The Madwoman: An Analysis in Judgement Part I

1. The Madwoman: An Analysis in Judgement Part I

2. Madness and Addiction • The Madwoman is at the heart of addiction (her energy) and the womb centre of creativity • Madness and addiction have been linked through the ages; every addiction has in the means to lead to madness • The “addict” lives out of the craziness we fear, acting out of bounds so we reject her/him • In turn, addicts come to reject the society that rejects them

3. Unmasking the Modern Day Woman

4. Culture, Projection, and the Madwoman • Cultural projections feed and breed the madwoman • Traditionally woman’s role is to be loved by a man - she is there to serve as his pure, angelic, feminine soul image, the one who inspires him to love beauty, and a better life • Or as the mother the woman is supposed to be the nurturer and caretaker, but if she rejects these images • She is scorn - usual scorns, not feminine, overweight, or worse yet if she is an alcoholic or sex addict... • She is given labels of primitive feminine darkness - whore, tramp, bag lady, - she is truly a madwoman (something is wrong)

5. Madwoman At the End of The Line

6. Misdiagnosis / Pathology • The addict is often misunderstood as neurotic/insane, where addiction is thought be overcome by ego strength, insight, adaptation, moral fortitude • Giving the addict the idea that they can do it on their own • Addictive symptoms are also objectified and diagnosed into psychiatric classifications, such as: • antisocial personality disorder; borderline personality disorder • paranoid schizophrenia • manic depressive disorders

7. The Psychology of the Madwoman • Some madwomen turn their anger against men, by being the co-addict who plays the martyred wife, devouring the partner through control, guilt, judgements and putting the partner down as weak willed • They can also play the wily seductress, some madwoman reject the other sex altogether, or the madwoman can function inside men in the form misogyny • Misogyny here - the male turning away from his own anima (feminine nature) inside

8. T.S. Elliot Remarks • In that open field • If you do not come too close, if you do not come to close, • On a summer midnight you can hear the music • Of the weak pipe and the little drum • And see them dancing around the bonfire • The association of man and woman • In daunsinge, signifying matrimonie- • A dignified and commodious sacrament. • Two and two, necessarye conjuction

9. A Word about the Anima • The anima is the feminine side of a man, or more graphically, inside every man is a woman whom he must come to terms with. • It is one of the great works of a man’s life to try to relate to this woman and for woman to relate to this man (animus) • Indeed, we could say that a man / woman can not have a relationship with the another person, without this interior man / woman becoming activated and wanting to have it say • Man and women may be at odds with his own anima women (Dan in fatal attraction); and her own animus

10. Anima / Animus are Archetypes • Culturally conditioned • Both informed by individual consciousness and collective consciousness • First imprinting comes from mother / father or caregivers • Their behavior was conditioned by stereotypes of that time • What initially attracts and repels you with respect to your choice of lover / mate / etc.

11. Filmologie • Exploring the Madwoman Archetype In Anima / Animus Light • We are trying to recapture experience where images confronts consciousness constituting a direction and world (Andrew, 1993) • Unlock dynamics through narratives, images, and identification with self (Meunier, 1968) • Hermeneutics of Suspicion: listen in openness to symbol and to narrative and thereby to allow creative events to occur "in front of" the phenomenon, and to have their effect on us (Ricoeur, 1970)

12. Fatal Immersion The Meeting

13. What are we Seeing? • Theory and thoughts? • Dan drawn to her open sexuality • What role has Dan’s wife taken on - what role has he placed her in?

14. Family Life

15. Apparently Happy? • Seemingly in love with wife • Adores son • But deep within? • An anima dilemma or?

16. Anima Dilemma • Madonna / Whore Split • Anima dilemma - did his wife become solely the elevation of mother? • With this split man may find himself lamenting the loss of his sexual desire and unconsciously rendering himself incapable of maintaining a satisfying sexual relationship because to have sex with mother is a taboo • Or his need for love and connection has been super masculinized - women have always been lust objects - his need for sensual connection is twisted between intimacy and the sexual act and euphoria (which is fleeting) • A constant need to devour the image keeps the proper persona intact

17. The Seduction

18. Thoughts? Shall We be the Judge? • Are we going to judge? • Leonard speaking about the judge says “it is the self-righteous figure who seeks perfection and dominance”. The Judge has an answer to everything; self-justification is his/her ploy control and power are the goal. • The judge inside us will refuse to let us face our own humanity • We will see if Dan get here or not?

19. Cover Up Call

20. The Inner Judge • Will Dan do as the Lawyer Clamence did? • “Elude judgement by forgetting” (p. 147) • Needs to maintain proper Persona, needs to remain innocent for the sake of being immune to judgement (I can continue to control others)

21. Inviting Madness: The Cutting

22. Thoughts and reactions?

23. What was going on for Alex? • One could say her animus is activated (strongly) • Obviously hurt • Judging him - but lost herself in the chaos; thus forget to judge herself • Avoidance of deeper feelings - triggers past wound -

24. Anima Misunderstandings • The failure of men to relate to the anima brings in its wake all sorts of mischief. • Men who become entangled with the madwoman are first entranced, delusionally in love and then sometimes sickened by her behavior and demeanour. • Men imagine, for example, that the woman they fall in love with is actually the way they imagine her to be failing to realize that the woman within is constantly projecting herself outside and mingling with the woman without in such a pervasive and subtle way that it is difficult to separate the two. • In more extreme cases men who cannot make contact with their own deep inner feelings, with their own anima, run the risk of hurting themselves and others.