#leoncia

[dinamitasonora]

UN FUTURO POSIBLE PRIMER PAR DE MANOS: LEONCIA

Fácilmente me miras e me insistes

Atándome el pecho, se me abre el corazón

No me niego a la apertura

Transito el movimiento con vos.

Abrázame los pies y mis rodillas, que yo

Supero la frontera

Infranqueable. Juntas andamos y

Amamos duríiiisimo

[literarygalpals]

"Killing Eve, 1x01" Pheobe Waller-Bridge

Just before watching the scene where Villanelle kills the man in Tuscany, I tried to prepare myself to watch, really cover my eyes during,  a potentially violent and gory assassination. However, I almost forgot to squint through the killing because I was caught off guard by a comment the assassin makes. Only a moment before killing the man with the “nice face,” Villanelle responds to him stroking her face: “You should really ask before touching a person.” With this, I shared a moment of agreement with Villanelle; then, I quickly remembered that she is the villain. I think this dismissal was so easy, not only because Villanelle is a killer, but because she is opposite another female lead, Eve. I realize that the characterization of Villanelle is playing into the psycho lesbian or even crazy feminist trope, but it feels tempting to overlook this. By making Eve a strong female lead, who appears to be on the side of justice, the creators of Killing Eve counterbalance Villanelle’s character. You don’t have to be mad at women being portrayed as psychotic, sexualized tools because through Eve women are also depicted as driven and intelligent. This is obviously ignoring a lot of other issues, but having only watched the first episode the potential strategy of counterbalancing two strong, opposing female leads stands out. It will be interesting to see if this method withstands the entire season.

-Leoncia

[literarygalpals]

“Carmilla” by J. Sheridan LeFanu

In Carmilla, J. Sheridan LeFanu utilizes a literary tool seen in texts as early as the Christian Bible; this tool is the feminization of what is deemed evil. In the Bible certain “evils” such as temptation and sexual immorality are associated with feminine pronouns. In Carmilla, the sleepwalking, bloodthirsty assailant literally inhabits the body of a young girl. However, LeFanu does not characterize Carmilla in this way simply to further the notion that women are inherently the origins of evil. He uses his characterization of Carmilla to form an association between danger and women’s intimate and sexual relationships with one another. Despite her youth and other details characterizing her as a vampire, Carmilla is sexualized through her interactions with the protagonist and the nature of her attacks. During the day she professes her love, in what LeFanu deems appropriate for the protagonist to describe as momentary bouts of illness. At night, Carmilla attacks by biting the protagonist on the breast or neck. It is not very clear why LeFanu deemed these characteristics necessary. However, it seems that by feminizing the vampire and sexualizing her attacks, LeFanu implies that the intimate and sexual attraction of two women is a form of evil. This is emphasized by the fact that all of Carmilla’s victims are young women. I find it interesting that LeFanu highlights, “In these cases it seems to yearn for something like sympathy and consent. In ordinary ones it goes direct to its object, overpowers with violence, and strangles and exhausts often at a single feast”. The juxtaposition of these two phrases and the use of the diction choice ordinary seems to normalize the quickness of violence and make the feminized characteristics of desiring sympathy and consent abnormal. This is baffling to me because despite LeFanou’s reference to vampire attacks, he really seems to be discussing sexual pursuit. Given this, LeFanu’s validation of violence over sympathetic and consensual behaviors, simply because they occur between two women, is concerning.

- Leoncia 

[literarygalpals]

"Butch to Buthch: A Love Song" Leslie Feinberg

In Butch to Butch: A Love Song, Leslie Feinberg takes us on a journey to understand the story behind a young butch’s first tie. Through a detailed memory, the story becomes more than an account of acquiring an accessory. It is a story about family, growth, identity, and pain. As the memory unravels, a central question comes to the forefront: how does a butch balance being tough with tenderness? This question appears and reappears through language and dialogue the narrator shares with their friends Butch Al and Jacqueline, but also other characters. This is demonstrated by the way Butch Al spends time nurturing the narrator’s strength and by the way Jacqueline encourages the narrator to be a compassionate and respectful lover. These moments of learning are organically imperfect and beautiful, significantly characterized by the language and conversation the characters share with each other. They are like instances of a child learning from their parents. However, during one of the moments that reads more as imperfect than beautiful, I am reminded of the ways language that has been reclaimed or deemed acceptable can be weaponized.

