DOCSLIB.ORG

The Trickster

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Trickster COVER STORY The Trickster: myth and magic in great ads Peter Cooper and Simon Patterson, CRAM International, demonstrate that there is a potent archetype lurking in much great advertising HE TRICKSTER is one of the switch brands, buy on impulse and world’s great archetypes, present in change routines in the supermarket. T art, religion, politics, entertainment During this intermediate state, the mind and great advertising. Great advertising is open, creative and susceptible. employs the Trickster to entice, persuade The prince of Tricksters is Hermes, and seduce. We are all, in spite of our son of Zeus. As god of commerce and rational defences, subject to the Trickster. persuasion, he was the messenger of the It goes beyond the purely rational, to con- gods. He received a magic wand, the nect with our deeper emotional, social ‘caduceus’, that could inspire and and cultural selves. Here we review the dumbfound whomever it touched. As Trickster – ‘Delight Maker’ or ‘Divine Homer wrote of Hermes: ‘He mazes the Joker’ – and its special relevance to mod- eyes of those mortals he would maze, or ern advertising. And, not least, how wakes again the sleepers’ – not a far cry market research can grasp it. from great advertising. Symbolised by wings on feet and helmet, he became the Trickster origins god of movement. Not surprisingly, The Trickster archetype is that part of Hermes is the uncrowned prince of ourselves that secretly desires the fantas- modern advertising. tic, exaggeration, seduction and escape The Trickster archetype is at once from the mundanities of life. It is older moral and immoral, good and evil, and more primitive than modern logic, earthly and divine, outrageous and subtle, order and rationality, hovering on the magician, fool, clown, joker, jester, mischievous and primitive, infantile but borders of the personal and collective harlequin and enchanter. It occurs in all wise, deceptive but wondrous, self-cen- unconscious. In neuro-physical terms, it mythologies. In Greece and Rome, tred yet insightful. It combines these is buried deep in the brain’s limbic sys- Hermes/Mercury, god of commerce, conflicting impulses in ourselves and tem where primitive feelings lie, in profit and persuasion; in Hebraic our relationships with brands. This contrast to the rational workings of the culture, Jacob; in Norse myths, Loki, ubiquity accounts for its fascination and cerebral cortex. co-creator of the world; among the its power. The Trickster is the master of Ashanti of Ghana, Anansi, the spider- flux, perpetuating old illusions and trickster; in Japan, Susano, who plunged Trickster now creating new ones. It breaks taboos, the world into darkness by mistake; in In the modern world, the Trickster is stretches the mind and challenges the Polynesia, Maui, who captured the present in virtually every aspect of limits of belief.The Trickster represents sun to slow it down; among the human activity. It appears in film, video, the oppositions and contradictions of Indians of North America, ‘Wakdjunka’ cartoons, advertising – all forms of life; how we deceive ourselves that we – ‘the tricky one’. communication, including research are rational when we are not. Its myth All these myths have one thing in interviews. The filmic form and and magic are integral to human common: they teach what is outside the visual–verbal devices are important tools behviour. bounds of consciousness which research of the Trickster, now that the visual The role of the Trickster is well can often miss.The Trickster passes mes- image is such a dominant mode of documented in psychological and sages from our psychic selves, guiding communication and persuasion. A anthropological literature. Jung identified us, just as with modern advertising. It classic is ‘Batman’, where the Trickster is the Trickster – or ‘Divine Joker’ – as his appears particularly at moments of tran- both the Batman and the Joker. Bruce fourth archetype along with Mother, sition in the interplay between reality and Wayne, innocent and bemused, is Rebirth and Spirit.Trickster figures exist fantasy, during change and life-stage transformed into a super-hero, the in all cultures as shaman, sorcerer, crises.We see it at work when consumers positive Trickster, a black ‘bat’ with ➳ April 2001 Admap 29 © World Advertising Research Center 2001 COVER STORY amazing powers, charged with repelling graveyard of fallen famous brands and the forces of evil. Jack Nicholson, the the future will see more. white-faced, green-haired