Sexual and Textual Reproduction in the Work of Djuna Barnes (2014)

Undergraduate: Deborah Thurman

Faculty Advisor: Erin Carlston
Department: English & Comparative Literature

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I conducted this research the summer of 2013 with the help of a SURF grant. My project examines depictions of reproduction in the work of American writer Djuna Barnes, whose explorations of topics like polygamy, homosexuality, and maternal death have intrigued and perplexed readers since the early twentieth century. In my work I link Barnes's portrayals of physical reproduction to her allusive and imitative writing style, which utilizes a form of literary reproduction. I explore the manner in which both sexual and textual reproduction can be employed to either undermine or uphold dominant cultural ideologies. My research draws upon Barnes's four major works, as well as primary documents including her early drafts and personal correspondence.