The Possibility of Failing to Live Up to Expectations ―Reading Alice in Wonderland through Judith Butler's Theory of Subjectivity

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  • 「期待」どおりになれないわたしの可能性 ―J・バトラーの主体化理論から『アリス・イン・ワンダーランド』を読む
  • 「 キタイ 」 ドオリ ニ ナレナイ ワタシ ノ カノウセイ : J.バトラー ノ シュタイカ リロン カラ 『 アリス ・ イン ・ ワンダーランド 』 オ ヨム

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Abstract

Using Judith Butler’s theory of subjectivity, this paper discusses views of the variation in Alice as a subject. This variation is an attempt to blur both the boundary and the relationship between an incoherent body in a “curious” world and our bodies as we exist in the real world. 　The film “Alice in Wonderland” takes place 13 years later than the children’s novel Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. Underland is still regarded as a “curious” world（when Alice was young, she misheard “Wonderland” as “Underland,” so she calls it Underland in the movie）. Alice’s arrival in Underland was anticipated; the Savior Alice was foreseen as a girl who would defeat the evil and bring peace to the Underland. Thus, Alice, who is lost there, is asked if she is the “Alice.” Despite her initial firm denial, residents there are intent upon calling her “Alice.” Ultimately, she defeats evil, which conforms to the prophesied image of “Alice.” 　In the film, the repeated question “who are you?” and the difficulty of answering that question adequately, as well as describing the body with phrases such as “not hardly” and “almost” appear “curious” to the viewer. However, if one analyzes using different perspectives, including Butler’s theory of performativity, it becomes clear that that “curiousness” relates to our bodies in the real world, rather than merely the world of the fantastic.

Journal

  • Gender and Sexuality

    Gender and Sexuality (9), 169-185, 2014-03-31

    国際基督教大学ジェンダー研究センター

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