Thank you so much for a lively and engaging first class! I hope you found my review of the syllabus, course structure and assignments useful.
One of the aspects of our class I most enjoyed was our discussion of the "well-scene" in the Lascaux cave. I was truly blown away by all of the thoughtful observations you made in response to the Blood bot's first tweet.
%20Dead%20Man,%20Bison,%20Rhinoceros_Large_Not%20Cropped.jpg "The \"well scene\" in the Lascaux cave, circa 20,000 years BCE") |
| The "well scene" in the Lascaux cave (circa 20,000 years BCE) |
As I was reading The Tears of Eros this week, one of the things that struck me was the way in which Georges Bataille at once weds together and disjoins Christian motifs, language and concepts with his analysis of eroticism. On the one hand, he designates eroticism as "diabolical" and uncovers the theme of original sin in the "well scene" of Lascaux. On the other hand, he contends that humans experienced eroticism long before the advent of Christianity; and he opposes the Genesis story of the Fall to Lascaux's "well scene".
Albrecht Dürer, Adam and Eve (Engraving, 1504)
How should we make sense of this apparently paradoxical conjunctive disjunction between the Biblical myth of original sin and the enigmatic image in the "pit" or "well" of Lascaux?
As I suggested in this week's lecture, drawing on the conceptual dichotomy between the particular and the universal may be useful here. The Judeo-Christian myth of the Fall and the Paleolithic artworks of Lascaux are both particular cultural representations. That is: they're both the products of particular human cultures and social traditions. However, what Bataille seems to be suggesting is that they nonetheless both point to something more fundamental --- something universal --- about the human condition: the deep and puzzling imbrication between our eroticism and our consciousness of death.
As we proceed through the course, we'll have further recourse to this conceptual dyad between the particular and the universal.
For this week's blogging assignment, I'd like you to do two things. First, please introduce yourself and let me know your program and year of study. Second, I'd like you to articulate one question which arose for you in relation to this week's reading, lecture and/or tutorial. I look forward to reading your blogs!