Ambiguidade moral: o desafio e noções tradicionais de bem e mal no gênero de horror em "Carmilla" de Sheridan Le Fanu

Abstract

This study analyzes the moral ambiguity present in the work Carmilla (1872) by Sheridan Le Fanu through an approach grounded in horror literature. The narrative, a landmark of Victorian Gothic horror, transcends the boundaries of traditional genre conventions by exploring the complexity of notions of good and evil. Unlike the typical Manichaean perspective of the time, which polarizes good as unquestionable virtue and evil as an external destructive force, Carmilla offers a deeper reflection on the coexistence of these forces within the human condition. The vampire Carmilla, both seductive and threatening, embodies an evil that is not solely defined by physical menace but also by the subversion of social and moral norms, such as the role of women and the conventions of sexuality in the Victorian Era. The relationship between Carmilla and Laura, constructed on a terrain of mutual desire and fascination, blurs the clear boundaries between victim and predator, suggesting that evil is not a completely separate entity from the subject but something that can emerge from human interaction itself. Moreover, the narrative employs elements of horror, such as isolation, a dark atmosphere, and fear of the unknown, to intensify the moral and psychological tension. These elements create a scenario where the reader is challenged to question moral values and simplistic interpretations of opposing forces. Thus, Carmilla not only disrupts archetypal representations of vampirism but also introduces a literary approach that blurs the boundaries between good and evil, becoming a precursor to modern debates on moral ambiguity in the horror genre. This study aims to demonstrate how Le Fanu uses the symbolism of the vampire to deconstruct rigid notions of morality, offering an innovative analysis for his time and contributing to the evolution of horror literature as a space for questioning universal truths. For this it was based on: Auerbach.(1999), Bloom(1989), Palmer(1999), among others.