Joker, is the evil side of the Trickster. Trickster advertising Other characters play important parts We have noted the presence of the Trick- in Trickster stories, like Batman’s ster in many advertising studies. The ‘guardian angel’ (Alfred, the butler), a Trickster often takes on an animal form, fair damsel (Vicki Vale), the forces of as in ancient cultures. Our continued good (the Mayor and the Police fascination with the half-animal, half- Commissioner), and a chorus of evil human is clear in Disney characters, (the Joker’s henchmen). cartoons, and a multitude of anthropo- Many public figures are ‘tricksterish’: morphic Tricksters in advertising.These G In sport, Eric Cantona, Maradona, range from past advertising, like PG David Beckham, Muhammad Ali Tips’ chimps and Esso’s tiger, through G In music, David Bowie, Michael to more modern examples like Bud- Jackson, Madonna, Marilyn Manson. weiser frogs, Peperami, Boddington’s G In entertainment, Charlie Chaplin, cow, Motorola’s tortoise.The Trickster Mr Bean, Ali G, Chris Evans. exploits the primitive power of animals Theatre and film breed new Trickster within us.This was a favourite device of expressions, as do luxury, fashion and storytelling in native American cultures, the arts. Illusions are commonplace, where the Trickster was portrayed as distorting, confusing and pleasing to the coyote or raven, performing amazing senses. In science, too, the Trickster is at and extraordinary sexual feats. Else- work. Placebos are the Tricksters of Above: Hermes, ‘uncrowned prince of where it is monkey, hare, fox, spider, bat, medicine, creating effects well beyond advertising’ (Giambologna, 16th century) chameleon, fish, bird or dragon, again pharmaceutically active ingredients. with fantastical appearances and Politics abounds with Tricksters, G Heroes are often born from humble magical properties, or a human with supported by their shamans or ‘spin origins, show early signs of superhuman animal mask or clothes. Physiognomy doctors’. George W Bush, Tony Blair powers, rise rapidly to prominence and and phrenology are critical to the Trick- and William Hague all have tricksterish struggle triumphantly against evil. ster – the brand’s inner character is qualities compacted into their public G The hero invariably has a ‘guardian’ – expressed through outward appearances. image. ‘Tricksterishness’ is part of polit- the Trickster – who protects, guides and The Trickster regularly appears in ical charisma – we know they do not helps him perform tasks that cannot be quite mean what they say, but they done unaided – Merlin for Arthur, Alfred engage us none the less. for Batman, ‘Q’ for James Bond. ‘The Trickster creates The difference between the Trickster’s G With all this success, heroes become heroes and then causes role in the past and now is that the over-confident and fall from grace, Trickster was more overt, a way of betrayed by hubris and the people they their downfall’ understanding and learning about the came to save. world.Today, the Trickster helps us cope This parallels the life cycles of brands exaggerated human form, like Levi’s Flat with the pace of modern, digital, dehu- and advertising. Eric, PlayStation’s Alien, the Metz manised life. It makes contact with our G They often come from humble ‘Judder’, or super-human figures like real selves. It makes life ‘fun’. Since origins, show early promise and triumph Pirelli’s Carl Lewis.The brand takes on brands and advertising are the secular over competition, often with the aid of a their playful or serious image, suspending equivalent of religion, we need the Trickster ingredient or ‘USP’. disbelief. Nowadays, too, we see the Trickster to make sense of the complex, G They too over-reach themselves and Trickster bringing machines alive, as in time-driven world. are betrayed – frequently by their own Thomas the Tank Engine and Bob the The Trickster creates heroes and then management, then by consumers. Builder. causes their downfall. Powerful tales – Marketing history is littered with Modern advertising incorporates the Hercules, Odysseus, King Arthur, Ziggy brands that were once hero Tricksters of Trickster’s oppositions or conflicts. In Stardust – describe the hero’s rise their time such as Rinso, Fry’s chocolate the ‘good’ role, the Trickster brand is and fall. and Austin cars. Each market has its own saviour and hero, as in household and personal care, or OTC medicines. In the their product area, successful Trickster Hawking ‘Specsavers’, Volvo ‘Babies’), ‘bad’ role, it represents the enemies – brands are almost ‘therapeutic’, recog- just as Hermes’ caduceus ‘mazes the dirt, sickness or sheer boredom. The nising popular hopes and fears. Focus eyes’ and ‘wakes again the sleepers’. Trickster recognises the complexities groups themselves have been satirised, as and dualities of modern life: we are in Rover’s ‘rejected by focus groups’ ad, Degrees of Tricksterism neither good nor bad, but both at the and in New Labour politics. Brands and ads vary in their degree of same time, composites of happy and The Trickster manipulates our minds ‘Tricksterishness’. Some ads offer little sad, hero and rogue. This increases in many ways, for example, by bringing beyond overt information.There is little credibility and empathy, e.g. Kronen- elements into the foreground, marking, of the Trickster in this – maybe a touch bourg ‘menage à trois’, the Mars ‘Man’ emphasising, stressing and contrasting, of exaggeration. At the other extreme, whose partner leaves him, and examples and creating new visual and linguistic the Trickster can make advertising like those in Oxo and Bisto advertising.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Myth, Metatext, Continuity and Cataclysm in Dc Comics’ Crisis on Infinite Earths
    WORLDS WILL LIVE, WORLDS WILL DIE: MYTH, METATEXT, CONTINUITY AND CATACLYSM IN DC COMICS’ CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS Adam C. Murdough A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS August 2006 Committee: Angela Nelson, Advisor Marilyn Motz Jeremy Wallach ii ABSTRACT Angela Nelson, Advisor In 1985-86, DC Comics launched an extensive campaign to revamp and revise its most important superhero characters for a new era. In many cases, this involved streamlining, retouching, or completely overhauling the characters’ fictional back-stories, while similarly renovating the shared fictional context in which their adventures take place, “the DC Universe.” To accomplish this act of revisionist history, DC resorted to a text-based performative gesture, Crisis on Infinite Earths. This thesis analyzes the impact of this singular text and the phenomena it inspired on the comic-book industry and the DC Comics fan community. The first chapter explains the nature and importance of the convention of “continuity” (i.e., intertextual diegetic storytelling, unfolding progressively over time) in superhero comics, identifying superhero fans’ attachment to continuity as a source of reading pleasure and cultural expressivity as the key factor informing the creation of the Crisis on Infinite Earths text. The second chapter consists of an eschatological reading of the text itself, in which it is argued that Crisis on Infinite Earths combines self-reflexive metafiction with the ideologically inflected symbolic language of apocalypse myth to provide DC Comics fans with a textual "rite of transition," to win their acceptance for DC’s mid-1980s project of self- rehistoricization and renewal.
    [Show full text]
  • III. Discussion Questions A. Individual Stories Nathaniel Hawthorne
    III. Discussion Questions a. Individual Stories Nathaniel Hawthorne, “Rappaccini’s Daughter” (1844) 1. As an early sf tale, this story makes important contributions to the sf megatext. What images, situations, plots, characters, settings, and themes do you recognize in Hawthorne’s story that recur in contemporary sf works in various media? 2. In Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the worst sin is to violate, “in cold blood, the sanctity of the human heart.” In what ways do the male characters of “Rappaccini’s Daughter” commit this sin? 3. In what ways can Beatrice be seen as a pawn of the men, as a strong and intelligent woman, as an alien being? How do these different views interact with one another? 4. Many descriptions in the story lead us to question what is “Actual” and what is “Imaginary”? How do these descriptions function to work both symbolically and literally in the story? 5. What is the attitude toward science in the story? How can it be compared to the attitude toward science in other stories from the anthology? Jules Verne, excerpt from Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864) 1. Who is narrator of this tale? In your opinion, why would Verne choose this particular character to be the narrator? Describe his relationship with the other members of this subterranean expedition. Many of Verne’s early novels feature a trio of protagonists who symbolize the “head,” the “heart,” and the “hand.” Why? How does this notion apply to the protagonists in Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth? 2.
