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1Nformatk)N to USERS 1NFORMAtK)N TO USERS This manuscript has bœn reploduoed frwn the microfilm master. UMI films the text direcüy fiom the^ original w wpy suknii. Thw, some thesis and dissertaikn copies an, in typwdbrface, Hile mers may be frwn any type of cornputer prinbr- the quality of this nproduuctim k âopandent upon the quality of the copy submbd. Broken or indbthct mont,cdomd or poor quality illustratioris and phobgraphs, print Msedthnwgh, substandard margins, and improper alignrnent can adversely affied mprodudbn. In the unlikeiy event îhat the author did not send UMI a cornpiete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be m..Also, if unau- copyright material had to be rernoved, a node will indmthe deletion. Oversue materials (8.0-, maps, d-ngs, charts) am reproduœâ by sectiming the original, begiming at the upper len-hand corner and mb'ming fmm left to ngM in equal sedions mth small werlaps. Ptiotographs induded in the original manusai@ have been reproduœâ xerographically in this -yY HigMr qualii x 9. bîa& and white photographie prints are availabk fw any photagraphs or illustratioc~samring in this wpy for an addiial charge, Contact UMI diredly to order- Bell 8 Hourell Information and Learning 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann A-, MI 48106-1 346 USA 800-S21-.08oo Electra after Freud: Death, Hysteria and Mourning Ji11 Scott A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Centre for Comparative Literature University of Toronto O Copyright by Jill Scott (1998) National Library Bibîiitheque natbnaie du Canada Acquisiüoc1s and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Services senrices bibliographiques The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive licence aliowing the excfusive permettant a la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduire, prrter, distntbuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fkom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimes reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation- Jill Scott Degne of Doctor of Philosophy (1998) Centre for Comparative Citeratun University of Toronto This study considers the importance of the Electra myth for the twentieth century?and in so doing resurrects a theme which has been curiousty neglected despite the proliferation of modem adaptations. The myth and its herohe are located at the intersections of history and the feminine, eros and thanatos, hystena and melancholia At the point of departure is Hugo von Hofmannsthal's influentid Elelctra (1903), which introduces two important twentieth- century innovations to the Electra myth, the heroine's death and hysteria Wdter Benjamin's reading of allegory in Der Urs~medes deutschen Trauerspiel~serves as a theoreticd framework for a discussion of the significance of Electrds allegorical "Dance of Deathwin Eugene O'Neill's Mournin~Becomes Electra, Sartre's Les Mouches and Heiner MüIIer's Hamletmaschïne. This is followed by a consideration of the uncanny simildes between Joseph Breuer and Sigmund Freud's case study of the hysterical "Anna O-" and Hofmannsthal's Elektra, where it is demonstrated that the mythological heroine indeed subverts her hysterical diagnosis by playing analyst to her own author. A Merchapter shows the compIexity of the interrelations of language, music and dance in Strauss's operatic adaptation of Hofmannsthai's fin de siècle play, and demonstrates that Elektra manipulates the Viennese waltz into an ironic reminder of naive fnvoliîy, decadent decay, and omnipresent paternity. Ezra Pound's unconventional translation of Sophocles' Electra in turn transforms the heroine from a grief-stncken hysteric into an angry defender of civic responsibility, whereby the mouniing daughter's predicament parallels the pet's own incarceration, Finaüy, the poetic enactment of Electragsstory is treated as îhe testimony of personal trauma in HD-'s "A Dead Pnestess Speaks" and Sylvia Plath's Arkl Poems. in which these manifestations of melancholia arguably constitute a "poetics of sWYSval_"Overwming hysteria and mouming in an ecstatic Totent- this century's Electra ultimately tnumphs tbrough courage, strength and her fierce determination to act - Introduction: The Anfi-Oedipus: EIectm's Century Part 1 Chapter 1, -Muthos vs. Loeos: Electra and the Re-mythification of Myth Part II Chapter 2, The Heroine's Death in Hugo von Hofmannsthal's Chapter 3. A House of Ruk: Cadaveroos Elecâras Partrn Chapter 4. Elektn and "Anna O.": Images of Hysteria 129 Chapter 5. Strauss's and the Ironic Waltz: Hysteria Displaced 166 Chapter 6- The Big Job: Cleaning op the Dirty Dead in Pound's Translation of 197 Sophocles' Part N Chapter 7. The Mature EIectFIi: Resurrcctting Voice in B.D.'s "A Dead Priestess Speaks" Chapter 