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University of Alberta University of Alberta Gertrude Stein’s Cubist Brain Maps by Lorelee Kim Kippen A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Comparative Literature ©Lorelee Kim Kippen Fall 2009 Edmonton, Alberta Permission is hereby granted to the University of Alberta Libraries to reproduce single copies of this thesis and to lend or sell such copies for private, scholarly or scientific research purposes only. Where the thesis is converted to, or otherwise made available in digital form, the University of Alberta will advise potential users of the thesis of these terms. The author reserves all other publication and other rights in association with the copyright in the thesis and, except as herein before provided, neither the thesis nor any substantial portion thereof may be printed or otherwise reproduced in any material form whatsoever without the author's prior written permission. 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The author retains copyright L’auteur conserve la propriété du droit d’auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protège cette thèse. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la thèse ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent être imprimés ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation. without the author’s permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformément à la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie privée, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondaires ont été enlevés de thesis. cette thèse. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n’y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. Examining Committee Jonathan Hart, Comparative Literature; English and Film Studies Leendert (Leo) Mos, Psychology; Linguistics Massimo Verdicchio, Comparative Literature; Modern Languages and Cultural Studies Wesley Cooper, Philosophy Pamela Meta McCallum, English, University of Calgary Dedication First and foremost, I dedicate this thesis to the members of my family that literally survived my doctoral program: my father, Louis Leske, and my son, Chad Kippen. The strengths that my father and son demonstrated when they faced serious, medical traumas and life-altering circumstances made my troubles seem insignificant by comparison. No less important during this difficult time was the support of beloved family members, life companions and dear friends, who offered me unconditional love and made it possible for me to conduct this research. To these extraordinary individuals, who have served for me as the best possible examples of human compassion, I also dedicate this manuscript: Rick Kippen, Candace Kippen, Alice Leske, Darryl Leske, Trevor Leske, Clifford Kippen, Olive Kippen, Kathy Kippen, Kelly Brooks and Nicolle McKenna. To Nicolle McKenna, I owe special thanks for helping me understand Gertrude Stein’s cubist literature from a queer perspective. Under normal circumstances, the dedication of a manuscript ends with the author’s family members and perhaps, if she is lucky, it extends to some of her closest friends, thereby encompassing the individuals that comprise a writer’s emotional, physical and spiritual foundations. From the medieval French author Christine de Pizan, I have learned that the existence of a manuscript can involve the interventions of highly learned and courageous individuals, who also happen to embody Reason, Justice and Rectitude (Droiture). It turns out that we do not choose our amanuenses; sometimes they choose us for reasons we do not understand at the time. Therefore, I also dedicate this manuscript to the following amanuenses, who made it possible for me to graduate from the doctoral program at the University of Alberta: Hank Stam, Jonathan Hart, Leendert (Leo) Mos, and Murray McGillivray. Without the assistance of these gifted mentors and academic leaders, this dissertation literally would not have existed. These individuals possess special insights into the ways in which great institutions are built from the ephemeral “stuff” of ideas, dreams, visions, beliefs, passions and personal losses. Abstract This dissertation explores the connections that exist between Stein’s late nineteenth century psychological studies at Harvard University, her fin-de-siècle brain research at the Johns Hopkins Medical School, and her early twentieth century cubist writings. This research is important for literary scholars and neuraesthetic researchers alike, because Stein produced a secret series of cubist brain maps from approximately 1912 to 1935, and then published her first explicit brain map in The Geographical History of America or the Relation of Human Nature to the Human Mind, in 1936. The cubist brain maps that Stein produced during this period can be conceptualized as evolving, neuraesthetic writing practices that reflect her scientific insights and artistic associations, in direct and indirect ways. One of the primary differences between Stein’s cubist writings and those of her literary contemporaries is that she deploys the cubist portraiture strategies of Pablo Picasso, for the purpose of representing the human central nervous system in creative ways. In addition to exploring the scientific meanings of Stein’s multidimensional, performative and introspective cubist puns, this study examines how Stein uses color in her modernist writings, as a means of anticipating the visual effects of future scientific discoveries and connectivity maps, such as the “Brainbow” mapping system, which uses the fluorescent protein from the jellyfish Aequorea Victoria to label the central nervous systems of genetically modified mice with distinguishable colors. Also, this project examines how Stein uses color words and other simple devices from the English language to portray the brain’s cellular structures, neural networks and neuroanatomical features in her modernist writings. This study’s primary aim is to explore how Stein’s dissociative writings function within western culture as neuraesthetic modes of masterpiece creation, brain representation and consciousness translation. Through the serial production of cubist brain maps, Stein posed important questions about the modern science of the reading brain. By developing allegorical methods of brain representation, she contributes to the western practice of “neuroesthetics” by foregrounding the roles creative writing can play in the production of imaginary, laboratory practices and imaginative, brain imaging technologies. Acknowledgements Many people have done much for me in the course of writing this dissertation. They’ve asked questions that really matter, provided both formal and informal support at crucial stages, and offered important examples of professional conduct. Linda Hutcheon extended herself not once, but twice, to offer me opportunities for doctoral and post-doctoral supervision at the University of Toronto. Because of her incredible generosity and her professional assistance, I was able to keep important projects and dreams at the forefront of my consciousness. Sincere thanks to Eric Savoy, Jim Black, Jim Ellis, Adrienne Kertzer, Shaobo Xie, bj wray, Pat Clements, Katherine Zelinsky and Peter Midgely for their personal advice, academic support and professional help, over the course of my program. Dr. Ronald Bond, the Emeritus Provost of the University of Calgary, supported me throughout my doctoral program at the University of Alberta, for which I am immensely grateful. I feel that it was a great honor to have worked with Jonathan Hart, my doctoral supervisor. Because of his staggering genius, unwavering support and inspirational direction, I have learned much about the neuraesthetics of humanity. I have the utmost admiration for Leo (Leendert) Mos, who has demonstrated how compassion, scholarship and brilliance can manifest themselves as “ideal forms” within academic settings. Terence Stone and Kim Miller are incredible friends and gifted healers, who deserve enormous praise for their wonderful support. I acknowledge the doctoral scholarship that the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council awarded me for my research at Department of English and Film Studies, and I thank the English Department for the various grants and awards that I was given during my tenure in their
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