20th Annual Student Research Conference
Language & Literature
Tubular Reality: A Lacanian Psychoanalytic Exploration of Amelie Nothomb's The Character of Rain
Gemmicka F. Piper
Dr. Hena Ahmad, Faculty Mentor
The Character of Rain (2002), a novel by Amelie Nothomb, offers an unusual look into the inner workings of the mind of a child from birth until her early childhood. Told from the perspective of the child, lovingly known as the Tube, this story is based on the memories that the author recalls from her own birth to early childhood. In this paper, I will draw on Lacanian psychoanalytic theory in order to determine the ways in which this novel, translated from the French, questions the limits of cognitive development and awareness of self in an individual, and lends itself particularly to the Lacanian concept that children don’t develop awareness until they have something to desire.
Keywords: Lacan, psychoanalysis, early childhood, cognitive development,
Topic(s):English
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 24-4
Location: OP 2113
Time: 10:30 am