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: Women’s studies
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)”
Lacan, Doyle, and Holmes: Men and the Feminine (Part 1 of 3)
Playwright William Congreve penned the infamous phrase “Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned/Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned” in 1697 (Moncur). Throughout literary history, the woman scorned has been a powerful antagonist, instigating trouble and woe for a story’s protagonist, often for the purpose of revenge. In its most simplistic sense,Continue reading “Lacan, Doyle, and Holmes: Men and the Feminine (Part 1 of 3)”
“The Second Greatest Force in the Universe” – Ownership of Property and Personhood in the 19th Century (Part 3 of 3)
In both novels, motherhood is a form of property – whether it is a method of ownership or the way which one can be owned. For Linda in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, the birth of her first child, and the growing concern she has for that child, is the point atContinue reading ““The Second Greatest Force in the Universe” – Ownership of Property and Personhood in the 19th Century (Part 3 of 3)”
“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)”
Robin Jeffrey 