From the start, the differences between the Lacanian interpretation of the Oedipal Triangle and the one presented by Doyle become evident. Women are placed first in the position of the males in the triangle, not always possessing sight but always possessing power. It is the male characters of Doyle’s story that find themselves more often inContinue reading “Lacan, Doyle, and Holmes: Men and the Feminine (Part 3 of 3)”
Tag Archives: gendered body
Lacan, Doyle, and Holmes: Men and the Feminine (Part 2 of 3)
Lacan presents a theory that, while engaging, relies on a relatively narrow-minded definition of feminine characteristics versus masculine characteristics. For Lacan, the feminine is a shadowy, deceptive form, both indefinable and irresistible. However, it is still a position of vulnerability, one that presents more risks than rewards. If a man falls into a ‘feminine’ role,Continue reading “Lacan, Doyle, and Holmes: Men and the Feminine (Part 2 of 3)”
“A wife’s like a guinea in gold”: The Commodification of Women in “The Beggar’s Opera”
In The Beggar’s Opera, we find the inversions of many societal norms for comedic effect. As is true of all satires, these purposeful reversals of positions and definitions, while at one moment the cause for hilarity, also serve to expose the dark truths behind institutions and ideas society accepts as natural. One of the institutionsContinue reading ““A wife’s like a guinea in gold”: The Commodification of Women in “The Beggar’s Opera””
“The Second Greatest Force in the Universe” – Ownership of Property and Personhood in the 19th Century (Part 2 of 3)
It is clear through various scenes and instances within the novels The Awakening and Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl that both Edna and Linda are aware that it is through property that people experience selfhood. The best example of this is in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, when LindaContinue reading ““The Second Greatest Force in the Universe” – Ownership of Property and Personhood in the 19th Century (Part 2 of 3)”
“The Second Greatest Force in the Universe” – Ownership of Property and Personhood in the 19th Century (Part 1 of 3)
Walter Lippmann, the famous American reporter who was among the first people to introduce the concept of the Cold War, once said that “Private property was the original source of freedom. It still is its main bulwark”. From the earliest days of enlightenment philosophy, the right to own property and the effects that such ownershipContinue reading ““The Second Greatest Force in the Universe” – Ownership of Property and Personhood in the 19th Century (Part 1 of 3)”