“Laugh of the Medusa”, Cixous

At the beginning of “Laugh of the Medusa”, Cixous writes “what I say has at least two sides and two aims: to break up, to destroy; and to foresee the unforeseeable, to project.”

In her text, Cixous employs various strategies (1) to challenge the phallic structures that create the ‘old woman’ or male idea of woman (break up and destroy) and (2) to write woman and the body into existence (foresee the unforeseeable). Briefly explain some part of each of these sides and evaluate the success of her overall project.

Keep in mind that you may draw upon Gauthier’s “Is there such a thing as woman’s writing?” and the readings from Freud but this is a piece primarily focussed on Cixous.

Grading Rubric
You will be graded on:
• how well you address the prompt (within the 3 page limit);
• how well you establish and introduce the point you wish to make;
• how well you work with the texts (citing specific passages, drawing parallels, referring to the language of the text and not simply the narrative);
• how strong your conclusion is: whether you identify the key points demonstrated by your analysis
• how well and how clearly you express yourself and articulate your ideas throughout
• how carefully you have prepared the text (e.g. spelling, punctuation, proper referencing)