January 2023

Rebecca House

520: Critical Studies 3: Close Reading of Influential Text

Text One: The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction, (1986), Ursula Le Guin

In this writing I will reflect on ‘The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction’ written by Ursula Le Guin. It is clear that Le
Guin wanted to explore the notion that anything can be used as a 'vessel'. I believe this is the main topic in
the text that Le Guin is trying to use throughout. Le Guin shows this by explaining, "So, when I came to
write science-fiction novels, I came lugging this great heavy sack of stuff, my carrier bag full of...". (Le Guin,
1986, p.169.) This influenced me as a reader and altered my way of thinking that a person and also the
mind itself is a vessel as a person can 'hold' thoughts, memories, plans, music, knowledge and so on in
their brains and 'carry' it around with them.

When reading I noticed an underlining theme of ‘male privilege’. “Male privilege refers to the sociological
concept that men are automatically granted certain privileges and advantages in politics, society, and the
workplace based entirely on their gender” (Wenzel, 2020) Although specific genders are hardly mentioned
throughout this text, there was an implication that men are superior. Men are presented to be at the top
of the patriarchy when described as "mammoth hunters" that "spectacularly occupy the cave wall". (Le
Guin, 1986, p.165.) It was made clear to the reader that the "hero" in this story is a hunter. This hero got
described as "powerful" which shows the contrast between the inferior "men and women in the wild-oat
patch and their kids..." who "...have all been pressed into service in the tale of the Hero. But it isn't their
story. It's his."(Le Guin, 1986, p.166.) This confirms that men have all the control and even the societal
status of people matter, no matter man or woman, as hunting is "much less hard than peasants slaving in
somebody's else's field after agriculture was invented”. (Le Guin, 1986, p.165.) Male privilege is a
reoccurring theme within my own practice, I have recently mainly taken influence from Tracey Emin’s
work. Emin explores that her own body is the vessel for her practice. “The nude, the naked female body, is
the big picture,” Emin states, “It’s archetypal, everybody understands it. It’s like a cave drawing.” (Emin,
2022) continues to show that the female body is just as strong as a male.

Bibliography
Le Guin, U., 1986. The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction. p.169.
Wenzel, A. (2020) Male privilege. New York, NY: Greenhaven Publishing, LLC.
Le Guin, U., 1986. The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction. p.166.
Le Guin, U., 1986. The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction. p.165.
Jones, J. (2022) “Tracey Emin building a new life in Margate,” The Guardian. Available at:
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2022/apr/25/tracey-emin-ghost-apparition-new-life-
margate-cancer-nudes (Accessed: January 2023).
 Figure 1: “Sometimes there is no reason”, (2018), Tracey Emin
Photo: Theo Christelis
Accessed: http://thisistomorrow.info/articles/tracey-emin-a-fortnight-of-tears

Figure 2: “It was all too Much”, (2018), Tracey Emin

Photo: Theo Christelis
Accessed: http://thisistomorrow.info/articles/tracey-emin-a-fortnight-of-tears
Text two: Vibrant Matter, (2010), Jane Bennett

In this writing, I will be reflecting on Jane Bennett’s, ‘Vibrant Matter’. I felt the prominent subject was
global warming. This can be seen when Bennett informs that, "The garbage hills are alive there are billions
of microscopic organisms thriving underground...where they will eat away at the...ozone..."(Bennett, 2009,
p.8.) Bennet almost personifies the description of these elements resulting in the reader feeling more of an
intimate connection to the text. Another strong example that is of global warming that was indicated in
this text is Bennett describing,"...was pure pollution, a pristine stew of oil and grease...and zinc."(Bennett,
2009, p.9.) I interpreted this as people take from the earth with unsustainable processes causing
irreversible damage and do not take responsibility for the climate change, they have caused. Artist Jenny
Kendler created a disturbing forty-foot-long bird sculpture titled ‘Birds Watching’ in response to the human
race being responsible for climate change and are not blameless. Each eye is a species of bird considered
to be endangered in the United States due to climate change. Kendler states, “It’s very rare that people
encounter something that actually changes the way that they feel about the world. But art can do that. I’m
always looking for a place of emotional resonance, which gives the audience a chance to have this novel
emotional encounter with subject material that hopefully might actually change them.” (Brown & Kendler,
2022)

The second theme that came forth is objectification. Two pieces of the text demonstrated this was,
“objects possess a certain power of action," and "objectification are permissible (as when persons consent
to use as a means to sexual pleasure)."(Bennett, 2009, p.10.) Through discussion, I felt that this was
relating to objectification of the body itself, especially women. Another notable example that supports this
is when Bennett expresses, "...to prevent or ameliorate human suffering and to promote human happiness
or well-being."(Bennett, 2009, p.10.) which is interesting as I started thinking about object ownership and
how it almost forms a hierarchy in society and also how Bennett could be challenging the notion that
humans are the only thing with agency or the power. In relation to my practice this is interesting because
my work is turning more into lived experiences. I have explored myself as the one with no power
throughout different situations in my life and as an artist.