After experiencing an embarrassing night with one of the femmes that frequents the bar where the narrator and their friends spend their time, the butch-identifying narrator is referred to as a femme. Despite the fact that this term is used throughout the account, at this moment it is apparent that the word is meant to be insulting. This moment stands out to me because calling a butch a femme reminds me of the act of men being told they’re are acting or performing like girls. In those cases, this sort of insult is only successful when the group used to define the insult is accepted as being less than. Unfortunately, the notion that women are less than men has been prevalent in various societies for ages. So, I am wondering if it is fair to assume that the use of femme as an insult is an extension of this history or if it is something else entirely.

- Leoncia

[literarygalpals]

“Pariah,”  Dee Rees

A little over half-way through watching Pariah by Dee Rees, I thought, “I need to find this soundtrack.” The music in Pariah was surprising and the way it seemed to tell a story of its own is worthy of reflection. I did not know much about the movie before watching it, so as I watched the first scene, set in a club with “My Neck, My Back” by Khia playing in the background, I thought the energy of this song was a preview of the energy of the movie. I expected Alike to be upbeat and confident. However, as the movie progressed, I realized that upbeat, rhythmic music plays when Alike is at the club or with her best friend, Laura. Contrastingly, during lone shots of Alike and during transitions a softer, more soulful style of music is used; and, when Alike is upset her anger is depicted through louder, more forceful rock music. The variation in music choice in Pariah and its association with other characters demonstrate the way Alike’s friend’s expectations for her and her desires for herself are in conflict. Furthermore, Alike’s musical preferences are associated with setting in a way that creates discourse about where she belongs as a black lesbian. Alike finds comfort in spending time with Laura, who is also a queer woman of color. However, during one of their conversations Alike expresses that she prefers open-mic-like settings to the clubs where she and Laura usually spend time. Laura is not very reactive and in the end she and Alike still make plans to go to the club. This scene and relationship come directly into conflict with a scene shared between Alike and Bina, a girl Alike starts to like. One of the times Alike is supposed to go out with Laura, she chooses to go to a party with Bina. At this party, the kind of “underground music” Alike tells Bina she prefers is playing. The crowd and entertainers are more diverse than at the clubs where Alike usually goes. As the singer and band perform, Alike can be seen dancing freely for one of the first times, as opposed to sitting off to the side like she usually does at the club. Fast forward a few scenes… rock music is playing as Alike cries, having just been hurt by Bina, someone with whom she appeared to feel the most comfortable being herself. Fast forward to the end… Alike’s voice recites one of her own poems as she boards the bus for her early college program. During the key moment of self-expression, Laura is there. From beginning to end, the variations in music contributing to Pariah’s soundtrack dances back and forth, from the forefront to the background and effectively helps narrate Rees’s message on the complex intermingling of companionship, love, and self-expression.

- Leoncia Gillespie

[literarygalpals]

“Fun Home” by Alison Bechdel Ch. 5

In chapter 5 of Fun Home, Alison Bechdel uses the repeated symbol of a sunset. This symbol is depicted through dialogue, captions, and illustration. Bechdel works to dull the richness of the sunset by depicting it without color and associating it with negativity: her father’s death, the energy crisis, muddied watercolors. Rather than simply using the sunset as the familiar symbol of death, Bechdel uses it to counter her father and comment on her on stylistic choices. This is seen early in the chapter when she displays her father’s excessive sunbathing, and perhaps most importantly in the final panel of the chapter. The large panel features the silhouettes of Alison and her father standing between the black silhouette of a gate and a few lifeless plants. The only element of the illustration not depicted by dark shadows is a dull grey-blue gradation of the sky. The caption reads, “My father once nearly came to blows with a female dinner guest about whether a particular patch of embroidery was fuschia or magenta. But the infinite gradation of color in a fine sunset --from salmon to canary to midnight blue --left him wordless.” The paradoxical coupling of this caption with the dull illustration of the sunset read as Bechdel daring her late father to reprimand her. Combined with other details of the chapter, this dare urges us to remember that Fun Home is written from Bechdel’s perspective and literal truth is not necessarily her goal.

