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1981
Volume 44, Issue 1
  • ISSN: 1466-0407
  • E-ISSN: 1758-9118

Abstract

This article investigates as a Gothic narrative; it positions the films as an attempt to ‘educate desire’ into normative channels within the context of the late Cold War and the Culture Wars of the 1980s. Particular attention is paid to the body and performance of David Bowie as Jareth and the way this engages with classic Gothic tropes of the dangerous older man. Sarah is also considered as a liminal adolescent coming to occupy a position defined by desire in a historical moment riven by anxieties around ‘acceptable choices’ amid the AIDS crisis and the activism of conservative pressure groups such as Moral Majority. Ultimately, is shown to be a productive space for the working through of issues of desire, both in its original context and, through the mapping of fan activities, throughout the 40 years since its release.

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2025-03-19
2025-04-21
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/content/journals/10.1386/ejac_00135_1
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  • Article Type: Article
Keyword(s): 1980s; Culture Wars; fandom; heteronormativity; pedagogic erotics; sexuality
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