    [Show full text]
  • Stallings Book 4 Print.Pdf (3.603Mb)
    Black Performance and Cultural Criticism Valerie Lee and E. Patrick Johnson, Series Editors Stallings_final.indb 1 5/17/2007 5:14:41 PM Stallings_final.indb 2 5/17/2007 5:14:41 PM Mutha ’ is half a word Intersections of Folklore, Vernacular, Myth, and Queerness in Black Female Culture L. H. Stallings The Ohio State University Press Columbus Stallings_final.indb 3 5/17/2007 5:14:42 PM Copyright © 2007 by The Ohio State University. All rights reserved. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Horton-Stallings, LaMonda. Mutha’ is half a word : intersections of folklore, vernacular, myth, and queerness in black female culture / L.H. Stallings. p. cm.—(Black performance and cultural criticism) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-8142-1056-7 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-8142-1056-2 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN-13: 978-0-8142-9135-1 (cd-rom) ISBN-10: 0-8142-9135-X (cd-rom) 1. American literature—African American authors—History and criticism. 2. American literature—women authors—History and criticism. 3. African American women in literature. 4. Lesbianism in literature. 5. Gender identity in literature. 6. African American women— Race identity. 7. African American women—Intellectual life. 8. African American women— Folklore. I. Title. II. Series PS153.N5H68 2007 810.9'353—dc22 2006037239 Cover design by Jennifer Shoffey Forsythe. Cover illustration by Michel Isola from shutterstock.com. Text design and typesetting by Jennifer Shoffey Forsythe in Adobe Garamond. Printed by Thomson-Shore, Inc. The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials.
    [Show full text]
  • Resistance Through 'Robber Talk'
    Emily Zobel Marshall Leeds Beckett University [email protected] Resistance through ‘Robber Talk’: Storytelling Strategies and the Carnival Trickster The Midnight Robber is a quintessential Trinidadian carnival ‘badman.’ Dressed in a black sombrero adorned with skulls and coffin-shaped shoes, his long, eloquent speeches descend from the West African ‘griot’ (storyteller) tradition and detail the vengeance he will wreak on his oppressors. He exemplifies many of the practices that are central to Caribbean carnival culture - resistance to officialdom, linguistic innovation and the disruptive nature of play, parody and humour. Elements of the Midnight Robber’s dress and speech are directly descended from West African dress and oral traditions (Warner-Lewis, 1991, p.83). Like other tricksters of West African origin in the Americas, Anansi and Brer Rabbit, the Midnight Robber relies on his verbal agility to thwart officialdom and triumph over his adversaries. He is, as Rodger Abrahams identified, a Caribbean ‘Man of Words’, and deeply imbedded in Caribbean speech-making traditions (Abrahams, 1983). This article will examine the cultural trajectory of the Midnight Robber and then go on to explore his journey from oral to literary form in the twenty-first century, demonstrating how Jamaican author Nalo Hopkinson and Trinidadian Keith Jardim have drawn from his revolutionary energy to challenge authoritarian power through linguistic and literary skill. The parallels between the Midnight Robber and trickster figures Anansi and Brer Rabbit are numerous. Anansi is symbolic of the malleability and ambiguity of language and the roots of the tales can be traced back to the Asante of Ghana (Marshall, 2012).
