Articles by Kristen Carella
“Transgender Identity and Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Twelfth-Century, Cambro-Latin Vita Merlini,” Transgender Literary Studies (University of Illinois Press), ed. Douglas Vakoch [forthcoming].
"The Historical and Literary Context of the Legatine Capitulary of 786 in England and Abroad," Law and Literature in Anglo-Saxon England, ed. Andrew Rabin and Anya Adair.
ABSTRACT
This article provides a literary analysis of the early work of Laura Jane
Grace, the pun... more ABSTRACT
This article provides a literary analysis of the early work of Laura Jane
Grace, the punk rock band Against Me!’s transgender frontwoman, specifically
that work which was composed before she came out publicly in
2012. Grace had a long and prolific career prior to this moment, during
which she produced a substantial body of music. This early period of her
work stands out for its emotional complexity and unique insight into the
mind of someone wrestling with their gender identity for many years. In
this article, we seek to provide some sense of what further academic
study of Grace’s work has to offer. By applying a close reading of Grace’s
lyrics in light of what is known of her biography, we hope to shed light
on this rare example of a transgender artist who produced a substantial
corpus of work before, during, and right up to the moment of coming
out, giving access to multiple stages of her struggle, evolution, and
eventual self-acceptance.
"Northumbrian Law before the Vikings: A Preliminary Assessment of the Evidence." Languages of the Law in Early Medieval England. Essays in Memory of Lisi Oliver. Mediaevalia Groningana, New Series 22, ed. Stefan Jurasinksi and Andrew Rabin (2019)
Punk and Post Punk, 2019
For the first decade of their existence, members of the Florida anarcho-punk band Against Me! wer... more For the first decade of their existence, members of the Florida anarcho-punk band Against Me! were consistently accused of selling out, whether because of stylistic choices they made, the record label they chose, or the venues they played. Recriminations came both from former fans, who at times attempted to disrupt shows and even threatened violence, and journalists—mainstream as well as niche, who published accusations against the band and at times advocated action against them. By 2012, when Grace came out as transgender, she had been deeply affected by years of relentless personal assault. This article considers how the categorically punk notion of ‘selling out’ informed the gender transition of Against Me!’s frontwoman, Laura Jane Grace. As we discuss, Grace’s understanding of anarcho-punk ideology, dating back to her earliest expressions of it, included gender liberation. What is more, her fears about selling out were entangled with her choice to stay in the closet for so many years, as can be seen through her song lyrics, her journals, and her later discussions in her memoir. This article examines how, for Grace, failing to own her gender identity was, as she has later claimed, what it really meant to sell out. Owning her identity and helping to create safer spaces for transgender individuals in the punk scene, Grace re-aligned herself with her core, anarcho-punk ideals, which demanded open and unfaltering personal integrity.
"Locating Place and Landscape in Early Insular Literature." with A. Joseph McMullen (Introduction to a special, co-edited eco-critical edition of the on Early Insular Landscapes). Journal of Literary Onomastics 6 (2017)
In this article, Ic ompare the Biblical citations in the Prologue to Laws of King Alfred with tho... more In this article, Ic ompare the Biblical citations in the Prologue to Laws of King Alfred with those in Asser's De rebus gestis AElfredi to see if the author(s) of these documents quoted from as imilar text of the Scriptures, and what this data might reveal about the authorship of the aforementioned Prologue. My analysis shows that the author of both documents knew and relied on an Insular Celtic version of the New Testament. While acknowledging that the data available for analysis is too scant to draw firm conclusions, Is uggest that my evidence supports the possibility that Asser played af ormative role in drafting the Prologue to Alfred'sl aw code and speaks against the active participation of Alfred'sC ontinental guests.
Studies in Philology, 2011
In this article, I examine Chaucer's description of the Reeve in the General Prologue to the Cant... more In this article, I examine Chaucer's description of the Reeve in the General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales, considering both his arrogant, sermonizing behavior and his clothing in light of fourteenth-century conventions of dress. I argue that the Reeve self-consciously associated himself with the clergy in order to appear as if he had higher social status and possessed more education than he actually did. As has often been noticed, the Miller-unabashedly representative of the lower class-recognized the Reeve's pretensions and mocked him unmercifully. My conclusions shed further light on the nature of their strained relationship.
Books by Kristen Carella
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Articles by Kristen Carella
This article provides a literary analysis of the early work of Laura Jane
Grace, the punk rock band Against Me!’s transgender frontwoman, specifically
that work which was composed before she came out publicly in
2012. Grace had a long and prolific career prior to this moment, during
which she produced a substantial body of music. This early period of her
work stands out for its emotional complexity and unique insight into the
mind of someone wrestling with their gender identity for many years. In
this article, we seek to provide some sense of what further academic
study of Grace’s work has to offer. By applying a close reading of Grace’s
lyrics in light of what is known of her biography, we hope to shed light
on this rare example of a transgender artist who produced a substantial
corpus of work before, during, and right up to the moment of coming
out, giving access to multiple stages of her struggle, evolution, and
eventual self-acceptance.
Books by Kristen Carella
This article provides a literary analysis of the early work of Laura Jane
Grace, the punk rock band Against Me!’s transgender frontwoman, specifically
that work which was composed before she came out publicly in
2012. Grace had a long and prolific career prior to this moment, during
which she produced a substantial body of music. This early period of her
work stands out for its emotional complexity and unique insight into the
mind of someone wrestling with their gender identity for many years. In
this article, we seek to provide some sense of what further academic
study of Grace’s work has to offer. By applying a close reading of Grace’s
lyrics in light of what is known of her biography, we hope to shed light
on this rare example of a transgender artist who produced a substantial
corpus of work before, during, and right up to the moment of coming
out, giving access to multiple stages of her struggle, evolution, and
eventual self-acceptance.