Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection

How does Kristeva’s concept of abjection function in contemporary film and television? For example, how does a series such as The Walking Dead illustrate Kristeva’s theories?

How does Céline characterize women in Journey to the End of the Night? How does this relate to Kristeva’s assertions about gender?

Consider gender construction and tropes in films such as Carrie. What examples of horror and disgust are made visible in the film? How does abjection elicit these responses?

Kristeva suggests that artists use visual imagery to connect with the abject and semiotic. How do works from artists such as Hieronymus Bosch represent the abject, and how does this imagery affect viewers?

What is Kristeva’s response to Céline’s political views and antisemitism? What is her ethical justification for devoting half of Powers of Horror to his work? Is this inclusion effective? Would there be other ways to develop Kristeva’s ideas?

Although Kristeva is often grouped with Hélène Cixous and Irigary as a French feminist, she does not sit comfortably with this designation. How is her philosophy at odds with French feminism? How is it supportive of feminism?

Religious iconography often depicts the abject: blood, corpses, beheadings, and the suffering of Jesus and the saints adorn stained glass windows in many cathedrals and churches. Relics preserve bones and body parts as sacred objects. What purpose do these visual representations of the abject serve?

Consider notoriously disturbing horror films like Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1976), Ichi the Killer (2001), Audition (1999), or The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) and read them through Kristeva’s lens. How do the abject elements in these films critique the specific societies or cultures they emerged from?