Research Information System
Presentation, 2023
The monster archetype since the time of antiquity refers to a person who occupies the liminal space as the Other, has the capacity to revolt using his beastly powers of manipulation and enchantment; and whose puzzling, feared and fragmented character resists any conventional classification. While the monster archetype is represented in literature through ‘the self’ with descriptions such as the depredation of the soul and body, on the socio- cultural level monster and monstrous in modern societies is depicted through those who are pushed to the margin of the society and considered to be the ‘Other’; such as the criminals, mental patients, the sick, and the poor. Margaret Atwood’s novel Hag-Seed explores the monster archetype using a Shakespearean revenge play ‘The Tempest’ in order to explore art and its function in modern societies. In modern societies the Other is severely punished and disciplined that perpetuates evil more than to rehabilitate the marginalized. What is the function of Art and Literature in rehabilitating the Other is the main question explored in this paper in relation to the novel. Therefore, it focuses on the creative process of art -‘mimesis’ in particular- that becomes a prominent tool in social transformation that restores order, creates harmony, and provides a psychological disclosure for the marginalized in the times of crises. Another concern is the role of the artist who occupies a liminal space between monster and man and his ability to summon his creative powers to transform the evil in society through his art and his accomplishment of the self and other in the transformational process.
Key words: monster narrative, the Other, art, artist, mimesis, social transformation