Antigone now.docx
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Antigone now.docx
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Antigonenow
Antigonenow.(Sophocles'play'Antigone')(Criticalessay).
Mosaic(Winnipeg) 41.3 (Sept2008):
p1(13). (5646 words)
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KeriWalsh.
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COPYRIGHT2008UniversityofManitoba,Mosaic
AntigoneStudiesisafieldwithadistinguishedhistory,andonethatisflourishingagainthankstotheemergenceofanewcommunityofvoices.InterestinAntigoneextendsfarbeyondthedisciplineofclassics,inhabitingpoliticalthoughtandfeministliterature,GermanRomanticismanditslegacies,psychoanalysis,andpost-colonialtheoryandperformance.
(1)Hegel'sreadingis,ofcourse,themostinfluential:
inthePhenomenologyofSpirit,heusesSophocles'splaytodramatizethetransitionfromoneethicalordertoanother,fromthe"naturalethicalcommunity"(268)ofthefamilytothe"community,thesuperiorlawwhosevalidityisopenlyapparent"(272).AntigonealsoturnsupinThomasdeQuincey'scelebrationofthe"HolyHeathen"heroine(315);inMatthewArnold'sinfamousverdictthatadramaaboutdyingtoburyabrother"isnolongeroneinwhichitispossiblethatweshouldfeeladeepinterest"(12);andinVirginiaWoolf'scompletelyantitheticalimpulse:
"Antigonecouldbetransformed[...]intoMrs.Pankhurst,whobrokeawindowandwasimprisonedinHolloway"(302).AttentiontoAntigonehaslongformedanundercurrenttoacademe'sOedipalobsession,butwecancredittheappearanceofJudithButler'sAntigone'sClaim:
KinshipbetweenLifeandDeathwiththiscentury'sresurgenceofinterest.
(2)ButlerassessesanthropologicaldiscoursesofkinshiptopositaperformativeinterpretationofAntigone'sgestureofmourning,andtoadvanceaqueercritiqueofthepresumptionsofpsychoanalysisregardingthefamilyinthesymbolicorder.RedefiningAntigone,notasarepresentativeofanyparticularsphere(household,state),butasafigureforrelationalidentitiesincrisis,Butlerasks,"whichsocialarrangementscanberecognizedaslegitimatelove,andwhichhumanlossescanbeexplicitlygrievedasrealandconsequentialloss?
"(24).HerreadingshowshowtheprohibitiononAntigone'smourningparallelsasituationthat"thosewithpubliclyungrievablelosses--fromAIDS,forinstance--knowtoowell"(24).
SincethepublicationofAntigone'sClaim,thepoliticalimplicationsofkinshipandmourninghaveanimatedinquiryonAntigone,butrecentworkshowsthreenewdirections.Inthefirst,theperspectivesofclassicsarebeingbroughttobearontheAntigoneoffeministthought.Thesecond,moredirectlyindebtedtoButler,assessestheviabilityofAntigoneasaconceptforpsychoanalyticthoughtandpractice.Finally,thethirdintroducesquestionsofgenre,andspecificallythegenreoftragedy,todevelopamoresophisticatedunderstandingofthenatureofthetragicexperience.Inwhatfollows,Iwilltracethesetrends--theclassical,thepsychoanalytic,andthegeneric--insomerecentworks:
RitaFelski'sRethinkingTragedy;JoanBretonConnelly'sPortraitofaPriestess:
WomenandRitualinAncientGreece;VandaZajkoandMiriamLeonard'sLaughingwithMedusa:
ClassicalMythandFeministThought;MiriamLeonard'sAthensinParis:
AncientGreeceandthePoliticalinPost-WarFrenchThought;andCeciliaSjoholm'sTheAntigoneComplex:
EthicsandtheInventionofFeminineDesire.Thesestudiesrevealtheemergenceofarichdialogueamongclassics,psychoanalysis,andliterarytheory,andshowanencouragingtendencytoquestiontheconventionalcoordinatesofthefield.Iconcludebyarguingfortheneedtobringthecategoryofperformanceintothisconversation,whichwouldprovideanevenmoresophisticatedunderstandingofAntigone,onethatencompassesthehistoricalandaestheticdimensionsofGreektragedy,aswellasthemodernreceptionofSophoclesacrossintellectual,literary,andstagetraditions.Sophocles'sAntigonedeliversasmuchdivaasdoxa,andthetheatricalspectacleofthisrebelliousheroineonacrashcoursewithdeathcanprovewildlysuspenseful,ordangerouslysubversive,toatheatreaudience.Butifmiscastorpoorlyproduced,Antigonecanappear(asitdidtoMatthewArnold)adullplayofideaswhoseself-righteousheroinecannotbeusheredfromthestagequicklyenough.IsuggestthatwecanbecomebetterreadersofAntigone'sdiverseculturalvalencesbyrestoringhertoherplaceonthe"legitimate"stage.
