The Body in Allison Bechdel's Fun Home
Subject Area
Gender Studies
Abstract
In “The Laugh of the Medusa,” Hélène Cixous stresses the importance of women writing their bodies, especially their sexuality, into their texts. Allison Bechdel writes her sexuality onto the pages of Fun Home, by literally depicting herself masturbating and having sex with her partner in college. As Cixous implies, Bechdel’s writing of her bodily experience allows her to identify herself as an adult, lesbian academic. But, what about a woman with many bodies? In a YouTube video titled “OCD”, Bechdel explains that her writing prosses involves physically posing as each character before she draws them, meaning that every image of a person within the text is an image of Bechdel. By analyzing a few problematic images in the text, such as the open cadaver in the funeral home, the photograph of a naked teenager, the exterior shot of Allison and her family, and the second full page panel of Allison in the car with her dad, the reader can see how Bechdel writes her body onto the page in a way that-instead of identifying who she is- complicates the reader’s perception of her. Thus, Bechdel shows how complicated identity is for a queer woman with anxiety and problematic family history.
Brief Bio Note
Ashley is an English Literature master’s student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She received her bachelor’s degree from Birmingham-Southern College. Her research interests include feminism, queer theory, Marxist literary theory, ethnic studies, and environmentalism. Ashley plans to pursue a PhD in English, focusing on gender and sexuality studies.
Keywords
queer studies, identity, the body
Presentation Year
October 2020
Start Date
10-23-2020 12:00 PM
End Date
10-23-2020 12:40 PM
Embargo
12-4-2019
Recommended Citation
Tippit, Ashley, "The Body in Allison Bechdel's Fun Home" (2020). South East Coastal Conference on Languages & Literatures (SECCLL). 41.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/seccll/2020/2020/41
The Body in Allison Bechdel's Fun Home
In “The Laugh of the Medusa,” Hélène Cixous stresses the importance of women writing their bodies, especially their sexuality, into their texts. Allison Bechdel writes her sexuality onto the pages of Fun Home, by literally depicting herself masturbating and having sex with her partner in college. As Cixous implies, Bechdel’s writing of her bodily experience allows her to identify herself as an adult, lesbian academic. But, what about a woman with many bodies? In a YouTube video titled “OCD”, Bechdel explains that her writing prosses involves physically posing as each character before she draws them, meaning that every image of a person within the text is an image of Bechdel. By analyzing a few problematic images in the text, such as the open cadaver in the funeral home, the photograph of a naked teenager, the exterior shot of Allison and her family, and the second full page panel of Allison in the car with her dad, the reader can see how Bechdel writes her body onto the page in a way that-instead of identifying who she is- complicates the reader’s perception of her. Thus, Bechdel shows how complicated identity is for a queer woman with anxiety and problematic family history.
