A is for Abjection

Welcome to my blog. We are now in the A to Z blog challenge. I figured why not start the month off with something a little different. Abjection is a concept that can be useful in a story, however, I know it more from the years I competed in college policy debate. I wrote an entire negative strategy based off abjection. So thought I'd put the info to use here too. Enjoy. ;-)

If you don't know about the challenge, and if you're here I'm surprised if you don't know, but here is the link: http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/2012-to-z-challenge-sign-up-list.html.


What is Abjection?
Definition: Abject - 1. brought low in condition or status, 2. being of the most contemptible kind, 3. being of the most miserable kind; wretched. (Free Dictionary Dot Com)


The author who is known for writing books on the topic: Julia Kristeva

Her definition: "Our reaction (horror, vomit) to a threatened breakdown in meaning caused by the loss of the distinction between subject and object or between self and other."


Want to read some interesting concepts about the dichotomy of self versus other. Read books and articles by Kristeva or about what Kristeva wrote about somewhere online. I recommend Power of Horror. 

I like to consider the struggle of the self versus the other when I'm plotting. In one of my novels that I considered writing for NaNoWriMo 2012 involves the concept, though the main character is an "other" in the story in a literal sense. Might write that novel some day.


Another way to look at the concept of abjection is by looking at the tarot card, The Tower.

(image source)

One of the worst cards to get in general (yep worse than the death card most of the times and yeah I sometimes do tarot readings). Most of the time, the image on this card in the deck is a tower struck by lighting and or on fire, top part blown off, bits of the walls crumbling down and someone falling. Usually it's two but I thought the image above looked kinda cool. The lightning, breaking down of the barriers (walls/tower) and the fall all tie into both the abject horror and the time when there is a loss of the distinction between subject and object, or between self and other.
 


What do you think?
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