THE CHILDREN’S FINAL GIRL: EXPLORING FEMINISM, HORROR, AND ADOLESCENCE IN CORALINE, THE LAST CUENTISTA, AND A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS

Abstract

The uses of femininity throughout the horror genre have been widely studied in order to identify the role of the woman within these works. This thesis works to apply Carol Clover’s trope of the Final Girl to contemporary children’s horror texts in order to unveil the underlying schematics that shape adolescent characters. Using Neill Gaiman’s Coraline, Donna Barba Higuera’s The Last Cuentista, and Daniel Handler’s A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning, this thesis aims to position contemporary children’s protagonists as the Final Girl, which in turn attempts to explain the uses and misuses of common horror motifs such as femininity, race and culture, and sexuality citing authors Carol Clover and Barbara Creed amongst others who write in the realm of children’s literature and horror. I utilize close readings of the texts, as well as considering real world implications of children’s horror texts featuring an adolescent female protagonist.