From Bluebeard to Domestic Noir: The Legacy of the Female Gothic Novel

Katharina Hendrickx

Situated after the financial crash of 2008 and at a time of continued social movements against gendered violence, the crime subgenre of domestic noir often features multiple, unreliable female narrators and foregrounds women’s experiences of the domestic space, sexual and domestic abuse, and a limited understanding of femininity. In this zine, I will explore the gendered fears and pressures that domestic noir engages with in a visual way, especially in relation to domestic noir’s literary ancestry of the female Gothic. In my work, I argue that domestic noir is not only strongly influenced by the female Gothic, but it is a continuation of this tradition. Originated in the Bluebeard tale, the female Gothic narrative resurfaces at times of significant political, social, and economic changes in Western society. Surfacing once more in the 21st century with domestic noir narratives, the novels present an updated version of the female Gothic heroine battling with the same gendered fears but in today’s postfeminist and neoliberal climate. By tracing the Gothic heroine across centuries and female Gothic writing, this zine will show domestic noir’s engagement with past and present feminist concerns and the need for the on-going work of feminism. The zine will predominantly present a timeline of female Gothic novels from Bluebeard to domestic noir books such as Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train, drawing on visual imagery and aesthetics of the Gothic and exploring narrative continuations. With this zine I hope to communicate my ideas in a more engaging and accessible way.  