    [Show full text]
  • Nationalism, Primitivism, & Neoclassicism
    Nationalism, Primitivism, & Neoclassicism" Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)! Biographical sketch:! §" Born in St. Petersburg, Russia.! §" Studied composition with “Mighty Russian Five” composer Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov.! §" Emigrated to Switzerland (1910) and France (1920) before settling in the United States during WW II (1939). ! §" Along with Arnold Schönberg, generally considered the most important composer of the first half or the 20th century.! §" Works generally divided into three style periods:! •" “Russian” Period (c.1907-1918), including “primitivist” works! •" Neoclassical Period (c.1922-1952)! •" Serialist Period (c.1952-1971)! §" Died in New York City in 1971.! Pablo Picasso: Portrait of Igor Stravinsky (1920)! Ballets Russes" History:! §" Founded in 1909 by impresario Serge Diaghilev.! §" The original company was active until Diaghilev’s death in 1929.! §" In addition to choreographing works by established composers (Tschaikowsky, Rimsky- Korsakov, Borodin, Schumann), commissioned important new works by Debussy, Satie, Ravel, Prokofiev, Poulenc, and Stravinsky.! §" Stravinsky composed three of his most famous and important works for the Ballets Russes: L’Oiseau de Feu (Firebird, 1910), Petrouchka (1911), and Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring, 1913).! §" Flamboyant dancer/choreographer Vaclav Nijinsky was an important collaborator during the early years of the troupe.! ! Serge Diaghilev (1872-1929) ! Ballets Russes" Serge Diaghilev and Igor Stravinsky.! Stravinsky with Vaclav Nijinsky as Petrouchka (Paris, 1911).! Ballets
    [Show full text]
  • Revisiting the Etymology of Zanni
    REVISITING THE ETYMOLOGY OF ZANNI Anna Moro It has long been maintained that the etymology of zani, zanni – the servant or buffoon of the commedia dell’arte – is a northern Italian variant of the proper noun Giovanni, or its shortened form, Gianni. In Tommaseo and Bellini’s Dizionario della lingua italiana , published in Turin between 1865 and 1879, it is stated that the term is “voce bergamasca, accorciata dall’intero nome Giovanni, che rappresenta un Servo semplice e goffo bergamasco.” 1 Tommaseo and Bellini’s explanation of the origin of the term is basically what is found in modern etymological dictionaries, such as Battisti and Alessio’s Dizionario etimologico italiano (DEI) and Cortelazzo and Zolli’s Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana (DELI). The earliest attestation of the term appears to be the 15th century, according to Battisti and Alessio, but a precise reference is not given. 16th century attestations of zani / zanni corresponding to the servant character of the commedia dell’arte , of course, abound. There is no doubt that the term zani was widely used in the 16th century in Italy to designate the servant character of the commedia dell’arte ; and it is during the 16th century that the term spread outside of Italy: it is found in French, for example, as zani from 1550, and in English, as zany , later in the century (Migliorini 1983: 426). In the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) , the noun zany (with various spellings), which preceded the use of term as 1 Cited in M. Cortelazzo and P. Zolli, Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana (DELI), Bologna: Zanichelli, 1992 (1980): 1463.
    [Show full text]
  • Hero, Shadow and Trickster; Three Archetypes in the Kingkiller Chronicle
    Hero, Shadow and Trickster; Three Archetypes in The Kingkiller Chronicle Tapio Tikkanen Master’s Thesis English Philology Faculty of Humanities University of Oulu Autumn 2018 Table of contents 1 Introduction.............................................................................................................................1 2 The History of Archetypes.........................................................................................................2 2.1 Carl Jung and the Collective Unconscious...........................................................................2 2.2 James Frazer’s Anthropological Examinations....................................................................4 2.3 Maud Bodkin’s Application of Jungian Archetypes to Poetry..............................................6 2.4 Northrop Frye and the Archetypes of Literature.................................................................9 3 Outlining the Archetypes........................................................................................................11 3.1 The Hero.........................................................................................................................11 3.2 The Shadow....................................................................................................................14 3.3 The Trickster...................................................................................................................15 4 Archetypes and Fantasy...