The untamed feminine nature in Lars von Trier: the witch in "Antichrist" (2009)
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Abstract
In Antichrist (Lars von Trier, 2009), the female lead, after abandoning the traditional gender roles associated to women, ends up identifying herself with a witch. This archetype, throughout its long history, has been built around the demonization of females that did not submit to the established patriarchal order –which is sustained by religious, scientific and philosophical dogmas–. This logic links femininity with nature, opposite to culture and civilization, which are placed in men’s territory. Our hypothesis is that Charlotte Gainsbourg’s character enters in a state of suggestion that reveals her interiorized misogyny, which makes her see herself –and women– as evil by nature, since her situation and desire are not allowed for womankind. Our analysis seeks to address the construction of this character through Lacanian psychoanalysis and the various feminist and gender theories that are derived from it. We will focus particularly in the French feminist theories of Hélène Cixous, Luce Irigaray and Julia Kristeva.
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