Identifier

etd-08132013-163410

Degree

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Philosophy and Religious Studies

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

Taking seriously Ovid’s claim that Echo’s voice has life, this thesis examines the use of the myth of Echo and Narcissus, as presented in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, in 20th century literature, philosophy, and psychoanalysis, especially as to how it pertains to the creation of the human subject. I argue in favor of John Hollander’s restoration of the trope of metalepsis, and show how that trope is connected to a variety of topics, including, but not limited to, the imagery of echo in Mark Z. Danielewski’s novel House of Leaves; how the myth relates to the Freudian notions of primary and secondary narcissism; Jacques Lacan’s attempts to incorporate psychoanalysis into the history of philosophy, vis-à-vis Hegel’s dialectical method; the relation between subjectivity and love in both Freud and Jacques Derrida’s works; and how echo operates within the discourse of écriture feminine. Finally, I end the thesis with a critical reading of the film It’s All Gone, Pete Tong, and a brief discussion on treatment of the female voice today.

Date

2013

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.

Committee Chair

Raffoul, François

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_theses.1287

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