…………….........................................................................................17
    [Show full text]
  • Persona and Rebellion in Trickster Narratives. Case Study: Fleabag (Bbc 2016-2019)
    Bassil-Morozow PERSONA AND REBELLION IN TRICKSTER NARRATIVES. CASE STUDY: FLEABAG (BBC 2016-2019) HELENA BASSIL-MOROZOW GLASGOW CALEDONIAN UNIVERSITY ABSTRACT This paper brings together the concept of persona and the figure of the trickster to examine the dynamic between social norms and creative noncompliance, between the social mask and human authenticity, in moving image narratives. In particular, it looks at the female trickster challenging the female persona in recent television shows, primarily BBC’s Fleabag (2016-2019), using the previously outlined framework of trickster attributes (Bassil-Morozow 2012; Bassil-Morozow 2015). The concept of persona is examined using a combination of Erving Goffman’s presentation of self theory and Jung’s persona concept. It is argued that the female persona – the artificial vision of socially acceptable femininity – is a particularly rigid psycho-social structure, comprising repressive and unrealistic expectations for women’s looks, bodies, and conduct in public situations. Using the nameless protagonist of Fleabag as a case study, the paper shows how the female trickster can challenge these prescribed attributes and expectations while defying the individual- controlling techniques: shame, social embarrassment, social rejection and ostracism. KEY WORDS Female Trickster; Persona; Fleabag; Jung; Goffman; Social Mask PERSONA AND REBELLION IN TRICKSTER NARRATIVES. CASE STUDY: FLEABAG (BBC 2016-2019) This paper brings together the concept of persona and the figure of the trickster to examine the dynamic between social norms and creative noncompliance, between the social mask and human authenticity, in moving image narratives. In particular, it looks at the female trickster challenging the female persona in recent television shows, primarily BBC’s Fleabag (2016- 20192019), using the previously outlined framework of trickster attributes (Bassil-Morozow 2012; Bassil-Morozow 2015).
    [Show full text]
  • Dr. Harlequin, Script
    DR. HARLEQUIN, Or, THE IMAGINARY AUTOPSY by Marco Luly characters Dottore, doctor in medicine Pantalone, his friend Laura, wife of Dottore Isabella, daughter of Dottore Colombina, servant in the house of Dottore Lelio, son of Pantalone Arlecchino, servant of Lelio Capitano, foreigner soldier Zanni, villain Hand Servant Prompter 0 Pre-Pre-Prologue Everyone ALL: warm-up improve, crossing SR // SL, never leaving Dottore alone. DOTTORE: 5 min. to places. ALL: Thank you five. (Dottore exits. HS. & P. enter ) HAND SERVANT Unbelievable. PROMPTER Ridiculous. HAND SERVANT Preposterous. PROMPTER Impossible. HAND SERVANT Orazio is an imbecile, how does he expect us to buy 11 costumes with a budget of $23 dollars. PROMPTER ( pulling a quarter from his pocket ) $23 and a quarter. HAND SERVANT You found a quarter? PROMPTER Yeah. HAND SERVANT Gimme that. PROMPTER With that little money, we could only rent them. HAND SERVANT Well at lest were set for tonight. PROMPTER What about tomorrow? HAND SERVANT I don’t know. PROMPTER Maybe they can do the show naked, we’ll sell more seats. HAND SERVANT I don’t know about that: have you seen the girls in the show? PROMPTER 11 costumes… HAND SERVANT …and on top of that… S & PROMPTER …A MONKEY! HAND SERVANT Where are we going to find a monkey? PROMPTER Maybe we can get one from ... HAND SERVANT Yeah, … is full of monkeys. PROMPTER Seriously, they raise our tuition, lower our budgets and don’t even have the decency to get us a healthy monkey. DOTTORE: Curtain in 1 min. HAND SERVANT Hey, we forgot the curtain.
