Sydney Owenson's Application of the Semiotic Theory of Iconic Realism

My Book

 

The following is from the first chapter of my book: 

Woven from the threads of disenfranchisement and enchantment, Owenson's writing captures the semiotic essence of the philosophically and politically inspired Romantic era, in which the grand is intentionally written to be grander in terms of style, topics and themes, where literary characterizations align with political forces to challenge the core of that which comprises a civil society.

The field of semiotics defines the significance of meaning in terms of its relative interpretations by Owenson’s audiences. Based on its historical and philosophical frames of reference, an audience assigns a variety of interpretations to any piece of literature. As Mario J. Valdés asserts, “The meaning we construe to any statement or any text is tentative; indeterminacy is controlled by a system of signs we accept as determinate in order to establish a temporary identity to the text.” [1]

In alignment with this thought, Owenson’s readers interact with her as author and interpret the material independently of each other, yet in a way that is inclusive of the history and culture of all parties. These inclusive qualities of specific communities comprise the basis for the establishment of certain elements to be identified as iconic.

Iconic representation of literature within any community develops from that community’s awareness of the connection between the writer’s endeavour and human consciousness. When the community understands that each writer is contributing to the possible transformation of thought, fresh ideas offer the possibility for growth in the potential for change. 

Reform occurs when the community also understands the historicity of the artists’ renderings in correlation with the current status of the community’s mind-set. Eventually, the cultures within a community, inclusive of the writers and those who comprise the audience, form a semiotic alliance that incorporates the language, philosophy, and history of the culture. Once these elements align, a tolerance emerges that provides opportunity for innovation.... (pp.18-19)

[1] Mario Valdés,  Hermeneutics of Poetic Sense: Critical Studies of Literature, Cinema, and Cultural History (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1998) p.15.

Iconic Realism and Commercial Use

(Image from Google Images)

A few years ago, I had viewed a TV commercial for a national American bank. The ad began with footage of an adorable, well-fed, happy baby, followed by a series of events that could affect this baby during his/her lifetime, placing the iconic image of innocence juxtaposed with the risks of adult decisions, bringing the audience to the recognition that their savings would earn wonderful dividends if placed in this bank. 

In another commercial, a hybrid automobile is placed in the middle of a lush, wooded glen. Little by little, the writers narrate the environmental benefits of owning this car. Again, the placement of an icon for modern society in the middle of the natural environment makes a statement about the cultural movement for earthly stewardship (as well as the adaptability of that particular car to a variety of terrains).  

However, they never mentioned the cost of maintaining such a vehicle. Hmmm... food for thought in another commercial perhaps...

Indeed, the use of iconic realism is a creative means to sell a product!

James Joyce's 'Ulysses' Character, Molly Bloom, and Iconic Realism

The Character of Molly Bloom in James Joyce's Ulysses

I took this photo of actors in Dublin on a June 16th, re-enacting James Joyce's Ulysses.

In James Joyce's Ulysses, he illustrates the semiotic theory of iconic realism through the character, Molly Bloom, placing her in 1904 Dublin, to inform his reading public that there is a need for cultural transformation regarding English Common Law. 

Below is an excerpt from my book on this example of the semiotic theory of iconic realism, pages 93-94. 

Those who have read the final chapter of Ulysses will recognize my added little tribute, which is not in my book. Yes 

 

Yes, James Joyce uses outspoken behavior by Molly to reveal his personal, hopeful desire for Ireland, one that seeks to declare independence from the established English Common law. This law states that ‘a husband was responsible…for the behavior and ‘discipline’ of his wife and had the right, for due cause, to chastise his wife with a stick as thick as the thumb.’^[1] Because Joyce grew up amid this turbulent gender reconfiguration during the late nineteenth century, the residue of the strict, Victorian regulations of female behavior appear within his characterizations. Molly is exotic, born of a British lieutenant and a Spanish Jewess and has a normal childhood, which is highly unlikely, as this type of mixed marriage is not one, which would have survived well in the late nineteenth century. 

 

Yes, she moves to the mainland Ireland, where she meets and marries a man who is Irish-Hungarian. Joyce places Molly’s birthday on the same day as the Virgin Mary’s recognized birth date by the Catholic Church, September 8. However, Molly becomes the antitheses of the Virgin Mary, pure of sin, for she is powerful in her earthly relationships and lacks the spiritual elevation associated with the Blessed Mother. Obviously, no matter how hard he tries, Joyce cannot dissociate himself from the teachings of his Catholic faith. Several times during her soliloquy, Molly references Catholic traditions, such as saying the ‘Hail Mary’ prayer.

 

Yes, Joyce illustrates iconic realism through the character of Molly as a female representative of the defiant nature of an Ireland in the growing industrial age. She embodies the elements of Victorian womanhood: beauty, talent, motherhood, faith, struggle, and even scandal, yet she also explores the social and emotional complexities with which women must deal during this era. Indeed, Joyce’s depiction of iconic Molly Bloom, placed in an iconic Dublin, Ireland of 1904, brings attention to his audience of the need for cultural change. Yes

---

^[1] Henke, Suzette and Elain Unkeless (eds), Women in Joyce (Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1982). p. 120.

 

James Joyce's 'Ulysses,' Winds of War, and Iconic Realism

Winds photo from Google Images

Inhaling and expelling of air exists in James Joyce's Ulysses chapter, Scylla and Charybdis, with the obnoxious expelling of high verbiage between Stephen Daedalus and the other scholars. Here, Joyce employs the use of linguistic empowerment of those who 'have' against those who 'have not'…or very little. Joyce, through Stephen, refers to those who do not understand the human spirit as the ‘vegetable world.’ He decides to stay firmly planted in the present, as Harry Blamires states, “through which all future plunges to the past” (Blamires 77). Here, Joyce reveals an interesting foreshadowing of worldly events with which only the current reader can relate, for within 25 years of his writing of Ulysses, the world will revisit Joyce’s own recent experience with WWI through WWII. 

How does this foreshadowing illustrate iconic realism? Joyce reveals highly intellectual ideas through intelligent characters who have issues communicating with those less intellectual, in other words, those who may view their world with a more common sense approach. Through this juxtaposition, Joyce actually pokes fun at the 'highly educated' as a group of snobs who have trouble relating to the majority of society. Ulysses was written between WWI and WWII, and much miscommunication was occurring in the higher echelons of governments worldwide. Joyce breathes his own consciousness through Bloom’s passages through time. He creates his personal ‘winds of war’ as he journeys through the dissonant aspects of his life between the dates, 1918-1920 and thus presents his own mental and emotional transformation. 

Blamires, Harry, The New Bloomsday Book: A Guide through Ulysses, Routledge, New York: 1997.

Happy Flag Day, 14th of June

Happy Flag Day! 

See the history of the United States flag in a quick video HERE.