Mons Bissenbakker, Centre for Gender, Sexuality and Difference, Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics, University of Copenhagen

“And yet I never, never became what I wanted”. Transgender resonance and recognition in Ahlgren’s/Benedictsson’s “From the Darkness”

In the reception of Ahlgren’s/Benedictsson’s authorship, transgender perspectives are alluded to but never unfolded. This article addresses this gap by offering a trans reading of the key short story “From the Darkness” (1888). It introduces trans theory as an independent literary field forming in part as a correction to feminist and queer theories, which have historically tended to overlook trans perspectives. The article engages with central discussions in trans literary research, presenting two reading strategies introduced by A. Eastwood: trans recognition and trans resonance. By arguing that trans theory provides a crucial contribution to literary scholarship, the article applies resonant and recognizing readings to “From the Darkness”. The resonant reading highlights the protagonist as a character who profoundly dissociates from women and femininity, yearning to be acknowledged among their male peers. The recognizing reading contextualizes the story within sexological discourses of the mid-1800s regarding sexual inversion, which the short story reflects upon. Suggesting transphobia as a main conflict of the story, the article offers new insights into the protagonist’s complex relationship with misogyny, which they seem to partially embrace. The analysis advocates for a deeper exploration of the transgender possibilities which have hitherto been under-examined in the readings of “From the Darkness” and in Ahlgren’s/Benedictsson’s broader authorship.