Autore: Ferreira, Aline
Titolo: Gothic (Dis)Embodiments: Kureishi's The Body and Richard T. Kelly's The Possessions of Doctor Forrest
Periodico: Textus
Anno: 2012 - Volume: 25 - Fascicolo: 3 - Pagina iniziale: 117 - Pagina finale: 132

This essay examines the longstanding fantasy of body swapping, or in morecontemporary terms, acquiring a new, younger body to replace the older,sick one through medical technologies. This ancient dream has clear Gothicovertones and can be inscribed in a line of continuity with other versionsof Faustian pacts, such as Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll andMr Hyde (􀁽􀁛􀁛􀂓). I analyse Hanif Kureishi's The Body (􀂠􀂤􀂤􀂠) and Richard T.Kelly's The Possessions of Doctor Forrest (􀂠􀂤􀁽􀁽) as present-day instances ofthis age-old aspiration, re-envisioning Stevenson's body swapping Gothicfantasy with the tools of modern-day medicine, updating the fantasies forradically extended youth and longer life spans which recent developmentsin the biosciences suggest might gradually become true. A horror of theaged body permeates both novels, which crucially deal with older men whowish to recover their lost youth and vigour, while the Gothic motifs of theDoppelgänger and devilish pacts constitute recurring features.


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SICI: 1824-3967(2012)25:3<117:G(KTBA>2.0.ZU;2-A
Testo completo: http://www.mulino.it/download/article/10.7370/75490
Testo completo alternativo: http://www.mulino.it/doi/10.7370/75490

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