In recent years the erasure and criminalization
of transgender identities has increased on a global scale, making the
historical validation of transgender identities paramount within literary
discourse. While explicit mention of gender divergence and transgender
identities are few and far between, there exist numerous characterizations in
Victorian literature which lend to transgender possibilities, as we would
define them today. Thus, this article asks: Are transgender identities either
explicitly or implicitly explored in the Victorian gothic novel, and if so, how
do representations of gender variance impact a societal understanding of
transgender histories? This analysis finds its footing in new historicism
alongside queer and gender theory, evaluating transformation and monstrosity
within The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and The Picture of
Dorian Gray.
