Authors

William B. Holley, Georgia Southern UniversityFollow

The Femme-fatale “Bear’ing her teeth: The Relation Between Women and Animals in Prosper Mérimée’s Lokis

Abstract

Abstract: Many French fantastic texts from the nineteenth century employ the use of a femme-fatale to highlight and underscore the dangers inherit with the female figure. This can be seen in vampires, ghosts, fairies, and other supernatural phenomena wherein a female character takes on incredible attributes. Propser Mérimée’s Lokis offers readers a tale wherein those same female figures are given traits that resemble the traditional femme-fatale, but in doing so they highlight the deadly nature of the titular half-man/half-bear creature. This paper offers a reading of Lokis which brings together an understanding of the social and political climate in which Mérimée’s work was published. By observing how three female figures in Lokis associate with or resemble various beasts, it becomes clear that this short story relies upon the trope of the femme-fatale to subvert the presumed danger of women and highlight the masculine threat, not only within this narrative, but perhaps within his contemporary France as well.

Bio Note

Dr. Brad Holley is an associate professor at Georgia Southern University. His research focuses on literature in the fantastic genre from 19th century France. His Ph.D. was awarded by the University of Alabama in 2011.

Recommended Citation

Holley, William B. (2024) "The Femme-fatale “Bear’ing her teeth: The Relation Between Women and Animals in Prosper Mérimée’s Lokis," The Coastal Review: An Online Peer-reviewed Journal: Vol. 14: Iss. 1, Article 7.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/thecoastalreview/vol14/iss1/7