Bibliography
Bennett, J., 2009. Vibrant Matter. p.8.
Bennett, J., 2009. Vibrant Matter. p.9.
Brown, K. and Kendler, J. (2022) “Activist and Artist Jenny Kendler on Climate Grief,” Artnet.
Bennett, J., 2009. Vibrant Matter. p.10.
 Figure 3: “Birds Watching”, (2018), Jenny Kendler
Photo: Jenny Kendler
Accessed: https://news.artnet.com/sustainability/conversation-jenny-kendler-2083301
Text three: Volatile Bodies, (1994), Elizabeth Grosz

Masculine and Feminine

In this writing, I will be reflecting on an extract from philosopher Elizabeth Grosz’s book, ‘Volatile Bodies’,
where Grosz raises the question of Sigmund Freud’s differences between the sexes and “of biology and of
the mind/body relation”. (Grosz, 1994) Neurologist Sigmund Freud is widely known for two theories. The
Oedipus complex and the Castration complex. “The Oedipus complex is a Freudian term that was named
after a man that unknowingly killed his father and slept with his mother. Freud said that a boy develops an
unconscious infatuation towards his mother, and simultaneously fears his father to be a rival. This
happens at an unconscious level”. (Dolloff, 2006) Castration anxiety is “a psychoanalytic concept
introduced by Sigmund Freud to describe a boy’s fear of loss of or damage to the genital organ as
punishment for incestuous wishes toward the mother and murderous fantasies toward the rival father. The
anxiety is validated by the boy’s discovery of the anatomical difference between the sexes”. (Taylor, 1970)
These complexes are widely considered the processes when gender is produced in our society. Grosz
disagrees with the notion “that the type of genitals and secondary sexual characteristics on has must play a
major role in the type of body image one has” (Grosz, 1994) and self-conception as a result of social
constructs linked to the sexed body. For example, in today’s society, women may feel less positive about
their bodies and ‘self-conceptions’ due to how society in general values the female body. Whereas men
may feel more powerful as they are and have been naturally perceived the stronger sex throughout
history. Frida Kahlo is an artist who has been influencing my work for a while now, I love the meanings
behind her sometimes confusing but dystopian pieces and how she broke societies limits for women at the
time in 1940’s. This can be seen through Kahlo’s piece, “Self-portrait with cropped hair”, (1940). Kahlo
changed the dynamics of women when presenting herself in a man’s suit – specifically her ex-husbands –
and cutting her hair off herself.

Bibliography
Grosz, E. (1994) “Psychoanalysts and Psychical Topographies,” in Volatile Bodies. p.57.
Dolloff, L. (2006) Oedipus Complex, Oedipus complex. Available at:
https://www.uvm.edu/~jbailly/courses/tragedy/student%20second%20documents/Oedipus
%20Complex.html (Accessed: January 2023).
Taylor, G. (1970) Castration anxiety, SpringerLink. Springer International Publishing. Available at:
https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1365-1 (Accessed: January
2023).
Grosz, E. (1994) Volatile Bodies. p.58.
Figure 4: “Self-portrait with Cropped Hair”, (1940), Frida Kahlo
Photo: Frida Kahlo
Accessed: https://www.moma.org/collection/works/78333
A Final Reflection – Comparison of The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction and Vibrant Matter

‘Vibrant Matter’ is a text that has reminded me what matters, not necessarily within my practice but in
day-to-day life. It helps express to the world that all things have agency and challenges the notion that
humans are the only thing with agency. Whereas ‘The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction’ provides a feminist
view of society through sexes through a narrative. Both texts are about different beliefs, but both have
resonated within me and my practice

In ‘Vibrant Matter’, Bennett mentions a range of objects throughout where her views can be seen to be
presented that something we may perceive as rubbish could be another mans treasure. “In this
assemblage, objects appeared as things, that is, as vivid entities not entirely reducible to the contexts in
which (human) subjects set them” … “a vital materiality can never really be thrown ‘away’, for it continues
its activities even as discarded or unwanted commodity”. (Bennett, 2010, p.8-9) She is explaining that even
though we decide to get rid of something in our life, it is still there in the world with a purpose for
someone else, so it is never really gone. It will continue to go on a provoke the feelings of someone else.
Bennett broadly implies that any object has the capability to ignite feelings within us but are different to
manage due to being inanimate majority of the time. Bennett is continuously delivering the idea that
“human power is itself a kind of thing-power” (Bennett, 2010, p.8) and that we as humans are closed off to
that idea. In the art world, artist Felix Gonzales Torres throughout his artistic career portrayed his
significant relationship through inanimate objects. This can be seen in his piece, “Untitled” (Portrait of Ross
in L.A), 1991. In this interactive piece he used an inanimate object to represent his boyfriends’ weight
before his AID’s induced weight loss. Demonstrating that objects can evoke feelings and by letting the
viewers take a piece of the art to contribute to the meaning of the piece.

When considering the comparative nature between the text ‘The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction’ and the
works of Tracy Emin we must note upon this concept of male privilege. To elaborate upon this further, a
key fragmented sentence ‘It’s his.’ (Le Guin, 1986, p.169.) Has a variety of connotations. The most obvious
being that this man has been given utter control. It is almost as though there was no question in the
narrator’s mind as to who the “main character” (for lack of a better word) should be. Now, with Tracy Emin
this is seemingly a complete oxymoron to the main perspective in which she wishes to portray. Within her
work, it is clearly depicted (throughout a variety of mediums) how she wishes for a more qualitative view
on all genders. Such a view is only transgressed against further through this declarative ‘What you are is a
woman. Not human at all…’. (Le Guin, 1986, p.170.) A view in which Tracy Emin will always be passionate
for fighting against.

Bibliography
Bennett, J., 2009. Vibrant Matter. p.8-9.
Bennett, J., 2009. Vibrant Matter. p.8.
Le Guin, U., 1986. The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction. p.166.
Le Guin, U., 1986. The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction. p.170.