Here Be Monsters: The Monstrous-Feminine, The Abject, and The Book of Lamentations – Peter Sabo
Abstract
This article argues that Daughter Zion in the book of Lamentations can be read as an example of the monstrous-feminine. Particular attention is paid to Daughter Zion’s abject body that spews fluids (like liver-bile and menstrual blood), is dying and decaying, and is cannibalistic. Like many horror films, Lamentations uses a female monster to bring about a confrontation with the abject. More specifically, the abject is confronted in order to eject the abject. Thus, the principal intent of this exorcism of the abject in Lamentations is assurance of survival for the readers of the text. This affirmation of survival in the face of the monstrous-feminine, however, is precisely what most reveals the deeply patriarchal and misogynistic ideology of the text.
Keywords
Lamentations, Daughter Zion, monstrous-feminine, monsters, Barbara Creed, Julia Kristeva.
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