Embodying Essence: Corporeality, Dualism and Rhetorical Invention in the Autobiographies of Nineteenth-Century Female Spirit Mediums
Embodying Essence: Corporeality, Dualism and Rhetorical Invention in the Autobiographies of Nineteenth-Century Female Spirit Mediums
Author(s): Elizabeth LowrySubject(s): Literary Texts
Published by: Universitatea Petrol-Gaze din Ploieşti
Keywords: autobiography; women; nineteenth-century; dualism; body
Summary/Abstract: A close reading of nineteenth-century female spirit mediums’ autobiographies reveals how these women gained access to the public sphere. Drawing on Elizabeth Grosz’s feminist reading of Descartes’ theory of dualism, this article analyzes differing implications of rhetorical strategies used in women’s spiritual memoirs. Furthermore, this study considers how the female autobiographer represents her own physicality. The personal narratives examined here suggest that a Victorian-era woman’s awareness of her own gendered body is central to contextualizing how feminine corporeality was constructed and the ways in which it continues to complicate issues of female empowerment.
Journal: Word and Text, A Journal of Literary Studies and Linguistics
- Issue Year: III/2013
- Issue No: 02
- Page Range: 44-56
- Page Count: 13
- Language: English