    [Show full text]
  • Commedia Dell'arte, Theatre of the Professional
    STUDENT DAY EDUCATIONAL CREATIVITY CONTEST Commedia Dell’Arte was an early form of professional theatre, originating from Italy, that was popular in Europe from the 16th through the 18th century. Commedia is a form of theatre characterized by masked character "types" that represent fixed social types and stock characters, which are exaggerated forms of “real characters”, such as a know-it-all doctor, a greedy old man, or a perfect relationship. Traditional commedia Dell’Arte is not about realism or creating well-rounded, three-dimensional characters, so most of the roles only have a couple traits to them around which the whole personality is defined. They rarely ever have any complex or sympathetic reasons for their behavior, and anything they do or feel, they do or feel to extremes. Please find a list of characters on the back of this sheet for assistance in writing the essay/play. Elementary Grades 1 – 6: Identifying and Creating Characters Grades 1-3: 150—200 words & Grades 4-6: 350 words. Judged based upon creativity and originality Option I: Characters You Know: Commedia Dell’Arte characters commonly appear in media, including kids movies and books! Choose a character from your favorite book or movie, tell us about them. Which Commedia role do they fill? (For simplicity, younger students can equate characters to their simple counterpart, such as “Doctor”, “Maid”, “Captain”). Option II: Characters You Create: It’s fun to make up characters for your very own stories! Create your own character based on one of the roles listed, and write a short story involving them.
    [Show full text]
  • ORLAN, RECLAIMING the GAZE Cerise Joelle Myers a Thesis
    BETWEEN THE FOLLY AND THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF SEEING: ORLAN, RECLAIMING THE GAZE Cerise Joelle Myers A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS May 2006 Committee: Andrew E. Hershberger, Advisor Allie Terry ii ABSTRACT Andrew E. Hershberger, Advisor The female body is ubiquitous throughout Western art history, in various stages of dress and undress, and more often than not displayed in such a way as to bring pleasure to a male viewer. This male gaze objectifies women, projects standards of beauty and femininity and negates an individual identity by replacing it with its own assumptions. Though there have been female subjects throughout art history, by both male and female artists, who through posture, facial expression, or even textual communication have expressed recognition of and resistance to this gaze, it is the French artist Orlan who has provided one of its most striking and effective critiques. In her best-known and most controversial series, The Reincarnation of Saint Orlan, Orlan continued to explore themes present throughout her early performance and photographic work and evident in her subsequent Self Hybridations series, as, through plastic surgery, she appropriated the facial features of various Western art historical beauties. Orlan not only orchestrated the surgeries, designed the costumes and decorated the operating theater, but by undergoing only local, rather than general, anesthesia, was herself an active participant in the events, in the ambitious seventh surgery, entitled Omnipresence, even interacting with audience members around the world via live satellite feed.
    [Show full text]
  • This Work Has Been Submitted to NECTAR, the Northampton Electronic Collection of Theses and Research
    This work has been submitted to NECTAR, the Northampton Electronic Collection of Theses and Research. Conference or Workshop Item Title: The fears of a clown Creator: Mackley, J. S. Example citation: Mackley, J. S. (2016) The fears of a clown. PapeRr presented to: The Dark Fantastic: Sixth Annual Joint Fantasy Symposium, The University of Northampton, 02 December 2016. A Version: Presented version T http://nectar.Cnorthampton.ac.uk/9062/ NE The Fears of the Clown J.S. Mackley – University of Northampton “The clown may be the source of mirth, but - who shall make the clown laugh?” Angela Carter, Nights at the Circus Many of us read Stephen King’s IT before we were re-terrorised by Tim Curry’s portrayal of Pennywise the Clown and his psychotic mania in the 1990 mini-series. It is said that “Stephen King’s movie IT … did for clowns what Psycho did for showers and what Jaws did for swimming in the ocean.”1 But, many of us had already had our psyches attuned to the danger of clowns when we saw the scene in Steven Spielberg’s 1982 film Poltergeist when we looked at the maniacal grinning face of the Robbie’s clown sitting on the chair during a thunderstorm. The viewers all knew that clown would come to life – changing from the friendly-faced doll, to the demonic entity that drags Robbie under the bed … For many of us, these two depictions of clowns may be the root of Coulrophobia – a “persistent, abnormal, and irrational fear of clowns”. Clowns hover on the peripheries of our fears.
    [Show full text]