Voyeurism And Distruptive Sexuality In Alan Moore And Jacen Burrows’ Providence

This essay considers how the idea of voyeurism is explored in writer Alan Moore and artist Jacen Burrows’ comic book Providence. The notion of voyeurism in this particular comic is examined used interdisciplinary approaches, including architecture theory – as the depiction of architecture on the page facilitates acts of voyeurism – and film theory, as the comic uses elements of cinematic framing within panels. The essay looks at how the main character’s homosexuality is depicted as a disruptive element to the places that he travels through, leading to, first, a break down in social order, and then ultimately reality itself. As the comic is well researched, bringing in elements of American history and geography, plus many references to H.P. Lovecraft’s oeuvre, these aspects of the narrative are also examined, to consider each aspect of the comic that presents a narrative of hidden sexuality, and hidden societies in 1920s America.