Abstract
<p class="western"><span style="color: #212121;">Hélène Cixous’s work undermines the Cartesian mind-body dichotomy in the Western philosophical canon by (re)writing and (re)constructing history through lived experience and the quotidian. Her writings defy traditional genre boundaries, and I will thus look at both her fiction and non-fiction to suggest that her resistance to genre is a way of creating affective feminist narratives. In combining theory, poetry, philosophy, and personal experience, Cixous creates alternatives to mainstream academic and philosophical writing styles by allowing her writing to be intimately personal, artistic, and creative. I read Cixous’s work in the light of contemporary affect theories and new materialism that are influenced by Deleuzian philosophy because the latter are concerned with many of the same issues as Cixousian writing – embodiment, affect, materiality, the non-human, and the move away from dualistic thinking. Cixous’s affective writing is an example of philosophy that explores Plato’s cave instead of transcending from it into some abstract realm.</span>
Highlights
Hélène Cixous’s work undermines the Cartesian mind-body dichotomy in the Western philosophical canon bywriting andconstructing history through lived experience and the quotidian
I will discuss Cixous’s theoretical writings such as “Sorties” (1975), “The Laugh of Medusa” (1975), Three Steps on the Ladder of Writing (1993), and Rootprints (1994), to demonstrate how her concept of écriture féminine has developed over decades and should be examined alongside contemporary studies in affect and new materialism as well as being read in French psycholinguistic tradition
I propose that in Cixousian writing a self becomes an affective assemblage in relation to and with other bodies, and that for this reason, the self in Cixous’s fiction cannot be understood merely in terms of psychoanalytical and deconstructionist models, but has to be examined with theories of affect and new materialism
Summary
Hélène Cixous’s work undermines the Cartesian mind-body dichotomy in the Western philosophical canon by (re)writing and (re)constructing history through lived experience and the quotidian.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