- Leoncia

[literarygalpals]

“Fun Home” Ch. 1 & 2, Alison Bechdel

In the first two chapters of Fun Home, Alison Bechdel describes her father. Through allusions in her captions and detailed illustrations, Bechdel portrays her father as callous and appearance-focused. Although Fun Home is an autobiographical work, I find myself coming to understand her father’s character with ease, yet searching for Bechdel’s personal contributions. I observe her appearance: the simple t-shirts and denim shorts she draws herself wearing, the variety of close-cuts, bobs, and mullets used for her hair. I analyze her terse responses to her father and others. Still, these factors are rarely brought into focus and there are few panels that dedicate space to defining Bechdel as an individual. This lack of emphasis on the author of an autobiographical work is somewhat baffling. However, I believe Bechdel’s subtle approach to presenting herself is intentional and plays the important role of establishing her perspective as her normal. This is exemplified when Bechdel’s college girlfriend is first introduced, or rather noted. After a few panels detailing when Bechdel’s learns about her father’s death, she captions one, “As I told my girlfriend what had happened, I cried quite genuinely for about two minutes...That was all” (46). In this panel depicting a hug shared between the couple, only the girlfriend’s arms and a small portion of her face are visible. This unnamed person appears in one more panel and that is all. By avoiding the grand announcement of certain aspects of her identity, Bechdel forces us to quickly accept her character, while maintaining focus on the way her life is impacted by her father. So far, Bechdel portrays herself as acted on, rather than as an actor in her life story. I’m curious to see if this will change and if she will highlight gender and sexuality in the ways we have seen this done in the other movies and book we have studied. If not, I wonder how this approach will affect our understanding of Bechdel’s life.

- Leoncia

[literarygalpals]

“The Well of Loneliness” Ch. 49-56, Radclyffe Hall

Throughout The Well of Loneliness, Radclyffe Hall develops the masculine features of the protagonist, Stephen. Even in the beginning of the book, Stephen’s physicality including narrow hips, broad shoulders, and striking resemblance to her father is emphasized. As the plot progresses we see this physical embodiment manifest in Stephen’s internal being as well. Still, much of Stephen’s attraction to masculinity is connected to her desire to protect those she loves. For the most part, the role of compulsory heterosexuality involved in this character development can be questioned seemingly without considerations of violence. Stephen’s masculinity is often esteemed because of the way she intertwines it with the feminine qualities of empathy. However, the violence of compulsory heterosexuality, outlined in Rich’s Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence, are demonstrated clearly through Stephen and Martin’s behavior in Chapter 54 of The Well of Loneliness. During this chapter, Stephen and Martin decide to fight for the role of defender and lover of Mary, both choosing not to inform the young woman of their intentions. The concept of this battle is dangerous because the two masculine characters are using Mary as an “object of their own masculine transaction” (Rich 639). They make Mary’s response to their disturbing conquest the determining factor of the deal. Despite, Mary’s role in the final outcome, she is still made into a dehumanized object. This is especially evident through the diction choices when Hall reveals, “Stephen got up slowly, and all of a sudden she was no more herself but the whole of her kind out to combat this man, out to vindicate their right to possess, out to prove that their courage was unshakeable, that they neither admitted of nor feared any rival” (Hall 564). Hall’s use of words like “combat” and “right to possess” not only indicate Stephen’s desire to violently fight for Mary like she is a prize but the idea that Stephen feels that her manly qualities afford her control over her partner's body. The surfacing of the violent power that Stephen accesses because of her adherence to masculinity makes one question if Hall is suggesting that the association between violence and masculinity is absolute.  

-Leoncia