E 350 Lecture Notes - Julia Kristeva, Grotesque Body, Pus
Document Summary
Cyborg man and machine, organic and inorganic. Disturbing because they confound our categories of how we think things should be. Gross materiality of the body (saliva, mucus, poop, tears, anything that comes out of the body) Abject body of fear , elicits loathing, aversion, disgust. Did not view bodies of fluids judgmentally, but when forming ego and separating self from other, it has to be cast off. Label as other everything that was once indistinguishable from ourselves. Mother + goat or mother + father resulting in monster, relationship with demon, father"s incest with daughters many possibilities, no explanation given. Abject seemingly human emotions with no ability to communicate them (animal cries), infantile, human-like yet grazing. Abandoned, on property but ignored, fed bits and pieces. Goat girl and mother are punished for goat girl"s existence. Others see him as this abject thing (p. 319) Sees himself in a mirror, but isn"t aware it"s a mirror (p. 320)
