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Publication Date
5-2017
Date of Final Oral Examination (Defense)
3-10-2017
Type of Culminating Activity
Thesis - Boise State University Access Only
Degree Title
Master of Arts in English
Department
English
Supervisory Committee Chair
Gautam Basu Thakur, Ph.D.
Supervisory Committee Member
Cheryl Hindrichs, Ph.D.
Supervisory Committee Member
Clyde Moneyhun, Ph.D
Abstract
This project examines three contemporary women’s texts: Elfriede Jelinek’s The Piano Teacher (1983), Hannan al-Shaykh’s The Story of Zahra (2004), and Yoko Ogawa’s Hotel Iris (2010). The central protagonists in all three novels – Erika, Zahra, and Mari - engage in acts of self-depreciation, appearing to be relinquishing autonomy. However, these schemes are arranged by the characters themselves, demonstrating intent and control over each scenario; this thesis claims these acts of self-torture are perverse orchestrations for reclaiming subjective autonomy. These texts are commonly read as cultural and historical representations, undermining individual experiences. While I recognize there are cultural and political influences that shape these characters and their behaviors, I restrict my analysis to exploring psychological causes for their actions with the theoretical support of Sigmund Freud’s Beyond the Pleasure Principle (1920) and, later, Gilles Deleuze’s “Coldness and Cruelty” (1967).
DOI
https://doi.org/10.18122/B2XQ3C
Recommended Citation
Tomulescu, Gina-Monica, "Seeking Autonomy Through Self-Depreciation" (2017). Boise State University Theses and Dissertations. 1282.
https://doi.org/10.18122/B2XQ3C