Article (Scientific journals)
Nothing, Not a Scrap of Identity: Janet Frame's Vision of Self and Knowledge in A State of Siege
Gabrielle, Cindy
2012In Ariel: A Review of International English Literature, 42 (3), p. 279-299
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Keywords :
Janet Frame; A State of Siege; Buddhism
Abstract :
[en] Still largely unexplored, Janet Frame’s deep interest in eastern philosophies provides an illuminating point of entry into her sixth novel, A State of Siege. Questing for a New View, an amateur-painter constantly harps back to the kind of fossilized aesthetic that draws a clear line between the perceiver and the perceived. However, step by step, trial after trial, the main protagonist is made to discard her cherished sense of apartness to embrace instead a state of utter non-distinction. In contrast to most commentators of the novel, my aim in this essay is to suggest that, in Frame as in Buddhism, nothingness of identity is not meant to translate into something – be it the solid shape of memory or any ontology beyond dissolution – for, unless the knower retains “nothing, not even a scrap of identity” from what s/he is trying to perceive, true knowledge, unadulterated memories and an unmediated apprehension of the real are seen to be altogether impossible.
Research center :
CEREP - Centre d'Enseignement et de Recherche en Études Postcoloniales - ULiège
Disciplines :
Literature
Author, co-author :
Gabrielle, Cindy ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des langues et littératures modernes > Littérature anglaise moderne et littérature américaine
Language :
English
Title :
Nothing, Not a Scrap of Identity: Janet Frame's Vision of Self and Knowledge in A State of Siege
Publication date :
2012
Journal title :
Ariel: A Review of International English Literature
ISSN :
0004-1327
eISSN :
1920-1222
Publisher :
University of Calgary Press, Calgary, Canada
Volume :
42
Issue :
3
Pages :
279-299
Peer reviewed :
Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi
Available on ORBi :
since 13 October 2011

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