Divine Interventions. (Re)birth and Creation Narratives in "Fra Mand til kvinde - Lili Elbes Bekendelser"

Abstract

Divine interventions. (Re)birth and creation narratives in Fra mand til kvinde - Lili Elbes bekendelserWith (re)birth and creation narratives being a prominent strand in biographically aligned writing especially of and about male to female transsexuals, looking at an early account like Fra Mand til Kvinde (1931)  elucidates how the hierarchy between medicine and transsexual subject is inscribed into such texts. The article examines how (re)birth narratives serve as indicators for the various stages of Lili Elbe's transition while leaving her in a subordinate state and dependent on the moulding of her surroundings, especially her surgeon who is staged as a god-like persona and hence appears as the creating force behind Elbe's transformation. Engaging with those allegedly ‘divine interventions', not only highlights the reception of a trans-medical relationship but also exposes the reproduction of power structures on a larger scale.