where the act of devouring human flesh is deconstructed as the ultimate expression of love. It focuses on the issue of love cannibalism and the romanticised myth of the loving cannibal, which has been functioning as a successful cultural metaphor since the 1990s. The article sets love cannibalism in the broader context of necrophilia, understood both in terms of a sexual disorder and a morbid fascination with the subject of love in death. Finally, it compares the romantic representation of cannibalism in contemporary texts to the similarly romantic depiction of AIDS, the infection with which is treated as equivalent with taking control of the lover’s body. The core of the article is the discussion of two criminal cases – Jeffrey Dahmer’s and Issei Sagawa’s – which serve to illustrate the relationship between love cannibalism and necrophilia. The argument is further expanded to examine various representations of necrophilia and love cannibalism in contemporary literature and film.

Published in Spoiling Cannibals’ Fun? Eds. W. Kalaga and T. Rachwal.  Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 2005.

Translated and edited as "W imie milosci. Jeffrey Dahmer i zakochani kanibale" Published in ER(R)GO nr 7 (II/2003). Katowice: Slask, 2003.

EYES, LIES AND SILENT SPIES. UNDER THE GAZE OF THE GOTHIC SPECTATOR

The article focuses on the figure of the Spectator understood as the inseparable element of the sado-masochistic context of Contemporary Gothic. It dwells on the representation of the Spectator in a number of Contemporary Gothic texts, as well as within the Goth subculture. The article presents the Gothic Spectator as the character caught between the need to simultaneously take control of and identify with the victim. Under the scrutinising gaze of the Gothic Spectator the re-enactment of his/her own tragedy may both bring voyeuristic enjoyment and add a sharper edge to the Spectator’s own masochism through the repetition of trauma, which in turn may serve a therapeutic purpose.  Seen from this perspective the Spectator becomes an inseparable element of the clash between the submissive Same and the dominant Other – the Spectator becomes the Third.

Published in TransFormations II: The Same, The Other, The Third. Eds. W. Kalaga and T. Rachwal. Katowice: Wydawnictwo US, 2004.

[WO]MEN IN BLACK. EXILES IN CONTEMPORARY GOTHIC

The article concentrates on the image of the exile seen as the core composition element of modern Gothic tales. Taking as a starting point a detailed analysis of two Gothic film productions of mid-1990s (The Crow [Proyas, 1994] and The Piano [Campion, 1993]) it draws analogies between exiles in Contemporary Gothic and Julia Kristeva’s notion of the foreigner. Pondering along with Kristeva on whether the exile/foreigner can be happy, the article points out a few inconsistencies in modelling Contemporary Gothic heroes, which seem to have become a characteristic feature of the politically correct films made in the 1990s. The final part of discussion is devoted to the question of the impact Gothic (happy or unhappy) exiles have had on popular culture introducing the issue of subcultures whose main premises is the enjoyment of depression.

Published in The Writing of Exile. Eds. W. Kalaga and T. Rachwal. Katowice: Slask, 2001.