Queer Transformations and Transgressive Bodies in the Fairy Tales of Marie-Catherine d’Aulnoy

Abstract:In Marie-Catherine d’Aulnoy’s animal tales such as “The White Cat,” “The Blue Bird,” and “The Bee and the Orange Tree,” magical transformations enable the principle characters to transgress the limits imposed upon them by their gender and species, challenging misogynistic and anthropocentric hierarchies that reinforce the superiority of men over women, mind over body, and humans over animals. The metamorphosing bodies of the characters function as narrative sites where multiple identities and sexualities intersect. Creating hybrid identities and queer relationships that expand a restrictive heteronormativity, these stories demonstrate the fluid and dynamic nature of sex, gender, and desire.