Pseudonyms Versus the Patriarchy: Representation Through Masks in Siri Hustvedt’s The Blazing World

Abstract

This thesis investigates the way the masks in Siri Hustvedt’s The Blazing World can be seen as pseudonyms, and how these pseudonyms represent the main character Harriet Burden’s reasons for starting her project and why it failed. Pseudonyms can be defined as masks that allows the characters to express opinions and concepts freely, without having these connected to themselves. This is done through representation, which can be understood through Ferdinand de Saussure’s theory of signs, Roland Barthes’ theory of denotation and connotation, and Michel Foucault’s discursive theory. The three masks from Harriet’s project represent the ways in which her project failed, whereas the mask Richard shows her reasons for starting it, and how she was influenced by the patriarchal structures around her. The Richard mask allows Harriet to explore the way she views masculinity, and it exposes the way she feels she has been oppressed by some of the men in her life.