REDEFINING TABOOS IN MODERN LITERARY (CON)TEXTS
REDEFINING TABOOS IN MODERN LITERARY (CON)TEXTS

Summary/Abstract: The present paper aims at demonstrating how the concept of taboo has evolved and its meaning has changed since it was first introduced in the English language. According to the present-day tendency, taboo represents a custom that emphasizes that one must avoid a particular activity or subject, either because it is considered to be offensive or due to the fact that one’s religion does not allow it. The paper lays focus on the frequent use of the term taboo, which springs from the fact that each and every culture is defined by a certain set of prohibitions, depending on the period of time, the way of thinking or the religious beliefs. Thus, taboo has turned into a recurrent issue having a spectacular effect upon the literary field. Taboos have been absorbed, explored and used in a wide range of literary (con)texts all over the world. One of the most representative figures in modern literature, who has written against the ideology of his time, is D.H. Lawrence who redefined and transformed taboos by including and converting them into art, by making them seem as normal human behaviours. Furthermore, his revolutionary exploration of new territories made it possible for the representation of human experiences to advance towards modernity. This paper also brings into the spotlight the outcome of Lawrence’s daring act of writing about the unspeakable and the unpalatable issues, the Victorian age conceding its place to the modern era.

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