LeadingthewayingeneratingahistoricallyandaestheticallyinformedAntigoneforperformancestudiesisthefieldofclassicalarthistory.At"InterrogatingAntigone,"aconferenceheldatTrinityCollegeDublinin2006,MelissaMuellersuggestedthatthinkingabout"gesture"intheGreekworldcanmakeusmorereceptivetothe"bodilyandvisualaspectsofAntigone'sactsofresistance."(3)Examininganambiguousgestureinthevisualrecord--Antigone'sdownwardglanceontheLucanianredfigurenestorisattheBritishMuseum--Muelleraskedwhetheritsignalsdocilefemininityor,asdescribedinSophocles,apostureofdefiance.Similarly,MartinaMeyerexamineddepictionsofAntigoneonamphoraeandkraters,which,sheargued,subduedAntigone'sprotestforapatriarchalsymposiastaudience:
onvessels,Antigoneisfiguredwithherhandstiedbehindherback,withamalefigure(HaemonorHerakles)standingbetweenherandCreon,intercedingonherbehalf.TheworkofMeyerandMuellerindicatesthecoming-of-ageofagenerationofclassicistsinterestedinthepoliticalstakesofGreekantiquity,whoseinfluencesincludeJ.P.Vernant,PierreVidal-Naquet,NicoleLoraux,ChristopherStray,FromaZeitlin,HeleneP.Foley,MaryBeard,CharlesMartindale,P.E.Easterling,andSimonGoldhill.
PerhapsthemostexcitingnewfeministstudyinthefieldofclassicalarthistoryisJoanBretonConnelly'sPortraitofaPriestess:
WomenandRitualinAncientGreece.DrawingonextensiveresearchgleanedfromherexcavationsinCyprus,archeologistandarthistorianConnellyprovidesnewevidenceforthevisibilityofwomeninantiquitythroughherstudyofthefigureofthepriestess.ConnellychipsawayatthenotionthatwomenofclassicalAthenswereconfinedtotheoikos,orhousehold.Indoingso,shefollowsfeministclassicistsincludingJosineBlokandChristianeSourvinou-Inwood,whohaveresistedtheVictorianismlingeringinthecriticalcommonplacethatwomenwererestrictedtotheoikos.Connellysuggeststhatthisperceptionistheconsequenceofthesubordinationofmaterialsourcestoliteraryones,withtheideaofcloisteredwomencomingfrom"privilegedtexts"byPlato,Xenephon,andThucydides,aswellas"imagesofwomenportrayedinGreekdrama"(4).Shefindscopiousepigraphicandmaterialevidencetocontesttheseaccounts,showingthatpriestessestraversedthecityonadailybasis,carryingoutpublicdutiesvaluedincivicandpoliticallife.Connelly'sworkinheritsfromFromaZeitlin'sanawarenessthat,ifclassicalplaysrevealthesocietiesfromwhichtheyemerged,theydosoonlyobliquely.(4)ReadingPortraitofaPriestessremindsustoresistthecircularlogicwherebywelearnfromSophocles'sAntigonethatwomenwereproscribedfromenteringthepublicsphere,onlytoconcludethatAntigone'sprotestcannotbepoliticalbecauseGreekwomenweredeniedaccesstothepublicsphere.AlthoughAntigoneiscertainlynotapriestess,Connelly'sworkraisesseveralimportantpoints.HerdescriptionofthedutiesoffemalereligiousofficialsilluminateshowcloselyAntigone'sactions,andhervirginity,partakeoftheiconographyoffemalepriesthood.HerresistancetoCreondrawsitslanguageandauthorityfromreligion,assheinsiststhat,inperformingritesforthedead,sheobeys"theunwrittenandunfailingordinancesofthegods"(Lloyd-Jones45).VerylittlecontemporaryworkonAntigonehasmeasuredheractionsagainstthisemergingpictureofwomen'spublicreligiousroleinantiquity,preferringinsteadtoreadAntigone'sresistancetoCreoninmodernsecularpoliticalterms.Connelly'sstudyalsosuggeststhatwemightresisttheHagelian"spheres"argument,whichsooftenundergirdsdiscussionsofthenatureofAntigone'stransgression,andinsteadchallengeorthodoxiesregardingthecircumscriptionoffemaleagencyincanonicaltextssuchasAntigone.
MorevaluableinsightsfromthefieldofclassicsaredeliveredinMiriamLeonard'sAthensinParis.Aclassicistbytraining,butwithaformidablegraspofcontinentalphilosophy,LeonardemergesasanidealcommentatorontheusesofAntigoneinpostmodernism.Sensitivetotherisksandrewardsoftransposingclassicalfiguresontomodernintellectualdebates,LeonardguardsagainstdecontextualizationandanachronisminherstudyofthereceptionofGreekclassicsinpost-SecondWorldWarFrenchphilosophy.InAthensinParis,sheexaminestheinterfacebetweenthedisciplineofclassicsandthelegaciesofstructuralisminFrance,analyzingthestatusofAntigone,Oedipus,andSocratesinthethoughtofLacan,Irigaray,Cixous,Derrida,andothers.Leonardarguesthat,intheFrenchacademy,thereisaparticularlycloserelationshipamongclassics,philosophy,andpolitics,whichsheascribes,inpart,tothehomogeneityofaneducationsysteminwhichmostphilosophersarefirsttrainedinclassics.LeonardreadsAntigoneasachargedsiteforFrenchnegotiationsoftherespectiverolesofethicsandpoliticsinthepost-Occupationera.SheconsidersDerrida'sreflectionsonAntigonealongsideIrigaray's,showingthecurrencyofAntigoneasafigureforsexualdifference,kinship,andethicsin1974Paris.AccordingtoLeonard,ittookaquartercenturyfortheseconcernstofindtheirwaytothe"Anglo-Amer
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