English 456: C20 Criticism and Theory Questions on Cixous' "The Laugh of the Medusa" (1975) Al Drake | Cyber Cafe | Thurs. 4-6 1. Why does Cixous begin her essay (309-10) by connecting writing strongly with female sexuality? Also, point out a passage or two in later pages where she returns to this theme. 2. On 311, how does Cixous characterize the writing marked as "male"? How does she define writing more generally on 311? 3. On 311-12, Cixous says that women must "write themselves," but she also emphasizes "seizing the occasion to speak." What, then, is special about a woman's speaking as opposed to a man's? Also, what kind of link does Cixous make between speaking and writing? 4. On 314, what does Cixous appear to mean by her term "bisexuality" in connection with writing? 5. In what ways, according to Cixous from 316-17, are women stronger than men? 6. At what points in her essay does Cixous fight against the implication that woman is to be defined by the term "lack," as she so often is in psychoanalysis? Please find two or three passages where she does this. 7. A general question: how would you characterize Cixous' prose style? Does it illustrate the kind of writing she calls for? [I might add here: how is the text itself "the laugh of the Medusa"?] 8. A question for the class as a whole: does Cixous offer practical suggestions for women's advancement in the world? Or is that beside the point in the context of her essay? What is the essay's rhetorical purpose? *The reading selections are from Adams, Hazard and Leroy Searle. Critical Theory Since 1965. Tallahassee: Florida State UP, 1986. 309-21.
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