8. Mourniiig and MefanchoMa: Sylvia Plith's Electm Enactment as a Poetics of Survival Conclusion: The Mystery of Bibliography Achiowledsements No thesis is ever rdya solo project While aU the words were written by my own han& many of the ideas are the result of ensemble work- First and foremost 1 would Wre to express my heartfelt thanks to my supem-sor, Linda Hutcheon, for her wondecful enthusiasm, her good judgement, and for her undyuig fa* in my abilities and the project. I am also grateful to Augustinius Dienck and Hkather Murray, who were geaerous with their time and who kept me on the right track 1 owe a great dda> my niaid and colleague, Anita George, who helped me overcome the hurdles of interdisciplinary work by showing me how classicists think and work. And Erilra Reinan L thank for her constructive crïticism and sound musicological advise. 1 would like to oclmowledge the financial assistance of the Social Sciences and Humanities Council of Canada and the Queen Elizabeth IX Ontario Scholarships Fund. 1 also thank New Directions Press, the Firestone Library at Princeton University and Omar Pound for allowing me to cite the manuscripts of Pound's Eleh Many friends came to the rescue when it all seemed too overwhelmhg, but my greatest thanks go to Marie Carrière, who was my constant cornpanion and souuding board, and who kept me honest on central issues. It would not have been possible to complete this study without the loving support of my parents, Sylvia and John, Bill and Sandra, and my dear sister, Elin - my deepest gratitude to you ail. Last but not least, 1 would like to dedicate the thesis to my partner and biggest f~n,Stephen Oikawa His constant encouragement, incredible patience and good humour saw me through tough times and celebrations alike. IiitroduetSon Tbe Anti-Oedipus: Eltctrds Century "lm JaMiundert des Orest und der Elehdas heraufkommt, wird Odipus eine KomBdie sein" ("In the cen- of Orestes and Electra that is nsing, Oedipus wil1 be a comedy") (Muller, "Projektion 1975" 16)- This provodve statement on the part of Heiner Miiller begs the question: Why is the twentieth century so obsessed with the Electra myth? An extremely popuiar figure ia Athc tragedy, this mythological heroiae was largely neglected by artists in subsequent perïods- Like other vengea women such as Medea or Phaedra, the defiant and courageous Elecîra seems to have been too controversiai a character for audiences and authors alike. And yet diis century has embraced Electra's capacity for cruelty aud her naked pain, perhaps in an effort to corne ta terms with the appailing violence in our lives and in our world The Atrean princes retums with a vengeance beginnïng with Hugo von Hofmannsthal's influenaal adaptation of Sophocles' Elektra (1903), which was followed in quick succession by adaptations of the myth by Strauss (1909), O'Neill (1931), HD- (1934), Giraudoux (1937), Eliot (1939)- Sartre (2941), Hauptmann (1947), Yourcenar (1949), Pound (1949), Plath (1959) and Fugarci (1979), to name only a few. Despite the profusion of twentieth-century Electra adaptations, there has been relatively Little comparative scholarship on the mythological heroine, This study attempts to address this scholariy lacuna by considering several key developments in the representation of the legend and its title character. The particular lacuna that interests me is the absence of any thorough investigation of the influence of psychoanalysis on the interpretation of Electra This is a cdusoversight because the interpretive vocabulary 2 introduced by Freud and perpetuated by many merent schwls ofthought is pettiaps the single most important contribution to the development of the Electra figure in this century. For this reason, the study beglns wîkh the radical new portrait of the Atrean princess as hysteric, and her ecstatic death- This investigation of the image of Electra as a melancholic trauma vldm traces the parallels between the history of psychomalysis and the representation of mythology's quintessential mouming daughter, Electra is best known for ber complex; however, 1 argue that the charamer .3 indeed comple~but does not have one.' Despite her reptation as a te& lunatic, in the end the mythological heroine has dl the dignity of a blue-blwded p~cessand the courage of a mld-blooded murderess. If any of the Anie models prevails, it is Sophocles' remorseless fieedom-fighter. Electras of this century will fight to the death for justice- This thematic study does not by any means consider al1 of thîs century's important Electra texts, nor does it attempt to create a typology based on the salient fesltures of each adaptation. When dealing with a great many literary examples of the same motif, analysis can very quickly become bogged down with detds.
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